A Pharmacy Is Not a Deli Counter
by Susan — Age 54 — Greenfield, WI
Reliability and integrity are not sexy, but those are two characteristics of the retail pharmacist. I am a retail pharmacist. Polls usually list me in the top two most trusted professions, beating out ministers and doctors. Pharmacy is hardly a glamorous profession. Will there ever be an action/adventure show or even a sitcom based on the life of a pharmacist? No, our only moment on camera is some breaking news story involving the drug industry, where there is always the stock footage of a pharmacist counting pills. Does anyone know what I really do?
I wait on hold: with doctors’ offices, insurance companies, little old ladies calling for refills who can’t locate their glasses in order to read their prescription numbers. I teach responsibility: “Well, Mrs. Jones, you should call before you run out of medication, since you have no refills, and it’s late Friday afternoon, and your doctor’s office is closed, and this isn’t the first time you’ve done this!” I am the murdered messenger; I am blamed when: your doctor doesn’t phone in your prescription, your insurance company won’t cover your medication, your copay goes up, you haven’t met your deductible, your mail-order drugs haven’t arrived yet, your pills fall in the toilet.
I deal with sloppy penmanship. I deal with missing information. (“Hello, doctor, what strength did you want on that Valium?) Even computers and e-prescribing don’t eliminate human error. More phone calls, more clarification.
Dispensing medication is not like working at a deli counter. Even if a medication is pre-packaged and “just needs a label slapped on it,” I double- or triple-check everything we do before anything reaches the patient. I check for allergies, drug interactions, past medication history. When something doesn’t seem right I call your doctor. I am available to explain the use of medication and answer all your questions. I apologize when you have to wait.
I am stressed, abused and underappreciated. I am expected to work without bathroom breaks or time to sit down to eat. There are more laws controlling what we do than there are medicines. The best thing I can say about my profession is that it has given me the financial freedom to do many things that enrich my life. Right now I’d take a little less enrichment for a little more sanity.
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