I get talked to like I'm a piece of shit all day. I'll be damned if I'm gonna come home and take e-shit from some nameless fuck over the internet (I do realize the hypocrisy of using the term 'nameless fuck' as I am one). But, what I mean is, people stumble upon this site and give me shit -- non-pharmacists, non-healthcare workers, nobodys.  I'm not that bad. I'm not a horrible person. Some of this is a joke. It's an act. It's a persona in some ways.

I do (or envision and reimagine) the things that you want to do but can't. A favorite comment from these nameless fucks is that I would/should be fired in their business for doing X or saying Y. Who are they to judge me or question what I do.

I can't fully express how much this pisses me off. Nor can I adequately express how some of these hatred and anger is misplaced. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not an unethical dick. 'You' just don't like THAT post.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not deleting these comments because they person questions my judgment or doesn't like what I did. I can handle a dissenting opinion. That's not the issue. I would be FINE with that. But, I've yet to have a dissenting opinion posed in a professional manner worthy of being posts. For instance, in response to, "Unfortunately, this is  a true story" I got the following comment:

"This was written in a humorous way I’ll give you that.. Guy sure was stupid LOL!! I would fire you ASAP but I suspect you probably own or manage the pharmacy in the story, which is even more repulsive. You sir sicken me, and should be ashamed of your profession."

Now, do you see how that has no point? That serves no purpose other than to push me down (as well as the profession of pharmacy. Now, I can accept that this situation could have been handled a different way. But, unless you present a clear and concise rebuttal without resorting to belittling me or our pharmacy, I don't give a fuck what you have to say. Now, you don't have to be a kissass, but you can bring about a different POV without being a prick. Here's what you could say:

"While I agree that was frustrating, you handled it dead wrong. You're a pharmacist and obviously have some education. Not everyone in the world is a smart as you. Some people need things spelled out to them. Some people have learning disabilities. Did you ever things of that? Did you do what they taught you in school and ask him to show you how he will use the inhaler after you educated him? Oh, I forgot, you barely did educate him. This situation is nothing but a failure of a pharmacist to counsel a patient effectively.

See how that works? With a little cunning, you can tell me I'm wrong, pose your opinion, maybe even take a jab at me, have your comment posted, and not get permanently banned from my site WITHOUT BEING A SNIVELING PRICK. I'm not saying you can't swear. I'm not saying you can't question me or what I did. Just don't be a jerk. Don't attack me -- unless it is REALLY fucking funny and REALLY fucking good.

So, how do I remedy this? I thought about deleting all comments and blocking all future comments/discussion, but I value that input from fellow pharmacists and technicians. Instead, I've decided to require registration. That means that initial registration will require a name, verified email address, and maybe some other information as I see fit (such as an acceptance of terms of service). Then you can post comments on the site. After a certain number of approved comments, you will get the ability to post comments that skip my moderation -- after earning trust so to speak.

http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/wp-login.php?action=register

We'll see how this goes for a while. Maybe a little bothersome registration will prevent assholes from doing what they do best.

That's right. They call me at my job, who currently pays my bills, and asks me if I want to quit and work for any company that will take me. They will promise you the world. Can they deliver? They don't know. They don't care. They likely read off a script just like every other telemarketer in America.

I understand as well as anybody that it takes a ton of different people to make the world go around. For every job, there is a worker willing to take that job at that wage. It may not be what I would want to do, or what I could earn, but the job is there nonetheless.

But, how in the fuck do these people make their place in the world? I just don't get it! I could not imagine a pharmacist, regardless of their level of disgruntlement, saying, "Yeah, I'll quit this bitch for whatever job you can find me with XYZ company." I've never heard of someone doing it. So, I've never heard of a success story. To make matters worse, they bother us at our already hectic jobs. This pisses us off and REALLY makes me want to jump ship!

What makes this specific commenter all the more asinine is that I had a run in with her a while back. The Pharmacy Alliance had an oft-used email listserv prior to their meeting in Texas. She chimed in with this same recruitment chum. I didn't reply in a swear laden hate-speech. I didn't even tell her to go fuck herself. I just replied with, "Whoa."

Now, at work, I like to fuck with these people. The way I see it is that my time is money. I'm sure my time is worth more than there's, but I'm a huge dick and I like to get a laugh at other people's expense. I often ask them for all the details and not pay a lick of attention. Then I ask them again. After that I'll ask them random questions they have no business knowing until they get the hint. "Ma'am, why can't tigecycline be used for bactermia?" or "Why is Zyvox contraindicated in people on MAOIs?" or "What's the max daily dose of Oxycodone in a properly titrated person" or my personal favorite, "Why can't enteric coated aspirin be used to treat a headache?" If they still don't get the hint, I ask them, "Why does Mickey Mouse have big ears?" -- That's usually the fuck off question that gets em.

Bonus points for answering the real questions in the comments.

A new submission (form: "Contact Form")
============================================
Submitted on: June 4, 2008
Via: http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/contact/
By <edited out IP> (visitor IP).

"I've been reading your blog and you seem to be upset when people treat you no better than a cashier at Walmart. To top it off, you compare what you do for a living (counting pills and dropping them in a bottle) with the work of skilled trades like carpenters, electricians, and plumbers who work on your house.

Let's face it: You work behind a counter in a retail store, you hand things that you didn't build or produce to people and then you take their money. Why would you expect people (customers) to treat you any differently than a Walmart cashier?

Yes, you may have invested $150,000 more in your schooling than the person wearing the Walmart smock but what else separates you? Why should customers treat you like a deity?

By your own admission, you draw a pretty serious salary. I think you should just cash your humongous paychecks and try to give people the service they think they want or deserve. You are not a wise old doctor who is treating a patient. You are simply counting 100 pills (which you did not invent or manufacture) and putting them in a plastic bottle.

I have seen "medication vending machines" in the lobby of hospital emergency departments. I can't wait for the day when these automatic dispensing machines are available in every supermarket. I don't need to talk to someone who went to college for eight years just to get another thirty days worth of a medication I've been taking for years. I want to put my credit card in a machine, press a few buttons and have my prescription drop into a chute.

I get nearly all of my refills via Medco (mail order). I like using my PC to order medication refills in the middle of the night and then seeing the meds in my mailbox in a few days. I don't need someone who is making $150,000/yr to put three Advair 100/50's in an envelope and mail them to me. Some college kid getting $12/hour can do that. I can't stand going to Walgreens and being told "you have to wait for the pharmacist to come over and talk to you before you can leave the store with your new prescription." Why doesn't that rule apply when I purchase meds through Medco?

I'm sorry that customers treat you like dirt. But look at the scene from my side of the counter: You are handing a product over the counter and taking money from the customer. In the customer's mind, you are not very much different than a cashier at Walmart or the college kid working the cash register at a gas station."

Now that he's had his 2 cents (which I wouldn't pay him for), I get mine -- which is worth $55/hr. Advair eh? Who are you going to call when you get a white growth in your mouth that tastes horrendous? I sincerely hope you call the college student. He's going to laugh and ask for a picture to put on Collegehumor. He's not going to tell you that it's a fungal infection, because he didn't go to college and learn that inhaled steroids, like the one in your Advair can do that.

Your Medco scripts are reviewed by a pharmacist. If there are any problems (i.e. drug interactions), I guarantee that you and your doctor will be notified. You aren't "counseled" because a ton of literature is included, and they give a phone number...Legal obligations covered.

Do you have kids? Sick kid at 11pm. Better give the ole' vending machine a call and see what he says to give your 6 month old for a bad cough and high fever. Ask it for the dosing as well...some parents have been killing their kids by OD'ing them on antihistamines. Make sure it double checks the calculations. Or, there's a 24-hr Walgreens around the corner. The pharmacist may be asleep or watching a movie, but if you wake him up or get his attention, he'll be glad to help.

You're right in accessing our knowledge versus carpenters, electricians, mechanics or other trades. They have vast knowledge. I planned on doing a post on this in the future, but I'll address it know. If my car is going ca-chunk ca-chunk, I'm fucked. I know nothing about cars. I'm not super handy around the house. I can change a lightbulb, but I probably wouldn't trust myself to hang a ceiling fan. I've just never had to do that stuff before. Here's the thing though, if those things don't get done -- I won't die. If grandma stops taking her Warfarin because she doesn't know what it's for, she will die. I can tell you how the Warfarin works, why it works, what it treats, and most importantly, what OTHER drugs interact with it and could cause problems -- leading to that death thing I was talking about. Let's see an electrician explain what an INR is to a patient.

I paid a lot for my education. Sure, I do my fair share of 'merely putting pills in bottles that I didn't create or manufacture' -- but here's the real bitch of it, I could have. I could have gone into pharmaceutical research and development. Hell, two guys in my class DID! I am just not methodical enough to do that. You are right though, I didn't make those pills -- but here's the real bitch of it, I could have. I spent numerous classes learning aliquots and compounding. I could've made that cream, punched that capsule, or molded that suppository. It's mass produced cheaper and faster than I can do it. Many years ago, everything was made by the pharmacist, much like I could do it now. I just don't make every single product to save my patients money.

Scott, you may not think you need a pharmacist. You may not want the help of the pharmacist. That's fucking fine. We don't want you. As the international representative for all pharmacists, I hereby ban you from ever speaking to a pharmacist for any reason. You cannot ask questions. You cannot ask directions. You cannot ask for a tissue when you have a runny nose. You're officially blacklisted, cunt. To be honest, I'd rather spend my time and effort helping those that want to help themselves and respect my educated opinion.

Next time, if I want your opinion -- I'll head over to the Dairy Queen and see which is better: Chocolate or Strawberry.