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Pharmacy TechnicianDomain: Time Management & Priority Setting

Scenario: Workload can be unpredictable for a technician. Give a specific example of a time you were overwhelmed by the numerous tasks that required completion by the end of the day. How did you accomplish the work that needed to be completed and manage your stress at work in the process?

Red Flags:

ð Has difficulty staying organized

ð Has difficulty prioritizing work

ð Lack of specific situation

ð Lack of specific details

ð Lack of specific role

ð Rambling on and on

ð Lack of eye contact

Listen For:

ð Ability to effectively prioritize

ð Asking for assistance/ability to delegate

ð Stress management strategies at work

ð Ability to stay organized

ð Does not compromise quality or take inappropriate shortcuts

ð Ability to stay focused when stressed

Notes: Candidate demonstrates the ability to ensure all necessary work is completed with effective prioritization and stress management.

Clinical Pharmacist Domain: Interpersonal Effectiveness/Personal Mastery

Scenario: (Option A) Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the situation? (Option B) Describe a time when you received negative feedback and turned it into something positive.

Red Flags:

Listen For:

ð Lack of specific situation/details/role

ð Personal accountability demonstrated

ð Rambling on and on

ð Ability to resolve and diffuse conflict

ð Lack of eye contact

ð Demonstrates direct, constructive communication techniques

ð Lack of accountability

ð Poor communication skills

ð Able to listen constructively and offer both positive and negative feedback

ð Poor listening skills

ð Conducts communication with professionalism, courtesy, dignity and respect

Notes: Candidate assumes responsibility for personal well-being and career goals, demonstrates self-awareness, actively seeks feedback from others and takes action to improve performance, effectiveness, and resilience, engages in continuous learning while balancing competing priorities and demands, and uses questioning and listening skills to uncover the expectations and needs of those that are being influenced.

Clinical Pharmacist Ethics and Integrity

Scenario: Can you give me an example of a specific occasion in which you had to conform to a hospital or departmental policy with which you did not agree? What did you do to reconcile the situation for yourself? What was the outcome of your eventual action?

Red Flags:

ð Does not adhere and follow established ethical guidelines

ð Does not act according to professional and organizational standards of behavior

ð Does not treat others in a respectful and professional manner

ð Lack of specific situation

ð Lack of specific details

ð Lack of specific role

ð Rambling on and on

ð Lack of eye contact

Listen For:

ð Has an established ethical guidelines and adheres to those guiding principles

ð Lives by (and models) a high standard of personal values

ð Goes out of his or her way to do “the right thing”

ð Openly discusses ethical issues and concerns

ð Avoids any behavior that might be considered devious or underhanded

ð Acts in accordance with professional and organizational standards of behavior

ð Maintains confidences

ð Treats others in a respectful and professional manner

Notes: Candidate demonstrates strict adherence to an internal and external moral code of principles and values that is not in conflict with organizational culture or mission

Interns/Residents Domain: Work Ethic

Scenario: When you are an intern/resident, you will often be given assignments that you may feel are not part of your job. Tell me about the worst situation where you had to do something you didn’t want to because you felt like it was not part of your job responsibilities.

-Why was the assignment given to you?

-How did you deal with the unfair assignment?

-What, if anything, would you do differently today if presented with the same situation?

Red Flags:

ð Lack of specific situation

ð Lack of specific details

ð Lack of specific role

ð Rambling on and on

ð Lack of eye contact

ð Difficulty articulating examples of going “above-and-beyond” expectations

ð Displays little initiative in taking on additional assignments

ð Reluctant to work overtime/after hours

ð Takes shortcuts to complete tasks

Listen For:

ð Desire for additional responsibility

ð Willingness to “go the extra mile”

ð Requires minimal supervision

ð Highly motivated, self-starter

ð Willing to complete tasks others do not want to

Notes: Candidate displays initiative and a desire to take on additional responsibilities with little supervision. Candidate is motivated and avoids procrastination.

Intern/Resident Domain: Emotional Stability

Scenario: There are many times throughout the year as a resident that you will be under extreme pressure and might feel overwhelmed. Tell me about a time when you experienced this pressure during school, rotations, or at work.

- How did you handle the situation?

- What works to help reduce/relieve stress?

- What hobbies do you have outside pharmacy to help decompress?

Red Flags:

ð Lack of specific situation

ð Lack of specific details

ð Lack of specific role

ð Rambling on and on

ð Lack of eye contact
States he or she is never stressed

ð Exhibits signs of emotional ability

ð No effective way to deal with stress

Listen For:

ð Stays calm under pressure

ð Willing to ask for help when overwhelmed
Utilizes effective time management and planning to reduce stress

ð Enjoys some type of extracurricular activity to reduce stress

Notes: Candidate provides an effective, well thought out plan for minimizing and dealing with stress. Stress should not decrease productivity or be debilitating to candidate, but should provide motivation to achieve or improve.

Clinical Pharmacist Domain: Flexibility / Adaptability

Scenario: Tell me about the last new procedure you had to learn in your job. Tell me what specifically the hardest aspect of learning the new procedure was. Tell me specifically what you liked best about learning the new procedure. How well is the new procedure working now?

Red Flags:

Listen For:

ð Lack of specific situation/details/role

ð Clearly understood and defined the new procedure

ð Rambling on and on

ð What actions were taken to learn the new procedure

ð Lack of eye contact

ð Was the procedure outcome clearly defined

ð Lack of ability to learn new procedure

ð Adjusts to changes in the work environment and functions as a team player during such changes

ð Comments demonstrated an inability to be flexible

ð Resistance to change

Notes: Candidate demonstrates resilience, agility, and a sense of urgency, deals effectively with pressure and work stress, such as ambiguity, emergencies/crises, emerging conditions, and multiple tasks, remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity or uncertainty, recovers quickly from setbacks, adapts behavior and work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles, and examines mistakes and identifies and applies lessons learned.

Central Pharmacist Domain: Creative Thinking

Scenario: Tell me about two suggestions you have made to your supervisor in the past year. How did you come up with the ideas? What happened? How do you feel about the way things went?

Red Flags:

Listen For:

ð Lack of specific situation/details/role

ð Clearly illustrated a structured process

ð Rambling on and on

ð Ability to analyze a problem and generate possible solutions

ð Lack of eye contact

ð Negative comments about supervisor

ð Ability to imagine and invent something new

ð Inability to think outside the box

ð Ability to change or reapply existing ideas

Notes: Demonstrates creative problem solving skills. Identifies and analyzes problems and their root causes. Generates creative ideas and potential solutions. Resolves barriers and chooses course of action that optimize chances of achieving desired outcomes.