Things I Learn from My Patients.

[Pilot]

When you see me answer the phone and the receiver is on my ear...that is your cue to ask me a question!!!!

Boy, that is one of my pet peeves. My favorite response (and yes I do use it): "Excuse me. I was talking while you were interrupting. I'll be done in a minute."

Another favorite of mine -
Phone caller - "Do you have a prescription for me?"
My response - "No, I don't have a prescription for me.....(pregnant pause)."
Phone caller - "OK. I'll check back later."

I swear to you that >80% of patients will do this. Only the remaining few will realize they never gave me their name.

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[loo]

Boy, that is one of my pet peeves. My favorite response (and yes I do use it): "Excuse me. I was talking while you were interrupting. I'll be done in a minute."

Yeah. It's like dealing with children, huh?

 

[loo]

"I don't have my insurance card. Can you call my insurance company and get all my information?"

Thank god I do not own any automatic weapons.

 

[loo]

If you are a doctor and your command of english is not all there...please leave an unintelligible message on my answering machine with no call back number.

 

[pharmaz88]

That's cool! We should start a thread on "Alternative Pronunciation of Common Drug Names"!!!

Here's one for ya'...

For the first several weeks I worked in the pharmacy, I kept pronouncing NuLytely as 'Nully Telly'. ...LOL, they let me say it like that quite a few times before finally correcting me.

 

[pharmaz88]

Physical Clues: You Be the Judge!
in a cadillac escalade (mercedes benz, bmw, etc.) all pimped out. You ask for insurance and they hand you....?

Some form of public assistance, of course!

...or else you get the ones who freak out that their state-sponsored freebies now have a $4.00 copay, yet have no problem burning their way through several packs of smokes each day.

 

[loo]

Formulas:

1.The number of fully restored, spotless classic cars/motorcycles divided by the number of tattoos equals the number of teeth that are in your head.

2. The number of kids you have now plus the number of times you refill your Depo-Provera/BC multiplied by the number of different biological sperm donors equals the future number of rx's you will receive for mental health issues.

 

[jdpharmd?]

"Yes, I'm closing now. I know that it's hard to get here at a time when we're still open. We are "only" open for 12 hours/day every day of the week and 8 hours on Sundays. Sure, I'll do it for you while you wait right this second. Do you have any up front products or coupons?"

 

[dontworry]

Yep, used to work in Rochester, NY. Went to school in Smallbany!
Cohoes---aah, memories!

loo

yep Cohoes, the land where everyone is poor and lacking teeth..

 

[Leah27]

obviously you've never been to catskill or anywhere south of albany/ north of Westchester

 

[crying moo]

Here's one for ya'...

For the first several weeks I worked in the pharmacy, I kept pronouncing NuLytely as 'Nully Telly'. ...LOL, they let me say it like that quite a few times before finally correcting me.

Come to think of it, how DO you pronounce it? I've never heard it said out loud before at the pharmacy... In my mind's ear I imagined it to sound like "nully telly..." hehe i feel dumb

my second guess is "new lightly" but that doesn't sound as good as "nully telly" to me

 

[GravyRPH]

All of these are funny, and I can laugh at them now, but being all students and most of you not really having to put up with this day in and day out, you have to ask yourself how funny this will be in 10, 15 years? I hate to put a damper on the levity, but, I like you, used to chuckle and laugh. Eventually, the laughing stopped and I had to get out of retail to maintain my sanity. Just something to consider.

Sorry.

Carry on.

 

[loo]

All of these are funny, and I can laugh at them now, but being all students and most of you not really having to put up with this day in and day out, you have to ask yourself how funny this will be in 10, 15 years?

Carry on.

I put up with it day in, day out. If I didn't have a sense of humor, I'd be out by now. It still is funny after 15 years. Sorry you had a bad time of it

 

[loo]

If you are a male and it is not your first child, you will not be able to remember your kids' or wife's birthday

 

[jdpharmd?]

All of these are funny, and I can laugh at them now, but being all students and most of you not really having to put up with this day in and day out, you have to ask yourself how funny this will be in 10, 15 years? I hate to put a damper on the levity, but, I like you, used to chuckle and laugh. Eventually, the laughing stopped and I had to get out of retail to maintain my sanity. Just something to consider.

Sorry.

Carry on.

Hahaha, like this kind of stuff *only* happens in retail? They're everywhere GravyRPH. They're EVERYWHERE!!

 

[kim.]

If you are a male and it is not your first child, you will not be able to remember your kids' or wife's birthday

I'm amazed at how many men go blank when I ask for a birthday! Or even better how many people give me their phone number or some other random number when I ask for their birthday.

 

[loo]

It's always best to count your controlled substances at the counter when you pick them up. Otherwise, horrible things might happen such as:

1. My ex-girlfriend/boyfriend broke in my house and stole them.
2. Some thief stole my purse/wallet at Wal-Mart (name a store).
3. My "troubled" teenager, next-door neighbor, acquaintance probably took 'em.
4. The police stole them after I was pulled over for driving while intoxicated. (I know they took some, cos it sure looked like some were missing!)

Of course, YOU are innocent and are NEVER responsible for your meds...the pharmacist will, of course, give you some to replace the missing amount pronto.

 

[loo]

It is not good form to boast about what painkiller(s) you are on to your friends at public meeting places such as bars, motels, correctional facilities, or neighborhood parties. Especially when you are socially "lubricated".

You take the risk of becoming a victim of the horrible things previously mentioned!

 

[loo]

C'mon guys...

I KNOW you have factoids learned from your patients!! I cannot be the only one! I fear I am becoming a dreaded THREAD HOG!

Please...bail me out, here!

 

[Glycerin]

C'mon guys...

I KNOW you have factoids learned from your patients!! I cannot be the only one! I fear I am becoming a dreaded THREAD HOG!

Please...bail me out, here!

Heh. Retail was many, many moons ago for me. And while it was one of the best learning grounds for pharmacy, I've tried desperately to forget everything else.

 

[GravyRPH]

I put up with it day in, day out. If I didn't have a sense of humor, I'd be out by now. It still is funny after 15 years. Sorry you had a bad time of it

Yes, there are quite a few pharmacist who enjoy retail life and actually thrive off of it. I guess I was just not one of them. It was funny to me that most of the stuff that's posted was what eventually grated on my nerves. And I'm sure I won't be the only one. But that's what's great about pharmacy: If you don't like one route, take another.

 

[imperial frog]

I wonder how many of the retail pharmacists who hate it have had other types of jobs to compare it to. I'm a transplant from business and social services and the stories the retailers tell aren't that much different from the ones I've experienced in other settings. Anytime you have to do business with the public...well...it ain't a bed of roses.

 

[bananaface]

When you add refills to your narcotic Rx, pencil is not the best choice. Neither is crayon.

 

[GravyRPH]

I wonder how many of the retail pharmacists who hate it have had other types of jobs to compare it to. I'm a transplant from business and social services and the stories the retailers tell aren't that much different from the ones I've experienced in other settings. Anytime you have to do business with the public...well...it ain't a bed of roses.

Does it matter? If this is something you're going to do for the rest of your life, you either like it or you don't. It doesn't make a difference that it's the same in all other branches of retail as well.

 

[loo]

Bad GravyRPh, Bad!

Stop raining on the thread! It's supposed to be fun.

I know. You could start your own thread and call it "Why I Hate Retail Pharmacy"

Retail can be very frustrating. Luckily, I maintain my sanity by having a balance between home and work. I don't take anything personally for the most part. There are exceptions, of course...

 

[loo]

When you add refills to your narcotic Rx, pencil is not the best choice. Neither is crayon.

LOve it! Classic. The corollary would be: please match the ink that the prescriber used!

 

[imperial frog]

Does it matter? If this is something you're going to do for the rest of your life, you either like it or you don't. It doesn't make a difference that it's the same in all other branches of retail as well.

But it can matter if a person has unrealistic expectations of a job which can lead to an early burnout. It's not a matter of simply liking or not liking...there are degrees of liking or not liking and how a person perceives his/her job can often have a direct relation to how much they like or hate it. Thinking that every other job out there is better because of a fictional better public dynamic doesn't instill patience or job tolerance when the customer from hell is calling 5 minutes before closing.

 

[emogrrrrl]

If you call our pharmacy and ask if we carry phenergan with codeine, and you sound like a cracked out junkie, we just ran out.

 

[Dr. Wexler]

It is a bad idea to present CDS prescriptions from 3 different ER's to the same pharmacist at the same time.

Just wondering what a pharm does in a situation like this? Do pharms have the power to confiscate prescriptions from drug-seekers in a situation like this?

 

[GravyRPH]

Bad GravyRPh, Bad!

Stop raining on the thread! It's supposed to be fun.

I know. You could start your own thread and call it "Why I Hate Retail Pharmacy"

Retail can be very frustrating. Luckily, I maintain my sanity by having a balance between home and work. I don't take anything personally for the most part. There are exceptions, of course...

*sigh* Apparently my point has been missed. I had no intention of replying, but there were several replies that completely confused my....., well, intention. I do not hate retail, and will attempt to resist further replies in this thread.

 

[Pilot]

Just wondering what a pharm does in a situation like this? Do pharms have the power to confiscate prescriptions from drug-seekers in a situation like this?

I tore them up in front of her. Oklahoma law states that the prescription must be issued for a legitimate medical purpose, and that a pharmacist can be held liable for filling prescriptions which are maintaining an addiction. Called the doctors after I tore them up - none of them had a problem with it.

My nickname in the pharmacy (given my technicians) was "Drug Nazi" in honor of the Soup Nazi of Seinfeld fame. NO DRUGS FOR YOU ! ! ! !

 

[loo]

*sigh* Apparently my point has been missed. I had no intention of replying, but there were several replies that completely confused my....., well, intention. I do not hate retail, and will attempt to resist further replies in this thread.

What was your point? And what does it have to do with the theme of the thread? I apologize if I made the assumption that you hate retail...my bad.

 

[loo]

If a pharmacist/technician asks for information because you have not been to this pharmacy before, please do not delay them by responding as follows:

1. I KNOW I've been here before; you must be mistaken!

2. My husband/wife/kid/grandmother/pet had prescriptions here before, so I SHOULD be on file!

3. I had a prescription at another pharmacy...aren't your computers linked?

4. I think I filled one...let's see now...around two years ago.

 

[jdpharmd?]

If a pharmacist/technician asks for information because you have not been to this pharmacy before, please do not delay them by responding as follows:

Don't forget "Well, it might have been under my wife's maiden name, and sometimes she uses her middle name as her first name. Of course it could also be under her old married name, and possibly with her middle name as her first for that last name too. Oh, and I think she sometimes hyphenates them.... ...what do you mean you're having trouble finding it?! I think we've been here before!!"

 

[loo]

Don't forget "Well, it might have been under my wife's maiden name, and sometimes she uses her middle name as her first name. Of course it could also be under her old married name, and possibly with her middle name as her first for that last name too. Oh, and I think she sometimes hyphenates them.... ...what do you mean you're having trouble finding it?! I think we've been here before!!"

Don't forget: My real name is W. John Blowhard, but I prefer to have my nickname of "Scooter" used instead!

 

[spacecowgirl]

Don't forget: My real name is W. John Blowhard, but I prefer to have my nickname of "Scooter" used instead!

OMG - that is SO true. I had a patient actually get mad at me for not having his presciption ready because he wasn't in the computer system. Turns out that I was supposed to know that "Mike Jones" and "Clark Jones" were the same person

I miss retail *sigh*...seriously I do. The days are never dull and the good stories endless. Soon enough I'll be back at it

 

[spacecowgirl]

3. I had a prescription at another pharmacy...aren't your computers linked?

Ahh yes, the all-knowing Super Computer. These are the same people that complain about HIPAA

 

[loo]

Law of Identical Pharmacy Partners(aka Split-Shift Pharmacy Rule):

If you have been told by one pharmacist that you cannot fill your CDS two weeks early, you can be rest assured that the other pharmacist will not fill it early either.

 

[Pilot]

Law of Identical Insurance Carriers: If your insurance was "too soon to refill" at Walgreens, it will be too soon to fill everywhere else as well. But I'll transfer it anyhow.....

 

[bananaface]

I am amused by the patient who comes in to tranfer all his/her Rx's over because his/her usual pharmacy is closed for the day.

 

[sweetcalie08]

I am amused by the patient who comes in to tranfer all his/her Rx's over because his usual pharmacy is closed for the day.

Oh, so true!

P.S.- Not like I really care, but does anyone know what my BLUE karma means? It used to be green...I don't think I've done anything wrong...have I? eek.

 

[LVPharm]

Oh, so true!

P.S.- Not like I really care, but does anyone know what my BLUE karma means? It used to be green...I don't think I've done anything wrong...have I? eek.

You've probably got the "Show My Reputation Level" box unchecked in your User CP under "Edit Options". Check that box and click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the screen, then your "Karma" will show up again.

 

[bananaface]

"You can't fill my prescrition because it is written in Korean? But, I would be happy to translate it for you."

Lesson: It is not always wise to let your patients be helpful....

 

[pharmaz88]

Realize that when you tell us, in a bossy tone, to "hurry it up" or "make it snappy", we'll likely go out of our way to take additional time to prepare your prescription.

 

[loo]

Realize that when you tell us, in a bossy tone, to "hurry it up" or "make it snappy", we'll likely go out of our way to take additional time to prepare your prescription.

The technicians call this a "polish the pills order" I LOVE my technicians...they are AWESOME!!!

 

[loo]

If a woman comes in with a minimum of one screaming child, that is MY cue to haul butt and get the rx done ASAP.

Holidays are times to be CHEERFUL. Please extend this courtesy to those in the healthcare professions.

If I had to call every patient to let them know when their meds are finished/called in, I would not have enough time to do my real job--pharmacy.

If you are a healthcare provider, please do not ask me to tell the patient to schedule an appointment. (See the above for reference). I try to remember, but I do over 1400 rx's on my shift so memory does become a slight problem.

When you see me sitting down, trying to take a bite out of my sandwich...that is your cue to ask me a long, involved question! Bon Apetit--NOT!

 

[loo]

"You can't fill my prescrition because it is written in Korean? But, I would be happy to translate it for you."

Lesson: It is not always wise to let your patients be helpful....

Great post!! Got one of those the other day--in Russian. I told the patient that it meant "go to the ED".

 

[jdpharmd?]

If I had to call every patient to let them know when their meds are finished/called in, I would not have enough time to do my real job--pharmacy.

I had a patient complain about this for 10 minutes straight. When I explained that it was a communication problem between her and her doctor's office and NOT between her and I, she accepted that answer and left. Later that day, she had her husband drive her back to my store with the sole purpose of complaining about the same problem for another 10 minutes. That's right, she made a special trip to come yell at me!

 

[loo]

If you say "sorry to bother you, but..." ; this usually means you want to know where some non-pharmacy related item is located. Reading is fundamental.

Seriously, though...I am the world's BEST direction-giver as a result

 

[loo]

I had a patient complain about this for 10 minutes straight. When I explained that it was a communication problem between her and her doctor's office and NOT between her and I, she accepted that answer and left. Later that day, she had her husband drive her back to my store with the sole purpose of complaining about the same problem for another 10 minutes. That's right, she made a special trip to come yell at me!

Jeez, someone needs a life. My old partner used to shut them up using this phrase: "Why are you so mad---God loves you!" They were speechless. My approach was a little more sarcastic. I would stand near the tech and tell her that I just got my gun permit and I scored real high on the shooting range---man, nobody better piss me off!