FAQ

This is an excellent question, and the concise response is that we don't have the exact information. As mentioned, the pharmacy determines the rate, and in almost all cases, they also utilize our technology to post the shift themselves.

The Pharmacy that posts the shift or shifts sets the rate. Instalocum is a technology platform that connects relief pharmacists with temporary shifts. With this in mind, we facilitate the booking but in no way set the rate.

To avoid penalty, shift cancellation must be more than 14 days before the shift start date. If a Shift is posted, but you have not accepted a pharmacist to fill such Relief Shift, then it may be cancelled at any time without a cancellation fee. The pharmacist performs at an incompetent and unacceptable standard. The pharmacist violates of any of Instalocum Terms of Service and privacy policy. The Pharmacy gets approval from the Pharmacy Professional that the shift may be cancelled. Both parties must come to an agreement that the reason for cancellation is justifiable. Any cancellations with instalocum WILL NOT be processed until the cancellation has been requested by email at [email protected] and until our team knows the reason for canceling. INSTALOCUM WILL NOT ACT AS AN INTERMEDIARY IN THE DISPUTE AND RESOLUTION PROCESS. INSTALOCUM WILL DO THE BEST OF ITS ABILITIES COLLECT AND DISPERSE ANY PENALTIES RESULTING FROM IT BUT WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF RESULTS ARE UNSUCCESSFUL. If the Pharmacy Professional is late 60 minutes or more to your shift, the Pharmacy may cancel the shift without penalty if they choose to do so and the Pharmacy Professional will be penalized with a shift cancellation. You will receive 1 strike if you cancel within 14 days of a shift and a penalty equal to 50% of the total value of the shift will apply plus $50.00. You will receive 2 strikes if you cancel within 3 days of a shift or if you fail to attend a shift and a penalty equal to 100% of the total value of the shift will apply plus $50.00. Having 3 strikes will lead to a review of your account and a decision will be made on whether or not your account will be suspended or banned from the instalocum platform at our sole discretion. Strikes will stay on your account for 6 weeks.

Payment methods have evolved to streamline the process for both pharmacy owners and relief pharmacists. Upon completion of a shift, instaLocum will generate and send an invoice to the pharmacy owners. Owners have the flexibility to choose their preferred payment method. It's recommended that payment be processed within 7 days of the invoice date.

For relief pharmacists, instaLocum ensures swift payment by transferring funds via direct deposit within 48 hours of receiving an invoice. This expedited process helps maintain a seamless and efficient workflow for all parties involved.

If a relief pharmacist has worked a shift with you and hasn't performed the the level that you require and expect, we want to know about it. We appreciate that issues can arise for a number of reasons, so if there is a way that we can ensure that both you and the relief pharmacist get the appropriate feedback - we want to do so, as it improves our service for everyone. 

Equally if a relief pharmacist performs well in a shift we want to know about it, this also helps improve the service for both parties. 

To give feedback on a relief pharmacist: https://instalocum.com/en/contact-us 

Your feedback is vital to us ensuring that our services live up to your expectations

If you have booked a relief pharmacist from our marketplace and they haven't turned up for the shift, please contact us immediately https://instalocum.com/en/contact-us.

More often than not there has been a genuine mishap, usually to do with traffic, but we will investigate the situation on your behalf. 

Like you, we take no shows very seriously and do everything we can to help prevent them from happening

There could be a number of reasons for a shift not receiving any applications yet...

Relief Pharmacists are booked up

The further away the shift is to today's date, the more likely it is to get filled. The reason for this is because relief pharmacists tend to book their shifts in advance so that they have guaranteed income. Although it isn't always possible, we advise posting shifts as far in advance as possible to help avoid this. 

The rate is too low

Rates vary up and down the country, and in the areas where there are less pharmacists, the hourly rate is higher and your shift needs to reflect this. If the shift is coming up in a few days, you may find that you will need to offer an increased rate in order to entice a relief pharmacist to apply for the shift, the same can be said for shifts during peak seasons such as Eid & Christmas - this is supply and demand based. 

You don't offer milage or other allowances

Outside of major cities, we find that a lot of our pharmacies will offer a milage allowance to the pharmacist in order to pay for some of their travel expenses and other costs. This will mostly be either a supplement for every km travelled to the shift or a reimbursement for the cost of public transport. For some shifts in extremely hard to fill areas, meal allowances are even offered! 

If you have any more questions, contact us and we'll be happy to answer them. 

The easiest way to get your shifts filled though is to post them as far in advance, so no time like the present...

All the systems can be found in the shift details when you click in to a shift on our app or on desktop.

No. It’s free to have a profile with us and we won’t take any commission from your pay.

You’ll receive push notifications on the app when we have available shifts that are within your travel, and availability preferences. With instaLocum, you don’t need to worry about missing a great shift or wasting time searching through long emails or job posts.

Your profile includes your picture, License number, ratings, reviews, and a brief summary of your experience and qualifications.

The rates are set by the stores. Rates vary depending on multiple factors (Ex.location, volume..).

Additionally, if you call or email us about a shift you are interested in we are sometimes able to negotiate on your behalf.

You have the option to submit your invoice directly to instaLocum at [email protected]. Payments will be made directly to you, and we kindly request that you allow all invoices to be processed within a maximum of 2 weeks.

FOR PHARMACISTS

Instalocum has a zero-tolerance cancellation policy. Accepting a shift is a commitment - do not accept a shift if you are not able to commit to that shift. When you confirm a shift on the instalocum online platform (website) and mobile app, the store manager receives a confirmation email and only in exceptional circumstances should you not be able to attend and complete this shift. Any cancellations with instalocum WILL NOT be processed until the cancellation has been requested by email at [email protected] and until our team knows the reason for canceling so we can inform the relevant coordinator. All relief pharmacists/locums must be aware of our cancellation policy below: To avoid penalty, shift cancellation must be more than 14 days before the shift start date. You will receive 1 strike if you cancel within 14 days of a shift and a $150 penalty will apply. You will receive 2 strikes if you cancel within 3 days of a shift or if you fail to attend a shift and a $250 penalty will apply. Having 3 strikes will lead to a review of your account and a decision will be made on whether or not your account will be suspended or banned from the instalocum platform at our sole discretion. Strikes will stay on your account for 6 weeks. ‘No Shows’ are considered a cancellation and will be penalized. If you are late 60 minutes or more to your shift, the Pharmacy may cancel your shift without penalty if they choose to do so and you will be penalized with a ‘No Show’. Pharmacists acknowledge and agree that any such cancellation or any failure to complete a confirmed shift may be recorded on their profile and displayed to any pharmacy to which it makes an application to provide services.

Cancellation will NOT result in a penalty if:

The pharmacy professionals get approval from the Pharmacy that the shift may be cancelled. Both parties must come to an agreement that the reason for cancellation is justifiable. Any cancellations with instalocum WILL NOT be processed until the cancellation has been requested by email at [email protected] and until our team knows the reason for canceling. INSTALOCUM WILL NOT ACT AS AN INTERMEDIARY IN THE DISPUTE AND RESOLUTION PROCESS. INSTALOCUM WILL DO THE BEST OF ITS ABILITIES COLLECT AND DISPERSE ANY PENALTIES RESULTING FROM IT BUT WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF RESULTS ARE UNSUCCESSFUL.

For relief pharmacists, instaLocum ensures swift payment by transferring funds via direct deposit within 48 hours of receiving an invoice. The relief pharmacist is accountable for promptly submitting an invoice to ensure rapid processing of payment. This expedited process helps maintain a seamless and efficient workflow for all parties involved.