just so tired

I am so tired of all the corporate bullshit. I just want to use my techs to ring the register instead of me. Maybe then I could get the fucking phone that's been holding for me for over 5 minutes. They aren't interested in customer service, only in their numbers. Which by the way are WAY WRONG. According to their magic sheets, we do between 200-300 LESS scripts per week than we actually fill. So, if I'm really filling 1500 scripts they think we only fill 1250 or so. I must budget my tech hours on THEIR reports. Supposedly they have fixed this but might take a month or two until the reports correct. Meanwhile, I have to schedule according to their stupid numbers. During our busiest season. And with a new computer system coming on board in 2 weeks.
I need a new job. I have to get out of retail before it kills me. I am tired of being just a number cruncher and not valued as a person. Getting my resume ready.
Just when exactly did running a pharmacy ((A MEDICAL PROFESSION) turn into the same as running a taco bell>??????

Little surpise in a prescription

Today, I was handed a birth control pak by my tech to transfer from another pharmacy. The patient had dropped it off in the drive thru. When I opened up the pak to take down the pharmacy's info and I got a little surprise. Inside was a tiny baggie filled with white powder. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......are we keeping salt or Equal in tiny baggies in our b/c paks now? I think not.

I promptly called the police who showed up 2 hours later to confiscate the baggie. The officer immediately knew the name since they've been out at the house so often arresting everyone. Half of the family is in jail.

Unfortunately, the police cannot prosecute since they did not catch it themselves, but they did get the drugs out of the pharmacy.

I called up the 'patient' to inform her we would not be able to fill her prescriptions. When I told her I found a baggie inside the pak, she said 'I figured that's what you were calling for. Never mind just throw the rx away."

Can you imagine the conversation in the car after they left the drive thru????

Fucking druggies...........get out of my store!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prank Calls Can be Funny, but not this one

Saturday I answered the phone after the tech tried to talk to this girl. A teenage girl by the sound of her voice.

'Pharmacist, what can I do for you?'

"Yeah, what kind of lube do you recommend?"

'Well, they're pretty much the same. It's really a personal preference issue.'

'You have to recommend one. I hear some are better than others.'

'KY products are all good.'

'Is this from personal experience?'

now, I pretty much know this is a crank call, but just in case, I stay professional.

'No, this is from sales data. It's what we sell the most of.'

'What are the largest size condoms you carry?'

I go out to the aisle and look.....

'Trojan Magnum XL'

'Are you sure that's the biggest ones you have?'

"yes"

mumbling in background....guy's voice

'You're sure you don't have any bigger condoms."

'Yes'

It gets better .......................

'Do you carry sex toys?'

still trying to maintain my professionalism but I'm getting irritated....................

'No, this is a pharmacy. You'd have to go to a specialty shop for that.'

'So you have them at the pharmacy?'

'NO!!!!!!!!!! I said we ARE a pharmacy and you need to go to a specialty shop for those products'

'Well, can you recommend one?'

'I have to go now. I have another call holding.'

Then the teenage douchebag says.................................

'Bitch, don't hang up on me.'

WTF??????????????

I say, 'I am hanging up now.' Click.

This would have been an amusing little story if not for the very last part. Made me really really really angry for the whole rest of the morning. Crank call if you will, just don't get nasty when people who have a real job to do need to cut your ass off.

Dumbest question of the year.....so far

On this lovely Sunday morning, my tech told me there was a question for the pharmacist on the phone. A gentleman gives me his wife's name and asks me to explain what "Take one tablet four times a day means." WHAT???? How can I explain simple English? So, I hesitantly say......it means take 1 tablet 4 times a day. Now wait for it....here it comes......

"Does that mean in the SAME day?"

What the fuck? No....it means in the same week you dumb ass.

So, I tell him yes in the same day. "Oh, we haven't been doing that." Now wait, there's another one coming................

"So, is that every hour or so?"

Is this guy smoking crack? In my store's neighborhood, he just might be.


But laughed all day just thinking about it.




The saga continues on Monday.......9:15am. My tech and I are doing our stuff in the pharmacy. gentleman approaches the pick up counter and asks if we are open. My tech and I just look at each other and say yeeessss...........Same man from the phone yesterday. He asks what time we open. I reply 8am. He says oh I th0ught you didn't open until 9.....but still it was 15 full minutes after 9am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2pm...my 'lunch' time which consists of me sitting on a stool on a back counter and reading a magazine while getting interrupted 10 billion times. I hear my tech on the phone.....no 4 times a day means about every 6 hours. No, you space it out. I mouthed to her if it was the same patient as the day before. She nodded.

I got on the phone, irritated at having to reexplain basic English again and now my lunch has been interrupted for this shit.
"Hi this is the RPh. Is this Mr Dumbass?'
'Yes"
"Didn't I speak to you yesterday on this issue of 4 times a day?"
"Well, yes but we still need some clarification."

On what? Who has the brain today? My God this is ridiculous.

Me"She need to take her medicine every 6 hours since the day is 24 hours. And 24 divided by 4 equals 6."

"So, she takes it both day AND night?"

Blood is now dripping out of my mouth from gritting my teeth so hard

"Yes...day refers to a 24 hour time period. Take it every 6 hours.'
"You sound like you're getting upset with me. I'm just trying to understand this."
"I'm sorry I sound upset, I just don't understand what is the big problem with these instructions"

I know, I know it's my job to make sure they understand, but this is basic language skills. Give me a break. If you don't understand 4 times a day means in the same day and it means day and night, I cannot help you. You are too stupid.

Idiot Nurse Practitioner

Rx came in today.......zithromax 200/5 4.7ml today and 2.3ml qd for 4 more days. What the fuck? How in the world will a parent measure this? I called the NP to change it to a more reasonable 5ml and 2.5ml which has actual markins on the syringe (1tsp 1/2 tsp). She absolutely refused even when I said it would be very hard for the parents to measure. She insisted on the EXACT dose calculated by the kid's weight. What a moron. Like an extra 0.2 or 0.3ml will be toxic to the kid!! This is not lasix or furosemide for crying out loud.

I kept it as is, but told the parents a synopsis of my conversation with the NP. They didn't like her either. I told the parents it would hurt if they couldn't get that precise with the dose (although they did get a 5ml and1ml syringe from me).

I hate NP who think they are so smart. Book smart, but no common sense.

The Answer is STILL no

Last Friday.... my tech called me over to talk to Mr Druggie about his request for early benzo rx. He had filled @#90 of said rx 2 days prior. Reason for early fill???? He lost it. Uh-huh. He goes on and on about how stupid he was to have it in his pocket and it fell out while he was working. As usual, I say not until I clear it with the MD and it is 5:20 on Friday. He insists I call the MD anyway since he thinks they are still there. They aren't. What a surprise.

Last Saturday.......I answer phone and the guy on the line is asking if he can fill his med early since he is going on a cruise Sun. I ask for his name. It is Mr Druggie and what do you know? It's for the same med as Friday. Now, I'm really ticked. I say the answer is no as it was yesterday when he asked for early fill. I also inform him that YESTERDAY the story was that he had lost the meds at work. He denies ever saying this and he needs the med because he is going on a cruise. I repeat Friday's conversation back to him and he says that it doesn't matter b/c he needs it now for his vacation. Answer: no.

Today......tech asks me to get phone for early benzo refil request. Can everyone guess who it is?? NOW he is leaving for Michigan on Monday. I have to bite my tongue not to start yelling at him to never come back to my pharmacy. THE ANSWER IS STILL NO. He asks when he can have it.....I tell him the day before the refil is due which is July 2nd. Not early enough for him as he will be out of town then.

Is there a cruise line on the Great Lakes now?????

Oh, and the best....he is a Medicaid patient. A cruise and a trip to Michigan while on the state's dime.

you've got to be kidding me

I have a problem tech as most of us probably do. She is one step away from getting canned for repeated sick calls and being late. But, to her credit, she has not missed a day since March.

She goes out quite often for me to get me various food to clog my arteries. I do not have her punch out for this as it is my request and not her lunch. This weekend she asks if I need her to go get me lunch. I had actually brought lunch for once and asked her if she needed to go get herself something. She said, "No but I was hoping you wanted something so I could go by Blockbuster."

WHAT? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not eat at Blockbuster. Getting me food is not time for her to do other errands. I am still pissed off. I asked her why she thought going to get me food included her stopping by Blockbuster and she just said "I just needed to look for something real quick."

I will have to be seriously starving to ever send her for food again.

When the pharmacy is closed..it is closed

On the weekends, my pharmacy closes at 6pm. Signs are posted. This has been the closing time for the past 5 years since the store has been open. All other pharmacies in the area also close at 6pm except the few 24 hour stores.

Every damn weekend people want me to stay after 6 to get their damn stuff. I have been open 10hrs (Sat) or 8hrs (Sun). Get here when I am open. I am not staying. Last week, idiot #1 came up right as my cash registers were being taken by the front store supervisor. So, I had to ring her out. Which leaves me open for the next idiot to come up. My drop off window is closed and the gate is down. Idiot #2 waves several new rxs at the supervisor and asks if she can still have them filled. I said no...we close at 6. Now, before everyone gets all upset, I would probably stay for a regular customer with a true emergency. Anyway, she snaps back "Well, what time is it?", still not looking at me, but the store supervisor. I say, 6:05. She says, "So for a lousy 5 minutes you won't fill my rx?" I say, yes but there is a 24 hour big box rx less than 5 miles from here. That's too far for her to drive. Not my fucking problem. Then she has to pull the "Well, I thought I would give your pharmacy a try, but I guess you don't want my business" crap. Hell no, I don't want one more person in this pharmacy to give me attitude. GO AWAY.

I put the pick-up window gate down. Now I cannot see from the electronic switch on the wall if someone is near the gate. I hear a voice....oh you're closed? I holler over the noise of the gate...YES! I set the alarm and leave to see the woman standing there. I inform her we close at 6pm and it is now 6:10....we open at 10am tomorrow. She is at least polite and says that she will come back in the morning.

I am a person....I have a life....and I don't get paid OT to stay after my shift and help your sorry ass. Get to the pharmacy when we are open.

Here I am again

Ok after an 18 month abscense, I have returned. Looooonnnngggg story.

Anyway, I am still in the retail craziness and hating every day. Why do I torture myself? I am seriously considering switching to another field, but the economy is not the best now to go job hunting. I will wait impatiently for the economy to improve.

Pet peeve of the day.........I got off work at 5pm. I had a few items to pick up before I left the store. There I was at the front of the store at the register with crap in my hands, purse on my shoulder, no white coat anywhere near me, and with my husband when a woman comes up to me and says "Oh you're the pharmacist...I have a question..............."

I just wanted to scream.....THERE IS ANOTHER PHARMACIST ..............GO ASK HIM.

But I didn't, I answered her question, but not to my full capacity. I was not going to go all the way back to the first aid isle to help her pick out crap for her son's poison ivy.

Don't bother me when I am obviously on MY TIME. I have a life too.