Nobody likes knowing his or her presence isn't valued, but what can you do? 

Workplace environments are designed to create neutrality. Corporations need to optimize the workforce to maintain profitability and customer service. For most pharmacists, this means treating you more like a number than a person. 

Depersonalizing employee roles helps HR quickly hire, fire, and replace employees with technical efficiency. It's not personal, it's business, and it's what we sign up for when we work for someone else. 

You can't control what a company does, but you can control the sense of dispensability that plagues us, pharmacists, when we feel less than unique, resourceful, and magnetic in our careers. 

Dispensability fills us with fear and reminds us of something we all hate to discover: that we're not as special, unique, or distinct. It's humbling to feel that you're easy to replace, and it can scar your perception when you're not careful. 

You’re Only Dispensable Because You Want to Be

Feeling dispensable happens; however, this isn't an alert to coddle your self-esteem. Success manifests at the corner of opportunity and preparation, and you can become indispensable if you invest in doing so. 

It's easy to grumble and say, "Why do I have to keep investing in myself?" 

But the truth is, nobody owes you anything. 

Success is within you, not outside of you. Anything coming into your world starts with how you choose to experience the world – and the level of work you put in. When things aren't going your way, you're the one who's responsible. 

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As a career coach and pharmacist, it behooves me to hear an intelligent person belittle their potential. No, the pharmacy industry isn't the most comfortable (or easiest) place to work. There's a lot of competition for what looks like a small and rigid pool of jobs, but guess what? 

Nobody has it easy these days. 

If anything, non-pharmacists think you have it easy. Who else graduates college and starts making $90K - $110K a year? It's your responsibility to step up to the plate and become the person who gets what they want, no matter what the circumstances. 

Are you ready to go to the next level? 

What got you here won't get you there. If your life doesn't reflect an indication that you're going where you'd like to end up, take note. Here's how to create opportunities and become a person of indispensable value. 

5 Ways to Become Indispensable as a Pharmacist

1. Take ownership for your current reality.  

Complaining is easy. Complaining allows one to absolve themselves from taking responsibility (ownership) of any situation. Self-reflection reveals that you may be a part of the problem.  You are no longer part of that population. 

Taking responsibility means you know you play a part in how life shows up for you. You know that you can overcome challenging circumstances, no matter how burned out you are. 

You also know that you get a little more powerful every time you consciously recognize the role you play. This is what gets you past being stuck.

Permit yourself to live from a place of knowing that you were designed and destined for more. You have to take responsibility for the hand you've played. 

2. Be clear and decisive about what you want. 

Create a decisive new story about who you are and what you desire in life. 

Where do you want to go? Connect with the wise part of you within that knows your full truth. Write down your goals, speak them into existence, and commit to getting stuff done.  

Are there any negative beliefs about where you're stuck? Write them down, and then reverse them into positive statements of affirmation. 

Remember: beliefs are just that - beliefs. 

I was a night owl for 25 years. Until I determined I could change. I created a new belief about myself. Now I wake up at 5:00 am (gotta admit though, it ain’t easy). 

You can shift and change your ideas once you become consciously aware of them. Only decide what is best for you to believe and go confidently in that direction.

3. Determine where you can be better. 

People spend too much time comparing themselves against others. 

Measure yourself against your accomplishments and the person you used to be, not what others have knocked out during their tenure. Review your metrics over the past 3-6 months, and over time. 

Where can you be better? That's where your focus should be. 

4. Get career growth with the support of a coach. 

If you're not happy with your life, you don't have to stay stuck. You can build an indispensable career that holds value. 

We help pharmacists create happy careers. Through regular meetings, you receive accountability and support to move to your next level. 

Working with a coach cannot guarantee success within a limited timeframe, yet consistent partnerships can help you create a valuable career.
 

Take Control of Your Pharmacy Career

With so many changes in the pharmacy industry, it's easy to get burned out. Between long hours, changes in employment, and career outlook, the pharmacy job crisis is here. Are you prepared to win against all the odds? 

Join our Career Masterclass. It's our 100% free strategy to escape burnout, receive regular job offers all the time, and take control of your pharmacy career. Sign up here.