Pros
Pharmacy systems provides networking opportunities with a large number of other directors across many different states in a wide variety of practice settings. Also, they provide a vast array of literature and online resources to help one stay up to date with the vast regulatory demands of managing a pharmacy, regardless of the setting or size. Additionally, they provide an excellent health care documentation system that will gather, analyze, and track data to help you identify opportunities to assist the client hospital. Finally, Pharmacy Systems also has an excellent program that will help prepare you for an audit from organizations such as JCAHO, FDA, Board of Health, Board of Pharmacy, and even the DEA!
Cons
If you become a Director of Pharmacy for Pharmacy Systems, you will have 2 bosses. Your boss at the client site (Example: Chief Financial Officer or Chief Nursing Officer) and your boss at Pharmacy Systems. Both bosses will often desire very different things, and additionally these desires will sometimes conflict with each other. When this happens you will be put in a situation where you can be set up to fail. Make the client angry and you will be unsuccessful at your job, make the Pharmacy Systems boss angry and you will be unsuccessful at your job. Additionally, Pharmacy Systems provides a large amount of literature and resources to help you accomplish the difficulties of Directing a Pharmacy, but offers almost zero support in helping you implement it. Be prepared to work extremely long hours to meet corporate deadlines. (Example: 70 to 90 hour weeks on a regular basis with little, if any, overtime pay). Finally, Pharmacy Systems micromanages you to the point that you don't feel like a director of your own department. Your decisions on how to run the pharmacy will always be stringently reviewed by a corporate boss who only visits the hospital every two weeks.