Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Disturbed and Disheartened

Been away from the blog 'post' for a few weeks -- visitors, a little traveling (more on that later) and just general 'time getting away from me.' Anyways, back now --- and I know there have been several posts about the Long Island pharmacy murders on Father's Day, where a pharmacist, clerk and two customers were shot execution style by a guy who then made off with a backpack full of narcotics. They put up no resistance but were killed anyway. Like everyone else, I am totally sickened by this. I hate the fact that we are swimming in controlled drugs half the time and shoveling them out by the bucketful. I hate arguing with people about early refills, then calling the doctor and seeing them give in over and over again. I hate the fact that we are forced to keep way more stock than we should. I hate the fact that our pharmacy 'fishbowls', which are supposed to provide "accessibility" to our patients, also scream "c'mon in and rob me." I hate the fact that only one pharmacy I currently work in even has a 'panic button' to call for help. This was probably a wake-up call for a lot of us, and I intend to make some noise with my employer about it.

I hope that this guy who has been charged with these murders (and his accomplice wife) have themselves a good ol' drug problem--- because now I hope they are going to sit in prison lookin' at some major COLD TURKEY withdrawal -- and hopefully that's only the beginning. Never see the light of day again.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Scenario Keeps Repeating Itself

Customer: "I'm picking up a prescription."

Then what follows is.......silence. Stare.... More silence. I wait for it....... I know it's coming.... they're going to give me the name --- the name, I need a name, gimme a name.......... any minute now, c'mon...................aw, hell, I guess not. I'm gonna have to ask the question.

Me: "OK, who is the prescription for?"

Customer: "Me."

Silence. Longer stare. More silence.
I'm on the verge of laughing, or crying. This is my life.

This scenario, in various forms, repeated itself several times this week. I find myself puzzling over it. I'm trying to rationalize it. Maybe it has to do with prescriptions being sent electronically. Do people think maybe a photo or physical description accompanies the prescription, so we just know who they are? Maybe I can match up the prescription with their outward symptoms? (sniffling, red eyes, coughing, rash?) Yes folks, in this depersonalized, bar-coded, anonymous world we live in, we still need your name. Please.