Shadowing Practice: EP #01 - Pharmacy View Podcast - Increasing dispensary efficiency through e-scripts - Learn English Speaking with Video

Welcome to Pharmacy View, Technology and Pharmacy Business Podcast Series, where we provide regular interviews with pharmacists and key industry people within the Australian pharmacy and associated industry.

In each podcast, we look to discuss aspects of pharmacy operation

and how technology is improving or interacting with each guest's current role or pharmacy-related business.

I'm your host, Scott Carpenter, and today's guest is pharmacist David Washburn, and we'll be discussing his experience with different technology platforms he has used or is currently using.

So welcome, David.

Welcome, Scott.

Hello, Scott.

I'm very happy to be here this afternoon and hope we can provide some good insight.

Great stuff.

Now, David, we might have bumped into a few each other, sorry, several years ago.

But I'm just wondering, you've been traveling around a bit and never maybe as much as me, but how many different states have you worked in now?

Well, probably easier to answer the other way.

What state haven't I worked in? and it's essentially the Northern Territory, if we can call that a state, and the ACT, every other state I've had stints in or gigs in.

Okay, so that's a kind of a great history there.

So tell us a bit about yourself outside of that.

Well, essentially, I'm a, I'd stop short at saying I'm a techo kind of guy, but I'm very interested in technology,

although I may not partake in every aspect of it.

I love science in general, particularly the physics parts of science.

And of course, being a pharmacist, I'm extremely interested in pharmacology per se.

So, and the chemistry side of that.

So chemistry, physics, cosmology, the universe, that kind of stuff.

That's where my kind of interests lie.

So when you're not in the pharmacy, does that mean you're stargazing?

At some stage, I have stargazed.

I've got this big, big refractor telescope, which is since I've been here in Melbourne, hasn't come out.

But I do have stargazed at occasions,

but more so the sort of reading involved in where the leading edge physicists and cosmologists are.

Okay, cool.

So again, I think the first time we may have met each other was possibly in Perth.

Is that where you're from originally?

No, originally North Queenslander.

So grew up in Townsville to the age of about 15.

Father's a retired engineer.

His company transferred him to Western Australia.

And so the family moved.

So I finished years 11 and 12 in WA

and then spent some time in WA before returning back to Queensland and eventually returning back to WA again.

So there's been a few cross-continent hops.

Yeah and WA is where you studied your pharmacy degree yes?

Correct yeah Curtin University through 1999 through to 2002.

So David I know from my interaction in pharmacy over a few years

and maybe not quite as many as yours

or maybe maybe it is the amount same amount

but um you would have used a few different dispensary programs around the different states and pharmacy groups I would imagine?

Yeah just the just the main sort of one Scott I think predominantly Minfoss,

Fred, Lots, and I've had a very small sort of dabble with Zed, but they're the main ones.

I think I worked in a couple of stores once with the old Aquarius and Mountaintop systems, but most of the time it's either been Fred, Lots, or Minfoss.

The main ones.

And have any of those, in terms of a stock management system, any of those stood out for you as being a little

bit more effective than others? not not we're not going to

push a particular brand here just again interested in your thoughts

yeah just it's just a personal opinion i think i've enjoyed

the most sort of workability with the minfoss side of the

sort of stock management situations fred office is very good but i just

found for me that minfoss was a little bit more user friendly for me okay cool all right

and where are you these days david currently uh in in

melbourne in in this covid year we find ourselves in in the challenging lockdown environments

but at the same time i'm working at priceline

at croydon as a as a pharmacist in charge working with

the current owner um who is is the managing partner

and we have been excessively busy over this time and i think

almost every day has been like what everyone might imagine as

being you know the few days leading up to Christmas it's been like

that for months now no sign at the stage of letting up

okay and and obviously then because the the uh Quaidan pharmacy it's in the for those

that don't know would be in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne maybe slightly north east of Melbourne

so you I would imagine you've you've had a few new customers coming in with the Melbourne CBD shut down, are you finding more residents that are not shopped with you before

and now kind of coming to you exactly the interesting thing

there is there's there's obviously the the very loyal croydon

and surrounding suburbs customer base however since some of the larger west fields have sort of shut down

so to speak temporarily and the cbd as you're mentioning we have been doing an unprecedented amount of

new profiles so that's new customers coming into the store who haven't been into the croydon store before

and they have been coming back again

so it's almost like we're establishing a new habit for them

and that's been quite noticeable cool

and are you guys running a script script management program out

there it's it's the price line script management program very similar you you might say to MedAdvisor.

And also it's kind of like a hybrid between the Guildcare and MedAdvisor, but it's Priceline's own system,

but it's very similar, app-based script management where the SMSs get sent out

and people can lodge either via SMS or email their preference for when their next prescriptions are dispensed.

Okay.

And I know for some recent discussions, you've just transitioned over to eScripts.

Can you talk to us about that for a bit?

Yeah, and that I think has been very exciting because it's also been a fairly smooth transition, which has been quite unexpected.

We actually thought there'd be a number of hiccups along the way, but once we were fully up and engaged, and that was with the fantastic assistance of Fred Help,

because obviously in Priceline we run the Fred Dispense system.

Once that was integrated with the new MedView, flow everything is now working very efficiently and and the amazing thing is how the staff

are really keen to engage in it now

because it's like this new new thing for them

so it's a very very streamlined process essentially customer patient comes in with this script basically on their iphone

or or their smartphone there's a qr code

and it gets scanned into our system and then put in a queue

and then we then dispense it as per a normal script

and then instead of producing a repeat like you might normally do

if there are repeats it produces a new token

which is then sms or email back to the patient cool

and what's the uh the customer reaction been to it lately the ones

that have come on board they love it it's like novelty

and i'm sure it is a novelty at the moment before it becomes more mainstream

100

which i don't think is going to take too long to establish

101

and they seem to feel pretty special they it's a bit like

102

when you could first get your boarding pass on your phone

103

instead of you know having to print out your boarding boarding

104

pass before get catching your flight you can look up on your phone you see your qr code

105

which is your script and it gives you all your script details

106

and they love it it's personal

107

and then there's almost zero you might say obviously it reduces the paper the paper flow

108

and helps with in at this stage the COVID-19 sort of

109

what are we what's the word i'm looking for the requirements for

110

so social distancing or well not

111

so much social distancing the lack of contact the contactless situation yeah

112

which which is obviously 100 more hygienic we're not handling paper scripts

113

which have been you know in pockets and elsewhere so customers

114

and patients love it they they find it very easy they've got it on their phone it's not something

115

that they can relatively lose per se

116

which has been problematic in the past

117

when someone says look i've lost my script

118

or i've left it i've left it at home

119

or i'm traveling interstate and it's all back at home etc

120

which are numerous and many times you would hear that in a day prior so very all the time pretty much

121

phones are kept on you know in a person's pocket

122

or on them in the or in a bag

123

so it's it's very unlikely to have a have a loss in

124

that case so they love it they come in they're very keen to see how it all works

125

and uh and then are quite surprised at the the end point

126

when they get a new token if if they have repeats pretty much sms'd

127

or email to them straight away so and uh thanks David, and we know from history that sometimes customers don't like change and,

128

you know, or technology changes.

129

Have you had any negativity or pushback from customers regarding it?

130

Surprisingly, no. However, from our demographic there at Croydon, which is surprisingly 60 plus.

131

So we have a high percentage of people in the 60 plus bracket,

132

not so many in them what i would call the 20 to 45 50 area okay yeah predominantly though

133

the e-scripts are coming in in that cohort and not so much the older folk,

134

which either they're reluctant at this stage to have that as a means of getting their script, or simply they're not asking because we find

135

that the younger ones have gone in when they've seen their GP and asked for an e-script.

136

Okay.

137

So I think that's an area that will develop when more and more doctors say,

138

well, I'm going to write you your script instead of doing it in the normal way I might have done for you.

139

It'll now be on your phone.

140

Have you got a phone?

141

And most of them do.

142

Yeah.

143

So David, I know quite a few pharmacies in Australia are transitioning onto this at the moment.

144

Was there much preparation that you had to do behind the scenes?

145

I know you know, Priceline would have come out with an instruction or conversion package, but what kind of preparation was needed from the pharmacy perspective?

146

I think we had a long lead-in time.

147

We'd known about this six months out or so, even last, I mean, it'd been, you might recall, Scott, it'd been pushed back a number of times,

148

you know, in the perfect world, it was meant to be up and running December last year.

149

But obviously the machinations of putting the software and everything together

150

and the privacy and the security had to be all doubly checked.

151

So it got delayed.

152

So we knew for a long time this was coming

153

and we were given long lead up times to prepare for software changes,

154

any kind of new scanning requirements we needed for the scanners and any other upgrades on software before it actually got enacted.

155

And then there was the pilot program.

156

So we got to hear about experiences there before it became mainstream.

157

We had a lot of feedback from the Guild.

158

We had a lot of preparation, like material and information from the banner.

159

There are, in this case, being Priceline.

160

And I'm sure it's been the case with the other major banner groups and situ pharmacy groups as well.

161

So there was a lot of lead up time, a lot of time to be prepared, and we were all wanting this to occur.

162

So it wasn't such a hard thing to do.

163

And once it all came about from the head offices of say Priceline and the information from the Guild,

164

it was mainly just a menu driven situation to get everything set up.

165

Cool.

166

So it sounds like overall it's been a pretty good experience.

167

And COVID-19 would suggest that the contactless activity has certainly kind of pushed this fairly quick and fast.

168

So I'd be interested to talk again maybe in a couple of months' time and just see how it's transitioning through.

169

But it sounds like it's been pretty positive so far.

170

I believe it's been very positive.

171

One of the things I think will be interesting is pharmacy and let's say the medical side, our medical colleagues, GPs and specialists,

172

we're traditionally a very conservative bunch.

173

And we are an area which is absolutely rife to take up every form of technology imaginable,

174

as we know from robotic dispensing through to the situation with e-prescriptions now.

175

What I think will be the challenge is some of the medical,

176

on the medical side, wanting to take up the technology or wanting to take up the opportunity to do e-prescriptions.

177

So, for instance, most pharmacists would agree with this.

178

We still see some pretty poorly handwritten scripts in an area today when we don't need to have that.

179

So, I think over time, e-prescriptions will become very much the normal.

180

A bit like now at this stage, computer derived or printed prescriptions are the norm now.

181

And occasionally you get handwritten ones.

182

I think going into the future, e-prescriptions will be the norm and occasionally we'll get a computer generated one.

183

So if we progress 10 years into the future, you know, if e-prescriptions or a form of them will just be the norm norm

184

and all the new pharmacists being trained through the pharmacy schools

185

won't even they'll be looking at our time as history yeah

186

it's interesting we were talking with a pharmacist last week who deals in the amazon retail world at the moment

187

and the example he uses is you know his his children

188

wonder in this day of uber what a taxi stand is for

189

and why any of us would have stood there for more than half an hour waiting for the taxi

190

and you're right the the the new generation of pharmacists coming through won't see or realise that.

191

I'm imagining David and again it's potentially par for the course

192

so the whole then flow through to a claim scenario is that a bit more streamlined as well then?

193

I think the claiming process is not affected that much at this stage because once you process the e-prescription,

194

you still generate a serialized number, whether it be a concession, repat, safety net, general, et cetera.

195

So it's still generating that situation.

196

But for some time now, we've been basically paperless claims.

197

So as you dispense your script, you're claiming in real time based on the technology with the HIC, etc. now.

198

So that hasn't changed or I don't think will change in any way

199

because the e-prescription is really just another form of getting that request.

200

It's another form of obtaining

201

that request rather than physically producing a piece of paper a bit like

202

if I go back to the boarding pass thing is

203

that you can still choose the printer boarding pass out

204

but there's plenty of people who would rather just go up to the the boarding process

205

and then flash that code that they've got or

206

that qr code as things and

207

but it doesn't change them the end point where you get on

208

that plane same situation with the claim it doesn't change the

209

end point of the claiming process yeah okay that's cool

210

so is there anything else around e-scripts that we should be aware of

211

or you can pass on information on i think

212

and everyone who's doing them now in any way shape

213

or form and to to give you an idea there

214

if i go back probably just two

215

or three weeks ago we might have on average had one

216

or two each day now we're processing five plus each day

217

so it's wow okay coming up into that sort of level

218

and i i expect as we go into to maybe early next year, then that would have doubled or maybe even tripled by then.

219

So the key thing is to have the staff pretty much used to the fact

220

that e-scripts are now a different way of presenting a prescription.

221

And you've got to integrate that in with the other still traditional ways of the script intake, which is obviously a person presenting with a paper script

222

or someone now coming up and asking or mentioning their GP has emailed or faxed a script to the pharmacy.

223

So it's being able to integrate that into a queue system and for everyone to know that there's not only scripts,

224

you know, sort of physical pile, there's also scripts on your queued pile in your Medview flow process.

225

Process, yeah.

226

So on that note, David, is there much change or difference then in terms of dealing with customers in the aged care facilities with this?

227

That's a tricky one.

228

And in fact, we at our pharmacy have a couple of nursing homes, which are quite significant from a Webster packing point of view,

229

and also from obtaining scripts pretty much on a monthly basis due to the residents, then doctors who are looking after those residents

230

and spending time each month writing all the scripts that are basically owed for the Webster packs.

231

Now, we haven't seen one e-prescription in that sort of area yet.

232

And I think that will definitely be a slower process.

233

And I'm not sure at this stage how that is going to be developed.

234

And that's probably more a closer consultation with the prescribers at those residential facilities and nursing homes.

235

Yeah.

236

So that might be something we can talk about in a couple of months' time if there's been any transition there.

237

Exactly, yeah.

238

So right now, the key group for us is that fairly younger group,

239

20 through to 45, who are coming and seeing their GP and requesting an e-script.

240

The challenge, as I mentioned, is those other areas where the cohort is older and our nursing homes and Webster packs or other forms of packing.

241

and that in the end may involve some education,

242

well, not so education, but some liaising with those groups and really running over where your prescriptions might be valuable.

243

Yes, that makes sense.

244

So in a couple of months' time, it'll be an interesting thing to reflect on, yes.

245

Right, I'll go back on.

246

So David, that's been great to chat today.

247

Certainly one of the things

248

that I've enjoyed with interactions with you is your diversity of knowledge geographically and with different pharmacies and groups.

249

If anyone listening to this today wanted to kind of connect or hook up, what's the best way to contact you?

250

Through the Priceline at Croydon in Victoria?

251

At this stage, yes, Scott.

252

Yeah, they can feel free to contact me there

253

and sort of follow up on anything they might be further interested in discussing or like to have run something past me.

254

That would probably be the best way.

255

Priceline Pharmacy Croydon.

256

Yeah, that'd be great.

257

David, thanks for your time today.

258

It's been great to chat and look forward to staying in touch and potentially talking again in a few months time.

259

Thank you, Scott.

260

It's been fantastic cheers and fantastic cheers and fantastic cheers

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “EP - Pharmacy View Podcast - Increasing dispensary efficiency through e-scripts”. This video has 260 sentences and 3339 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:42. The speaker talks at a natural 169 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
pharmacy noun	/ˈfɑɹməsi/	A place where prescription drugs are sold or dispensed.
prescription noun	/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/	A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for…
pharmacist noun	/ˈfɑɹməsɪst/	A health professional who controls, formulates, preserves, and dispenses medications and provides medical advice and counseling on how medicines should be used…
dispense verb	/dɪˈspɛns/	To issue, distribute, or give out.
norm noun	/nɔːm/	That which is normal or typical.
stargaze verb	/ˈstɑɹɡeɪz/	To look at the stars at night.
integrate verb	/ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡɹeɪt/	To include as a constituent part or functionality.
queue noun	/kju/	A line of people, vehicles or other objects, usually one to be dealt with in sequence (i.e., the one at the front end is dealt with first, the one behind is…
cheers	/t͡ʃɪəz/	A common toast used when drinking in company.
cohort noun	/ˈkoʊ̯ˌhɔɹt/	A group of people supporting the same thing or person.
contactless adjective		Conducted without human-to-human contact to improve ease of use or reduce the potential spread of a contagious disease; contact-free.
handwritten adjective		Written with a person's hand, as opposed to typed.
streamline verb	/ˈstriːmlaɪn/	To design and construct the contours of a vehicle etc. so as to offer the least resistance to its flow through a fluid.
novelty noun	/ˈnɑvəlti/	The state of being new or novel; newness.
predominantly adverb	/pɹɪˈdɒmɪnəntli/	In a predominant manner. Most commonly or frequently by a large margin.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
take up verb		To pick up.
shut down verb		To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily.
come back verb		To return to a place.
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
come out with verb		To say (something) unexpectedly.
come through verb		To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
follow up on verb		To take further actions regarding (something).

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What state haven't I worked in?
That's where my kind of interests lie.
Is that where you're from originally?
Can you talk to us about that for a bit?
Have you got a phone?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	you've been traveling · have been doing · have been coming
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if if they have repeats pretty much sms'd
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have stargazed · I've been · there's been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are not shopped · are dispensed · was integrated

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 77 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: prescription /pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/, machination /ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/, concession /kənˈsɛʃən/, consultation /ˌkɑnsəlˈteɪʃən/, traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/
Long words — get the stress right: predominantly /pɹɪˈdɒmɪnəntli/, surprisingly /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/, cosmology /kɑzˈmɑləd͡ʒi/, dispensary /dɪsˈpɛnsəɹi/, excessively /ɪkˈsɛsɪvli/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like pharmacy, prescription, pharmacist.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?