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Process and Benefits
The Pharmaseekers process is simple:
Register, Post, Review & Confirm!
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How will I get paid?As you are considered self-employed, you will be paid directly by each company you work for, for your services as a locum. On the booking information, you will be able to see what you need to do to claim payment for each shift. It should detail how to submit an invoice, when you will be paid and what method you will be paid by. If you ever have any payment issues, you can let us know on your online diary and we can assist you with getting it resolved.
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I would like the flexibility of becoming a locum but I’m scared of losing the security of a employed position.We appreciate leaving an employed job to become a self-employed locum can be a daunting prospect. Locuming provides so many benefits; competitive rates of pay, variety, flexibility and lots of experience. We consider all our locums as individuals and individuals have specific requirements that have an effect on the advice we would give. We recommend all employed pharmacists, pharmacy dispensers and pharmacy technicians to call us to discuss their situation. We can give you the best advice for YOU before you make any permanent decisions. Call us on 01254 870 510.
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Why should I register with Pharmaseekers?We have so many benefits for a locum joining Pharmaseekers! Read about them all in our dedicated Locum Info hub.
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Do I need to pay for the Pharmaseekers service?No, we’re free from start to finish for our locums.
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What documents do I need to register?Below are the essential documents and details we require in order to approve your account with us. You will also have the opportunity to upload additional documents, such as advanced local services, in order to improve booking chances.
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What if I can’t think of any referees?If you have successfully completed the necessary training as a pharmacist, dispenser or technician, it’s unlikely that you don’t have a suitable referee. Referees don’t have to be a manager or supervisor. It can be another pharmacy related colleague. The most important factors are that they have worked with you within a dispensary setting and they have enough pharmaceutical knowledge to be able to comment on your skills.
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What are the current rates of pay?Rates of pay are dictated by a variety of factors and change often. Give us a call on 01254 870 510, we’ll ask you some questions about you and your situation and we’ll be able to give you a more accurate answer.
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Do Pharmaseekers have Locum Pharmacist Job Vacancies?Yes, we have a wide variety of locum pharmacist job vacancies on our system. They’re just waiting for you!
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What is an average locum pharmacist’s salary?All our locums have different booking preferences. Some book part time, some book full time. If we also take into consideration the impact of a locum’s location on the rate they achieve, no two locums are the same on our system. As a result, there is no accurate average salary figure. For a better idea of what you would be able to earn in your area, get in touch with one of our team who will have current, relevant information for you. Email us at enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk or call us on 01254870510.
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Do Pharmaseekers have Locum Dispenser Job and Locum Technician Job Vacancies?Yes, we have a wide variety of locum job vacancies on our system.
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What kind of Locum Dispenser Job and Locum Technician Job Vacancies do Pharmaseekers have?We get work in community pharmacies, internet pharmacies, GP surgeries and other non-customer facing settings.
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How much can I earn as a locum dispenser or locum technician?All our locums have different booking preferences. Some book part time, some book full time. If we also take into consideration the impact of a locum’s location on the rate they achieve, no two locums are the same on our system so there is no average salary figure. For a better idea of what you would be able to earn in your area, get in touch with one of our team who will have current, relevant information for you. Email us at enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk or call us on 01254870510.
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How can I book locum jobs?To start booking jobs with Pharmaseekers, you will need to complete a registration with us. If you’re ready to go ahead, click here to get to our registration page. If you’d like to know more about how we work first, head over to our Locum Info Hub page. After registration, our two main methods of giving you access to locum jobs are 1) traditional locum job offers and 2) Circulated Vacancy Search (CVS). Traditional locum job offers are single job offers, sent to you by our team and system. They are offered to you based on your availability and other factors such as minimum rate of pay, travel preferences etc. These offers, as with all our offers, are at your discretion to accept or reject. Circulated Vacancy Search (CVS) allows you to search through all our available locum jobs within a reasonable mileage distance (you can decide this distance). You choose the dates you want to search on and you get to choose the locum jobs you want to make offers on. You can make multiple offers for the same date to increase your booking chances for that date.
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How do I register?Our registration is a straightforward, online process. We will ask you to provide us with some information and documents and complete a short video call to verify your ID. You can read more about our registration process on our Locum Info Hub page. You can register via our app. You can download it via the Apple App store or Google Play store. Once download you can start your registration on the main page by tapping “Sign up as a locum”.
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I’m only available in the evening, would you have locum jobs available?Yes, we do get evening shifts. Once registered you will have access to an online diary that you can set with your preferred hours, this dictates the traditional locum job offers you receive. You can also use our CVS tool to search for your own work and use the filters to look at specific hours.
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I don’t have a DBS certificate.If you are a locum dispenser or locum technician, DBS certificates are not often insisted upon by our pharmacy businesses. However, as a locum pharmacist, not having a DBS certificate can negatively impact the amount of locum pharmacist jobs available to you.
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What kind of DBS certificate do you need?You must have an Enhanced Disclosure which has requested checks in all possible categories. It must also be a child and adult workforce check too. Finally, your certificate must be subscribed to the DBS update service.
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I’m on the update service but I have lost my certificate.Unfortunately, for us to verify that your certificate is on the DBS update service, DBS themselves insist that we must see the original certificate first. If you cannot show us your original certificate, we cannot check it’s on the update service and therefore cannot use it.
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I don’t have a DBS but want to get one, can I do that myself?To get an Enhanced DBS certificate, it must be requested on your behalf by a company. You are not able to acquire one as an individual. We can request one for you and that option will be visible to you during the registration process. It is a service we only offer to existing or registering Pharmaseekers locums.
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I have arranged a video call for today but I cant do this now. What should I do?Please contact us by email or call us on 01254 870 510 to let us know. We can easily rearrange the call for you.
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I have forgotten to leave an invoice / send my invoice to the customer I did a locum job for recently.Please email us on enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk. We’ll get in touch with the customer and decide on how best to get your invoice to them.
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I was a dispenser and have recently qualified as a pharmacist, I would like to update my account, how do I do this?Excellent, congratulations! Email us on enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk or call us on 01254 870 510 to let us know. We’ll make the necessary changes on our side and let you know what additional documents/information you’ll need to provide.
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I’ve recently returned to being a locum, how do I reactivate my account?Please give us a call on 01254 870 510 or email on enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk. We’ll check to make sure your account details are still on our system and let you know about any updated documents/information you’ll need to provide.
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I recently worked at a Pharmacy but I have forgotten to tell them I have changed my bank detailsPlease email us on enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk. We’ll get in touch with the customer and decide on how best to resolve the issue.
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Can you help me get a peer for the Peer Review element of my GPhC Revalidation?Sure! We regularly run Peer Allocations whereby locums willing to participate are allocated another locum who needs a peer. Get in touch with us once you’re fully registered!
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I’m running late for my locum job today. What should I do?Please call us on 01254 870 510 immediately. It would really help us smooth things over if you can let us know the reason for running late and a new ETA. We’ll handle everything after that for you so you can concentrate on getting to your booking safely.
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Any tips for my first locum job?We have been booking locums with pharmacy businesses for over 20 years so we think we’re qualified to say we know what qualities our customers look for most; Punctuality, Reliability, Approachability and Proactivity. If you can arrive to your booking with a few minutes to spare, respond to your colleagues and patients with friendliness and demonstrate proactiveness with tasks during the day, we can almost guarantee you will enjoy your day and the business will be happy to have you back.
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I’m unwell and I can’t make it to my locum job and need to cancel, what should I do?Don’t worry, we understand that everyone gets ill from time to time, even healthcare workers! Please call us on 01254 870 510 immediately, as soon as you are aware that you will not be able to attend your next booking. It would really help us if you can let us know a little bit of information about your illness. We promise we’re not nosey, but it allows us to express to the business that cancellation isn’t a choice but a necessity.
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What happens if I reject a lot of locum job offers?We won’t penalise you for rejecting offers if they’re not suitable. If we notice a lot of rejections, then we like to give you a call to go through your booking preferences as we probably need to adjust your settings to generate more suitable job offers.
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I have an MPharm degree, can I work as a dispenser?Following GPhC guidance, we are not able to book current or previous MPharm students as a locum dispenser or locum technician. You must have an NVQ (or equivalent) accreditation in dispensing for us to be able to book you into the role.
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I’m new to locuming, I don’t know how far I want to travel or what my rate should be, what should I enter?Give us a call to discuss this, we’d love to talk to your about your circumstances and location, together we should be able to figure out the best settings for you. TOP TIP: To maximise the number and variety of locum jobs you have access to, consider being as unrestrictive as possible when setting your preferences.
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If I accept a traditional locum job offer as it’s advertised, why isn’t it just booked straight in? Why do we have to wait for the customer?At Pharmaseekers we do a lot of behind the scenes work to try to make sure the locum job offers you see are current and still needed. However, there are still some occasions when we might not have the most up to date information about a certain job. The company might have covered it themselves only moments ago or they may have forgotten to tell us they no longer need the cover. Sending your offers to the company to finalise allows us to make sure you’re not booked for a shift that’s no longer needed.
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One of the companies you booked me for has asked me to work for them directly, can I do that?In short, No. When you register with us, we will point out the direct clause of our Terms and Conditions before you agree to them. Companies and locums adhering to the direct clause is what allows us to provide and maintain a vast array of locum job opportunities. It’s nothing unusual and is considered standard practice when working with agencies. Simply put, if your first booking and/or introduction to a company was facilitated and arranged via Pharmaseekers then all future work you complete for that company must come via Pharmaseekers. Even one locum working directly with a single company we have introduced them to is detrimental to our business and impacts the service we provide to all our locum and pharmacy business users. If you are found to have breached our Terms and Conditions we will have to close your Pharmaseekers account and cease providing you with our service.
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What can I do to get positive feedback from the places I work?We’ll be here with full support whilst you start your journey with Pharmaseekers. This includes letting you know what companies look for in a locum. We ask for and feed constructive criticism back to our locums as most pharmacy businesses look for the same qualities in their locums. Being made aware of potential areas of improvement can benefit your future practice. Locums who display the below qualities usually generate very positive feedback from the businesses they locum for. Punctuality Reliability Approachability Proactivity
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I want to make an offer on a locum job but I don’t know what rate to offer?On our locum job offers, we will indicate to you if the customer has already rejected a particular rate for that job. It will list what was rejected and when it was rejected. This information will allow you to better understand the customer’s position and assist you in making well informed booking offers.
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Is it okay to be working with more than one locum agency?There are no rules against working with more than one agency. Our only advice is to be confident in your own organisation. It’s safe to assume that different agencies work in different ways. So if you are giving your dates to more than one company, make sure you’re fully aware of how they all work to avoid any possibility of double bookings.
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How long will it take to Register?Registration can take a few minutes of your time but it’s time well spent! During registration we will ask you questions that help us understand what you need from a locum pharmacist, locum dispenser and locum technician.
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I’m not a community pharmacy business, can I still register with Pharmaseekers?Although it might appear that locum pharmacy agencies are primarily concerned with how pharmacies can use locums, here at Pharmaseekers we book our locums in a variety of settings. Read more here about booking a locum pharmacist, locum dispenser or locum technician in a non-community setting.
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How do I pay the locum?All locums supplied to you via Pharmseeekers are self-employed so their agreed fee needs to be paid directly to them. During your registration we will ask you to specify details on how the locum needs to submit their invoice to you, what method of payment you use and when they will be paid. This information is shared with locums so they know what to do following their booking with you.
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What is the cost of Pharmaseekers service?At lot of our service to pharmacy businesses is free. We don’t charge a registration fee and there are no ongoing fees for being signed up with Pharmaseekers. We don’t even charge you for our time trying to source you cover for a locum job vacancy. We only charge you a booking fee if we successfully find you a locum for your locum job vacancy. Even then, our booking fee is only invoiced the month AFTER the locum has been and completed their job. You can read more about our booking fees in full here.
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Why should I book with Pharmaseekers?As a pharmacy business Pharmaseekers should be your first-choice agency! To read about the benefits our service can provide you with, read here .
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Why book a locum dispenser or locum technician?A dispenser is often the first point of contact for your customers, responsible for maintaining your reputation as a caring and reliable business. At Pharmaseekers, we understand that many people depend on your pharmacy business for a reliable service, often related to the supply of medication, so it’s important that you are able to provide an uninterrupted service through periods of sickness, holiday or even high demand. We appreciate that it’s not just a pharmacist that keeps your business running as it should.
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How do you I tell you I have a locum job I need to fill?Once you have fully registered with us, you gain access to a vacancies dashboard where you can post your locum jobs. To read more about our process in full, head to our Process and Benefits page here.
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Can I contact you directly to find a locum pharmacist quickly?Once registered, yes, you can call us on 01254 870 510 or email us at enquiries@pharmaseekers.co.uk if you want to urgently request a locum. However, if you prefer to work online, posting a locum job is instantaneous and only takes a few clicks via your Pharmaseekers dashboard.
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When I post a locum pharmacy job, what happens next?Once you post your locum pharmacy job, we get to work. We look at the requirement of the locum job that you have posted and work on sourcing a suitable locum pharmacist, locum technician or locum dispenser. We employ multiple, tried and tested, methods to ensure your jobs get the attention of our locums, in a bid to generate offers for you.
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How will I know if you have a locum available for me?If we have a locum job offer for you to review, we will notify you immediately. We know that getting your locum jobs covered is a priority so we don’t waste any time letting you know we have options waiting for you. If you don’t respond to our first notification quickly, we’ll try calling or texting in case you missed our first message.
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When I get an offer to review, what should I do?When a locum submits an offer for your pharmacy job, you are provided with all the information you need to make an informed decision. It will display the job information, date, location, time etc. It will let you know the name of the locum who has made the offer, how far away they are from the location and the rate of the offer. It will also show you if they are accredited for any services you have indicated your pharmacy business delivers. Once you have reviewed all the information you can then respond to the offer.
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I am happy with the offer, how can I confirm it?On the offer for your locum job, you are given multiple options of response to an offer. These include options for rejecting the offer and one to Confirm. If you’re happy with the offer and want to book it in, press the Confirm button.
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I need to locum cover for my holiday next year, is this too far ahead?Not at all, please give us your cover locum job requirements as far ahead as you can confidently plan. We have locums who like booking in advance and we adapt our methods to suit the locum job we’re working on to make sure it’s getting the attention it deserves from our locums.
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I’ve never used a locum before, how do I know they will do a good job?We really appreciate that placing a relative stranger in your pharmacy business for the first time is a big decision. We strongly recommend heading over to our Process and Benefits page to read about the work we put in behind the scenes to ensure that the locums we send to you can be relied upon to do a good job.
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What do Pharmaseekers do to vet their locums?Because our reputation as an agency for locum pharmacists, locum dispensers and locum technicians relies on the competence and professionalism of the locums that we place, we take pride in playing our part. You won’t have to worry about their registration because Pharmaseekers will have already checked that the pharmacists, dispensers and technicians are approved, along with their references and certifications. Nor should you have to worry about them arriving on time or looking the part as we will also have reinforced the importance of these key traits as part of their engagement process. To read more about what we do to ensure we have the best locums, head over to our Process and Benefits page.
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How quickly can I find reliable and approved locums?As soon as your registration with us is complete (which should only take a matter of minutes), you have access to a vacancies dashboard which will allow you to post your locum job requirements. As soon as you post a locum job, our system and our team get to work on finding you a suitable locum pharmacist, locum dispenser or locum technician. That’s if one of our approved locums doesn’t find your locum job first via our search tool! At Pharmaseekers we use multiple methods to get you a locum as efficiently as possible. To learn more about what we do to ensure our locums are approved and fit the bill, you can read about our process here.
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Do you offer a permanent recruitment service?We do have a non-traditional permanent recruitment service which has evolved from our locum service. The service is best suited to our pharmacy business customers who are looking to use the services of locum staff whilst recruiting. To read more about the service, please visit our permanent recruitment page here.
Benefits
The benefits for pharmacy related businesses using the Pharmaseekers service are vast. Here we have listed some of the benefits and what to expect when you work with us:-
And an agency you can rely on!
We know that in your business, when you use a locum in a customer facing role, it’s vital for your reputation that your usual standards of customer service are maintained. We recognise that you need a locum you will be able to rely upon to turn up, be on time, smartly dressed and prepared to deliver a great service to your customers.
After over 20 years of providing locum pharmacists, locum dispensers and locum technicians, we really understand the needs of the pharmacy business workplace and recognise that customers’ needs and locums’ personal characteristics vary.
We understand just how busy Pharmacy managers are; by relying on our team to outsource locum placement you can save time, money and resources.
PHARMACY BUSINESSES TESTIMONIALS
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