Pharmacist blacklisted on global database Esteem

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Pilldog

Pilldog

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You ever heard of a pharmacist blacklisted on Esteem in their profession. CVS did it. Worked for rhem 16 years and they terminated me and placed me on Esteem. You can hire legal cousel because theres no due process arrest or convicton. They did this and went around the law and board of pharmacy. Let me explain. if you apply for a new position. CVS can say hes non rehireable but not give the reason. when I apply to other companies because of what they put on First Advantages Esteem database I cant get hired by any company that subscribes to it. I get a letter back denied because of criminal background check and there are no arrests or convictions of any kind. They dont tell you youre on it so it created an employment gap I cant get past with online application. Im a Kappa Psi, Eagle Scout and these ****ers had me blacklisted for telling my tech I had an emergency to get 3 tabs of Depakote working as a floater in a store where I didn't even know the pharmacists names.
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Its a contributory database. A company can terminate you and report erroneous info and you cant defend yourself because it avoids the court system. its not meant for pharmacists. CVS masked my occupation to put me on it. So a third party decides your hiring. not the new employer.
 
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ive had to file bankruptcy because of it. never had a single write up. I feel they decided because I was bipolar I was no longer intelligent enough to be a pharmacist. They screwed me good. My pipes broke in my house and I had to cut the water off. couldn't bathe but once a week when I could get a ride. Had to get rides because the transmission on my BMW went out and couldn't afford to fix it. I lost half of my foot to gangrene. Sounds like a lawsuit right. Good luck when youre the only pharmacist on the damn thing. ive had to go to food banks. I used to travel the globe setting up pharmacies. Corpoorations dont give a ****. They abide by their own policies procedures and their law is separate from the legal system.
 
Pilldog said:
You ever heard of a pharmacist blacklisted on Esteem in their profession. CVS did it. Worked for rhem 16 years and they terminated me and placed me on Esteem. You can hire legal cousel because theres no due process arrest or convicton. They did this and went around the law and board of pharmacy. Let me explain. if you apply for a new position. CVS can say hes non rehireable but not give the reason. when I apply to other companies because of what they put on First Advantages Esteem database I cant get hired by any company that subscribes to it. I get a letter back denied because of criminal background check and there are no arrests or convictions of any kind. They dont tell you youre on it so it created an employment gap I cant get past with online application. Im a Kappa Psi, Eagle Scout and these ****ers had me blacklisted for telling my tech I had an emergency to get 3 tabs of Depakote working as a floater in a store where I didn't even know the pharmacists names.
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What is your depakote story? This is hard to follow
 
Yes you pulled up an article but youll never find anything about a pharmacist on it. Only low income wage earners not regulated by a State Board.
 
I had been on Depakote for years. Left prescription at home. had no one to bring it to me. I was working a 12 hour shift. told the tech I needed three tabs. she went thru several people to the ethics line. I get invited to the district office. loss prevention and my supervisor question me. have me sign an admissions statement. This is key to being placed on Esteem. They dont tell you youre on it. I found out when I got an offer at rite aid...two days later the hiring manager said theres an anomaly on this database and we withdraw the offer. in addition they send a letter sayinf its because if a criminal background check we cant continue with the hire. I had no arrests or anything ever on there. its contributory not criminal. So now im labeled a thief. haven't had any noteable hire since 2012 and have 26 years experience. I got hired with Shopko a non subscriber of the database and they went bankrupt in Jan. I apply round the world daily....not a flipping offer. im the only pharmacist on it from legal counsel that the New York times writes about. it also caused a employment gap because I didn't know I was on it for years or what it was exactly. and the previous comment I bet the guy had never heard of it hes just a good googler. Many attorneys have not heard of it. I met with my LT Gov of my state...hes also a pharmacy owner..hed never heard of it.
 
Pilldog said:
I had been on Depakote for years. Left prescription at home. had no one to bring it to me. I was working a 12 hour shift. told the tech I needed three tabs. she went thru several people to the ethics line. I get invited to the district office. loss prevention and my supervisor question me. have me sign an admissions statement. This is key to being placed on Esteem. They dont tell you youre on it. I found out when I got an offer at rite aid...two days later the hiring manager said theres an anomaly on this database and we withdraw the offer. in addition they send a letter sayinf its because if a criminal background check we cant continue with the hire. I had no arrests or anything ever on there. its contributory not criminal. So now im labeled a thief. haven't had any noteable hire since 2012 and have 26 years experience. I got hired with Shopko a non subscriber of the database and they went bankrupt in Jan. I apply round the world daily....not a flipping offer. im the only pharmacist on it from legal counsel that the New York times writes about. it also caused a employment gap because I didn't know I was on it for years or what it was exactly. and the previous comment I bet the guy had never heard of it hes just a good googler. Many attorneys have not heard of it. I met with my LT Gov of my state...hes also a pharmacy owner..hed never heard of it.
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you wanted the tech to slide you some depakote without a proper prescription?
 
Nope falls under the emergency supply law. if youre a pharmacist youd know about it.
 
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Honestly man I could see this both ways.

I think it's def unfair that your future employment options are in question now because of the database, but in the same sense why would you ask your tech for 3 tabs while you were on the work bench? At least have your dr call in an emergency supply and document the instance. Fill the Rx and pick it up. Maybe even call your supervisor and tell them whats up so you could be dismissed to get the meds. Be honest and upfront. It seems shady as hell to just ask your tech for 3 tabs of depakote.
 
The Dr was a psychiatrist that didn't do partials and he was closed on Fridays. Dismissal was not an option. No one to cover. It was not shady I made her aware it was an emergency supply. 72 hr emergency dispensing does not differentiate between giving to a customer or self. Many customers get emergency supplies without documentation. Only verification of use. Who calls a supervisor to dispense under their license?
 
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Pilldog said:
Who calls a supervisor to dispense under their license?
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I would have. I’ve seen things like this happen enough over the years to be cautious about filling for myself....even when it’s legal. You are not the only pharmacist I’ve heard of for getting fired for taking tabs from inventory...and every time I do hear it I’m shocked people attempt this.

Your doctor doesn’t do partials...Why? It’s an emergency and according to you you had no other option. What about on call? Why not explain to the dr that you are the pharmacist dispensing to yourself and there may be a conflict of interest here.

There’s no proof, documentation or paper trail to follow. That’s why you got popped. As a floater you’re in many different stores...who says you aren’t partialing meds to yourself every time you pick up a shift.

Medicating yourself on the bench is an extremely grey area and with all your years of service you should have known better. I don’t agree with blackballing you, but this was poor judgement and you made yourself look untrustworthy.
 
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No Doc on call. must go to ER. He only gives scripts at appointment. I made her aware to cover my ass. it would have been different if she found me pouring them out in a bay deceptively. id never seen a pharmacist fired over non control meds. I had a verifiable maintenance script. The supervisor progressively harassed me over being bipolar. Cut in pay 1400 a month, he called me to his office for petty issues, he found out I was tasered five times by the deputies when I had my only manic attack. The previous sup didn't try to run me out the door. Falls under occupational fraud. i saw where a pharmacist in pennsylvania blatantly stole 3600 dollars of non controls. Got probation for 3 years. But he was actually convicted in court of a theft. i was never arrested or anything. Heard of due process it would have been better to be convicted at least i could have voluntarilly surrendered my licence and gone thru rehab.
 
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catch 22. if they had me on cam without covering my ass what then. they just had her testimony and nothing audio/visually.
 
Pilldog said:
catch 22. if they had me on cam without covering my ass what then. they just had her testimony and nothing audio/visually.
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How does involving the tech cover your ass? Also you can quote posts and answer them inside the same post. You don't need to quote the post and then answer it in a different post.
 
StallionRx said:
Next time go up the chain of command, not down.
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This, exactly. Involving a tech doesn't protect you all it does is open you up to additional trouble. In fact you are asking the tech to be an accomplice to your action. Why would they be willing to do that for a floater?

If you really, truly believed that what you were doing was totally above board why would you worry about covering your ass at all? I don't routinely cover my ass when I am doing things that are not wrong.
 
Very unfortunate situation sorry this has happened to you. Also just wanted to mention that you can reply and quote another user's post in the same post
 
So did you sue? What did your lawyer have to say about it?
 
Sorry man that's terrible. And sorry that people are kicking you while you're down. There's no point in questioning why he did that or what he should have done. The punishment he received was over the top.
 
Pilldog said:
no but ill have her slide you some intellect about pharmacy when I run into her again.
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That’s an unnecessary response to a legitimate question.

The appropriate place to ask would be a supervisor or peer (another actual pharmacist) if you wanted something without the appropriate prescription. You put the tech in a weird spot and the the chain went scorched earth. There were definitely things done here by both you and the store that could have been done differently
 
Sir, you took drugs off the shelf for personal use without a prescription. There is a question about this in every compliance training. You should of followed procedures.
 
mentos said:
Sorry man that's terrible. And sorry that people are kicking you while you're down. There's no point in questioning why he did that or what he should have done. The punishment he received was over the top.
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At the beginning of this thread OP feels he did nothing wrong. He in fact did do something wrong.

Perhaps helping him understand you can’t just tell your tech “Hey, I’m taking 3 tabs for an emergency” isn’t the best course of action and will prevent something like this from happening again.

I agree on the punishment. Over the top for sure.
 
I'm sure the procedure for an emergency will differ from pharmacy to pharmacy. Did you follow your employer's procedure for an emergency? If there was no procedure, then I guess this won't help you now, but future people in this situation should call their supervisor. In a true medical emergency, you should have closed the store (granted your employer won't like this, but they surely won't put you on Esteem for that.)

This is the first I've heard of Esteem, and that really sucks that it sounds like your employer can put anything on there, and there is no way to challenge it. But from what I can gather from your post, you "stole" (in their eyes at least), 3 tablets of Depakote, which is why they put you on the list, so they didn't do it without reason. I truely hope you can find some resolution to this.

To anyone else in a such a situation, always follow your employer's procedures, or ask your supervisor (and get their approval in writing if at all possible.)
 
Also, I don't know why you think the pharmacists aren't supposed to be allowed on this database. From what I'm reading about it, any employee of a chain that uses the database, can be added for stealing (whether a cashier or CEO.)
 
Pilldog said:
Nope falls under the emergency supply law. if youre a pharmacist youd know about it.
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No, no it doesn't. There is a protocol to follow for emergency 72hr fills.

Did you create an Rx number and attempt to contact your physician?

It sounds like you slept through pharmacy law, stole some pills, and you got owned as a result
 
Ya a pharmacist won't get fired for closing the gate during a true emergency. Happens during snowstorms, if the pharmacy gets robbed, etc.
 
CetiAlphaFive said:
No, no it doesn't. There is a protocol to follow for emergency 72hr fills.

Did you create an Rx number and attempt to contact your physician?

It sounds like you slept through pharmacy law, stole some pills, and you got owned as a result
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Yeah I initially thought they:
1) waited till they were off the clock and not behind the counter

2) came back later and approached the pharmacy counter as a patient and not as a pharmacist

3) conducted the emergency supply procedure appropriately by requesting an emergency supply from the pharmacist on duty...
 
L m a o
FB_IMG_1554947869141.jpg
 
I hope you take legal action against them and figure things out. This shouldn't have happened to you or anyone in your place. I am sorry that you are going through all of this. There is nothing to justify what is happening to you.
 
I fully support your actions pilldog. That tech was an @sshole. Did he or she want you seizing at work? Ffs let the punishment fit the crime. The consequences of this were way out of proportion for what you did
 
nafcillin said:
I fully support your actions pilldog. That tech was an @sshole. Did he or she want you seizing at work? Ffs let the punishment fit the crime. The consequences of this were way out of proportion for what you did
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Before you lynch the tech, maybe you should hear what the tech has to say about what happened. The story pilldog told seems a little fishy to me. The choices he made doesn't really make much sense.
 
Was the punishment too severe for the crime? You bet. But can you honestly say you're not in the wrong? Heck, CVS makes you do compliance trainings every quarter and it always includes diversion as a topic. What you did is exactly what you shouldn't be doing. In fact, one of the question is "what are signs of diversion?" and "taking and ingesting medications from the pharmacy" is literally one of the answers to the question.

Tbh, I understand it was an emergency situation and you probably weren't in the best mindset when you made the decision but there are consequences to every action. I think the worst thing you did was involving a tech that you don't have any rapport. If I were the tech, I'd feel uncomfortable and report to my PIC about what happened with the floater. Perhaps that's how it got escalated. It became a LP issue and you became a liability for that store. Tthey didn't want you anywhere near them.
 
nafcillin said:
I fully support your actions pilldog. That tech was an @sshole. Did he or she want you seizing at work? Ffs let the punishment fit the crime. The consequences of this were way out of proportion for what you did
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They should've gone home or sought medical attention, not stolen pills
 
You are finding little sympathy here. No doubt the big chains are horrible employers, but it seems like you made a number of bad decisions when there were alternatives. The biggest one is to allow this situation to hold you down. Being banned from retail in this market could be a blessing in disguise. The fact that they utilize these databases as employment tools shows how pathetic they are. In addition, I laugh that they target employee theft when they do next to nothing to deter shoplifters. Accept some responsibility and move on.
 
I have both worked for CVS and am a seizure patient. CVS at least used to tell you during compliance training that any employee fired as non-rehirable would be reported to esteem. Also, the one time I needed an emergency supply I waited until the night pharmacist came on duty and let him check all the boxes (faxing, etc.).

Let anyone reading take this as a warning. You have to be super careful if you are doing anything for yourself. Our supervisor used to recommend (though not require) us get any controlled meds at an entirely different store just to be safe.
 
^Thats why I abide by that logic, even with non-controls. Anything I need gets filled at a different pharmacy, one where I don’t usually report to if possible.
 
StallionRx said:
Next time go up the chain of command, not down.


Saw an old timer get fired for taking atorvastatin.

40 year old woman for Motrin

And 2 techs and a pharmacist for Motrin at a diff store
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Good grief. People and their cholesterol meds. You can skip a day and it won't hurt you.

Pilldog, I suspect there's a lot more to this story.
 
rph3664 said:
Good grief. People and their cholesterol meds. You can skip a day and it won't hurt you.
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Yeah, that never works when you tell them that. Plus side: at least they care enough about their health to want to take their meds daily!
 
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