4 Reasons why Telemedicine Jobs are Great for Pharmacists

Telemedicine and telehealth services and job openings are on the rise, and that means that new opportunities are opening up for pharmacists to join in and help build a comprehensive online experience for telemedicine patients and providers.

This may seem like a new footing for many pharmacists, since most pharmacy positions are heavily dependent on reporting to a fixed location, but telemedicine pharmacists at telehealth companies like Strut Health may soon be an integral part of the future of pharmacy.

There are many pros to having a telemedicine position as a pharmacist, read on for 5 reasons why telemedicine jobs can be a great fit for pharmacists.

Ability to work from home

This one may seem obvious, but the ability to work from home is an important one.

Working from home gives pharmacists the ability to have an income even in the event of store closures, personal health issues, being in-between in-person positions, or caring for a child or loved one at home.

While working from home is not for everyone, for workers who have a high level of focus, the ability to stay on task, and a position that is mainly focused on relaying their expert opinion and learned information, or patient consultations, at-home work may be a good fit.
More time for patient interactions

For many pharmacists working from home, a big part of their day is reviewing patient information and then getting in touch with a person via a phone call or video chat.

Since the pharmacist is working from home, this opens up the ability to fit in more time for each individual interaction, and contact more patients daily, by reducing time spent physically working with medication, checking in deliveries, calling insurance companies, packaging prescriptions, or helping customers with non-pharmaceutical questions (i.e. what aisle is the toothpaste on?)

Quiet and private patient consultations

If you have ever worked in a hectic pharmacy environment, you know that it can be challenging finding a quiet and discreet area to speak with patients about potentially delicate issues, to make them feel comfortable and protect their privacy.

Add in a near-constant ringing phone, ambient noise, store announcements, overhead music, and you have a recipe for a chaotic environment.

With pharmacists who are working for telemedicine companies, communications with patients are much more quiet and private, since you are both likely communicating in a private room one-on-one via a phone or internet connection.

Sometimes patients consultations spur lots of follow up questions which patients may have gone without asking when seeing a busy pharmacist in a rushed pharmacy.

Telemedicine consultations give pharmacists the ability to provide their full attention to each patient, leading to potentially more comprehensive and educational patient interactions that each customer deserves.

Better environment for improved focus

The pharmacist position requires a huge amount of focus, since lots of information needs to be processed for accuracy at a very rapid and efficient rate.

One distracted prescription review or misread line can lead to an incorrect dispensing or adverse patient outcomes, and must be avoided at all costs.

This need for nearly inhuman 100% accuracy puts the pharmacist in a position of responsibility where their focus must be top-notch at all times.

With a telemedicine position, a lot of the usual brick and mortar pharmacy distractions have been removed, leaving space for a calm and quiet work environment where the pharmacist can maintain extreme focus essentially interruption-free.

Conclusion

The world is changing, and the ability for pharmacists to efficiently work at a telemedicine position is now becoming a reality.

There are multiple reasons why a pharmacist may opt for a telemedicine job, including the ability to work from home, more time for direct patient interactions, a more private consultation environment, plus a better ability to focus away from a hectic pharmacy environment.

Telemedicine remote work is not a good fit for everyone, and there will likely always be a need for pharmacists to be present at a pharmacy, hospital, or other medical environments.

But, for those where it works out, pharmacists telemedicine work can be fulfilling, efficient, and change the patient experience for the better.