Well, let me tell you, my fellow pharmacists, if you ever
want to get totally shit on as a professional have one of these. They are great for upping your personal rage
level. Following the survey I have
decided to compile a “What we think is important to our patients” versus “What
our customers want” essay.
First off, my essay as to what I would expect from my
pharmacy. This is based on several
things. Naturally, my knowledge of
pharmacy (being a pharmacist and all) and what I would expect as a patient
receiving a prescription. Tied into this
is a little bit of what we are taught in pharmacy school as to what we should
expect as professionals.
Things that define a good pharmacy/pharmacist
Most importantly, focused patient
care. My pharmacist should be attentive
to my needs with respect to helping me understand how to properly use my
medications as well as educating me about what I can and cannot do as a result
of this medication. Follow-up phone
calls to ensure I am taking my medications properly would also be a bonus. I would also find it beneficial if my
pharmacy offered patient Education and Clinical days. My pharmacy should be involved in the
community by offering community education events about various health related
topics. This includes, but is not
limited to, medications. As these types
of services have value, I believe it is reasonable to charge a fee to attend
them. Finally I want to be treated like
a member of the health care team. I
would hope to have a good working relationship with my community pharmacist and
the rest of the health care team, including my physician to optimize my health
outcomes. A relationship built on mutual
understanding and respect by all members of the team.
So there it was.
Short and sweet. I could have
droned on and on, but basically that was a flowery (ie boring) look at
community pharmacy, and realistically I know you are all waiting for the other
one. So, following the survey and focus group, here is what I have generated
from the public’s perspective:
Things that define a good pharmacy/pharmacist
Most importantly,
fast and cheap (just like a good whore).
I could really give a shit about side effects or other medications I can
and cannot use. Just hurry the fuck up
and it better be free. And if it’s not
free then I’m not taking it, I need to buy smokes. Oh, and you better be open about 27 hours a
day, 8 days a week, because I’ve got shit to do and I need you to be open when
I finally remember to pick up my medication,
which I cannot go without, but which I ordered 12 days ago and have been
without for 7 days. And those little
artsy farsty health fairs had better be free and you damn well better have free
coffee and doughnuts too. Don’t dare
offer me carrot sticks and water you tofu farting tree hugger. Oh, and when I call you at midnight to come
down and fill the emergency Amoxil script I received 4 days ago but was too
busy to fill (I’m retired, I’m busy) you had better be prompt and fucking happier than a kid in a candy store because without me you would be out of business. By
the way, I don’t need you to counsel me on drugs, that’s what my doctor is
for. Can you please, however, be sure
you know what’s going to be on sale on next week’s flyer, because I’m getting
low on Cheezies. Oh, and when I run out of refills you had goddam better automatically
fax my doctor for refills. I’m too busy
to go and see him (Bingo starts at 7:00pm you know, and you close at 6:00pm). Oh, and finally, I want airmiles with the
full co-pay on my prescription (it is afterall about as important to me as a loaf
of bread) and you better act like you are happy to see me whenever I come in
because I’m your only customer and my prescription pays your bills. Shit, I own half your store.
Well, ok, it’s not really that bad. Realistically, it’s only a small percentage
of patients who are like this (I could say it’s about 10% but like 80% of stats
that’s just a guess). Realistically,
everyonce in a while I get to help someone with their medications and truly
make a difference. It is these rare
moments that make me glad I became a pharmacist. It is difficult, however, because most of the
time it mainly just feels like I’m in the fast food department of Health Care,
getting shit on all day.
I recently tweeted to another pharmacist friend, that I only drink alcohol on weekends and if I’ve had a
shitty day at work. I’m down to 6 and a
half days a week.
J
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