Work and life...Rant of the day
I can’t stand rude people. Usually, in the health care setting you are prone to find every kind of people. Some people are more understanding than others. I strive to give a service of excellence, a service that exceeds their expectations. I do it, not because I want to make myself look better than my coworkers, but because I care. I care about my patients.
The pharmacy retail setting is a place where you can get jaded from people’s need. It’s a fact. How couldn’t you? Most of the time patients come to the pharmacy in a hurry wanting their medications right that instant. Usually, they are willing to wait for hours at the doctor’s office, but waiting 15 to 30 minutes for their medications is way too long. The patients don’t understand that our work at the pharmacy is the last part of the check and balances that we need to do before receiving their treatment or therapy. Pharmacists are the last health care professional assessing their needs and making sure that whatever the physician prescribed is the best medication for the patient. We also make sure that the insurances will pay for their medications. Insurance companies have pharmacists right there too, making sure that the therapy prescribed is the most convenient for the patient. That’s why they ask for prior authorizations.
There are MANY steps that need to be taken in order to fill one script or medication prescribed, but patients don’t understand that. They never understand why their medications take so long because they don’t understand the process. They only think that I have to input the information to the computer system, make sure that I have the medication, and count the pills or fill a bottle with liquid.
I go to work knowing that this is the way that my patients think. Usually, I’m not bothered by it. I repeat myself on a daily basis and explain the process if needed. Most patients appreciate and understand once explained. They even tend to be empathic with the pharmacist or pharmacist tech helping them.
Most days are like that… then you get a couple of rude people.
Pharmacy chains like the ones I work with, doesn’t make things any better. They are built like fast food chain restaurants, with a drive-thru window. These large pharmacies have made certain things for the convenience of their patients, but patients tend to abuse such privileges.
Today I had a lady come pick up her prescriptions through the drive-thru window. As usual I greeted the patient courteously, to which she responded by giving me her phone number. No “Good morning” from her part. Not even a smile. As customary, I typed the number down on the pc system and got the patient’s profile. The system tells me the information and which medications are to be picked up. It will even tell the person’s name and more detailed information. It is my responsibility to make sure that whoever is at my drive-thru window or at the counter is picking up the correct script for the correct person.
Anyway, this lady replies by telling. “I’m picking up my medicines.” My mental thought “umm, ok!” So, I proceeded to ask her name. This lady was all rude. I’m required to ask for an ID, but the lady was being such a bitch that for convenience I just wrote down whatever license number she gave me and proceeded to finish ringing up her medications.
Once I’m done, ringing up her items I tell her how much she has to pay. The lady started flipping out as to why her medications had been so expensive. I proceeded to tell her that some of her co-pays were as high as $8. To which she reply, “I can read. You don’t have to tell me!”
Now, by this time my blood is starting to boil. The lady was a real bitch, saying snarky comments while I was trying really hard to keep my composure. I honestly just wanted to say a few things back but held my tongue. So, I continue the transaction and finally her credit card went through. I gave her all the medications and receipt through the drive-thru tray. Suddenly, one of the bags falls to the ground. The lady had a bitch fit and called me an inept.
At that moment, I replied back “Ma’am, you need to calm down!” and she was like. “Oh, I know your name now” referring to the fact that I wear a name tag and she was going to report or call my superior to complain about the “awful” service that I gave her or maybe, complain because I told her to calm down.
Honestly, I didn’t do anything wrong I did my job correctly. I was following store procedures. You can’t bag items on a plastic bag in the drive-thru area. All her medications were individually bagged because that’s how our store works. That one bag fell to ground because the lady knocked it out of the tray herself.
I treated the lady with the upmost respect, which she didn’t disserved at all and in the process got insulted. Stupid bitch, doesn’t she know that I’m a fucking doctor. I’ve busted my ass for 4.5 years and a half and this is what I have to deal with?!!?
Again, I like the retail setting, but I can’t stand rude people. I didn’t disserve to be disrespected in that manner. For that matter, had it been one of my pharmacy techs working on the drive-thru window, they wouldn’t disserve either that kind of awful treatment by such a devil-spawn of a creature.
I just can’t fathom why there are people like that in the world. I can’t understand why she had to be so miserable and treat people, those giving her a service, with so much disrespect. I hate people that put down other people.
I guess I was brought up differently. People matter to me. We are all human beings who possess many qualities that make us unique. Why so much hate?!
I guess I’ll never understand those kinds of people… I work at retail and will often encounter this. Now the question is: how long will it take me before I give up?
The pharmacy retail setting is a place where you can get jaded from people’s need. It’s a fact. How couldn’t you? Most of the time patients come to the pharmacy in a hurry wanting their medications right that instant. Usually, they are willing to wait for hours at the doctor’s office, but waiting 15 to 30 minutes for their medications is way too long. The patients don’t understand that our work at the pharmacy is the last part of the check and balances that we need to do before receiving their treatment or therapy. Pharmacists are the last health care professional assessing their needs and making sure that whatever the physician prescribed is the best medication for the patient. We also make sure that the insurances will pay for their medications. Insurance companies have pharmacists right there too, making sure that the therapy prescribed is the most convenient for the patient. That’s why they ask for prior authorizations.
There are MANY steps that need to be taken in order to fill one script or medication prescribed, but patients don’t understand that. They never understand why their medications take so long because they don’t understand the process. They only think that I have to input the information to the computer system, make sure that I have the medication, and count the pills or fill a bottle with liquid.
I go to work knowing that this is the way that my patients think. Usually, I’m not bothered by it. I repeat myself on a daily basis and explain the process if needed. Most patients appreciate and understand once explained. They even tend to be empathic with the pharmacist or pharmacist tech helping them.
Most days are like that… then you get a couple of rude people.
Pharmacy chains like the ones I work with, doesn’t make things any better. They are built like fast food chain restaurants, with a drive-thru window. These large pharmacies have made certain things for the convenience of their patients, but patients tend to abuse such privileges.
Today I had a lady come pick up her prescriptions through the drive-thru window. As usual I greeted the patient courteously, to which she responded by giving me her phone number. No “Good morning” from her part. Not even a smile. As customary, I typed the number down on the pc system and got the patient’s profile. The system tells me the information and which medications are to be picked up. It will even tell the person’s name and more detailed information. It is my responsibility to make sure that whoever is at my drive-thru window or at the counter is picking up the correct script for the correct person.
Anyway, this lady replies by telling. “I’m picking up my medicines.” My mental thought “umm, ok!” So, I proceeded to ask her name. This lady was all rude. I’m required to ask for an ID, but the lady was being such a bitch that for convenience I just wrote down whatever license number she gave me and proceeded to finish ringing up her medications.
Once I’m done, ringing up her items I tell her how much she has to pay. The lady started flipping out as to why her medications had been so expensive. I proceeded to tell her that some of her co-pays were as high as $8. To which she reply, “I can read. You don’t have to tell me!”
Now, by this time my blood is starting to boil. The lady was a real bitch, saying snarky comments while I was trying really hard to keep my composure. I honestly just wanted to say a few things back but held my tongue. So, I continue the transaction and finally her credit card went through. I gave her all the medications and receipt through the drive-thru tray. Suddenly, one of the bags falls to the ground. The lady had a bitch fit and called me an inept.
At that moment, I replied back “Ma’am, you need to calm down!” and she was like. “Oh, I know your name now” referring to the fact that I wear a name tag and she was going to report or call my superior to complain about the “awful” service that I gave her or maybe, complain because I told her to calm down.
Honestly, I didn’t do anything wrong I did my job correctly. I was following store procedures. You can’t bag items on a plastic bag in the drive-thru area. All her medications were individually bagged because that’s how our store works. That one bag fell to ground because the lady knocked it out of the tray herself.
I treated the lady with the upmost respect, which she didn’t disserved at all and in the process got insulted. Stupid bitch, doesn’t she know that I’m a fucking doctor. I’ve busted my ass for 4.5 years and a half and this is what I have to deal with?!!?
Again, I like the retail setting, but I can’t stand rude people. I didn’t disserve to be disrespected in that manner. For that matter, had it been one of my pharmacy techs working on the drive-thru window, they wouldn’t disserve either that kind of awful treatment by such a devil-spawn of a creature.
I just can’t fathom why there are people like that in the world. I can’t understand why she had to be so miserable and treat people, those giving her a service, with so much disrespect. I hate people that put down other people.
I guess I was brought up differently. People matter to me. We are all human beings who possess many qualities that make us unique. Why so much hate?!
I guess I’ll never understand those kinds of people… I work at retail and will often encounter this. Now the question is: how long will it take me before I give up?