What kind of pharmacy is this?!?!

Tonight a lady came into the store. She was looked around for a few seconds before my student asked "Can I help you find something?"

she said "no, this is not the kind of pharmacy I'm looking for".

Then she walked briskly out the side door.

Hmmmmm. What kind of pharmacy were you expecting?

Why do you take it?!

Yesterday I had a patient ask me what his Ativan is for. He is allowed 60 Ativan 2mg every month and he asks me once a week when he can have it.

Yesterday I gave it to him, and he said "no, I want the Ativan."

I said "that is your Ativan"

"No, I want the brown Ativan".

I look at my student. His blood pressure pill is brown.

Then his asked me what Ativan is for. Perhaps we need to reassess his need for Ativan!

_________

This brings me to a more serious subject. Prescription Drug Abuse. I'm really hoping the recent deaths of Micheal Jackson and DJ AM will shed some much needed light on this subject. Every day that I work, I struggle to determine whether at patient requires the med, or just wants the med and I'm sure its somewhere in between. Pharmacists and technicians have to make the decision whether or not an individual is at risk of abusing a drug they need. It's tough as you know they have pain or anxiety, but you also know they are not using the medication as intended. How do you help someone who doesn't want to help themselves. How can you help someone when you can't get the prescribing doctor on your side?

I don't want to be the pill police!!!

Where can in find?

I've worked in a few places since I've graduated, but I'm noticing a strange trend with my most recent place of employment....

Everyone asks ME for directions.

I truly do not understand this trend. I work at this little independent that's in the middle of a strip mall. Were not easy to find or get to, and yet, we have strangers coming in all the time to ask for directions. A couple months ago the Pharmacy Inspector called because he COULDN'T find us, yet every person who isn't looking for us seems to find us, just in time to ask for directions (and not buy anything). I'm starting to wonder if we come up on Google Maps for everything except what we are.

Yesterday was Visions Electronics, and the Sears Outlet... And the Sears lady didn't agree with my directions (why did you ask?). The day before that, it was the Tourist Info booth... When the rodeo was in town, every 3rd person who came into the store asked me where the rodeo grounds were. I was tempted to print out maps to give away.

As a Student...

So I have the pleasure of being a preceptor for a 4th year pharmacy student this year. It is my first time doing this and so far its great. I have my own personal slave. Haha! Anyway, it made me think back to when I was in her position- a 4th year student, paying tuition to work my sorry butt off (don't miss that!).

I spend the summer after 3rd year pharmacy working in a Big Box Grocery Store Pharmacy (BBGSP) where rewards miles were all that mattered to my clients. Picture me counselling someone on what to do if in case of anaphylactic shock and the client is like "sure, whatever, did you get my rewards miles? its 10X today you know...". Back on topic, sorry. At BBGSP I worked with a pharmacist (Pharmacist L) regularly that suffered from a rare arrhythmia condition. It was mostly under control, but I had been instructed that if Pharmacist L should ever pass out or collapse, I was to call 911 so the ambulance could come and shock her heart back into normal rhythm, or something. Thank goodness it never happened on my watch...

So I start my 4th pharmacy rotation out in a little mountain town at a little Banner independent. The pharmacist (Pharmacist P) there is super laid back and puts me to work pretty quick. Things are going great until about a week in. So Pharmacist P sits down one day and asks me to tell him all about women's health. I start in yapping away about the latest study on hormones when Pharmacist P passes out. Totally limp head back. Picture me, innocent 4th year student in full panic mode. Do I call 911? "P? PPPPPPP???!?!?!?!" Suddenly his head snaps back up and he says to me the last thing I said to him before he passed out.

I must have had the most panicked look on my face because Pharmacist P says "you okay? Whats wrong?" I proceed to tell him about Pharmacist L. That's when Pharmacist P starts to laugh and tells me he had Narcolepsy. Yep. Recover from that one you naive 4th year student!

Getting Started

I've wanted to write a book for a long time about all the funny and crazy things that happen in the pharmacy, but I'm not an author. It wasn't until I read my friends blog, that I realized this is something I could do! Nice short entries and I have a few years experience in the pharmacy now. Shouldn't be too difficult- I hope....

Maybe I will start with a little about me. I am 30, married and have 2 dogs, no kids (yet?). I love my career. I work at a little independent pharmacy in the suburbs with some of the best co-workers anyone could ask for. Yep. Ive got it pretty good. That's not to say there are not bad days, but I'm certainly not the angry pharmacist. Which is good, because there is already a blog for that....

So an acquaintance of mine (who happens to be a pharmacist as well) just had an embarrassing day. I'm not sure what happened, but it made me think of an embarrassing day at work I once had.

Three people drop off a prescription, one adult with 2 teenage children. My tech gets everything ready, I check it and head to the counter. It was for a male name, lets say Tom Something. So I head over to the counter where just the 2 teenage kids (don't know where mom is at this point) are waiting. I'm debating which one is Tom when teen A leans forward all interested. This is where I assume. Don't assume. You know that stupid saying about assume? Its frickin' true sometimes. I start yapping to teen A about how to use your prescription and "you might feel blah blah blah", when teen A says:

"I am NOT Tom! I am a GIRL".

Recover from that and stay professional you sad sad pharmacist!