“How long will it take to fill this, and how much will it cost?”
Dreaded words these, some days. I know that a lot of people that walk into a pharmacy don't feel good, have just spent twelve hundred hours in a doctors office and are in no mood to wait anymore.
I on the other hand am in no mood, after 6 and ¾ years, to deal with the maddening rush of trying to please 24 people in a 20 minute period.
OK, so I'm exaggerating a great deal, but I'm pooped folks! I am completely worn out. I've worked for the same chain pharmacy for almost 7 years, and its no walk in the park, let me tell you.
Everyone wants their stuff RIGHT NOW, or even better, yesterday! No one seems to care that I can't just give them their medicine without the prescription from the doctor in hand or faxed or called in, without their insurance being billed right, the right pills counted and everything checked by the pharmacist to make sure all is well.
We're not a friggin' McDonald's with pills sitting under a lamp just waiting for someone to order up a fresh batch of Vicodin,
“Do you want fries with that? Have a nice day, enjoy your pain free high!”
But you better believe after all that pressure that if we do rarely make a mistake, heads will roll.
I've seen a gunshot wound, stab wounds, several kinds of rashes. I've been asked about some extremely embarrassing things. I've met the local Head Dragon of the KKK as well as the father of a famous serial killer/cannibal. I've been robbed. I've been screamed at. I've been called names. I've been made to feel pretty insignificant. I've been told that I'm the best tech in the world. I've been told I know absolutely nothing, I've been told I'm really smart. I've cleaned bathrooms, and puke. I've held babies, and fed puppies biscuits at the drive through. I have held people's hand as they tell me about a family member they've just lost. I've seen many Hospice patients to their end. I have filled life saving drugs to cancer patients with hope. I have made so many people happy, and failed to appease many more. I don't even want to know how many Vicodin have passed through my counting trays over the years. I had to start taking Lexapro, I've contracted mononucleosis. I've driven through, snow, ice and dark of night with no heat in my car. And roasted through the heat of summer in a place where our A/C is regulated by store HQ, 4 states away!
I spend about a third of my day with a telephone growing out of my ear. Usually its for somebody who is low income and has Medicaid (or for the Brits, NHS, I believe) and don't pay for their prescriptions. Which I have no problem with. What I do hate though, is when some of these folks are lazy and don't want to work and just expect things to be handed to them. They don't even know their current coverage information, but they expect me to call and find out for them. I gave up a long time ago on waiting for them to come back with their card, because half the time they don't even know where it is. I just make the call. It strangely enough saves me time!
Oh, and the first part of the year is an absolute nightmare. You think you'd expect a new year to bring possible changes to your insurance coverage. Nope, most folks just waltz in expecting their co-pays and coverage to be same old, same old. Then they give me the third degree on why their co-pay is $20.00 this time instead of $5.00. I have no idea! I just put the price on the insurance company tells me.
In the meantime I have this conversation on almost a daily basis.
Me, “We will fill this prescription with a cost saving generic.”
Customer, “Well I want the brand name.”
“Sir, the generic is the same medication. Its just available at a lower cost.”
“I want the real thing.”
“OK, but it will cost you three times a much.”
“I know, that's because its better.”
“No sir, generics have to be rated just as good if not better that the brand.”
“Well then if it's not better why does it cost so much more?”
“Because you are paying them for their patent on the drug. You are paying for the name.”
“So what's the difference?”
“The name on the bottle and the price.”
“So there's no difference in the drug.”
“No. You will be getting the same active ingredient.”
Now at this point the conversation will go one of two ways. The logical way for it to go...
“Well then I might as well get the generic. There's no sense in wasting my money.”
...or it'll go...
“Well I still want the name brand. I still think it's better.”
At which point I try not to roll my eyes.
Especially after we go to the bother of filling it and have it rung in the register and THEN they decide they want to save their money after all. SHEESH!!
People can sometimes just be silly.
“Hi, I'm here to pick up a prescription.”
Long pause, at which point I'm thinking,
“Well duh! That's everyone is here for! We don't sell cheese you know!!”, and I'm still waiting for a name.
They look at me expectantly.
“Your name please?” I finally ask.
“OH, sorry, John Smith.” (I use this a generic name, although we have four John Smith's, by the way! If your last name is Smith, please name your child Mordecai, or River, or Peter even for Pete's sake! Anything but John. And for pity sake don't name your child William Williams or Richard Richards, etc. Its just a plain pain in everyone's rear!!! Sorry I digress.)
“Birth-date please?”
“1-1-61.”
“Thank you.”
So I go looking in the bins for his script.
After a substantial amount of digging, he says,
“Oh I'm sorry it needs to be filled.”
I resist the impulse to turn around and say,
“Well then why didn't you say so??” and instead say,“Oh, OK sir, then, why don't you step down here to the drop off window and Will here will take care of you.”
Then I go down the back drug aisle and grumble under my breath at no one in particular because I now seem to have more logical conversations with myself than anyone else.
Like I said I'm tired.Vacation is a month away. I can't wait, and it can't possibly be long enough.
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