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Real Live Pharmacy, 101

·1637 words·8 mins

I feel that I was ill-equipped for ‘real life’ in pharmacy school. Sure, I know pharmacology, mechanism of action, anatomy, etc. Thats all fine and dandy.
What I didnt learn was how to deal with dumbfucks, addicts, and retards that I see day in and day out. What pharmacy schools need is a class dedicated to “real life” pharmacy. Who else would be the best people to teach the class but non other than myself and the DrugNazi!
We could cover interesting topics such as:

  • The doctor is an idiot, how do you politely say so without making him mad.
    • The doctors staff cant speak english, let alone say drug names. How to bitchslap the hoe over the phone.
      • You cant understand what the nursing staff is saying! How do you deal with this?
        • The patient is demanding his pain pills and soma early, do you fill or not?
          • Phonies, how to spot, deal with, and skills to collect the inflated cash price /before/ you tell him its a phony and the police are on their way (my personal favorite).
            • Stereotypes, so funny because the’re true!
              • Insurance companies, and how to enjoy getting bent over (or getting even) for that cost + 1.25 reimbursement
                • How to handle drug reps
                  • Ghetto math, “is an Rx for 90 Soma tablets taken 3 times a day really a 30 day supply”?
                    • Copies, Transfers, and getting even with Walgreens for leaving you on hold for 20 min.
                      • The list of 1000 patient types that you all contributed.
                        • Mind reading and crystal ball use
                          • And Much Much More!!!
                            Sign up now! Space is limited, and im sure we can con some CE out of the deal as well!

Comments #

Comment by ghettocist on 2006-12-15 07:21:57 -0800 #

Sign me up.

Comment by Ed on 2006-12-15 08:10:31 -0800 #

Bravo..
While in pharmacy school I too learned about anantomy and physiology and Organic and In organic chemistry, but , is this the real world?
Two days ago one of my favorites came to the store and wanted his medicine. He has an extensive profile so I asked him what did he want. He replied my special medicine. If I had a gun. I might be in trouble.
Second, a lady on the dole called to complain her lorazepam was missing from the packege we mailed to her but she did receive her fosamax. Now explain that one to me… Many many more to follw..
Ed PA

Comment by Craig on 2006-12-15 09:11:46 -0800 #

We need this class. so bad. our “communications” course we had to take was complete bullshit, and had nothing to do with any of this crap that actually happens.

Comment by Rebecca on 2006-12-15 11:44:21 -0800 #

sign me up.

Comment by Optrader on 2006-12-15 11:49:50 -0800 #

There is a vast disconnect between pharmacy schools and retail pharmacy. A job with a major chain does not require a PharmD. In fact, there is no need for 5 years of college, when 4 years should be enough. From 35 years in retail, I have seen a continual decline in the character of the customer. When I began pharmacy, most patients asked few questions and most never complained. A complaint was rare, and when we got one it was usually our fault. Of course, today, the situation is the opposite. The typical customer has questions and complains, and 95% of the time, they don’t know what the hell they are talking about, and therefore they are wrong.
Pharmacy has been slowly creeping away from a profession and becoming more like a circus. Yes, my chain job, becomes each day, more like a circus. There are the constant interruptions, the complaining, the bithcing customers, the long lines of people waiting on prescriptions, the phones constantly ringing and not enough people to even answer the phones. And, we pharmacists have become “nurse maids” to the customers by taking care of their every problem. If they are out of refills(their problem), we call the docs to get refills for them, If the doc is not there or the doc does not phone back, the patient is gripping and complaining and blaming everything on us. If the insurance is requiring a prior authorization, we dumb cluck pharmacists are calling the docs to try and get the docs to take care of it. We have over extended ourselves and there is just not enough time in a day to get everthing done. The work enviornment is terrible and the stress is far too much. The noise and distractions preclude our job from being anything close to that of a professional job. When you see your accountant is he running around trying to get 7 things done with a line of people waiting at his door grumbling and complaining? What about the docs office? What about the dentists office? Well, the heck, an automotive mechanic has a better work schedule than we do. We don’t get any breaks. I do get a lunch, and I take it no matter how busy we are.
No one or no organization will speak out or try to do something about the retail work environment of pharmacists. Most organizations that purport to be for pharmacists are worthless. Over a period of 35 years, I have never been approached by a union. I don’t know why, but it appears that unions are not interested in us either. For one thing, I believe most pharmacists still live under the illusion that they are independent professionals and they will not join a union. Of course, this is just an illusion. Most of us are just peons for the chains. Who listens to us? No one! Just try and get something done through your chain. They don’t want to hear anything you have to say, because they know it all. They will pay us 6 figure salaries and then they expect us to tolerate all kinds of crap.
It is easy to blame other for our problems, but most of the blame lies within ourselves. As long as we tolerate this crap, then that is just how long we will have to endure it. In a sense, I feel like we are isolated. We don’t really have enough contact with our fellow pharmacists. We don’t get together and try to develop ways to solve our problems. And, for a lone pharmacist to get anything done, it is quite impossible. Pharmacy has been sliding down the wrong path for a very long time. In fact, it started shortly after I graduated from pharmacy school. The pace is accelerating and things are getting ever more worse. I wish I could say that I see better things ahead for pharmacy, but I don’t.

Comment by jessica on 2006-12-15 18:27:18 -0800 #

Oh gawd,
You’re telling me. I’m not even IN the pharmacy life yet..still just in training for becoming a pharmacy technician in the hospitals and HOLY FUCK people are so retarded.

Comment by jess on 2006-12-15 18:28:42 -0800 #

yeah and.. illegible handwritting. WTF do Doctors really expect us to read those fucked up scribbles?
I’m English, not CHINESE!

Comment by Casey on 2006-12-15 18:53:26 -0800 #

I love this post. By far one of my favorite. Where do I sign up for this class? I wish they did offer this class in school. It would be A LOT of help.

Comment by me on 2006-12-15 18:57:00 -0800 #

Your anger makes me happy

Comment by A’mee on 2006-12-15 23:58:44 -0800 #

We solved the mind-reading future-telling problem by placing a magic 8 ball at the drop-off window. Works as well as anything else I’ve found… “When will my doctor call back?” “Concentrate, and ask again…”

Comment by OneStayed on 2006-12-19 06:11:46 -0800 #

OH OH…ima tech…can you make that CE available to us?

Comment by drew on 2006-12-19 11:28:47 -0800 #

How many CE credits do you have? I have zippo. Usually I cheat on them by having another pharmacist do them and then copy their answers but it may be too late for even that. Now I have to do them all or just lie on the pharmacy board questionaire and take my chances.

Comment by Anon on 2006-12-20 22:46:01 -0800 #

What I want to know is where the hell you work at, because I DO NOT ever want to go there!!

Comment by Tony on 2006-12-22 17:43:57 -0800 #

Great blog! My sis is a pharmacist and said this is all true LOL. Even gave me the reason to start my blog!

Comment by Ally on 2007-01-17 14:05:54 -0800 #

Optrader…nice comment and I completely agree. I graduated last May and the chain I work for is UNBEARABLE.

Comment by shelby on 2007-01-31 15:04:31 -0800 #

1>Miss spell his name
over and over Docter whos
its instead of Doctor What
2>Fax it in doctors Hand
writing GoodLuck!
3>have the janitor call it in
4>tell them to have a seat
you need to contact the
Doc. or the Janitor or who
ever .
5>Charge them then go find
the pills while they wait.
Walgreens does it.
6>Sterotypes of what the worried Mom , the Guy in pain, the Rph. that knows it all.
7>empathy dear? They are
bending that sterotype over
for blood money.
8>Drug Reps are easy tell them to leave the samples and you’ll get back to them.
9>read the patient the instrctions Walgreens does not answere question or read instructions.
10>Crystal Ball/Do you want
fries with that??

Comment by Barbara on 2007-11-16 15:33:14 -0800 #

Hey I totally agree with you all I have been a Pharmacy Technician in a large hospital for almost 12 years I am now unemployed and loving it The stress is gone But hey if any one tech or pharmacist needs help with ce’s just let me know I will take all tests and pass so you can copy them for 50.00