It seems customers have lost the plot when it comes to owings. I am not sure if this is the same general term used overseas, but in Australia, when we give a few tablets to get someone by if deemed urgent enough if they don’t have a script (but we have evidence of their medication history), we give them an ‘owing’ (usually between one and three days supply).

I get that this image isn't totally relevant to the post, but I like it, so there.

I’m not sure about you, but I try to keep my customer details private. Whether that is when I am counseling them on a new script or talking about a product while in the shop area. I’m not sure if one direction I’ve noticed recently is the best to preserve confidentiality…

SHHH. ZIP IT!

Do you think we are given an “allowance” for how many mistakes, or how serious a mistake, we can make before we need to be deregistered? A Detroit website has posted an article regarding a family suing Rite Aid over a dispensing error (http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/22035731/detail.html). The family are also chasing up the oncologist for writing an incorrect script.

The article  is an interesting read, a very sad read, but one that makes you think about what is an appropriate punishment for these and other dispensing errors. At what point does a license get taken away and you are deemed not competent to work? Even if it’s the first mistake in your career, if it’s a significant one that a reasonable person, or a peer, would think that one of the safeguards or processes in your dispensing should have alerted you to it – should you be deregistered? (more…)

Dispensaries are meant to be the professional hub of the pharmacy, sure you might have an inflated polar bear attached to a shelf to advertise the latest cooling arthritis gels, or a big Brittany Spears cut out because you’re stocking her fragrance (and sure, she’s the closet to a friend you get while working the late lonely hours) but the dispensary is where that stops.

Yes ma'am, we're the 'Before' pic model for Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Hey to all you slackers, clowns and jokers out there with B.Pharm’z, RPh’z and various other pharmaceuticool qualifications. While we really do like working with you and you make the dispensary a somewhat more pleasant place and less like a factory conveyor-belt, you gotta know where to draw the line.

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All too often, and I am guilty of this myself, we persist to try explain to a customer on the phone the situation so they can fully comprehend it. In our minds, we are optimistic, we think “Yes, if I explain it very clearly and slowly, they will finally understand!”, however, this doesn’t happen.

These phone calls come from regular customers, strangers who pointed at the first pharmacy number in the phone book, and new customers who have never received a drug before. The topics range from anything to trying to explain why it is not out fault Pfizer stopped producing a drugs twenty years ago, or why that segment on the current affairs show about that drug that turned the lady blue is not relevant to them, and is reversible anyway (true story). The problem is that it’s in our nature to try make people understand. This is what we are told to do, counsel, educate, be a valuable asset to the community as a beacon of drug information – a lighthouse in the storm of pills, if you will.  What actually happens in a lot of cases…the customer does not care what you are saying, they just like talking out loud and are waiting for you to say “Oh yes, you’re right, I’m wrong, want a pack of free jellybeans?!” (more…)

Just trying to update Facebook to a Group page to handle the friend requests. Originally setup as Friend page, but it got a little more interest than anticipated, which is good, but needs some changes to be made. I’m not that great at Facebooking so this is a learning curve for me. I apologize if you receive any duplicate post notifications.

We’ve had a change of direction here at ‘Ask a Pharmacist’. Initially this site began as a place anyone can ask any question on pharmacy, drugs and so on. That was all this site was about, but it has evolved since then. Almost eight or so months on, we have decided to change our function.

Due to the demand for drug questions, we cannot give the adequate amount of time to answer the questions coming through from the public. Since the launch of the site around May 08, it has since turned into a blog about the industry, with particular commentary on the industry in Australia for locals and as a source of information for our overseas pharmacists who are curious how the industry here operates – and the pros and cons of the system. While Australian based, it is aimed at pharmacists worldwide. (more…)

I haven’t written much over the past few days with yesterday’s exception, so I thought I’d follow up today before NYE.  I took a swipe at the potentially abrasive personalities that may see themselves employed as interns, and hoped my jibes might include some useful pointers that can assist them to get on better with their fellow staff. Now, I’m directing this at you preceptors/pharmacists-in-charge out there. Yes, some of you suck, too.

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It’s not as simple as saying there are good interns and bad interns. There are a variety of traits and behaviors which can affect the level of excellence or suckiness that you, as a new Pharmacist Intern, will possess. For those starting the new year as an intern, you might get some ideas from this article that will make you get a little more from your year.

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If you have any weird, strange, unusual, or more commonly, disturbing, stories from your shifts during the Christmas holidays, especially if you are unfortunate enough to work on a public holiday or just before (when the desperate customers come out) let us know.

It's only 8:59pm! Let us in! We needs scripts, baby, SCRIPTS!

It’s that time of the year. To reflect upon the past twelve months. I will focus on the professional aspect of that question. In our work lives, could we have done things better, both for our customers and for ourselves? Has your drug dealing been all it could have been?

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How many times have you wanted to call the doctor and say “Seriously dude, really? Is that what you wrote?” While I have avoid saying “dude” in my professional conversations, that about captures what goes through my mind. Doctor’s handwriting – this is an old and much discussed topic of frustration, but still worth a mention. Just because it’s frustrating, yes that’s one reason, and I like to complain, but also because the chance of an incorrect drug being selected also increases.

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This was what I wrote in regard to a specific post on an Australian health blog Croaky. That’s if the comment is approved, it still may be under moderation. I post it because it’s an argument we’ve all heard before, and it really applies to all short sighted views of pharmacy, particularly from our fellow professionals in the healthcare industry who should know better. It always seems to come back to “why do I have to wait so long for my prescription” and “you sell dodgy supplements and bad diet products” etc. I don’t know why I bothered to write such a lengthy response, but I did it on the spur of the moment and thought I’d share it with you.

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Although this occurred some time ago, I recently came across this article and thought it was another example of being vigilant when dispensing medication. More specifically, not blindly dispensing when there is cause to call the doctor and ask for an explanation for an order. (more…)