Friday, January 27, 2012

An open letter

Sir. I told you that we were having a hard time stocking Percocet 10/325. I called four other stores around us. I can't call every pharmacy in the county looking at it.
Ma'am. I explained the details of prior authorization to your husband.  Yes, I see your insurance information on file. And the coupon card. No, the doctor won't do the paperwork on a Saturday. She has a life. No, your son won't die of eczema over the weekend.
Chickadee. You're chatting away about your awesome date for the night. No one wants to rush over to ring up your prescription. And don't roll your eyes and say "Look, I gotta go" to your friend when I have some questions for you. If you have a seizure or something, you won't be able to go on that totally awesome date.
Dude. You're 24. I don't mind that you're on your parents' insurance (heck, so am I). But you need to loosen the apron strings a little. Have a basic idea of what you need refilled. Make a copy of their insurance cards. Pay for it yourself, or at least offer. Show us that you love your poor saint of a mother.
Pharmacist. I love you, you are my favorite pharmacist at the store, you are a good friend. Customers love you, but please spend less time helping them when we are super busy. I know this sounds SO mean, but people are all waiting for you to sign off on the stuff we fill and we're getting busier!
Intern. You have come so far in a year and a half, and I really do enjoy working with you now. Never thought I'd say this, but you make me proud. You win the gold star today.

We were pretty busy for a Friday- I think our final tally was close to 500. We were also short staffed. This time last year was a crazy snow storm and we filled no prescriptions, which messed up our staff budget for this year. Luckily we didn't have any big incidents. I've learned to set the bar pretty low and then every night looks good when all is said and done. But I really do love my job!

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