Technology in Pharmacy Business with Scott Carpenter

Locumate: Technology Solution for Pharmacy Team Resourcing

July 1, 2022

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In this episode of Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC talks to the dynamic duo of Kavita Nadan and Surge Singh about their Locumate Platform/APP where Locums can find the perfect shifts, get paid on time and access additional educational resources to help them grow their career as pharmacists. This is their second episode on the podcast and in this episode, Pharmacist Kavita and IT guru Surge bring to the table not just new and improved features for their platform, Locumate, but also information on jobsinpharmacy.com.au through which they wish to improve the industry on the whole.

Kavita and Surge make for a perfect connect between Pharmacy and Technology. After their soft launch, the feedback from locums was that they wanted an automated invoicing piece built into the system. Having fast tracked and built that, the duo realised that the Pharmacy owners weren’t ready for the change and because of that the use of the feature to ensure that the locums are paid the next day has been paused for now. Surge, however, is quick to assure that the technology exists and can be put to use from the very next day. And what’s more? Locums can be paid in crypto, if that’s what they want! All things said and done; they will commence the rollout on the invoicing as soon as requested.

Locumate has been welcomed with open arms in the Pharmaceutical industry, so much so that the team has been asked to more than just connect locums and Pharmacies, they were asked to help with every other role that sits with each Pharmacy. After having put hours of research into the existent processes and needs—they will soon be realising a platform—jobsinpharmacy.com.au, which will connect the employers and the employees together. Their primary focus is on the students though as they believe these are the next generation of locums, managers and Pharmacy owners, be it in a community Pharmacy or a hospital. The platform will function as a market-place and be a win-win opportunity for employers and employees; while the former can build their unique profiles showcasing their brand and work culture, the latter can use the platform to highlight the kind of roles they seek within the industry.

Kavita and Surge believe that Pharmacists play an important role in the community and technology can be used to aid that role. While the use of AI has made the platform efficient, they haven’t let go of incorporating the ‘people’ element in what they do. From helping clients set up their profiles when onboarding to guiding them through conversations on the kind of people they are looking for—the platform has been designed to really address all the needs. To them, it is all about meaningful connectivity!

Topics Covered

Quick invoicing feature
Balancing the needs of locums and the industry
Pharmacy-specific employment opportunities
Focus on students
Portfolio Pharmacist
Pharmacy in the post-COVID world
Talent market place for Pharmacies
People element in technology
Locum of the Year Award, 2022

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“They have all come on the journey with us to help us expand our services across the multiple states as well which has been awesome. But at the same time, they’ve also asked us to do a little bit more—help their staff shortage not just for locums but in terms of other areas as well.” (2:31 – 2:44) – Surge

“So, one of the key ones for us was streamlining the invoicing and payment process for the locums to get paid quickly.” (3:12 – 3:18) – Surge

“One of the biggest feedback that we had from the locums when we did the soft launch was ‘can you automate the invoicing piece?’. Because that was on our roadmap for 12 months down the track, we brought it forward based on that feedback. And having the technology platform, owning the technology platform allows us that flexibility to be able to do so.” (3:19 – 3:35) – Surge

“This is what Locums want, right? They want to be able to go, do their shift—whether it be one day, whether it be one week—but get paid in a timely manner because they are not employees, they are not on your books regularly. So, to be able to get that payment for the services that they’ve provided—it’s a win-win for both.” (5:13 – 5:30) – Kavita

“Our end goal with Locumate is ‘pay next day’ and that technology exists. We can do it tomorrow if we wanted to. But we just want the industry to catch up with that as well, where they are comfortable with that process because that is where some of the overseas markets are heading as well in terms of gig-workers. And locum for the lack of a better word is a gig-worker in Pharmacy.” (5:31 – 5:49) – Surge

“The whole premise behind jobsinpharmacy—yes, it is to find all other roles besides your locums—whether it be a Pharmacy Assistant or tech or a retail manager; but a big focus for us has always been the students. From the start, even when we started Locumate, I always said to Surge, we need to make sure that our focus is on students because these are our next generation of locums, our next generation of managers, next generation of owners, whether that be in community or hospital. Whatever their career paths are, we are going to utilize them through jobsinpharmacy.” (8:31 – 9:05) – Kavita

“Pharmacists now need to revert back to being Pharmacists which is using their clinical knowledge and their expertise and what they went to university for. And now, what we need to do is use the staff to support the role.” (15:45 – 15:59) – Kavita

“We really want to encourage it. It’s like, sell your Pharmacy, sell the job and the culture. It’s not about the candidate fitting your Pharmacy, it’s actually about the Pharmacy fitting the candidate as well. So, it works both ways and we are really going to be able to both parties to shine in that aspect by using the matching thing. The whole matching thing comes back—matching the right person who has certain skillset and training to the right Pharmacy.” (21:44 – 22:08) – Kavita

“One thing I learned very early on in my career and it’s been great to be able to work for companies that have done that—is stay true to why you started. Then everything else will complement that rather than make it confusing for people that use your services, right?” (25:31 – 25:46) – Surge

Social Media (Time Stamps)