Ms. Farley is a freelance medical writer based in Wakefield, Rhode Island.
In eighth grade, Howard Kramer won $25
for writing an essay about a chosen profession: pharmacist.
At age 15, Kramer went on to work in pharmacy,
working nights and weekends through high school and
college. After pharmacy school, he worked for an independent
and then a chain. In 1974, Kmart opened a store
in Virginia that offered a pharmacy service. It was there
that Kramer took a job as pharmacy manager. Within a
few months, Kmart opened many more new stores, and
Kramer became district manager and was later promoted
to buyer at Kmart's headquarters in Troy, Michigan. At
the time, there was no human resources department for
the pharmacy portion of Kmart, and, in 1991, Kramer was
asked to fill that void. With 34
years as a pharmacist for Kmart
under his belt, Kramer has a lot
of insight for new grads interested
in working for a mass merchandiser.
First and foremost, says Kramer,
Kmart encourages its pharmacists
to get to know their patients
and establish a personal relationship.
"That is a nonnegotiable,"
he says. "We have pharmacists
who know their patients by name
and call them, send birthday and
get-well cards. That is the kind of
environment we like."
A certain tone is set because the
pharmacy management team is
run by registered pharmacists, not retailers. In fact, Kmart
relies on 4 advisory boards to help guide decision making
for its pharmacy service. "These boards are made up of
people who are in the trenches and behind the benches
every day. They take advice from people who know the
business and their patients."
Kramer adds, "We are always on the lookout for the
talented people who have the skills to be on these boards.
We need to identify the ability and the inclination. It is
quite an honor to be selected out of the 2500 pharmacists
in our employ."
GREAT COMMUNICATORS
The most critical traits for a Kmart pharmacist are the
ability and desire to communicate, not just with the
customers, but third-party managers, physicians, district
managers, etc. "New hires must have a passion to provide
great communication," says Kramer. "They must find
a way to say yes. That is something that differentiates
Kmart from the rest—we try to make things happen."
From a corporate sense, Kmart wants to put the patient
and customer first. The goal is to provide the best possible
care by analyzing the patients' needs
and finding out how to serve them
best. Kramer says that most patients
are looking for pharmacists they can
trust. Patients should feel comfortable
referring to Kmart pharmacists
as "my pharmacist" the same way
they would refer to their physician
as "my doctor," says Kramer. "We
want to establish that high level of
trust."
TURNING KMART PHARMACY INTO A CAREER
A career path in Kmart pharmacy,
depending on experience, usually
begins as a staff pharmacist or pharmacy
manager. The company then
identifies high-potential pharmacists
and places them in a floater position where they can learn
more and help the pharmacy district manager (PDM) by
acting as the eyes and ears in a traveling, troubleshooting
role. This floating position is preparation for the PDM
position, offering invaluable on-the-job training. After
working as a PDM, pharmacists can then advance to
pharmacy divisional director or the unlimited opportunities
in Kmart's corporate offices.
With an attractive benefits program, establishing a
career at Kmart is an appealing option. The compensation
and the health care plan are competitive; the pharmacies
are closed on 7 major holidays; and there are flexible
work schedules and a generous 401(k) match.
Kramer points out that Kmart operates in 47 states plus
the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. "That is a lot of opportunity
and flexibility. We have a pharmacist who works in
one part of the country for part of the year and another
location for the other part of the year. We do our best to
support pharmacists if they want to change locations."
Pharmacists coming out of pharmacy school today are
brighter and more mature and more engaged than ever
before, says Kramer. "They should know this is a great
profession with boundless opportunities. All pharmacists
have choices to make upon graduation. Whether or not
they end up at Kmart, we would like them to focus on
driving the profession forward and taking their practice
forward."
Inside the Issue
