Lately as I lie in bed unable to sleep I plot in my head what pharmacy school interviews will be like. I am not attempting to be cocky in that I'll get there, but it's something I like to think about at night. One of the questions I hear so often from other students whom have gone for the process is the question of why you want to be in pharmacy. There's the recurring answer of "I want to help people" and "I want to make money!" (ok, they don't actually say that, but that's their goal).
You want to know what my answer will be? Because someone needs to finally step in and bring some stability to the senselessness that is the field of pharmacy. Reading a post by the TAestP, found here, reaffirms my belief. Many are shocked when I say I'm getting a business degree prior to applying to pharmacy school. Often I ask why I am not getting a biology or chemistry degree which would more effectively relate to pharmacy. And in truth I am quite close to both a chemistry and biology degree from all the electives I have taken, but I have stuck with the business degree for one simple purpose. No one in the industry has any business sense.
I don't mean this in a derogatory way, but the industry is being drove directly into a giant pile of shit. In TAestP's post, he describes a pharmacy's new 'Free Antibiotic" prescription plan. At my place of employment the hours of the technicians are cut consistently and while the pharmacist is expected to do more. The schools push MTMs left and right, yet upper management does not allot the time for such a beneficial, and profitable, endeavor.
And really it makes no fucking sense. Why give out free medication? That completely devalues the product you are trying to sell. It tells the consumer that this is a cheap good, one which should be taken for granted. Is that really the impression we want to give the public? That we're nothing more than a convenience store for their medication? Sure you move more product and get more consumers in the door, but at what cost?
On top of that pharmacists are being forced to do far more than they should have to. You want your pharmacists to do proper consulting and conduct MTMs? Well schedule some extra help for christs sake! I mean honestly, you have to spend money at times to make money. Sure, you may have increased tech hours by 20 hours a week one store, but how much more money are you going to make off of MTMs? How many more loyal patients are you going to be getting because the pharmacist was able to relate to them?
Pharmacy is a health care service. So often this is forgotten with upper management. As I tell new co-workers when I'm training them, you have to take this job seriously. It's not stocking shelves at Wal-Mart, you make a mistake and you can kill a person. There's really no other way to get around it.
I want to go to pharmacy school because I do want to help people and I do find it interesting as all hell how the body reacts to various effectors. I also want to go into a pharmacy to help remedy the mistakes made on the business side of the field. I am not insinuating that I will solve problems industry wide, but I want to start bringing respect and dignity back to the profession. If that is only within the small chain I plan to own some day, so be it. It;s time someone's had the balls to say no more bullshit.
This has to stop, sooner rather than later. I want to be a pharmacist to better the lives of the patients and to better the lives of my colleagues. Is that really so much to ask?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Good End to a Bad Day
You know when you're having a real shitty day? Like you would love nothing more than to plant a small nuclear warhead in the corner of a drug bay before you leave? And then watch gleefully as it explodes into a beautiful mushroom cloud? I had one of those days today. Then I was blessed with having to visit the local grocery store for some dinner. I was truly and utterly thrilled with that proposition as well. Perhaps they would receive their own warhead in produce. Until I saw something which completely changed my mood and made my day....
Nothing like a new variation of Leinie's to turn a shitty day and into a glorious one. Now if only the Titans hadn't choked this weekend...
Nothing like a new variation of Leinie's to turn a shitty day and into a glorious one. Now if only the Titans hadn't choked this weekend...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Types of Patients
I alluded in an earlier post about a ranking system I have devised in recent weeks to describe customers. When you float between stores as I do, it's often hard to describe one's relationship to a patient when discussing a story. As such I have devised the following list to help facilitate this clarity:
First-Tier Patients
These are the people who come in and immediately know you're name, as do you. Often you discus personal aspects of your lives together and you know one another on a more intimate basis. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would stop and chat with them for a minute or two.
Second-Tier Patients
This type of patient is one whom recognizes you when they enter the store, but may not know your specific name. You recognize them by name as they enter the store, but may not know much about them outside of their medical life. You are friendly with them and have general conversation while in the store. No specifics are generally discussed under normal circumstances. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would say hi to them using their first name.
Third-Tier Patients
This is the type of patient who recognizes you, but usually does not know your name. You do not recognize them until a name is stated. You are merely their pharmacist and they are merely your patient. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would smile as you past them seeing as you would recognize them, but be unable to ascertain from where.
Fourth-Tier Patients
These are patients whom you simply do not recognize when they are in the store. They may be one time patients or irregular patients. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would walk right pass them without a second thought.
Fifth-Tier Patients
You recognize this patient in an instant, although they may pretend not to know you are. They have caused problems in the store either via violence, confrontations and/or issues with drugs. Immediately your finger my hover over the panic button, but most likely your senses will be raised you deal with them. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would make a wide arc around them fore they may attempt to steal your wallet.
There, now we can all relate stories to each other much more easily. Perhaps this is my contribution to the pharmacy industry. Feel free to print the list and hang it up in your respective pharmacies, copyright free. I'm just that nice!
First-Tier Patients
These are the people who come in and immediately know you're name, as do you. Often you discus personal aspects of your lives together and you know one another on a more intimate basis. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would stop and chat with them for a minute or two.
Second-Tier Patients
This type of patient is one whom recognizes you when they enter the store, but may not know your specific name. You recognize them by name as they enter the store, but may not know much about them outside of their medical life. You are friendly with them and have general conversation while in the store. No specifics are generally discussed under normal circumstances. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would say hi to them using their first name.
Third-Tier Patients
This is the type of patient who recognizes you, but usually does not know your name. You do not recognize them until a name is stated. You are merely their pharmacist and they are merely your patient. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would smile as you past them seeing as you would recognize them, but be unable to ascertain from where.
Fourth-Tier Patients
These are patients whom you simply do not recognize when they are in the store. They may be one time patients or irregular patients. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would walk right pass them without a second thought.
Fifth-Tier Patients
You recognize this patient in an instant, although they may pretend not to know you are. They have caused problems in the store either via violence, confrontations and/or issues with drugs. Immediately your finger my hover over the panic button, but most likely your senses will be raised you deal with them. If you were to pass said patient in a store, you would make a wide arc around them fore they may attempt to steal your wallet.
There, now we can all relate stories to each other much more easily. Perhaps this is my contribution to the pharmacy industry. Feel free to print the list and hang it up in your respective pharmacies, copyright free. I'm just that nice!
Monday, January 5, 2009
For those midnight readers
I present something to you which shall kill hours upon hours of slow pharmacy time. A few weeks back Google uploaded the entire photo archive of Life magazine. Trust me you'll spend so much time just flipping through it you'll forget you're even at work!
Life Magazine Photo Archives
Life Magazine Photo Archives
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Caught this in the Obits today
Albuterol CFC MDI
[1969-2008]
Born as Salbutamol to the family β2-adrenergic receptor agonist in the United Kingdom in 1969, immigrated to the United States in 1980 and changed its name to Albuterol CFC MDI.
Albuterol had a long and wonderous life span and took pride in helping millions of people with acute asthma. Along with its twin, Albuterhol Inhalation Solution, Albuterol has redefined the lives of such peoples. Despite problems with the law, including tachycardia, wheezing and chest pain, Albuterol overcame these obstacles to retain its good name.
Albuterol is survived by its twin, Albuterol Inhalation Solution, Step-Brother Levalbuterol, children Proventil, Ventolin and Proair and grandchildren Proventil HFA, Ventolin HFA and ProAir HFA.
Friday, January 2, 2009
A not so happy new years..
Days in a pharmacy typically go by in blurs. Often you remember items, but you may not recall details. I suppose that's the mind's way of dealing with a flood of information all day long. Usually, with some thought, you can gather specific details about an item when you start to think about it.
We had a patient die on New Years Eve. That, in itself, is not too much of a newsworthy item on a daily basis. We lose patients all the time, its just a fact of the job and you become somewhat accustomed to it. Except this patient died right after leaving the pharmacy. We were his last stop.. well ever.
I know who the man is. He would get a little antsy for some of his drugs, notably his Ambien, but generally he was a nice guy. One of the faces you would recognize once he came in. He was probably what I call a second-tier customer (that explanation is coming in a later post).
And I was, for all intensive purposes, the last person he ever talked to. I remembered him coming in because I had worked all day to get the okay on his Ambien for him, which we had faxed on over a week ago. I remember him picking it up. I remember seeing him go. But for the life of me I cannot remember anything else about that moment.
Was I nice to him? Did I ask him about his Christmas? Did I wish him a Happy New Years? Or was I in such a rush that I more or less blew him off to get back to other scripts. I really don't know.
I would like to think his last interaction with a human was a pleasant one, but I honestly don't know. I've been racking my brain all day trying to remember, but I just can't. Weird how that works eh?
I suppose I could chalk it up to another facet of the profession, but it's one of the few times over the years that I have actually been bothered by something. Guess I'm not as made of stone at work as I thought.
We had a patient die on New Years Eve. That, in itself, is not too much of a newsworthy item on a daily basis. We lose patients all the time, its just a fact of the job and you become somewhat accustomed to it. Except this patient died right after leaving the pharmacy. We were his last stop.. well ever.
I know who the man is. He would get a little antsy for some of his drugs, notably his Ambien, but generally he was a nice guy. One of the faces you would recognize once he came in. He was probably what I call a second-tier customer (that explanation is coming in a later post).
And I was, for all intensive purposes, the last person he ever talked to. I remembered him coming in because I had worked all day to get the okay on his Ambien for him, which we had faxed on over a week ago. I remember him picking it up. I remember seeing him go. But for the life of me I cannot remember anything else about that moment.
Was I nice to him? Did I ask him about his Christmas? Did I wish him a Happy New Years? Or was I in such a rush that I more or less blew him off to get back to other scripts. I really don't know.
I would like to think his last interaction with a human was a pleasant one, but I honestly don't know. I've been racking my brain all day trying to remember, but I just can't. Weird how that works eh?
I suppose I could chalk it up to another facet of the profession, but it's one of the few times over the years that I have actually been bothered by something. Guess I'm not as made of stone at work as I thought.
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