Is it too much to ask for respect from the public?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

So long as (costs of litigation + costs of settlement) * incidence rate < (costs savings from personnel cuts)
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
http://www.theguardian.com/healthca...1/pharmacists-meant-face-nhs-now-jobs-at-risk

As community pharmacists, we are responsible for an enormous amount of tasks. Yet, our bosses keep cutting technician support and expect us to keep patient safety first. How are we, as community pharmacists, supposed to make it until retirement with this disturbing trend?

Who have you talked to about it? It's fascinating how many people have great insight to a problem, yet refuse to have candid conversation with leadership.
 
Last edited:
Last week a lady was screaming at us for being incompetent a**holes for putting her meds back to stock after 12 days, a regular occurrence for her. my partner asked her why she keeps coming back if we are so incompetent. Her answer, because we are the most convienient. So there you have it, they don't care about persevred incompetence as long as it's convienient for them
 
Respect is earned. What has corporate pharmacy done to earn the respect of the public? 2 hour wait times on medications? Grouchy flu shots?
 
Respect is earned. What has corporate pharmacy done to earn the respect of the public? 2 hour wait times on medications? Grouchy flu shots?
So if your significant other cooks dinner poorly, is it okay to berate them mercilessly? Or do humans deserve a baseline level of respect intrinsically?
 
Respect is earned. What has corporate pharmacy done to earn the respect of the public? 2 hour wait times on medications? Grouchy flu shots?

also question is, why is 2 hours wait time unacceptable? people wait hours at the doctors office and expect it, why can't they come back for their medications? why does it always have to be now now now

also most pharmacies have auto calls where they get a call when the medication is ready, people just like to complain
 
When customers who are yelling at you are clearly wrong, do you guys point it out to them or do you apologize and pretend they're right?

For example:
Customer yells: why isn't my med ready! I received a text saying it's ready! why is there always problems with your pharmacy!
You gently reply: may i see the text?
Customer pulls out phone and text says: you have one medication due for refill, please reply FILL to place order.
You gently ask: did you reply FILL?
Customer pauses, then says in frustrated tone: well I can't remember.

Here is where you have to make a choice.

A. You point out to the customer that their text history shows that they did not reply.

B. You apologize and say I will get it ready for you right away.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
also question is, why is 2 hours wait time unacceptable? people wait hours at the doctors office and expect it, why can't they come back for their medications? why does it always have to be now now now

also most pharmacies have auto calls where they get a call when the medication is ready, people just like to complain

Because competition for patients business is higher in pharmacy than it is in primary care?
It's acceptable for you to give someone a 3 hour wait time. The reality is that does not mean it's acceptable to your customer. If you want to keep the customers business you start catering to their wants... Not what you think their wants are.
 
So if your significant other cooks dinner poorly, is it okay to berate them mercilessly? Or do humans deserve a baseline level of respect intrinsically?

My SO doesn't advertise quick, efficient service. I can understand the complaints about these people who scream, smash stuff, and kick chairs in the lobby but people who verbally complain to you about your service isn't poor behavior.

also question is, why is 2 hours wait time unacceptable? people wait hours at the doctors office and expect it, why can't they come back for their medications? why does it always have to be now now now

Same thing I said to zelman. These companies advertise quick service so why shouldn't customers complain about 2 hour wait times? Does your local doctor advertise 15 check ups? I don't think so.
 
Last week a lady was screaming at us for being incompetent a**holes for putting her meds back to stock after 12 days, a regular occurrence for her. my partner asked her why she keeps coming back if we are so incompetent. Her answer, because we are the most convienient. So there you have it, they don't care about persevred incompetence as long as it's convienient for them

if this is a regular occurrence, why bother filling her script and do RTS on day 12? why not regularly wait til she comes in and wait for it to be filled? if its a regular occurence that she doesn't pick up her meds in time, isn't it pointless to regularly fill it? also don't believe what they tell you. it is not out of convenience that they keep coming back. they simply want to come back to curse at you. because you keep letting them.... i would just refuse service. next bi*tch please.
 
When customers who are yelling at you are clearly wrong, do you guys point it out to them or do you apologize and pretend they're right?

For example:
Customer yells: why isn't my med ready! I received a text saying it's ready! why is there always problems with your pharmacy!
You gently reply: may i see the text?
Customer pulls out phone and text says: you have one medication due for refill, please reply FILL to place order.
You gently ask: did you reply FILL?
Customer pauses, then says in frustrated tone: well I can't remember.

Here is where you have to make a choice.

A. You point out to the customer that their text history shows that they did not reply.

B. You apologize and say I will get it ready for you right away.


A. I'd point it out...then tell them you'll get right on it, it happens, make some joke about technology to save face. Come back in X time we'll have it ready. You save face, patient gets their med, and you look like you're doing him a favor. Win win?

But not a likely occurrence, it'll be all your fault anyway. God bless retail, y'all are saints working out in the trenches.
 
My SO doesn't advertise quick, efficient service. I can understand the complaints about these people who scream, smash stuff, and kick chairs in the lobby but people who verbally complain to you about your service isn't poor behavior.



Same thing I said to zelman. These companies advertise quick service so why shouldn't customers complain about 2 hour wait times? Does your local doctor advertise 15 check ups? I don't think so.

What are you talking about? CVS quit advertising quick service years ago.
 
The other day I had a customer who came in to pick up his medications, of which he always calls ahead and demands to speak to the pharmacist to "fill everything". Of course all of his medications were filled, but apparently one of them he had filled a month ago and demanded that we hold it for him, so at this point he would have two fills of the same drug. We, of course, cannot hold something for an entire month so it was put back (remember the same med is currently filled, just not twice) so he started flipping out. He was called to come pick up the previous fill and ordered that we hold it for him, and when he found out that it was returned, he started calling all of my technicians stupid *****s and trying to find the person who left him the message that it would be put back if not picked up and he was going to call corp and have him/her fired.

I, of course, go over to stop his ranting and inform him that per company policy we must return scripts after 14 days and there is no way we can stockpile drugs for people. He then proceeds to point the insults at me and demands the DM's number so I happily give it to him and he finally leaves. I informed my DM of the situation as soon as he left, and to my astonishment he actually told me to go ahead and ban him from the store. I was really impressed with the DM's response (quite rare to find that quality in our middle management), but with this attitude he won't be in this role long at CVS.
 
What are you talking about? CVS quit advertising quick service years ago.

5lQMDXU.png


Is a two hour wait considered to be "convenient"?
 
The other day I had a customer who came in to pick up his medications, of which he always calls ahead and demands to speak to the pharmacist to "fill everything". Of course all of his medications were filled, but apparently one of them he had filled a month ago and demanded that we hold it for him, so at this point he would have two fills of the same drug. We, of course, cannot hold something for an entire month so it was put back (remember the same med is currently filled, just not twice) so he started flipping out. He was called to come pick up the previous fill and ordered that we hold it for him, and when he found out that it was returned, he started calling all of my technicians stupid *****s and trying to find the person who left him the message that it would be put back if not picked up and he was going to call corp and have him/her fired.

I, of course, go over to stop his ranting and inform him that per company policy we must return scripts after 14 days and there is no way we can stockpile drugs for people. He then proceeds to point the insults at me and demands the DM's number so I happily give it to him and he finally leaves. I informed my DM of the situation as soon as he left, and to my astonishment he actually told me to go ahead and ban him from the store. I was really impressed with the DM's response (quite rare to find that quality in our middle management), but with this attitude he won't be in this role long at CVS.

Damn this DM is a pure gold.
 
It is to someone on a transplant recipient list. Your subjective terms cannot win arguments.
I've never dispensed a kidney at Cvs.

We all know the perception is that we just have to slap a label on it and I don't think most people would consider a three hour wait time to be convenient at any pharmacy. If we're being honest I don't think any of us would accept a wait time that long for ourselves or our families.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using SDN mobile app
 
I've never dispensed a kidney at Cvs.

We all know the perception is that we just have to slap a label on it and I don't think most people would consider a three hour wait time to be convenient at any pharmacy. If we're being honest I don't think any of us would accept a wait time that long for ourselves or our families.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using SDN mobile app

no you are wrong, b4 pharmacy school when I didn't know how pharmacy worked, I had no problems at coming back getting whatever time they told me to wait, neither did my family

and Benjammin, as for advertisement, 15mins wait time was outlawed in Cali along time ago... convinence can mean variety of things.... there's a pharmacy at basically every corner, no reason for anyone to bitch about an hour wait unless they live far away from a pharmacy

Hell, people wait patiently for a seat at a popular restarunt with less complaining than at pharmacy
 
Because competition for patients business is higher in pharmacy than it is in primary care?
It's acceptable for you to give someone a 3 hour wait time. The reality is that does not mean it's acceptable to your customer. If you want to keep the customers business you start catering to their wants... Not what you think their wants are.

3 hours wait time usually happens at extremely busy pharmacies... my old pharmacy, we had to implenment 2 hours wait on most scripts to improve workflow, not only did we not loose any customers, we increased our scripts by 30%
 


The CVS DMs tell Hitler they are having trouble signing up text messaging for patients with disasterous concequences
 
Last edited:
no you are wrong, b4 pharmacy school when I didn't know how pharmacy worked, I had no problems at coming back getting whatever time they told me to wait, neither did my family

LOL what statement am I wrong about? That the perception is that we just slap a label on it? How delightful to hear that we are actually well respected health care professionals and that the public has no issue with waiting however long we tell them! This should start making my days much easier.

Also I am curious, you said "b4 pharmacy school" you had no issue coming back whatever time they told you to. Has that changed since pharmacy school?
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I think it's all about setting the patient's initial expectations. You have to make it something reasonable that can be achieved with room to surpass if necessary. You cannot set a goal you struggle to reach because you'll probably accomplish it only 50% of the time, working your hardest. And 25% of the time when the stress factors start piling up.

Anyone who shows up to our pharmacy gets quoted a wait time of 45 minutes to an hour in our sincerest professional voice. If you have some dire situation, I will tell you 30 minutes. Usually, they then stop by a little before the quoted time and I'll call them up and say it's done. And then they'll thank me for being so quick about it. And yes we have a drive-through.

This is at a supermarket based pharmacy though (although pharmacy generates 1/4 of the store's revenue). CVS and WAGs is where the devil lives and I can't comment about those places.
 
...
Also I am curious, you said "b4 pharmacy school" you had no issue coming back whatever time they told you to. Has that changed since pharmacy school?

When I need to use a pharmacy that isn't mine, I return when they say my order will be ready.

Since I've been working in pharmacy, I fill prescriptions during my shifts so it is a non-issue.
 
I hate it when they give long wait times for my kid's stuff. But usually Pharmacists are great at putting those through fast. My doc e-scripts and its usually ready when I get there 10 minutes later.

Mine I usually pick up the next day.
 
When I need to use a pharmacy that isn't mine, I return when they say my order will be ready.

Since I've been working in pharmacy, I fill prescriptions during my shifts so it is a non-issue.

I have always thought that a pharmacist filling their own scripts is similar to a doctor who writes for their own scripts. Perhaps not morally wrong but certainly less than ideal. I just drop mine off and pick them up on my next shift. If it is something I need right away I just wait for it. Thankfully I have never been asked to wait 3 hours for an acute medication.
 
I have always thought that a pharmacist filling their own scripts is similar to a doctor who writes for their own scripts. Perhaps not morally wrong but certainly less than ideal. I just drop mine off and pick them up on my next shift. If it is something I need right away I just wait for it. Thankfully I have never been asked to wait 3 hours for an acute medication.
I agree with the potential shadiness. I have as little as possible to do with the filling process of prescriptions for me or my family. I don't want to be the one who typed, counted and checked a prescription going to my home. However, I will check it if nobody else can and someone else did the other processing steps.
 
Respect is earned and is a 2 way street. If someone is going ape****, take the high road. Don't yell back. Keep calm. Remain professional. Explain options. That person may not respect you, but others around watching your reaction probably will
 
also question is, why is 2 hours wait time unacceptable? people wait hours at the doctors office and expect it, why can't they come back for their medications? why does it always have to be now now now

also most pharmacies have auto calls where they get a call when the medication is ready, people just like to complain

The drive through makes them think it's McDonald's
 
Also when the medication has been prescribed, psychologically it feels like the work has been done, the decision made, and the pharmacy is just the bottleneck. Which it is
 
LOL what statement am I wrong about? That the perception is that we just slap a label on it? How delightful to hear that we are actually well respected health care professionals and that the public has no issue with waiting however long we tell them! This should start making my days much easier.

Also I am curious, you said "b4 pharmacy school" you had no issue coming back whatever time they told you to. Has that changed since pharmacy school?

"If we're being honest I don't think any of us would accept a wait time that long for ourselves or our families." I was refering to this line when I said you are wrong... Also I said b4 pharmacy school because I was putting myself like a regular coustomer too
 
Most of the pharmacies I've worked with are pretty defensive. Not sure if a correlation or a cause type relationship.

It usually is along the lings of "yeah, your physician hasn't":

1) Authorized any refills and refuses to get on the phone with us or fax it in
2) Left off some pertinent information and your script is invalid until fixed
3) Gave you a medication which is listed as an allergy on the list you gave me

We don't even bother explaining that the person prescribing, nor the neighbor, nor the best friend should be telling you how much your copay is. The only person to do that is insurance.

I'm not sure if we've ever said "Sorry, we are too slow." But I'm sure we don't think we are too slow.