Before I go....

I just had to tell a story a fellow pharmacist told me today. A few years back she was working in a predominantly poor neighboorhood that happened to also be predominantly black. Nothing against any African Americans here. It's just that she had a hard time understading the language nuances. One lady called several times very upset over something. After many people listening to her woes, my friend finally determined she had a "tater vine" growing out of her "cat." Now tater vine means what it says potato vine and cat meant vagina. OK...now we get a picture. Why did she have a potato vine growing out of her vagina? Well, apparantly she had a prolapsed uterus/bladder combo so in her book of old wives tales, it was suggested she insert a potato into the vagina to hold it in place. She did not use the whole potato, just a wedge (not that it would have mattered much). Anyway, my friend convinced her to go to the free clinic to get a look-see. Aparantly, the potato really likes to grow in a warm, moist, dark environment. The lady had to have a hysterectomy.

I have so many whys to this story, I cannot list them all. #1 being Why are you calling the pharmacist? We have no pills for growing vaginal potato vines. Maybe you should call Home Depot and they can assist you with a weed-wacker purchase.

Worst story I've ever heard. I've got some doozies, but this wins the prize.

On Hiatus

I'll be gone for a while. My store is getting a new computer system in 3 weeks and with all of the training and prep I am exhausted.

Will post when I get calmed down.

Thanks to the couple of you who have been reading.

Dear "Pharmacy Slave"

I would have emailed you personally, but you had no contact info or way to comment on your blog.

Your quote "I have seen all these blogs from pharmacists who are incessantly complaining about their days...and I figured that I should go on ahead and give myself a shot. As much as I love my pharmacists (at least 2 of them...one I hate more than I hate my job), they have all told us lowly technicians that we field more problems than they do an deal with much more since we're in the front lines of customer service. For the most part, our pharmacists kick back and do crossword puzzles and occasionally check the rare prescription while we do everything else...so I shall begin this lovely little blog tomorrow when I return home from work. "

I am was a tech for 15 years before I went to pharmacy school. I know what it's like to be a tech. I used to think just like you. Then I got my license. Now, I want to call my old boss of 13 years and apologize for all the bullshit complaining I did. You don't know what kind of pressure there is for a pharmacist. Yes, you are the front line for us, but we have to deal with the customers also while trying not to kill anyone. "Occasionally check the rare prescription????"" Who else can do it? The pharmaicst checks ALL of the prescriptions. I don't have time to do a crossword puzzle. It must be nice that your pharmacists can. I can barely pee. Sometimes I think about wearing depends, but then there would be the smell. I call doctors, I call insurance companies, I save my techs from being chewed out by an idiot, I handle all of the complaints, I type prescriptions, I check medication usage-interactions-dosages-medical conditions-allergies, I make hundreds of recommendations, I LISTEN to old ladies cry when they've been diagnosed with cancer.

I also value every last one of my techs and thank them regularly for a job well done. I could not do my job without them. I don't forget this. EVER. I am sorry you feel that you are a "lowly" tech. I always correct mine when they say "I'm just a tech" if a patient asks their position. I say, "You are a technician...not just a tech. Do not belittle your position in this pharmacy."

I know your job is difficult, but so is ours.

How dare you....

This weekend, an elderly man came in to get a B vitamin his doctor had recommended for his chills. I don't know of any B vitamin to help with chills. Maybe he's anemic? Mind you, this was a VERY elderly frail looking man. Are his kidneys still working? I don't know. I told him to ask his doctor to be more specific in which B vitamin he intended the man to have. I know, I know.... a cop-out but I had only had 2 hrs of sleep and he didn't seem real with-it to answer my more probing questions.

Well, a couple of minutes later the guy is back with a lady from the non-foods department asking the same question. My tech overheard and I went out front again. I re-iterated my stance on calling the doctor. The non-foods person had the cojones to say "Well, a B-complex vitamin should be OK" and start to hand it to him. Now I was pissed. Not at the man, but the non-foods associate. I said that I didn't know what other medical conditions the man might have and I didn't know of a B vitamin to treat chills. THEN SHE CONTINUED TO CONTRADICT ME BY SAYING "WELL, B VITAMINS CAN'T REALLY HURT. THEY ALL GET FLUSHED OUT ANYWAY." I had to play the "I'm the pharmaicst and this is what I said" card.

Do not argue with me in front of a patient. You do not have that right. And yes B vitamins can cause nerve damage in high doses, you moron. Where the hell does she get off thinking she can do this? Did she go to school for 9 damn years (ok not all pharmacy)?

And then there's the whole legality of this. The only thing a non-pharmacist can do is show a person where the product is. Otherwise, all questions must go to the pharmacist.

Stupid Questions 1

Do you sell contact lenses?

Are these little round yellow ducolax things called tablets? [This required a 5 minute reassurance that they were tablets]

Do you carry this battery for my phone?

Why can't I have 20 more oxycodone caps even though I just got 150 of them 5 days ago? These are for a car accident.

Me, on the phone after the tech has been asked to speak to a pharmacist: Hello, this is the pharmacist, how may I help you? Idiot: What is your name? Me: name. Idiot: Is this the pharmacist? [no dumbass, I just said that I was. April Fools]

That's all I can think of for now, but it is late and I am tired. More to come later.

Let me show you where to put that cake.

Scenerio: Man shows up to pick up both his and his wife's Rxs. Paying for each person with a different credit card. No big deal to me. Asked which one he would like first...no big deal for him. I rang his up first - totals nearly $400. Man forgot his card in the car. Asks to do wife's first. Fine....cancel out transaction and ring wife's. No problem. Has a shopping cart with a single lonely cake inside. Asks me how much said cake is. [irritation starts]. Have to carefully tilt cake so as to not damage it as our scanner is mounted to the wall next to the register. Inform man of price. He says he will call his daughter to see if she wants it. He returns cake to the cart. [My hands are now sticky] Asks me how big the damn cake is. [I don't know. I don't care. Look at the fucking package that is now 10 feet away from me in your cart!!!] Man leaves cart to go to car to get his credit card. Comes back. Pays for his Rxs [again total was mentioned]. NOW HE ASKS WHAT HE PAID FOR!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I go over the rxs. There are 2 separate strengths of Crestor [which I mentioned the 1st time]. He said he only wanted the lower strength and didn't know why both were there. I don't know either since I didn't take your order. Most likely, you called in both, you dumb-ass. [I know the RPh who filled it should have questioned, but maybe the MD wanted a 15mg dose?] OK...no problem. I can write up a refund that man can take to the front of the store to the courtesy counter [I can give out medicines all day, all by myself if needed, but Lord knows I am too dumb to handle refunds]. Man not happy about having to go all the way up front. Nothing I can do. Then it comes....are you ready......man asks me if I rang up the flippin cake!!!!! NO NO NO. You didn't ask me to, it is still in your cart. You were going to call your daughter and were back in 30 seconds. [My tech is listening to all of this and shaking her head]. I told man he could take the cake with him to the courtesy counter and they could ring up the cake when they handled the refund [I know passing the buck but I was beoynd irritated]

He is now known as the cake man in my eyes forever.

1st day back at work

Ok, my 1st day back at work was Tuesday..yes the day after Labor Day. I was working 1-9. My partner RPh who works 9-5 decided she had a migraine and needed to leave when I arrived. So I ended up working as the sole pharmacist on the busiest day since I have arrived at this pharmacy. We did 312. I know, not earth shattering, but when you are the only RPh with only 2 techs, and not back in the work "groove" yet, it is.

Welcome back to hell.

I'm back

Just got back from vacation a couple of days ago. Had a great time in Hawaii. I'm sure I will get sick of the job again soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Know Your Meds

People....when you come into the pharmacy, know how many prescriptions you should be picking up. When something is missing, have the brain power to know what it is. Write it down if you must. And if you are a person's PAID caregiver then you really should know what the hell it is. When you know there is one missing, but can't remember the name, don't expect me to get my crystal ball out. It is still in the shop. You kindly said you would go home and figure out which one was missing. Then when you called you had to ream my tech about your $100/hr salary we are waisting because you had to come back. WE ASKED YOU WHILE YOU WERE HERE, DUMBASS. Then ream us again when you get here. NO INSURANCE COMPANY LETS YOU ORDER MEDS WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT FOR YOU AND YOUR PILL BOX. They all have limits. The most lenient I've seen in Medicare D is about 7 days. Don't tell me every other pharmacy for all of your other patients lets you order meds whenever you want. I'll fill the prescriptions when you want too, if your client want to pay out-of-pocket for them. Or we have to wait until the insurance lets us bill it, as do you, Miss High-and-Mighty. And don't pull the old well, maybe I'll have to switch pharmacies, crap. I hear it all day long. You're always back. We never get to have our party.

Dumb question of the day

A "nurse" from a local nursing home called this evening. She had 2 prescriptions for Norco for the same patient, same doctor. They were written on different dates. The first was written almost a month ago, the 2nd was written about one week ago. Pt was scared to take the pain killers which is why neither rx had been filled. 1st rx Norco 5mg, 2nd rx Norco 7.5mg

Are you ready?......Here it comes........

"So, is the 5 stronger than the 7.5?" Jaw dropped open. I think a first or second grader could answer this. Get your number line out lady.

And to think she is dispensing these old people's meds.

intro

Yes, another blog about community pharmacy land. We all need to vent somewhere or our eyeballs will just pop out. Posting responses on other sites is no longer satisfying.

I work for a relatively small grocery chain pharmacy. It is local to my area and has about 20 stores in the chain. I like being in this smaller environment after being in big corpro pharmacy for 15 years.