A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war before that threat materializes…launched in anticipation of immediate enemy aggression. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preemptive_strike
Generally, a preemptive strike can be done by a larger opponent against a small opponent to disrupt, demoralize and discourage them from taking any further action. This is much like bullies operate.
However, when a smaller opponent elects to do a preemptive strike against a larger opponent.. it tends to be more of a raid or surgical strike, much like how terrorists operate.
Over the last year or so… It seems that I am hearing/reading the phrase “we are at war” from a number within the profession..
There seems to be many more “strikes” coming from the corporate side of the “war”… and RPH’s that have been surgically “removed” from the system and have been forced to file a lawsuit for their wrongful discharge.
A small number of RPH’s are taking a preemptive strike when they see that they are being asked to violate/break rules/regulations and/or put their patients health/safety at risk. They are hiring attorneys to send letters to their corporate employers…putting the corporate employer on notice that their client will not break any rules/regulations.
The RPH – that I have heard of – that have went down this path… has been able to back the corporate employer down… because.. the employer does not want to have to deal with a wrongful termination lawsuit and the potential financial consequences and potential harm to their public image.
Sending a preemptive letter can make a lot of sense… from a financial perspective… if you find yourself “on the bubble”.. spending a couple of hundred dollars on such a letter will postpone you getting discharged and such a letter doesn’t have a expiration date.. If the employer starts the same stuff that caused the letter to be sent in the first place… six or 12 months or more later… the letter’s warning doesn’t have a statue of limitation.
Filed under: General Problems
The analogy of war is correct. We pharmacists are at war with our employers. There are a lot of battles coming. Pharmacists need to have a battle plan. This means being informed of what is happening in the pharmacy world. Steve, maybe you should draw up a set of ‘strategic plans’ that pharmacists should use. The plans would include what to do when an employer attacks. How do we defend ourselves? How do we counter attack? We need a legal guide. A map of the legal terrain.