Why the Local Pharmacist Drinks

Today was an awful day. Aside from the normal crapiness from being short staffed, one of my interns was sick today. Which means for 5 hours it was just me and one other person working a 24 hour pharamacy.....All I could do was try to answer the phone that rings 24/7 (not kidding or exaggerating, there is always a phone ringing in that pharmacy. All the time, everyday.) type all the prescriptions, fill all the prescriptions, check all the prescriptions and try to help my tech ring a couple of the 5 registers. Not only is that crazy amount of multi-tasking very stressful, but on top of that I get yelled at for our wait time being more than 10 minutes (Usually there are 5+ people back here and you are surprised it is taking longer) and I get people that make me need tequila. For example:


(Phone is ringing for 10+ minutes because I have been at Drive-thru)
Doctor who doesn't have spelling of patients last name, or date of birth. Wants to call in a script for atropine for a patient. Doesn't know how to dose it. After me searching everywhere for his off-label use dosing, he hangs up.


12th person in line waiting for script. Its for Percocet. She didn't get it filled here last month. If she did get it filled according to timing from Feb. she is 8 days early.
I call her back to pharmacy.
Me: Where did you get this filled last month?
Her: CVS
Me: What is there phone number? I have to check on your timing because of the type of medication this is, I can only fill it 2 days early.
Her: Well it says fill on 4/2
Me: I see that, but I can only fill 2 days early on this type of medication so I need to call them to verify the timing. Your doctor may not be aware of the dates
Her: He is aware, Thats why it says that!
Me: I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, I have to call them. Do you have their phone number?
Her: I HAD THIS PROBLEM LAST MONTH! THAT'S WHY I WENT THERE! (No shit, I bet you were early last month too) GIVE ME MY FUCKING SCRIPT BACK!
Me: No problem.
(She yanks it out of my hand and deliberately grabs it so my hand gets clawed by her nails. Now my finger hurts.)


Lady drops off script from urgent care for her daughter. Her insurance isn't covering her generic antibiotic... I call the insurance to see why for the patient. After speaking to a retard who cannot tell me what the issue is, I explain to the parent I am calling again. I call again. I get a different person. Their insurance doesn't cover the medication because they don't pay for the patient to go to an urgent care. Seriously. We page the doctor. Get the medication switched under the other doctors name and it is covered (Thank goodness). Takes 50 minutes.

Old man comes into pharmacy for medication called in for his wife the day before. The nurse from the nursing home pharmacy did not leave a strength (as always....) and we left a message yesterday for them to call us. They didn't. He demands I call them. I say:
"Sir, they close at 4pm on weekdays, they are not going to be open. It is 8:45pm on a Saturday. We already left a message."
Him: Can't you give them another jingle! SHE NEEDS IT! (Its an inhaler she has never been on before, and not the rescue kind you see in the movies for attacks. This is the kind you do to prevent attacks)
Me: ........sure.
I call them. They are closed. I leave another message.
Me: I left them another message, but they are closed today.
Him: Well can't you call security?
Me: What?
Him: Can't you call the security, they can go in there.
Me: I have to talk to a nurse or a doctor, it cannot just be a security guard trying to read a chart.
Him: They can go get the nurse and take her there! It's their fault!
Me:........................... Would you like to call the security?
I hand him the phone and walk away, as I know this is going no where. The security can do nothing, unless they really do drive to the nurses house, convince her to go back and read the chart to us at 9pm on a Saturday, just to get the old man to shut up. It's called humoring a patient.


Guy: Can you tell me where the shampoo is?
Me: I can't see from this angle, which aisle says "hair"
Guy: 3
Me: It is in aisle 3 then.








I can totally deal with laziness and stupidity. It is the mean people that cause me to need margaritas, and pray that the next day will be better. I know it is no ones fault that we were short, and they were upset they had to wait for more than 10 minutes because FUCKING RITE-AID advertises they will give you money if you have to wait for more than 15 minutes for a prescription. It just sucks that people do not see us as a profession (do you get pissed if your doctor makes you wait? No. Do you scream and swear in their waiting room? Do they get a lunch?) and expect that their script will be done in the time it takes for a big mac and fries to be done. (Nope, I am not checking for drug interactions, drug dosing, calling your doctor because they left out strength, quantity, directions, etc, calling your insurance to override whatever bullshit rejection they give us, then not to mention filling and checking the 10-20 in front of your script)

I am getting burnt out. People are too nasty to me. I do too much to make sure they don't die to be treated like this. I think we should get vending machines to dispense drugs so everyone with these shitty docs and insurances and people that go to multiple pharmacies all get seriously hurt from their medications and then, maybe then I might get some respect, Right?

Listening is second rated.

The phone at my work never stops ringing. Seriously. It is always ringing. Here is some examples why I hate answering the phone.

Me: "Thanks for holding. This is Stacy, a pharmacist, how can I help you?"
Patient 1: "Hi, are you a pharmacist?"
Me: "Yes."
Patient 1: "What's your name?"
Me: "Stacy....."



Patient 2: "Hi, I was calling because I got a message from your automated system"
Me: "What did the message say?"
Patient 2: "That my prescription was ready"
Me: "Alright, what can I do for you?"
Patient 2: "I wanted to make sure it was ready"
Me: "..... Yes, your prescription is ready, thats why it called you."
Patient 2: "Oh, ok"



Me: Thanks for holding this is the pharmacist, how can I help you?
Nurse: Yes, I need to speak to the pharmacist.
Me: This is the pharmacist.
Nurse: You are the pharmacist?
Me: Yes.
Nurse: Oh, ok.

Maybe Dentists Just Don't Know....

My husband goes into the dentist today because he got a dry socket from getting his wisdom teeth removed. The dentist rinsed out the socket, then told my husband he was going to pack it with "dry socket medication", my husband (a pharmacist as well) then asks
"What are you going to use?"
"Dry socket medication"
"I am just curious, what is in the medication?"
"Dry socket medication."

Maybe he didn't know, after all he is a dentist. Maybe he didn't realize my husband was a pharmacist and would understand what the meds were if he told him. Whatever it was, he did not have to be a complete asshole, and talk to him like he was a child.

Weekend Of Hell

This past weekend I switched one of my managers so he could have a bunch of days off in a row. The weekends at this store are cake, I usually spend most of the 2 days cleaning. This past weekend was unusually busy, which was crazy, but no big deal as the tech that I had and I were in great moods, until this point.

I was on the phone with crazy old lady #1. I was already on it for 5 minutes now talking to her. My tech was right beside me on the phone with angry old lady #1. A car pulls up to the drive through. I put my lady on hold for a second and tell the drive thru "I will be with you in just a second" in that sweet fake rehearsed voice we use when we are stressed. Someone else walks up to the counter. Not a big deal right? I tell young chick at counter I will be right with her.

After.... maybe 1 min, 2 min tops, I finally solve crazy old lady#1's problem. I hang up, walk past counter while saying " I will be with you in just a sec, drive thru was first". Drive thru wasnt there. Crazy Angry old fat lady walks up to the counter right at that second and says:

"I WAS DRIVE THROUGH! I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE HONKING AND HONKING!"
"Ma'am, I was on the phone, and so is the tech, I said I was going to be right over, we were both busy with the people in front of you"
"YOU NEED MORE HELP ON SUNDAYS THEN, THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

I stand there, look at her with the "bitch I am going to stab out your heart" look on my face, and say in a tone I am trying not to show my annoyance "Can I help you with something now that I am off the phone?"

"Yeah, I just need this refilled. I will be back later today"


......................
Seriously? You threw that big of a fucking fit regarding something you could have #1 touch toned it in or called us ahead of time to get it ready and #2 didn't even need right away.
Check your fucking attitude before throwing your hatred our way.

Always take vacation the first of the year

The beginning of the year means a lot of things. New ideas, new plans, new hopes. It also means that most insurance companies either: completely change for a patient, or they at least have the same insurance plan but their co pays change, deductibles restart, etc.

This means I spent all weekend trying to explain to the general public:
1. I need your new insurance card.
"I don't have it, it wasn't changing, blah blah blah"
"Do you know who it is through, I can call them and get your new ID and info"
"Well no, of course I don't"
***We have no idea at the pharmacy of your medical/prescription plans more than you do. If you do not bring your card or take personal responsibility to at least know what you are switching to, we cannot help you. Stop getting pissed at me****

2. Your prescription is ______ dollars
"It wasn't that last time!, Why has it changed! What! I am not paying that!"
"Did your deductible reset? Did they change your plan since it is a new year?"
"I DON'T KNOW! I AM NOT PAYING THAT"
***I don't know why your plan is different. We submit the claim and get sent back a price. Sometimes I can see if there is a deductible. It is not my job to know every single person's insurance details when they come into my pharmacy and know exactly what they will charge for everything, as the only way we can do that is to sit down with all of you and go over your papers with you when you sign up!***

EVERYONE NEEDS TO TAKE SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STOP YELLING AT ME FOR THINGS THAT I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER AND AM JUST THE MIDDLE MAN!

Needless to say, you say one of those two phrases to at least every other person all day. After about the 6th old lady yelling at you and telling you are wrong, a little bit of your kindness starts to die. I think I will take vacations from now on for the entire first month of January.

Empty Fentora Box? Bitch Please

My tech is on the phone, places the patient on hold, looks at me and says "Problem!". I ask whats up, she states one of their problem patients is on hold and is stating that one of the two boxes of Fentora we gave him was empty.
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Fentora: About FENTORA
FENTORA is used to treat breakthrough pain in adult patients with cancer (18 years of age and older) who are regularly using other opioid pain medicines around-the-clock for their constant cancer pain.



You may take FENTORA only if you are regularly using other opioid pain medicines around-the-clock for your constant cancer pain and your body is used to these medicines, which means you are opioid tolerant. Do not use FENTORA if you are not opioid tolerant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not only was this guy a problem patient; ie tries to get all of his stuff a week early, lame excuses, always losing/getting things stolen, but he is also a patient of one the pain docs in this area I am sure should have his license revoked for endangering the lives of patients by prescribing the things he does, or knowingly writing for retardidly high dosings because he knows the patient is selling half of the script... either way.

You may not know, but Fentora comes in a nice sealed box of 28 tablets. The box is the kind that is perforated, and you rip it open. It does not fold back in and reseal itself shut like some boxes do. Which would make it really hard for an empty box or a box that has been opened not to be noticed, as you would see a big open ripped side.

The count was on. I double checked the hard copy. The tech that night even noted "2 full boxes of 28".

My tech picks the phone back up.
"Sir, when the script left here they were both sealed, I am not sure what happened after they left here, you might want to look around."
"Where? The store?"
"No sir, your house. They left here sealed. I would check and see if anyone you live with knows what happened"
"Well, can you give me a box?
"No sir, we cannot give you a box with they type of medication it is"
"What are you going to do about this?!?"
"There is nothing we can do, it left here the way it was..
CLICK


Note in the profile what?

I will rip off this phone and throw it at you

Thursdays are great days. It is always raining and I work 2 to 10pm at a great store, nice and slow and steady and great techs, staff pharmacists and front store people. I love me some Mt Healthy. The only thing I dread on Thursday is the ringing.

Whats the ringing you ask? Well, let me inform you. This pharmacy has a drive through. This drive-through dings a door bell everytime a car pulls past a certain spot on the building, so we have around 5-10 seconds (depending on how fast the person is driving) to walk over to the window to be there when the person drives up. In fact, every single store I work at has one of these. What this drive through also has is a "call" button. What does the call button do? Why, it rings every phone in the damn pharmacy at the loudest volume it can ring, all at the same time. How many phones? At the minimum 5.

Usually, this is not an issue. Most stores the people drive up, know we are on our way, after all they can see us which means we can see them and wait 10 seconds for us to walk over. Not this store. Everyone at this store is more important than everyone else. I kid you not, every person that drove up hit the damn buzzer as soon as they got there. Some of you may say, hey they don't know you have an over head door bell. This is true and I give that to the people that hit it when I am the only one there and on the other side of the pharmacy filling scripts.

I do not however give it to the people that ring it while you are standing there. Just today I had several instances where I almost took a screwdriver to the thing:
1. Tech is standing at the window helping lane 2. As she is facing the window talking to lane 2, lane 1 leans out, looks at her and pushes the buzzer. Remember every f*cking phone rings when they do this and does not stop until you pick it up "ma'am, I will be with you as soon as I am done with lane 2."
2. Busy tonight, my counter is backed up. I am helping someone at the counter right by the drive through. Lane 1 pulls up while I am in the middle of counseling the patient. Hits the buzzer. Every phone loud as hell is ringing. I have to pick it up. "I will be with you as soon as I am done with the counter". I resume counseling, then as that patient is done, I ring the person right behind them that has been there waiting for their script I just got done. Guess what lane 1 did? If you guessed sat there and patiently waited their turn at the dinner time rush you would be wrong. They rang the damn bell again because they were pissed I had not helped them yet (30 seconds maybe has went by since I said I would be with them?)

It may not seem like much to an outsider, but hearing every phone ring and seeing all the selfish impatient faces makes you want to break it and just close the drive-through.