Pharmacist Interview Questions & Answers
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1.
How would your patients describe you?
How to Answer
Your patient's feedback will say a lot about you as a Pharmacist. Let the interviewer know that your patients would say that you are knowledgeable, kind and helpful. Go ahead and share a brief story about a time you helped a patient and they let you know how much it meant to them.
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1 Community Answer
Anonymous Answer"Patient and helpful. I encountered patients who had difficulties explaining their issues because of a language barrier. I take my time to understand them and help them. As well as the elderly patients who need some time to speak."
Stephanie's AnswerThis answer really captures your core values and how you go about meeting your patients exactly where they are! Patience goes a long way, and your patients are truly lucky to have you.
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2.
What is your communication style?
How to Answer
As a Pharmacist, it is important to know which type of communicator you are in order to effectively communicate with your patients, co-workers and other medical professionals. Do you consider your communication style analytical, intuitive, functional or personal? Tell the interviewer that you are able to change your communication style based on who you are addressing and their way of learning. The important thing to relay is that you are an effective communicator. You welcome the back and forth with your patients.
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3.
What are ways you deal with stress, challenges, or negative situations at work?
How to Answer
We all have work stress, but how you handle it will say a lot about you as a person and as a Pharmacist. Let the interviewer know that when stressed out you sometimes just need a moment to walk away and get a soda and pick up where you left off 5 minutes later. When others are stressed out, do they come to you for advice and resolution?
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Anonymous Answer"We all deal with stress at work. I have found the best way for me to deal with a stressful situation at work is to take five minutes of rest to perform some deep breathing. This allows me to come back to my work, feeling less tense and more productive and focused."
Chad's AnswerStepping away for five minutes, and breathing exercises, are both effective techniques for managing stress. Good job! The interviewer will be assured from your response that you are able to effectively handle the stress associated with the position.
Was this answer helpful? Yes (0) or No (0)Thank you, your vote helps us display the best answers!Anonymous Answer"When I am stressed or face negative situations, I take a 5min break at the back and drink some tea to soothe myself. When I come back from work I discuss it with my mom. Talking about it relieves me."
Stephanie's AnswerExcellent response! It's clear that you have adopted a self-care strategy that works well for you, which is critical when facing stressful employment situations.
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4.
If you felt a customer was using prescribed drugs for the wrong reasons, what would you do?
How to Answer
As a Pharmacist, one of your many jobs is to track patient compliance and usage of medication and maintain communication with Providers. Tell the interviewer that you would make time to do the research to track the patient's usage over the last year to determine if there was a trend of abuse. You would work with the Dr. to inform them of the situation so they could take actions on their end as well as discontinue dispensing on yours.
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Anonymous Answer"I would have a conversation with my patient to make sure they know why they are taking the medication and know what types of side effects could occur if taken incorrectly. I would then contact their provider to make sure they know strange filling patterns and address my concern."
Rachelle's AnswerSolid answer. It's clear that you would address this situation with professionalism, putting the patient at ease while also opening communication lines with their provider.
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5.
Why do you want to be a pharmacist at our organization?
How to Answer
This interview question is similar to the 'tell us about yourself' question. This is your opportunity to tell the interviewer how your skills match their vacancy and how your goals line up with theirs. This will be your 45-second elevator speech highlighting your qualifications and accomplishments.
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Anonymous Answer"I became interested in pharmacy in my last position. I noticed that many patients had issues taking their medications correctly or taking medication for an incorrect length of time. I saw a need, decided to step up to the plate, be the patients' advocate and help them received the benefit from the medication that they are supposed to receive."
Rachelle's AnswerYou have a very noble reason to pursue a career in pharmacy! It's an important cause. What makes you want to be a pharmacist with this specific employer?
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6.
What do you know about our hospital?
How to Answer
Make sure you do your homework before your interview. Knowing about the hospital, pharmacy and staff will show the interviewer that you are interested in their particular position and not just floating your resume. First mention their goals and mission and how you relate and appreciate their support within the community. Talk about the awards and accreditations the hospital has. Reviewing the sites annual reports is a great way to brush up on how the hospital is making a difference in the community.
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7.
How would your peers describe you?
How to Answer
When answering this question you will want to consider qualities that are relevant to this position. Good communication skills, attention to detail, and technical mindset are all important characteristics for any Pharmacist. Show off your strengths, like having a good attitude when faced with a difficult situation or being willing to go above and beyond expectations to help someone out. Don't be afraid to brag a little, but keep it relevant.
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Anonymous Answer"They would describe me as hardworking and attentive to details."
Stephanie's AnswerBeing hardworking and detail-oriented are very positive qualities, but I suggest developing this response a bit more. What sets you apart from others who identify as hardworking and attentive? Is there a specific example of how these qualities show up in your work?
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8.
How do you continue your pharmacy education?
How to Answer
As a Pharmacist, you have to complete continuing pharmacy education to maintain your professional competencies as well as your state CPE requirements. Tell the interviewer about home study CPE Activities, live activities and other training programs you have attended to keep your certification current. Go ahead and tell the interviewer about course or workshop you attended that you enjoyed and learned from.
1 Community Answer
Anonymous Answer"I continue my pharmacy education by attending local, state, regional, and national conferences to listen to CE presentations. As a pharmacist at your organization, I will have the opportunity to learn from other pharmacist and residents during committee meetings, journal club presentations, and CE meetings. I will also continue my pharmacy education every day by researching topics that I am unfamiliar with. We have access to numerous resources that can help fill in any gaps of knowledge. Also, I plan on precepting students in the future, so I will make sure that I am up-to-date with new therapies to provide my students with the best education."
Rachelle's AnswerTerrific response! You have many wonderful resources and ideas to ensure that your education and knowledge remain fresh and up-to-date. Well said, and highly enthusiastic.
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9.
How do you stay organized?
How to Answer
Having a system that works for you and being organized is a valuable skill to have as a Pharmacist. Tell the interviewer how you manage your to-do list. Tell the interviewer if you use Outlook Calendars, Take notes during meetings, or simply like to take time each morning to plan your day out. Share the tools that have been most helpful for you. This role requires you to manage a high volume of information using systems and technology. If you have any prior experience with any of the databases or software you know you will be using, share that with the interviewer.
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10.
Tell me about a time when you set a goal and achieved it.
How to Answer
As a Pharmacist, you've determined that you are more productive when you sent your own goals versus when goals are handed down to you from above. Tell the interviewer about any personal, Service or staff development goals you have for yourself.
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Anonymous Answer"During the busy Easter period, there were three days worth of prescriptions on the computer waiting to be printed and dispensed. I, therefore, decided, after discussing with the pharmacist, to print at least two days of prescriptions before going home, aside from serving customers and answer phone queries. At the end of the day, I successfully printed two days of prescriptions and a few from the third day."
Stephanie's AnswerGreat example! To strengthen this response, I suggest adding a bit more about how you developed this goal. Additionally, I suggest including a closing sentence along the lines of, "This situation illustrates my ability to achieve exactly what I set my mind to."
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11.
How would you handle a customer yelling at you?
How to Answer
Many times the pharmacy is the last stop for sick patients. Patients have been in the facility for hours at times and they are ready to go home, not ready to sit in your lobby and wait even longer. Tell the interviewer how you would handle an upset patient. Would you allow them to vent and listen to the concern or would you stop the conversation once you noticed it was going to be heated?
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Anonymous Answer"I try to maintain a calm demeanor and try to listen to what the real issue is. Most of the time, it's not a pharmacy-related issue, and they need someone to vent to. I address the situation and their feelings and offer solutions to their problems if possible."
Rachelle's AnswerGood response. It is evident that you care about others and understand that heated situations can be misdirected frustration. If you have a story-based example of a time when you used this approach to diffuse a patient-related situation, this question is a great time to include some storytelling.
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12.
Describe a difficult work experience, and what you learned from it.
How to Answer
The important part of answering this question will be telling the interviewer what you learned from the situation. Let the interviewer know that you aren't afraid to seek guidance from your superiors.
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Anonymous Answer"During a summer placement in a pharmacy, I had difficulties answering the phone as I had no experience and it made me anxious. I was constantly avoiding the phone when it was ringing and I eventually came to realize that I could not indefinitely run away. I, therefore, decided to make it my responsibility to answer the phone in order to get some practice and build my confidence."
Stephanie's AnswerGreat example! Interestingly enough, talking on the phone feels uncomfortable for many people; I'm glad you overcame this discomfort. To improve your response, I suggest adding a couple of additional sentences explaining what you learned from this experience and/or how it improved your work going forward.
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13.
Describe a situation where you received constructive feedback on your work.
How to Answer
The important thing to relay to the interviewer when answering this question is that you can take correction with a good attitude. Talk about how you listened, made changes and respected the person's criticism.
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Anonymous Answer"When I first started working in a hospital pharmacy, one of my tasks as a decentralized pharmacist was to dose vancomycin. I remember a particular incident when I was dosing vancomycin for a patient who had a history of acute kidney injury. Being that the patient’s renal function during that admission looked stable, I set them up on a standard regimen. A day later, their serum creatinine began to spike and I received a call from my clinical supervisor. He asked me why I had chosen to give the patient a full dose of vancomycin being that they had a history of AKI. I explain to him that the labs from the current admission looked fine (with exception of today’s blip in serum creatinine). My boss emphasized how crucial it is to go back into a patient’s chart if possible to look at historical serum creatinine values. Being that I was so new to the art of Vanco dosing, I had not done this. I thanked my boss for his feedback and we continued our discussion with the next steps to follow up. From that point on, I worked closely with my supervisor when I encountered complex patients like this one. We even worked together to revise our company’s policy and procedure for dosing vancomycin."
Chad's AnswerExcellent! It can certainly be difficult to receive negative feedback on one’s work, but your response is exactly what the interviewer will be looking to hear – that you recognized your mistake, accepted the criticism, and took it as a learning opportunity to improve your own process, and contribute to the revision of the company’s dosing procedure.
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14.
What is the most important skill you would bring to this role?
How to Answer
The interviewer will see the experience you will bring to the position by reading your resume. Use this question to tell the interviewer something personal about your job that he won't read about you. Tell the interviewer about a particular situation you excelled in and what the impact was.
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15.
Describe a time when you feel you made a difference in a patients care.
How to Answer
Getting a simple 'thank you' from a patient could be all you need to know that you are making a difference in your patient's lives. Tell the interviewer about positive feedback you've received when you made the right call. Share a story about a time that you worked directly with medical staff and monitored the patients progress based on a change that you made in their medication.
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Anonymous Answer"I received a phone call from a patient who would run out of her inhaler over the weekend and as it was a Friday. She panicked and was in distress as she thought the GP was not going to issue a prescription until the following week. I reassured her and told her I would try my best to get her prescription by the end of the day. I sent an email request to them. I called the GP surgery explaining the situation. A few hours later I received the prescription and I called the patient who was relieved and thankful."
Stephanie's AnswerThis is a great example of how you went the extra mile to care for a patient. I suggest including a conclusion sentence to wrap up your thoughts and tie your response back to the question (Example: "Any time I have the opportunity to make a difference in a patient's care, I will always go the extra mile to do so."
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16.
What do you see as the most critical issues in pharmacy today?
How to Answer
This question is a great way to start the back and forth with the interviewer. Go ahead and turn the tables and encourage them to engage in your feedback. What critical issues do you see and how are you going to play your part to try and change them?
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Anonymous Answer"The shortage of medications. Due to the pandemic going on and Brexit, we realized that many essentials medications are out of stock for a long time. For example, Pregabalin now that several patients are taking is out of stock. We have to request alternatives from GP and sometimes we lose patients that go to other pharmacies."
Stephanie's AnswerThis shows your clear understanding of critical issues facing the pharmacy industry today--good job!
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17.
What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist?
How to Answer
Show your passion for being a Pharmacist when answering this question. Steer clear of the financial reasons or flexible schedule. Tell the interviewer why you love the job. Tell them about your passion for helping people or that you want to work with state of the art technology.
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Anonymous Answer"The patient interactions and working with my health care team! I love being an accessible resource to my patients and my team members."
Rachelle's AnswerThese are excellent and heartfelt reasons to enjoy your work as a pharmacist. If you have a story to weave into this response - one that will highlight a memorable patient interaction, for instance, that would be a nice addition to your response.
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18.
What are your long term goals as a Pharmacist?
How to Answer
This question is being asked to hear about your professional goals as a Pharmacist. Keep these goals professional goals and not personal.
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1 Community Answer
Anonymous Answer"My long-term goal is to pursue a career as a clinical specialist and instructor at an academic teaching hospital. I have a strong interest in academia and would love to see myself as an instructor after a few years of practice as a clinical specialist."
Rachelle's AnswerFantastic! You have a lot of direction, and you sound very confident in your ability to reach your career goals. To strengthen your response, consider including some action steps you plan to take to see these goals to fruition.
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19.
What do you dislike the most about being a Pharmacist?
How to Answer
There are things we all dislike about our jobs but make sure you don't get wrapped up in negativity when answering this question. Don't bad mouth any co-workers or bosses. Tell the interviewer about something you dislike and how you try to make it better.
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Anonymous Answer"Being on my feet all day long can be very tiring sometimes and painful for my feet. I make sure I have comfortable shoes and have two minutes sitting break every 3-4 hours."
Stephanie's AnswerYou do a great job of showing how you work to mitigate the aspects of the role that are challenging (example: comfortable shoes, breaks, etc.) Any time you are presented with an interview question like this one, which focuses on challenges/aspects of your work that you dislike, I always suggest closing with a more positive note (for example: "Although the physical demands of my work are tiring, I enjoy being a pharmacist and feel fortunate to have a career that allows me to help people.")
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20.
Are you able to work shift work?
How to Answer
Working shift work might be tempting as a Pharmacist because of the additional pay. If you are the type of person that has trouble balancing your work and family life, sleep, health, and well-being when working shift work you may want to steer clear of volunteering for this during the interview.
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21.
Describe a conflict with a preceptor or attending physician.
How to Answer
Instead of concentrating on the word conflict think more about a miscommunication or disagreement with a Dr. The interviewer is looking to see if you discuss a heated conflict with a co-worker. This question is being asked to see your frustration and temperament. Instead of taking the bait, talk about a time where the two of you didn't see eye to eye and how you came to a resolution.
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2 Community Answers
Anonymous Answer"When I was working at the cancer center, I would review treatment plans for patients receiving chemotherapy to ensure that their labs were sufficient to safely receive treatment. I remember a particular situation with an oncologist who had signed (approved) treatment for a patient whose kidney function was not ample to receive a full dose of cisplatin. When I called the oncologist to voice my concern, he quickly disagreed saying “I have used cisplatin plenty of times in my career in patients with similar renal function.” I calmly responded with my recommendation to at least reduce the dose and cited the literature to support my proposal. The oncologist replied favorably and thanked me for taking the time to help him care for his patient. After this incident, the oncologist and I would communicate on a regular basis and he would even ask for me when calling the pharmacy for advice."
Chad's AnswerGreat! You make good use of the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework to organize your response, and the story-based example you chose clearly demonstrates your ability to remain calm and communicate clearly when in disagreement, and come to a positive end result. Nice job!
Was this answer helpful? Yes (0) or No (0)Thank you, your vote helps us display the best answers!Anonymous Answer"I had a situation with a GP receptionist who told a patient that we did not send any request for his medications when we did. The patient was unhappy with the pharmacy. Usually, we send hard copies but that time an email was sent as it was urgent (what we usually do). I phoned the GP reception and told them that a request was sent by email but she said nothing has arrived. I found the email that was sent earlier and gave her the time it was sent. In the end, I just sent another email on the spot and made sure they received it before hanging up the phone. There was probably an issue with the system."
Stephanie's AnswerIn the "Revised Answer" suggestion, I've suggested a slight rewording of this response, with a closing sentence to relate back to the question.
"I had a situation with a GP receptionist who told a patient that we did not send any request for his medications when we did. The patient was unhappy with the pharmacy. Usually, we send hard copies but that time an email was sent as it was urgent, which is our usual protocol. I phoned the GP reception and told them that a request was sent by email but she said nothing has arrived. I found the email that was sent earlier and gave her the time it was sent. In end, I just sent another email on the spot and made sure they received it before hanging up the phone. There was probably an issue with the system. From this situation, I learned the importance of active communication and follow-through; I truly believe that all workplace conflicts can be resolved through communication."
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22.
Tell me about your leadership experience.
How to Answer
As a pharmacist, you may have had the opportunity to be in a supervisory role. Tell the interviewer your ability to train others, take the initiative to solve problems and listen to clients and other staff members. If you feel your leadership experience is limited, reflect on your education and your interactions with clients and coworkers in your previous roles. Your willingness to take the lead shows you are a strong leader.
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23.
Do you have any questions for us?
How to Answer
ALWAYS have a few questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Having questions for the interviewer shows them that you are genuinely interested in the position and not just floating your resume. Feel free to take notes after their answers.
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24.
What experience do you have working in coumadin or diabetes clinics?
How to Answer
As a Pharmacist, you track, train and counsel different types of patients. If you don't have experience with the types of clinics the position covers, be sure to describe your participation in a different teaching environment such as smoking cessation. Tell the interviewer how you stay organized and provide the best customer service and care to your specialty clinic patients as well as work on a multidisciplinary team.
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25.
If you weren't sitting with me, interviewing for this Pharmacist position, where else would you be?
How to Answer
This is a unique interview question so be careful with your answer. Don't tell the interviewer that you would be sleeping off your hangover from the night before or sitting in your man-cave on hour 12 of playing video games. Share an example of something positive that shows you lead a positive and active lifestyle outside of work.
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26.
How do you build relationships when you are new to a pharmacy.
How to Answer
Building positive and professional working relationships is important to have in your pharmacy. Your interviewer wants to know that you're the type of person who will make the first move to build and mend relationships on the job. There can be miscommunication and confusion on the job in the midst of handling crisis situations. What do you do in order to ensure optimal cooperation and teamwork?
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1 Community Answer
Anonymous Answer"I get to know the members of the team, their culture, and their habits. Then I can bring some fruits, biscuits or chocolate. I would volunteer to make tea for everyone."
Stephanie's AnswerYour response shows your empathy and ability to build connections with your co-workers, even if that's through sharing food or tea! I suggest adding on an additional sentence about why building relationships at work is important to you. For example: "Building meaningful working relationships is very important to me, and I go the extra mile to get to know my co-workers."
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27.
How did you balance work and personal life?
How to Answer
Long hours, odd shifts, exhausting patients and hard to work with employees are all part of the job as a Pharmacist. Tell the interviewer how you balance your day and want to get up and do it again the next day. Tell the interviewer you are able to leave your work at work and enjoy your downtime with your family. Tell your interviewer about your mentor and that you bounce ideas off them and get advice and guidance from them on how to be successful without getting burnt out.
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28.
What is the last book you read? Tell me about it.
How to Answer
The interviewer can see your qualifications and accomplishments on your resume. Sometimes the interviewer is just trying to learn more about you as a person. There is no need to get caught up in trying to give the perfect response. Talk about a book you actually read and liked. If possible, talk about a book you read that is relevant to the field in which you are applying to. If the interviewer has read it too, feel free to ask their opinion on it. Be truthful in your response. Don't bring up a book title you haven't read just to please the interviewer. You might be asked a question and your inability to answer will show the interviewer that you are not a truthful person.
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29.
What are your salary expectations?
How to Answer
To prepare for this interview question, do your homework and find out what the average salary is in the location you are looking to be a Pharmacist. Remember this is just the first interview and you haven't been offered the job yet. The first interview is not the time to enter negotiations. Go ahead and give a broad salary range without selling yourself short.
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30.
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
How to Answer
When answering this question, go ahead and walk the interviewer through your process of prioritizing and why it works for you. Describe the job, the work inputs and the tasks involved. Explain the different levels of importance of each task. Explain how you work with management to arrange your priorities.
Describe how you manage time frames and explain why your system of prioritization works.
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