#Pharmacy tech

[mylifeasaserver]

Son of Bitch!

Tragically, one of my jobs in the pharmacy is answering the phone.

Today I pick up and am greeted with "Listen you son of bitch" and knew I was about to make a new best friend.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me son of bitch. I want -" and then I hung up because abuse is not part of my job requirements.

He calls back. Caller ID tells me it's somebody who has been banned from the store because he's constantly abusive to staff. At this point he has to send his son in for his prescriptions because he's been trespassed. It will be enforced. I'm not sure what godforsaken hellhole he moved here from, but apparently you can be rude as shit there. He has yet to get the memo that doesn't fly here. Or maybe he's just dealt with retail long enough to know managers don't typically do shit.

"Motherfucker did you hang up on me?"

"Yes, and I will hang up every time until you learn to be polite. Goodbye." And then I hung up again.

Now he calls back.

"Get your manager motherfucker! Now!"

"No. Try again." And then I hung up again. I'm more than happy to spend my entire shift doing nothing but this. I can outlast him if nothing else.

The pharmacy manager, who listens to what's going on around him like it's his job or something, asks me what's up. I tell him who I'm talking to and what's happening. He offers to take the call.

No. This one is mine. I'll gleefully eat any punishment the job throws at me...but this is a battle I want to fight.

He calls a few more times, calls me motherfucker and son of bitch, and each time I just hung up on him. Mostly because fuck that guy in particular.

He calls back again and asks "Does anybody work there but you?"

"They sure do! But I've made sure I'm the one to take your calls. How can I help you?"

Finally, he requests his med refills without any further bullshit. I let him know when the meds will be ready, and he says "bitch" and hangs up.

I could be the bigger person. I could just fill what he needs. Or I could be the same dickhead I always am.

I cancelled all the refills and called him back.

"What?"

"Just wanted to let you know I cancelled those refills. You will get nothing until you can resist being abusive. Have a nice day."

Then, because I'm nothing if not consistent, I hang up.

This man called back, sounding positively exhausted but still angry.

He orders his meds again, I made him go through all of them again partially to ensure that I got them correct and partially to ensure that his suffering was maximized.

Finally he just hangs up. I'm 100% fine with that.

I've been thinking more and more about retiring and being done with people as a whole. -J

[renlo]

A good while ago, I worked as a pharmacy tech, and my husband made it clear that he thought scrubs were cute. I couldn't do any nurse duties, but I could fill a prescription for gabapentin pretty quickly, so that's neat!

[princetofbone]

day 9/29 of productivity

I was SO stressed all day about how little time i have and about how many things I need to do and???? I looked at the dates and I have 21 days until my pharm test I'm doin okay.

as usual for me, I was feeling weird about having personal time, so along with my fulltime job and my studies and my knitting club that meets 3x a week i have started volunteering as well. (I have no time for hobbies >.<)

I'm pretty proud of everything I got done today though!

I finished another module of studying, I am almost done with the first piece of my chicken (knitted), I made brownies, I worked on the bags I'm making for my volunteering project, and I fed myself. My morning was pretty unproductive, which was dissapointing, but I feel like I turned the day around!

Tomorrow I'm going to try and go for a run before knitting club, but we will see what happens.

[softeningthesound]

Non-exhaustive list of reasons behind the delay when you go to pick up your meds at the pharmacy, from a pharmacy tech

It's a long one, so there'll be a read more after the first few points and more in a reblog

Tech filled a prescription for an antibiotic, but when it gets to the pharmacist, they actually need to call the doctor and have the script changed because it’s the wrong antibiotic for the infection indicated. Doctor doesn’t answer at first. Pharmacist starts validating a refill but the doctor’s office calls back and the pharmacist has to stop what they were doing.

We haven’t had time to restock the shelves with all the medications that are lying in bins in the back, and we’re out of your medication on the floor so we need to look through the order list, figure out what bin your medication is, and go rummage in the back.

Someone’s calling to get a box of Covid tests, but we have to give them our rehearsed speech on how the handing out of Covid tests in pharmacies is actually now restricted, and has been since May, to certain patients who are unvaccinated and at risk or to patients who are financially in a situation where they can’t afford to buy them, so unfortunately, person on the phone, you’ll have to go to X center or X clinic to get them, where they’re handing them out no questions asked. This call takes three minutes.

We just received a fax for someone who’s just left the hospital and we have to prepare six new medications for them and when we call the patient, they can’t get to the pharmacy on their own and no one can pick up their meds for them, so we have to organize a taxi for that person’s meds. The pharmacist also has to explain all these treatments over the phone and answer any questions the patient may have, which always takes longer than in person.

The pharmacist had to see two other patients for advice on their medications, patients who had ordered in advance but who find out at the register that the pharmacist wants to speak to them or explain this new medication or what have you, so the pharmacist takes the time to see these two patients who did order before you and also want to leave the pharmacy.

The slot for a certain medication in our pill-counting machine is empty, so I have to go fill that.

Someone’s insurance didn’t go through because they have a new card or are with a new company, so they need to go back over to the first counter and have a tech update that in their file and print the new receipt.

We… don’t have a full time cashier, so the technicians need to take turns being at the register.

It’s lunch time and people are on break, which they rightfully deserve, so there’s an employee or two less than there usually is.

You came in at the same time as four other people who also wanted just a single refill, but we still fill them one after the other and can get interrupted by phone calls, by problems at the register, etc.

We need to substitute your dosage, which is back order, for two different dosages that you’ll take at the same time. This takes more time, because we need to copy the prescription and modify it, have the “new” prescription validated by the pharmacist, have the pharmacist, legally, explain the new posology to you even if you were told at the first counter that we were going to have to make that change.

Someone wants advice for a cough syrup, and as a technician, I am not legally allowed to give any recommendations even though I know for a fact that the pharmacist is just going to say that the cough syrups we sell don’t do anything and mostly just have a placebo effect and you should just drink water. The patient has to wait behind people who came in front of them, just so the pharmacist themself can tell them that, because I can’t. It’s frustrating for me too, but I can’t say anything.

We’re behind on preparing the refills that people ordered hours ago because our day has been hectic, so I have to give you a longer wait time so that realistically, we can get some of those filled by a technician and validated by a pharmacist.

Daily patient comes in for their dose of methadone or suboxone to help with an opioid addiction, and the pharmacist has to prepare their medication, too.

This happened recently but uhhh some guy comes in pissing blood out of his arm and we urgently have to help him while we call an ambulance, and a patient comes in thirty minutes later and the blood has been mopped up and there’s no trace that anything happened but I’m at the counter and a little fucking traumatized and this patient wants me to synchronize their medications and I am not mentally processing anything

There are complicated files and prescriptions and types of ways we fill prescriptions (ex: people who get their medications weekly in these little packs sorted by day and time of day and their files are really complicated to navigate and usually taken care of by a specific technician)

Your medication is a special order medication that gets made by another pharmacy and we sent the invoice and everything and are waiting for them to send us the medication but the ball’s in their court and we still haven’t received your meds

Main reasons for delays are just… a lot of calls and lots of people coming in at the same time for refills and questions that require a varying amount of time and effort to fill and answer. People who come in when we just opened usually barely have to wait, but we have rush hours just like every other store and there are five people in front of you waiting for a counsel and/or their meds. Sometimes, a quick little refill that took the tech literally thirty seconds to fill is immediately noticed by the pharmacist and gets validated right away ahead of the more complicated cases and sent to the register, but sometimes it sits on the counter for a while because the pharmacist is resolving a difficult situation, or showing someone how to inject their insulin, or explaining side effects to someone, or in a consult to prescribe the morning-after pill and has lots of questions to ask the patient.

Sometimes, we have patients who are very mean and rude and short with us. They are often in pain, or have been slighted by the medical system, or have had bad experiences at the hospital or the pharmacy before, and they take a lot of time to talk to and try to reason with. During this time, your request, or even refilled medication, sits on the counter in a little basket waiting to be validated.

More in reblog

[jaffefuneralhomes]

Pharmacy is really hard and makes me want to cry a lot, but on days like this, when we're all in sync and can bounce around to help each other and take over when needed, and customers are appreciative of everything that we do...

It's worth it

[monsieurenjlolras]

Every drug in the world is on backorder right now I hate this

[love-and-ejoy]

Joy is certified in her chain as a pharmacy technician!

[learnatrade]

How to become a Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians are crucial members of the healthcare team who assist pharmacists in dispensing medications and providing excellent customer service to patients. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, becoming a pharmacy technician could be a great option. Obtain a High School Diploma or GED: The first step in becoming a pharmacy tech is to obtain a high school diploma or…

[mosqitofood]

[mylifeasaserver]

The OG Customer

Today I got the incomparable pleasure of running the register for a few hours.

My very first beloved customer comes up and says he has a pickup.

Super! What's your name?

"How could you not know? I was one of the first customers at this pharmacy! Everybody knows me here!"

Well, I wasn't here then. And I've never seen you before. I tell him I have no idea who he is.

"I WAS HERE WHEN THE BUILDING OPENED!"

"But I wasn't? Look I just need to know your name so I can go get your stuff."

"I can't believe this! This is outrageous!"

"My guy, I've worked here only about a year. This place has been open far longer than that. So are you going to give me your name or...?"

Maybe realizing he wasn't as well-known as he thought he was, he finally gave me his name.

I got him his meds and he says to me "Bet you'll remember me next time!"

Sorry buddy, I plan to drink you from my memory.

Temu ads are unrelenting. Just make it stop already. -J

[princetofbone]

Day 2/29 of productivity

I took all of the multiple choice tests for the first module and uhm..

I'm going to take a break from the med sections for today because this is depressing. I have a lot more to learn... clearly.

I'm going to move onto the federal requirements for the rest of today, and then come back to the meds later (I've not studied my top 200 drugs enough recently and I need to brush up to do better on this I think)

Also! I'm being a big girl and going to wells fargo to get me a bank account. I'm old enough now that I can have my own, which is exciting and after that, I'm going to go to the local knitting store and work on my emotional support chicken that I'm making with the knitting club!!

[obso-yeet-me]

Hi, frustrated and disgruntled reminder:

Don't make your lack of reading comprehension my problem. I'm not responsible for your ignorance. I will sell your information to the fae and the government.

Thank you,

Corporate Burnout Experiencer

[love-and-ejoy]

wish i had this that time a customer stopped me in my pharmacy to ask me for help. I recognized them, they were a patient with us.

...however we were two states away from my home state and I absolutely had no clue where what they needed was. 

Customer absolutely did not understand why i couldnt just tell them

[ahumanbeena]

Ppl who work in the medical system are sooo ableist omg. We'll be like "sorry you can't return to your life's work for 2 weeks, I know your family relies on the income from that farm to survive but you're healing so do please take rest sorry about calving season tho" & then turn around to our coworker & be like "wym your kids sick & you needa go home why even have kids then did you think about the patients". Like it's worth doing because helping relieve ppl's suffering is amazing & your community's worth your labour & science is amazing but damn the med community leaning conservative sucks ass. More lefties in medicine pls <3

[wotaku]

でんげき☆トホホ日記 (2000/05)

[mosqitofood]