One method of getting your point across is by trying to convey your concern from the Director's perspective.

Ask him(her) [very subtly] how effective a Director they may be if he(she) also had to staff? If he(she) could effectively do the scheduling, bugeting, meetings, etc. AFTER all the orders are finished. Then ask him(her) if a multi-million dollar drug budget can be effectively managed after the cassettes are filled, the billing done, the runs completed, etc., and still keep a stocked pharmacy and a sane budget?

Your Director can only look as good as their budget, and you can be sure his(her) bosses are looking at the bottom line. So by installing a full-time buyer, the department would actually SAVE money!

City, State: www.pharmacypurchasing.com

I have the same problem. It seems I am the "donkey" of the Pharmacy. I have tried what Mike suggests but unfortunately, the standard answer is that there is no position or budget. What can we do?

Don't expect an overnight solution. Creating a new position in any work environment, let alone someplace as money-restrictive as Pharmacy will take time - considerable time.

What I would suggest now is to make sure your Director knows EXACTLY what you do - in excruciating detail. Let him/her know what you're doing to keep costs down, how you're finding hard-to-gets, how you're cutting down on the weekend borrowing binges. Make sure every sales rep that visit you and your Director talk you up and say what a valuable assest you are. When it's time for your annual evaluation, have a formal document made up stating all the things you've done to be included with the preprinted evaluation form. In other words, sell yourself! Initiate something, prevent something, make him/her look good to THEIR Director. Once your Director finds that when you're not there to do all these things, and the budget starts to go up, and his/her boss gets on their back, there may be some changes made.

But you've got to make the commitment. Once you've started, if you give up, you're not only hurting your own career goals, but you may make it easier to be replaced when you're not there.

Rome wasn't built in a day. I apologize if my initial statement came off as a glib "Dr. Phil" type of easy, instant answer. You have to work as hard promoting yourself as you do at your real job.

City, State: www.pharmacypurchasing.com