Advice on my apprenticeship?
Any advice about my apprenticeship?
Sorry for the vague title, I just don't know how to phrase what I'm about to say. So let me just write it all out and hopefully it makes sense.
Ok, to preface let me say the apprenticeship I have been taken on for (after months) has finally approved my application, but I'm starting to feel I was a desperate dead end they've reached.
I just started as an apprentice dispensary assistant. I applied because it's local, I can learn a skills and a qualification, and the hours are good. I applied last January, then about 4 times this year, in the last 6 months.
On my first day today, in a busy pharmacy RIGHT BESIDE a doctors, I was alone with one other employee and a local pharmacy manager. This pharmacy has 1 employee and no permanent manager, local managers take it on rotation (I think? I just know there's no permanent manager right now), and the employee training me (reluctantly I assume because when the manager asked her to take me under her wing today she blatantly rolled her eyes, which was rude from the get go). Her logic of training, verbatim, is to "chuck me into the deep end", she had me answering phones to companies I know nothing of, about things I know nothing of. Using a cash register she showed me how to use once. She had me deal with deliveries, and approve prescriptions I wouldn't have a clue about. She left me for an hour with the local manager who was in an online meeting in the back, who couldn't keep stepping out. Patients & customers were asking me questions I wouldn't know the answer to, and they were getting outwardly pissed off at me. I had one elderly woman come in to complain about her prescriptions not getting delivered on Wednesday, and I told her I was new and didn't know anything of it (but apologised profusely), and she told me the doctor & chemist was trying to kill her. When the employee eventually came back and I told her of everything she didn't seem phased. I was never told when I could go on my lunch, as I was asked to do a million things every time I tried to. After working for 6 hours I eventually got a half hour break, but was unable to even have lunch because there's nowhere to sit. The other employee had her car and she went elsewhere to eat, but after all that, I had nowhere to sit and eat some lunch, and ended up working 9 hours with a 30 minute break and not a single moment to sit down. I was THEN told I'd be on my own for 2 days next week. I expressed I wouldn't feel ok with that just yet, but I was told it was ok because I need to learn eventually. I am NOT qualified for that yet, and I can't answer questions for these people, I have no prior pharmaceutical knowledge and I have very fundamental retail knowledge but this isn't retail. I get paid £4 an hour and I feel they're really taking advantage of someone willing and wanting to gain experience. Is this an overreaction? What should I do?
Sorry for the vague title, I just don't know how to phrase what I'm about to say. So let me just write it all out and hopefully it makes sense.
Ok, to preface let me say the apprenticeship I have been taken on for (after months) has finally approved my application, but I'm starting to feel I was a desperate dead end they've reached.
I just started as an apprentice dispensary assistant. I applied because it's local, I can learn a skills and a qualification, and the hours are good. I applied last January, then about 4 times this year, in the last 6 months.
On my first day today, in a busy pharmacy RIGHT BESIDE a doctors, I was alone with one other employee and a local pharmacy manager. This pharmacy has 1 employee and no permanent manager, local managers take it on rotation (I think? I just know there's no permanent manager right now), and the employee training me (reluctantly I assume because when the manager asked her to take me under her wing today she blatantly rolled her eyes, which was rude from the get go). Her logic of training, verbatim, is to "chuck me into the deep end", she had me answering phones to companies I know nothing of, about things I know nothing of. Using a cash register she showed me how to use once. She had me deal with deliveries, and approve prescriptions I wouldn't have a clue about. She left me for an hour with the local manager who was in an online meeting in the back, who couldn't keep stepping out. Patients & customers were asking me questions I wouldn't know the answer to, and they were getting outwardly pissed off at me. I had one elderly woman come in to complain about her prescriptions not getting delivered on Wednesday, and I told her I was new and didn't know anything of it (but apologised profusely), and she told me the doctor & chemist was trying to kill her. When the employee eventually came back and I told her of everything she didn't seem phased. I was never told when I could go on my lunch, as I was asked to do a million things every time I tried to. After working for 6 hours I eventually got a half hour break, but was unable to even have lunch because there's nowhere to sit. The other employee had her car and she went elsewhere to eat, but after all that, I had nowhere to sit and eat some lunch, and ended up working 9 hours with a 30 minute break and not a single moment to sit down. I was THEN told I'd be on my own for 2 days next week. I expressed I wouldn't feel ok with that just yet, but I was told it was ok because I need to learn eventually. I am NOT qualified for that yet, and I can't answer questions for these people, I have no prior pharmaceutical knowledge and I have very fundamental retail knowledge but this isn't retail. I get paid £4 an hour and I feel they're really taking advantage of someone willing and wanting to gain experience. Is this an overreaction? What should I do?
No it's not an overreaction. I would feel quite shaken to be honest!
The employee training you did it badly and sounds like it was a rubbish day to start
See if you can speak to her manager about the fact you feel unsafe due to a lack of training and that you don't have confidence to work alone yet.
You only get paid £4 an hour so you sound quite young and this girl probably gets the same minimum wage.
Of course the fall back is if you feel unsafe as you think you might make a mistake etc. Then you can always leave there are other jobs
Also the law requires you to take a 20/30 minute break every 6 hours so the break thing doesn't surprise me but it does surprise me that there was no where for you to have you lunch!
The employee training you did it badly and sounds like it was a rubbish day to start
See if you can speak to her manager about the fact you feel unsafe due to a lack of training and that you don't have confidence to work alone yet.
You only get paid £4 an hour so you sound quite young and this girl probably gets the same minimum wage.
Of course the fall back is if you feel unsafe as you think you might make a mistake etc. Then you can always leave there are other jobs
Also the law requires you to take a 20/30 minute break every 6 hours so the break thing doesn't surprise me but it does surprise me that there was no where for you to have you lunch!
Original post by anonymousbear
Any advice about my apprenticeship?
Sorry for the vague title, I just don't know how to phrase what I'm about to say. So let me just write it all out and hopefully it makes sense.
Ok, to preface let me say the apprenticeship I have been taken on for (after months) has finally approved my application, but I'm starting to feel I was a desperate dead end they've reached.
I just started as an apprentice dispensary assistant. I applied because it's local, I can learn a skills and a qualification, and the hours are good. I applied last January, then about 4 times this year, in the last 6 months.
On my first day today, in a busy pharmacy RIGHT BESIDE a doctors, I was alone with one other employee and a local pharmacy manager. This pharmacy has 1 employee and no permanent manager, local managers take it on rotation (I think? I just know there's no permanent manager right now), and the employee training me (reluctantly I assume because when the manager asked her to take me under her wing today she blatantly rolled her eyes, which was rude from the get go). Her logic of training, verbatim, is to "chuck me into the deep end", she had me answering phones to companies I know nothing of, about things I know nothing of. Using a cash register she showed me how to use once. She had me deal with deliveries, and approve prescriptions I wouldn't have a clue about. She left me for an hour with the local manager who was in an online meeting in the back, who couldn't keep stepping out. Patients & customers were asking me questions I wouldn't know the answer to, and they were getting outwardly pissed off at me. I had one elderly woman come in to complain about her prescriptions not getting delivered on Wednesday, and I told her I was new and didn't know anything of it (but apologised profusely), and she told me the doctor & chemist was trying to kill her. When the employee eventually came back and I told her of everything she didn't seem phased. I was never told when I could go on my lunch, as I was asked to do a million things every time I tried to. After working for 6 hours I eventually got a half hour break, but was unable to even have lunch because there's nowhere to sit. The other employee had her car and she went elsewhere to eat, but after all that, I had nowhere to sit and eat some lunch, and ended up working 9 hours with a 30 minute break and not a single moment to sit down. I was THEN told I'd be on my own for 2 days next week. I expressed I wouldn't feel ok with that just yet, but I was told it was ok because I need to learn eventually. I am NOT qualified for that yet, and I can't answer questions for these people, I have no prior pharmaceutical knowledge and I have very fundamental retail knowledge but this isn't retail. I get paid £4 an hour and I feel they're really taking advantage of someone willing and wanting to gain experience. Is this an overreaction? What should I do?
Sorry for the vague title, I just don't know how to phrase what I'm about to say. So let me just write it all out and hopefully it makes sense.
Ok, to preface let me say the apprenticeship I have been taken on for (after months) has finally approved my application, but I'm starting to feel I was a desperate dead end they've reached.
I just started as an apprentice dispensary assistant. I applied because it's local, I can learn a skills and a qualification, and the hours are good. I applied last January, then about 4 times this year, in the last 6 months.
On my first day today, in a busy pharmacy RIGHT BESIDE a doctors, I was alone with one other employee and a local pharmacy manager. This pharmacy has 1 employee and no permanent manager, local managers take it on rotation (I think? I just know there's no permanent manager right now), and the employee training me (reluctantly I assume because when the manager asked her to take me under her wing today she blatantly rolled her eyes, which was rude from the get go). Her logic of training, verbatim, is to "chuck me into the deep end", she had me answering phones to companies I know nothing of, about things I know nothing of. Using a cash register she showed me how to use once. She had me deal with deliveries, and approve prescriptions I wouldn't have a clue about. She left me for an hour with the local manager who was in an online meeting in the back, who couldn't keep stepping out. Patients & customers were asking me questions I wouldn't know the answer to, and they were getting outwardly pissed off at me. I had one elderly woman come in to complain about her prescriptions not getting delivered on Wednesday, and I told her I was new and didn't know anything of it (but apologised profusely), and she told me the doctor & chemist was trying to kill her. When the employee eventually came back and I told her of everything she didn't seem phased. I was never told when I could go on my lunch, as I was asked to do a million things every time I tried to. After working for 6 hours I eventually got a half hour break, but was unable to even have lunch because there's nowhere to sit. The other employee had her car and she went elsewhere to eat, but after all that, I had nowhere to sit and eat some lunch, and ended up working 9 hours with a 30 minute break and not a single moment to sit down. I was THEN told I'd be on my own for 2 days next week. I expressed I wouldn't feel ok with that just yet, but I was told it was ok because I need to learn eventually. I am NOT qualified for that yet, and I can't answer questions for these people, I have no prior pharmaceutical knowledge and I have very fundamental retail knowledge but this isn't retail. I get paid £4 an hour and I feel they're really taking advantage of someone willing and wanting to gain experience. Is this an overreaction? What should I do?
I'd speak to the manager. Let them know your concerns (no proper training, being left on your own when you don't feel safe enough to do the job alone yet etc etc).
If you are on an apprenticeship, do you have a tutor, training provider or someone similar that you could speak to about it? If so, speak to them and let them know what's going on.
If nothing improves, I'd look into leaving.
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