Pharmacist: daily workflow

What this section covers

This guide walks you through a typical day in Usystems as a pharmacist — from logging in and reviewing the prescription queue, through checking inventory and dispensing medicines, to managing stock updates.

Before you start

• You have a login and password (provided by your pharmacy manager).
• You understand the core task: review prescriptions from doctors, check inventory, dispense medicines, log each transaction.
• You have read access to patient allergies and past medication history to ensure safety.
• You have write access to inventory (to log what you've dispensed and update stock levels).

Steps

1. Log in and view your pharmacy dashboard

Go to the pharmacy login page.
Open in Usystems

Enter your username and password, then click Sign In. You'll land on your pharmacy dashboard, which shows an overview of incoming prescriptions and your inventory status.

2. Check your incoming prescription queue

Go to Prescriptions from the left-hand menu or click Incoming Prescriptions on your dashboard.
Open in Usystems

You'll see a list of prescriptions waiting to be dispensed, sorted by most recent first. Each prescription shows:

• Patient name
• Medication name, dose, and quantity prescribed
• Doctor's name (who prescribed it)
• Patient allergies (if any)
• Status (e.g., "pending," "ready for pickup")

3. Review the first prescription

Click on the first pending prescription. The prescription details open. You'll see:

• All the information above
• Prescribed quantity (how much medicine the doctor ordered)
• Prescription date and time (when the doctor wrote it)

Check the patient's allergies. If the prescription conflicts with a known allergy, do not dispense. Alert your pharmacy manager or the prescribing doctor immediately.

4. Check your inventory for that medicine

Go to Inventory.
Open in Usystems

Search for the medication name from the prescription. The inventory shows:

• Current stock quantity (how many units you have in hand)
• Expiry date of the current lot
• Lot/batch number (for tracking)

Compare: Does your stock quantity meet the prescribed quantity? Is the medicine expired?

• If yes (in stock and not expired): Continue to step 5.
• If no (out of stock or expired): Alert your pharmacy manager. They'll decide whether to use a substitute, backorder, or hold the prescription.

5. Dispense the medicine

Return to the prescription page. Click Mark as Dispensed or Confirm Dispensed. The system logs:

• Date and time of dispensing
• Quantity dispensed (matches the prescription)
• Your name (who dispensed it)
• Lot/batch number used

The medicine is now removed from your inventory automatically.

6. Inform the patient (or patient waiting area)

Once marked as dispensed, the prescription status changes to ready for pickup. The patient (or clinic staff in the waiting area) can collect the medicine. Some clinics have a separate pickup point; coordinate with your manager on the handoff.

7. Repeat for the next prescription

Return to your prescription queue. The dispensed prescription is now off the list. Select the next pending prescription and repeat steps 3–6.

8. Throughout the day: Update inventory when new stock arrives

When a supplier delivers new medicine:

1. Go to Inventory.
   Open in Usystems
2. Click + Add Stock or + Receive Stock (wording may vary).
3. Enter the medicine name, quantity received, lot/batch number, and expiry date.
4. Click Save. The inventory is updated and now reflects the new stock.

9. At the end of the day: Check low-stock alerts

Go to Inventory.
Open in Usystems

Scroll through the inventory and look for any medicines marked as "low stock" or with a count below your clinic's minimum threshold. Alert your manager so they can reorder if needed.

Tips & common mistakes

• Always check allergies before dispensing. It's your most critical safety responsibility. If you see an allergy warning and the prescription doesn't match, contact the doctor.
• Log every dispensing in the system. Don't hand out medicine without marking it as dispensed. The audit trail is legally important.
• Check expiry dates. Never dispense expired medicine, even if you have it in stock.
• Keep your inventory accurate. When you receive new stock, log it immediately. When you dispense, let the system update your count.
• If you run out of a prescribed medicine, tell your pharmacy manager right away. They'll contact the doctor about alternatives or backordering.
• Don't guess at dosing. The prescription from the doctor is your source of truth. If the dose seems wrong or unsafe, ask the doctor before dispensing.