One of last year’s batch of GSK swine flu vaccines stopped being used because of some reactions that were noticed. Fair enough, the odd part is the comment made by the spokesman for Canada’s health minister who said “We’re not seeing any thing wild or spooky or crazy about our vaccine at all.”

I’m not sure that’s the best possible wording as an official statement from a government health representative. But mildly entertaining nonetheless. Much like when you refer to drugs as “this stuff” to an elderly customer and they look at you like you just swore at them by using casual language. I get it, people are very touchy about their drugs. We have a way of getting complacent about our attitude towards drugs because to us they’re just meds, to others, it is “their” medication for “their” bodies. Which is something we need to consider when we talk to people. While with a younger person we can be more causal in our approach, but with our more senior customers, we need to take a more serious, still friendly, but respectful attitude when we refer to the medications. I have seen flippant attitudes given, sometimes accidentally when a staff member is in a hurry to get to the next customer, but it will leave your customer with a bad impression..

Man, that’s a lot of pens.

For those in withdrawal since the ceasing of free drug branded miscellaneous items, enjoy this pic of the good ol’ days.

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I skimmed an interesting, somewhat long, article about the status of lab coats in the profession. It is titled ‘What Should Pharmacists Wear?’ and can be found here. PJ Careers is a UK based pharmacy job advertisement service that appears to be quite widely distributed in that region. In Australia, the pharmacist’s coat (lab coat, white coat or whatever you want to call it) seems to have been out of favor for a good period of time before a slight resurgence in the past couple of years.

Ah...professionalism!

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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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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So we can all admit that not all of the supplements, vitamins, homeopathic, natural, herbal, etc etc products we sell are 100% proven, and things we are likely to recommend to anyone. The Australian Skeptics group have taken it upon themselves to point their finger at pharmacists earlier this year.

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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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I came across this article which mentions something we’ve read in similar studies and articles that state that pharmacists are the top, or in the top three usually, most trusted professions. I wonder if we still feel this to be the case for a couple reasons.

In a recent post I mention the move toward discount pharmacies. While this may have some positives for the public on their bottom line when visiting the pharmacy, there are somedraw backs I will discuss later, but for now I want to focus on the issue of trust. Going back a few years, I don’t really think you need to go back to far, lets say, maybe four or five years ago, the public did not have a clear concept on drug pricing. The pharmacy would charge what they charge and that was that. Now, for those in the pharmacy profession, I think we can agree  previously we were charging reasonable prices and this helped support what is effectively a small business for the owner and all the costs involved, as well as having many staff on hand so when a customer walked in wait was minimal. Secondly, there is an onus of responsibility on the pharmacist who has also dedicated much time and expense in becoming qualified, so in line with similar professions, monetary reimbursement is expected. In general, it was a fair system. (more…)

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…)