We are all disillusioned in the profession. Considering the majority of individuals do not believe in our national professional organization, I think it is fairly safe to use the term "all."
After talking with APhA for the last month, it is clear that they are aware of the problems we all face. They do, in fact, have some reasonable ideas on how to address them. What they lack though is the solvency to actually act upon them.
One of the most oft repeated phrases is, "Why don't the disillusioned pharmacists show us that they care?" and to be honest it is a valid point. So many have taken such a long drive down the cynicism trail that it's hard to look back.
After all, why put forth a concentrated effort only to have it soundly defeated? I know I feel that way on a regular basis.
But why don't we put for some sort of effort? If not to show to APhA and others what they're missing out, but to give us some pride within our chosen profession.
What I am about to ask is simple... actually it's borderline remedial. We are all extremely busy during our work days, some more than others, but this would take just a minute out of what little free time we do have.
Ask a patient what they think of pharmacy. Ask them if they know what a pharmacist does for them on a daily basis. Ask them if they've ever heard of something called Medication Therapy Management or outline services we could, but cannot currently for financial reasons, provide.
See what they know and see what they want to know. I venture that the answers may surprise you as they certainly have surprised me when I have done this.
As much as the countless pharmacy rants have bound us together over the last few years, perhaps this could do the same. We need hope... the profession needs hope in order for us to continue to succeed.
If you choose to do this, feel free to come back, or E-mail me, and share your response. As cheesy as it sounds, maybe we can make our voices just a little louder and a little more substantial.
It cannot hurt to try now, can it?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Death of Angry Pharmacy Rants
No, The Angry Pharmacist is not dead... okay well maybe his soul is dead, but his body is still kicking out little amber vials at an inhumane pace.
I started this blog over four years ago partially to centralize my interesting stories from work and partially to partake in the large amount of pharmacy bitching that was present on various websites. I'll never forget the day I first stumbled upon TAP and Drug Monkey's website. The feeling of "You mean I'm not alone?" spurred a smirk as I realized others had the same thoughts as I.
And I loved it.
Finally pharmacists, technicians, students and any one else related to pharmacy had websites where their frustrations could be viewed in colorful and often humorous tones. Many others tried to emulate the original sites, while few truly succeeded. As a profession, a proverbial bitchfest took place day after day on the internet as a means to vent.
And we all loved it.
Four years later though, where are we? The tone of this site has changed dramatically over the years, and something similar is seen on other sites. While the frustration and bitterness is still prevalent through blogs and other outlets like Twitter, it's nowhere near as resonating as it once was. The knowledge that we are not alone is no longer a source of relief, but a part of daily life.
And we all became used to it.
The question becomes, what now? Witty and spiteful posts are often been replaced by more demonstrative and action-oriented posts as shown by Eric, Pharmacist and The Readheaded Pharmacist. One could say that substance is slowly replacing style and it seems as if there are the beginning flickers of a collective voice for the profession. Something APhA, which has been covered numerous times, lacks the ability to do so.
And we all want more.
Perhaps the next step is providing substance towards are frustrations. To focus it into something productive and produce actual change. Many pharmacy bloggers are attempting to do just that and, if the conversations I have had from APhA are accurate, they are beginning to be heard. The time for angry pharmacy rants is ending, being replaced by something which may ultimately be even more fruitful.
And we all will love it.
It is a scary thought how a few late night, profanity laced tirades could propel a, perhaps, legitimate push to change our profession. Evolution often takes a winding and unpredictable path, yet usually leads to a superior result. My hope is that our current trend continues because it holds the promise of yielding true change in our profession, albeit in small amounts at first.
And we will all finally be happy.
A guy can dream after all can't he?
I started this blog over four years ago partially to centralize my interesting stories from work and partially to partake in the large amount of pharmacy bitching that was present on various websites. I'll never forget the day I first stumbled upon TAP and Drug Monkey's website. The feeling of "You mean I'm not alone?" spurred a smirk as I realized others had the same thoughts as I.
And I loved it.
Finally pharmacists, technicians, students and any one else related to pharmacy had websites where their frustrations could be viewed in colorful and often humorous tones. Many others tried to emulate the original sites, while few truly succeeded. As a profession, a proverbial bitchfest took place day after day on the internet as a means to vent.
And we all loved it.
Four years later though, where are we? The tone of this site has changed dramatically over the years, and something similar is seen on other sites. While the frustration and bitterness is still prevalent through blogs and other outlets like Twitter, it's nowhere near as resonating as it once was. The knowledge that we are not alone is no longer a source of relief, but a part of daily life.
And we all became used to it.
The question becomes, what now? Witty and spiteful posts are often been replaced by more demonstrative and action-oriented posts as shown by Eric, Pharmacist and The Readheaded Pharmacist. One could say that substance is slowly replacing style and it seems as if there are the beginning flickers of a collective voice for the profession. Something APhA, which has been covered numerous times, lacks the ability to do so.
And we all want more.
Perhaps the next step is providing substance towards are frustrations. To focus it into something productive and produce actual change. Many pharmacy bloggers are attempting to do just that and, if the conversations I have had from APhA are accurate, they are beginning to be heard. The time for angry pharmacy rants is ending, being replaced by something which may ultimately be even more fruitful.
And we all will love it.
It is a scary thought how a few late night, profanity laced tirades could propel a, perhaps, legitimate push to change our profession. Evolution often takes a winding and unpredictable path, yet usually leads to a superior result. My hope is that our current trend continues because it holds the promise of yielding true change in our profession, albeit in small amounts at first.
And we will all finally be happy.
A guy can dream after all can't he?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Does APhA Really Represent Pharmacists?
Tonight I was playing with my son with the TV on in the background when a commercial splashed across the screen. Immediately I stopped what I was doing and watched, jaw slightly agape, at what was on the screen.
What was it you may ask? Take a look for yourself:
Beautiful is it not? Even more so when you go to the actual YouTube page and read the purpose of the advertisement. It truly is great to see a professional organization be assertive and stand up for their profession. Clearly the AMA will not sit idly by and wait for change to come to them.
Bravo for that.
Now wouldn't it be great if APhA did the same? Between the health professional organization trifecta of the AMA, APhA and ADA, the APhA is often the silent partner. Whereas the AMA and ADA are very active outside of their practitioners and have a very broad public awareness, few outside of our immediate profession even know what APhA is.
It's one of the topics I have pushed several times on this site in the past and will continue to do so until someone actually listens. Recently I discussed the distressing notion that a business oriented enterprise is, in effect, leading our profession to change for their own selfish reasons.
It is something which has even been brought up in publications like the Wall Street Journal. Interesting how those even within the profession see the massive amount of benefit of the idea I laid out, yet APhA does not seem interested in actually following through with it.
It is this which is the most distressing aspect of pharmacy as a whole. In school and by APhA we are repeatedly told about the "future" of pharmacy, but in reality there does not appear to be a realistic path towards this future. Progress by APhA can be measured by the speed of a sloth, and we run the risk of being bypassed by other health care profession as the system evolves.
For instance let's look over the Strategic Issues on the AMA website which describes who they are and what they are fighting for. It is rather all encompassing while being concise and plotting for the future, wouldn't you agree? It's something even the lay person could read and instantly understand what AMA, and physicians as a whole, stand for.
Now let's look over what APhA has listed as their Advocacy Issues. One of the first things you notice is a lack of an adequate summary to the overall goal of the organization. Line by line and link by link they list specific issues, but there is no connection between the issues and what they mean for pharmacy. The AMA does a spectacular job of presenting their main goals and then diving into the specifics. Here, the APhA merely presents the specifics without any cross-linking to form a cohesive idea. In the end, the problem lies not so much with the issues themselves, but more with how they are presented.
Clearly the AMA's website is focused towards both their providers and their patients whereas APhA's website is tailored to its providers. There is already a disconnect of perception between pharmacists and their patients, and this does nothing but further that divide. If anything, the APhA website continues to make it's self inaccessible to the patients they so often tout as the focus of their work.
Why is this? Why is it the organization, which is financed partially through the dues of pharmacists, seems to ignore this crucial ingredient to the long term success of the profession? Why is it that pharmacists across the country feel like they have no voice?
There was no immediate response to the disparaging remarks by the CEO of Medco from APhA. For those unfamiliar with the situation, this link provides a good summary. How is it that our so-called voice of the profession remains eerily silent while one of the most powerful individuals in health care obtusely insults our profession?
What are those dues good for then? Several times it has been reaffirmed that the APhA can only reflect the views of those members who participate, and pay, through their membership. Granted I see the logic in this, by why is membership required to represent pharmacists as a whole? Why is it that none of the 70+ pharmacists I have worked with over the last ten years are active with APhA? Why is it that rarely do you find a community pharmacist, who just happen to make up the largest constituents of the profession, that considers the APhA worthwhile?
Because they have no faith in it. APhA is viewed as a lion with no teeth and no roar. Why devote time to something which is ultimately fruitless? As pharmacists are pushed around year after year with little light at the end of the tunnel, of course they become disillusioned. Who wouldn't?
So why doesn't APhA throw up a hail mary and start to regain the trust of the pharmacists it represents? Why doesn't APhA consider educating patients on who they are to overcome the biggest obstacle the profession faces, a lack of understanding of who and what a pharmacist is. Why doesn't APhA maintain a daily, strong active voice for the profession which can readily respond to comments from individuals such as David Snow?
Why doesn't APhA model itself after the AMA and actually represent the profession?
Give me a reason to want to be a member of APhA. Give me a reason to want to be extraordinary proactive within the profession. Give me a reason to stand up for what pharmacy stands for. Give me a reason to have faith in APhA.
Is that too much to ask?
What was it you may ask? Take a look for yourself:
Beautiful is it not? Even more so when you go to the actual YouTube page and read the purpose of the advertisement. It truly is great to see a professional organization be assertive and stand up for their profession. Clearly the AMA will not sit idly by and wait for change to come to them.
Bravo for that.
Now wouldn't it be great if APhA did the same? Between the health professional organization trifecta of the AMA, APhA and ADA, the APhA is often the silent partner. Whereas the AMA and ADA are very active outside of their practitioners and have a very broad public awareness, few outside of our immediate profession even know what APhA is.
It's one of the topics I have pushed several times on this site in the past and will continue to do so until someone actually listens. Recently I discussed the distressing notion that a business oriented enterprise is, in effect, leading our profession to change for their own selfish reasons.
It is something which has even been brought up in publications like the Wall Street Journal. Interesting how those even within the profession see the massive amount of benefit of the idea I laid out, yet APhA does not seem interested in actually following through with it.
It is this which is the most distressing aspect of pharmacy as a whole. In school and by APhA we are repeatedly told about the "future" of pharmacy, but in reality there does not appear to be a realistic path towards this future. Progress by APhA can be measured by the speed of a sloth, and we run the risk of being bypassed by other health care profession as the system evolves.
For instance let's look over the Strategic Issues on the AMA website which describes who they are and what they are fighting for. It is rather all encompassing while being concise and plotting for the future, wouldn't you agree? It's something even the lay person could read and instantly understand what AMA, and physicians as a whole, stand for.
Now let's look over what APhA has listed as their Advocacy Issues. One of the first things you notice is a lack of an adequate summary to the overall goal of the organization. Line by line and link by link they list specific issues, but there is no connection between the issues and what they mean for pharmacy. The AMA does a spectacular job of presenting their main goals and then diving into the specifics. Here, the APhA merely presents the specifics without any cross-linking to form a cohesive idea. In the end, the problem lies not so much with the issues themselves, but more with how they are presented.
Clearly the AMA's website is focused towards both their providers and their patients whereas APhA's website is tailored to its providers. There is already a disconnect of perception between pharmacists and their patients, and this does nothing but further that divide. If anything, the APhA website continues to make it's self inaccessible to the patients they so often tout as the focus of their work.
Why is this? Why is it the organization, which is financed partially through the dues of pharmacists, seems to ignore this crucial ingredient to the long term success of the profession? Why is it that pharmacists across the country feel like they have no voice?
There was no immediate response to the disparaging remarks by the CEO of Medco from APhA. For those unfamiliar with the situation, this link provides a good summary. How is it that our so-called voice of the profession remains eerily silent while one of the most powerful individuals in health care obtusely insults our profession?
What are those dues good for then? Several times it has been reaffirmed that the APhA can only reflect the views of those members who participate, and pay, through their membership. Granted I see the logic in this, by why is membership required to represent pharmacists as a whole? Why is it that none of the 70+ pharmacists I have worked with over the last ten years are active with APhA? Why is it that rarely do you find a community pharmacist, who just happen to make up the largest constituents of the profession, that considers the APhA worthwhile?
Because they have no faith in it. APhA is viewed as a lion with no teeth and no roar. Why devote time to something which is ultimately fruitless? As pharmacists are pushed around year after year with little light at the end of the tunnel, of course they become disillusioned. Who wouldn't?
So why doesn't APhA throw up a hail mary and start to regain the trust of the pharmacists it represents? Why doesn't APhA consider educating patients on who they are to overcome the biggest obstacle the profession faces, a lack of understanding of who and what a pharmacist is. Why doesn't APhA maintain a daily, strong active voice for the profession which can readily respond to comments from individuals such as David Snow?
Why doesn't APhA model itself after the AMA and actually represent the profession?
Give me a reason to want to be a member of APhA. Give me a reason to want to be extraordinary proactive within the profession. Give me a reason to stand up for what pharmacy stands for. Give me a reason to have faith in APhA.
Is that too much to ask?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Will You Remember Me?
Every day we cheat death. It is not something we readily acknowledge despite its prevalence.
We choose to eat a low fat salad for lunch. We choose to drive just a little slower on the freeway after a scare.We choose to go for that three mile run when all we want is to drink a beer on the couch.
Jusitifying it as a desire for "healthy living" we go about our lives without acknowledging that what we are really doing is avoiding the inevitable for just a little while longer. Each person has a differing reason for following such a winding, and often difficult, path.
Many years ago I realized I didn't want to just live my life as a mindless drone in a dead-end job. I did not want to be the person who merely went through the motions of bringing home a check, driving the kids to soccer practice and then hit repeat every day. I wanted to do something different, something unique, something... special.
It is one of the reasons I chose pharmacy. Hell, it is one of the reasons this site exists.
I have few selfish desires in my daily life. I put the vast majority of free energy towards my wife and son because... well they deserve it. For many years my main daily goal has been to make people happy. For my wife it may be a simple massage at the end of a long day, for family and friends it is my intentionally hilarious comments on Facebook or Twitter.
Ultimately though I begin wonder if I will be remembered.
I have always wanted to do something truly great, something that makes people step back and be amazed. I always said one of my goal's in pharmacy was to change the world in some way before my time was done. How I will accomplish this remains a mystery, yet a part of me feels that this particular time will come.
Yet a small part of this desire was born in spite. Far too many times in my life, especially my "school yard" days, I was dismissed or told I would not amount to much. Since that time I have always been driven to not only prove them wrong, but to make them feel humble in their judgements.
As the years have worn on and I have continued on this process, my ultimate desires have become more personal. Today I would be very content just knowing my son, wife and family were proud of me. Everything else is secondary to this point.
And yet, there is still that desire to attain greatness... the ability to look back on my life many decades from now and smile knowing that I am going to leave this world a better place.
I guess the ultimate question is... Will you remember me?
We choose to eat a low fat salad for lunch. We choose to drive just a little slower on the freeway after a scare.We choose to go for that three mile run when all we want is to drink a beer on the couch.
Jusitifying it as a desire for "healthy living" we go about our lives without acknowledging that what we are really doing is avoiding the inevitable for just a little while longer. Each person has a differing reason for following such a winding, and often difficult, path.
Many years ago I realized I didn't want to just live my life as a mindless drone in a dead-end job. I did not want to be the person who merely went through the motions of bringing home a check, driving the kids to soccer practice and then hit repeat every day. I wanted to do something different, something unique, something... special.
It is one of the reasons I chose pharmacy. Hell, it is one of the reasons this site exists.
I have few selfish desires in my daily life. I put the vast majority of free energy towards my wife and son because... well they deserve it. For many years my main daily goal has been to make people happy. For my wife it may be a simple massage at the end of a long day, for family and friends it is my intentionally hilarious comments on Facebook or Twitter.
Ultimately though I begin wonder if I will be remembered.
I have always wanted to do something truly great, something that makes people step back and be amazed. I always said one of my goal's in pharmacy was to change the world in some way before my time was done. How I will accomplish this remains a mystery, yet a part of me feels that this particular time will come.
Yet a small part of this desire was born in spite. Far too many times in my life, especially my "school yard" days, I was dismissed or told I would not amount to much. Since that time I have always been driven to not only prove them wrong, but to make them feel humble in their judgements.
As the years have worn on and I have continued on this process, my ultimate desires have become more personal. Today I would be very content just knowing my son, wife and family were proud of me. Everything else is secondary to this point.
And yet, there is still that desire to attain greatness... the ability to look back on my life many decades from now and smile knowing that I am going to leave this world a better place.
I guess the ultimate question is... Will you remember me?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Voodoo Pharmacy
This is, hands down, the oddest spam comment I have ever had on this site. And yet, after a stressful day at work it oddly starts to make sense...
I am melinda,from what I can read. It has been sad news and scam to everyone about Voodoo casters or so. But to me they are so real cause one worked for me not quite two weeks. I traveled down to where his shrine his and we both did the ritual and sacrifice. and now me and my ex are living very ok now.I don't know about you but Voodoo is real;love marriage,finance, job promotion ,lottery Voodoo,poker voodoo,golf Voodoo,Law & Court case Spells,money voodoo,weigh loss voodoo,diabetic voodoo,hypertensive voodoo,high cholesterol voodoo,Trouble in marriage,it's all he does. I used my money to purchase everything he used he never collected a dime from. He told me I can repay him anytime with anything from my heart. Now I don't know how to do that. If you can help or you need his help write him on (nativedoctor101@live.com) Thank you.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wait, Is That Walgreen's Leading The Way?
Then how is it that, at this very moment, the pharmacy organization that is finally standing up for, what can best be termed, the unalienable rights of pharmacy is Walgreen's?
Who is challenging one of the largest PBMs in this country and their ridiculous reimbursement rates?
Who is seeking to educate the public as to what a pharmacist truly does in the retail setting?
It's not APhA. It's not the various pharmacy schools around the country. It's Walgreen's of all people.
Actually it speaks volumes that an organization who's ultimate goal is really to increase their revenue is taking this stand rather than the professional organization that is supposed to represent us. Walgreen's is not attempting to be the torch bearer for the profession, they is just a byproduct to increase their own market share.
There is some irony in that due to Walgreen's inherent greed, they are inadvertently pushing forward a movement that could actually change the profession. The spat with Express Scripts will invariably continue to grow more ugly as they both stare each other down like two bullies on a playground. It's about damn time someone stared them down though... even if it is another bully.
Walgreen's has also been focusing on an advertising campaign regarding their ten point checklist for patient's safety. It may seem trivial to us, but when you consider many people believe a pharmacist merely puts pills in a bottle, this may help to show that we are actually a dispensary of knowledge.
I have been saying for a long time that the profession needs to step up and show the public what it is we are doing. Not only to better facilitate understanding of the profession, but to reveal how much more integrated we can be in the health care system. We can't do it on our own, that has become blatantly obvious, so why do we not have our patients become involved?
And Walgreen's is attempting to accomplish it in their own battles. It really is perplexing as it is intriguing and if the outcome is successful it may prove to be a blueprint for future change.
Who would have thought that Walgreen's would be the first one to take the first step on a national scale? Wonder if APhA is even paying attention...
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