Problems faced by pharmacists today

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pharmaboy

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Hi, I am new here i just wanted help on my project which is same as the title of the thread. I was hoping if someone could give me some points and guide to some sites etc. where i can find proper information, I will really appreciate it. I saw some other threads here but wanted some specific info so made this one. Thank you
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pharmaboy said:
Hi, I am new here i just wanted help on my project which is same as the title of the thread. I was hoping if someone could give me some points and guide to some sites etc. where i can find proper information, I will really appreciate it. I saw some other threads here but wanted some specific info so made this one. Thank you
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Please do your own HW......:D
 
M/I cardholder identification number
 
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pharmaboy said:
Hi, I am new here i just wanted help on my project which is same as the title of the thread. I was hoping if someone could give me some points and guide to some sites etc. where i can find proper information, I will really appreciate it. I saw some other threads here but wanted some specific info so made this one. Thank you
Click to expand...

I have enough homework to do for myself. Do you really think it's wise to go asking others to help you do your homework? If you read the threads here you'll start to see what problems pharmacists face today and maybe you can google stuff up and make your own assessment.
Maybe you just want ideas but this is something you can find on your own- You learn more when you do your own research. Good luck :)
 
pharmaboy said:
Hi, I am new here i just wanted help on my project which is same as the title of the thread. I was hoping if someone could give me some points and guide to some sites etc. where i can find proper information, I will really appreciate it. I saw some other threads here but wanted some specific info so made this one. Thank you
Click to expand...

Is this a project for pharmacy school? What else can you tell us about it... is this "project" a paper, a debate, an assignment for rotation? If it's a paper, how long does it have to be? What types of problems do YOU think pharmacists face today? Maybe we can elaborate if you give us ideas of the things you want to talk about...
 
pharmaboy said:
Hi, I am new here i just wanted help on my project which is same as the title of the thread. I was hoping if someone could give me some points and guide to some sites etc. where i can find proper information, I will really appreciate it. I saw some other threads here but wanted some specific info so made this one. Thank you
Click to expand...

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeereeeeeeeeeeee's no jarrrrrrrrrrrbs! 'Ey took'er jarbssssssssssssss!
 
Problems faced by pharmacists today:

dems-1.gif
 
MustLoveDrugs said:
Is this a project for pharmacy school? What else can you tell us about it... is this "project" a paper, a debate, an assignment for rotation? If it's a paper, how long does it have to be? What types of problems do YOU think pharmacists face today? Maybe we can elaborate if you give us ideas of the things you want to talk about...
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Yes, its a project for pharmacy college and its supposed to be a presentation
i have already done some research but wanted more ideas. This is mostly what i found so far
-long working hours some even without lunch breaks
-cooperation problems with physicians and lack of respect from them
-changing roles of pharmacists from product centered care to patient centered care providers etc
-too many pharmacists in some places and shortages in some areas
-communication with patients especially aged patients

I just want to know if you think there are other problems and what do you think about the above mentioned points. :)
 
pharmaboy said:
Can you elaborate more on this?
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Um, that person was being sarcastic, kinda. M/I cardholder is a rejection message given by an insurance company when you put in an insurance card. So it is a problem because it creates chaos.

I would say REAL problems faced by pharmacists (I'm not one, so I'm just guessing) would be determined by the field a pharmacist works in. For instance, hospital pharmacists are being affected by major budget cuts that are occuring in some hospitals, especially those who treat large amounts of uninsured patients and never see payment.
Retail pharmacists are dealing with pressure from corporate to meet certain metrics (script volume, auto refills, customer service) as the economy becomes tougher and competition for business can be fierce in some areas.
Pharmacists all over are affected by the fact that there is not a strong, unified organization supporting pharmacists, so mistakes can send you to jail..i.e, that pharmacist in Ohio/Emily's Law..

Just my opinion.
 
Problem of not being able to bill for MTM consults in most states (I'm not sure if it's the inability to bill or the insurance companies refusing to pay). I really don't know the details, so hopefully others can elaborate.
 
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Reimbursements, job shortages, residency shortages, corporate power over retail pharmacy
 
I think researching on Eric Cropp,the pharmacist who was jailed could be a new perspective for problems we face.
Does it mean pharmacist/physician/nurse be jailed if they make a mistake? Will the health professionals stop reporting problems because they are scared of consequences? Was it the right move to throw him in jail?
You can start from here....
 
ohiopharmacist said:
I think researching on Eric Cropp,the pharmacist who was jailed could be a new perspective for problems we face.
Does it mean pharmacist/physician/nurse be jailed if they make a mistake? Will the health professionals stop reporting problems because they are scared of consequences? Was it the right move to throw him in jail?
You can start from here....
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That's actually an interesting case, especially considering that students are usually under the impression that these things are classified as "system errors." While not entirely the same situation, you could compare the human vs. system errors in Eric Cropp's case with those in the heparin overdoses at Methodist Hospital and in the case of Dennis Quaid's family.
 
Loosing 1 pill of a CII.


I KID.
 
Pharmacists and our lack of a spine/self-respect.

I drove by a Rite Aid pharmacy today and noticed giant banners claiming "15 minute prescription gaurantee on all RX's--- $5 gift card if you don't get your RX within 15 minutes". Now that might not seem like a big deal to you at first, but think about what that says to the customer about the RPh. No matter how busy the pharmacy is, the customer expects that the pharmacist's job is so simple and automatic that it can always be completed within 15 mins. It pretty much puts you on the same level as a pizza delivery boy.

Another example; yesterday in skills lab at school, we were taught how to properly deal with unruly/angry customers in the pharmacy. Methods we learned included: never taking attacks from customers personally (even if they are directed at you), everytime a customer drops the f-bomb, change it to the word "pumpkin" in your head to make it less offensive/upsetting, and never place any blame on the customer no matter what (even if it is entirely their fault)

Yeah, pumpkin that.
 
Last edited:
p-rog said:
Pharmacists and our lack of a spine/self-respect.

I drove by a Rite Aid pharmacy today and noticed giant banners claiming "15 minute prescription gaurantee on all RX's--- $5 gift card if you don't get your RX within 15 minutes". Now that might not seem like a big deal to you at first, but think about what that says to the customer about the RPh. No matter how busy the pharmacy is, the customer expects that the pharmacist's job is so simple and automatic that it can always be completed within 15 mins. It pretty much puts you on the same level as a pizza delivery boy.

Another example; yesterday in skills lab at school, we were taught how to properly deal with unruly/angry customers in the pharmacy. Methods we learned included: never taking attacks from customers personally (even if they are directed at you), everytime a customer drops the f-bomb, change it to the word "pumpkin" in your head to make it less offensive/upsetting, and never place any blame on the customer no matter what (even if it is entirely their fault)

Yeah, pumpkin that.
Click to expand...

pumpkin....really?!?! see this wouldn't have happened if those damn chains didn't take over. I could have just said the f bomb back at them.
 
MountainPharmD said:
Second most awesome thing I have seen on SDN today. This is SDN right here.....
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I wasn't sure what you meant but then I read your post about "******* students" posting on a pharmacist forum and what not.
I was mainly just clarifying the sarcastic answer of missing/invalid cardholder..and pointing out that it was indeed sarcasm because the OP was questioning it.
STUDENTDoctorNetwork is undoubtedly going to have lots of students. It isn't like I was trying to give clinical advice..but I do know lots of pharmacists and ask them similar questions to this one. I don't seem the harm in my answer? Sorry to offend you.
 
p-rog said:
Pharmacists and our lack of a spine/self-respect.

I drove by a Rite Aid pharmacy today and noticed giant banners claiming "15 minute prescription gaurantee on all RX's--- $5 gift card if you don't get your RX within 15 minutes". Now that might not seem like a big deal to you at first, but think about what that says to the customer about the RPh. No matter how busy the pharmacy is, the customer expects that the pharmacist's job is so simple and automatic that it can always be completed within 15 mins. It pretty much puts you on the same level as a pizza delivery boy. .
Click to expand...

Wow is all I have to say to this. There is so much to say about this I do not know where to start. Sad, very sad.....Our "profession" has become how cheap and how fast.

p-rog said:
Another example; yesterday in skills lab at school, we were taught how to properly deal with unruly/angry customers in the pharmacy. Methods we learned included: never taking attacks from customers personally (even if they are directed at you), everytime a customer drops the f-bomb, change it to the word "pumpkin" in your head to make it less offensive/upsetting, and never place any blame on the customer no matter what (even if it is entirely their fault)

Yeah, pumpkin that.
Click to expand...

This has to be one of the most troubling things I have read in a long time. In a skills lab in pharmacy school you are spending time talking about unruly/angry customers and how to deal with them.
 
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