Lots of stuff to look at

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Celebrities, Laws, Lazy People, Me being a dick, Patient Education, Robbery, Salutations, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

Finally, a non bullshit assessment of generic drugs from someone without their head up their ass. They got valid opinions from people that matter and aren’t retarded.

http://www.newsmagazinenetwork.com/feature/cover-stories/090512-671/brand-name-versus-generic-drugs

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Here’s a case that is a bit odd.  Mother and son run away after MD tells them the 13 yr old’s Hodgkin’s Lymphoma  is worsening. Mother rejected chemo and western medicine and settled for tried, tested, and true homeopathic Indian Medicine.

The courts did not think this was a good idea.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/25/minnesota.forced.chemo/

Let us not forget,”Child Dies, Parents Perplexed”:
http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/2008/03/28/child-dies-parents-perplexed/

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Here’s a handful of bullshit. The slop was posted on AOL Health.com and made it into some even bigger channels. Everone better order a bottle of Vicodin, Norco, and Soma.

http://www.aolhealth.com/health/generic-drug-safety

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Pharmacist robbed. Pharmacist gets mad, concealed weapon permit. Pharmacy robbed again. Robber killed by Pharmacist. Pharmacist chases down second robber and shoots him in cold blood. Pharmacist in deep doo-doo.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/30/MNKG17TI7S.DTL

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Oprah’s health advice could make you very sick. Here’s an explanation from Newsweek saying why….I’ve said since the beginning that Neti Pots were the devil.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/200025

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Hope you enjoyed today’s helter skelter rag tag post.

Common Courtesy

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Cellphone, Courtesy, Education, Just a question, Lazy People, Me being a dick, Me hating others, Salutations, True Story

Courtesy – Etiquette, one aspect of decorum, is a code that governs the expectations of social behavior, according to the contemporary conventional norm within a society, social class, or group.

Common courtesy. I believe I deserve it. I don’t deserve it because I’m, “TheAngriestPharmacist.” I deserve it because I am a human-fucking-being. Everyone deserves it.

So, what the fuck am I talking about? I’ll spell it out for you amoral assholes out there that refuse to respond, then I’ll tell you EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

Simple Phone Call — Return call not 100% necessary.
Phone call w/ voicemail — Return call probably necessary.
Multiple Calls w/o voicemail — Return call necessary.
Text message question — Text answer necessary.
Text message request/favor — Text response necessary.
E-mail question/request — E-mail response necessary.

See how easy this shit is? It’s like, when you read the first part, you, like you know, like, KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU SHOULD DO! When I e-mail you, fucking email me back.

I’ve emailed an acquaintance about 13 days ago with a simple request. All I wanted to know was if I could go out to his wooded land and do a little squirrel/varmint hunting. I made it clear that I would not be shooting anything larger that he would want to hunt. I’m not taking a dog or anyone else (so limited liability/risk of accident). I gave him my days off so he’d know when I might be out there. I even gave him all my contact info — giving him numerous ways to get back in touch with me.

13 days have gone by — that’s fucking bullshit, America.

If he said, “No,” I WOULD NOT BE ANGRY. It’s his land. He owns it. I’m asking to use it to kill things. But, he hasn’t even extended me the fucking courtesy to say yes, no, or maybe. I re-sent the message after 8 days and still got not response.

Make no mistake, I don’t do what I am bitching about here. If someone emails TheAngriestPharmacist, I respond within 4 days (worst case scenario). Most of the time, I respond same day. If it’s going to be longer, I will send a quick email saying, “I got your email, and I’m gonna respond at length, just give me a few days.” The latter is most likely to happen when someone sends me an email which is going to result in a post — therefore the post is the reply, and I DO take the time to send the person the link to the post!

No one can every say TAestP isn’t courteous. Dickhead? Maybe.

I wish the rest of the world would extend me the same courtesy that I both give and expect.

What is important

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Just a question, Patient Education, Salutations

Who are you?

It’s a very pertinent question. It can be answered in a plethora of different ways. The way each person answers the question tells us a lot about them. It tells us where the priorities lie, what they think about themselves, their career, what they’ve done with their life, and perhaps even where they are going.

One could answer this question several ways:
I’m a pharmacist. — Tells us about a person’s career or career path.
I’m a man/woman. — Tells us of their gender role (obviously). They also think their manliness/femininity personifies them.
I’m a husband/wife. — Tells us the most important thing in their life is their relationship with their S.O.
I’m a (insert religion). — Tells us that their relationship with a higher power is important to them.
I’m a son/daughter. — Tells us they value family. They probably have a good relationship with their parents.
I’m a father/mother. — Tells us they have children and they are one of the most important things in their life.
I’m a brother/sister. — Again, tells us they value family and probably have a close relationship with their siblings.
I’m a Brother/Sister. — This one could tell us they were involved in a Fraternity and valued it and the relationships they forged from it.
I’m a [pharmacy] student. — Tells us where they want to go with their life. Their aspirations.

You see, we can learn a lot about someone with just a few words — with some assumptions and clever associations. But, what’s the most important thing about someone? That’s very easy. Do you know it?

THEIR NAME! A person’s name epitomizes who they are. If you know someone’s name, you may not know everything about them the statements above can tell us, but you have a way to get that information — an ‘in’ so-to-speak. Not knowing someone’s name — or forgetting it — can be a very embarrassing situation. I do all I can to remember the name of every person that comes into my pharmacy. I think every Pharmacist and Technician should. Not only does it help us ensure the right person gets the medicine, it lets the person know that you care WHO they are and not just WHAT they are buying or HOW much they are spending.

Do whatever you need to do to remember everyone’s name. Write it down. Say it ten times in your head while looking right at them. Take a mental picture. Do whatever works! Simply by announcing someone’s name as they enter the pharmacy pretty much guarantees you a customer/patient for life. (“Hey James [or Mr. Smith]! What’re you up to today?” — or — “Hey John! How is that new Blood Pressure medicine working?” [with respect to patient privacy, of course])  It also ensures that you will probably get the benefit of the doubt should you ever make a mistake or screw the person over by accident. That personal relationship will help make sure that cool heads prevail, and it also will assure that angry patients see you as a human, with a name, that can make mistakes. But, as a human, you are allowed to be remorseful of those mistakes and apologize….all from knowing something as simple as someone’s name.

So, readers, I ask you this, WHO ARE YOU?

Have a nice day

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Just a question, Rude, Salutations

“Have a nice day.” — “Have a good day.” — “Have a great day.” — “Have a good weekend.”

I refuse to say any variation of the above when I am working the register. It’s not that I’m not polite to people, I just feel that it means nothing. Everyone hears it all day long, with every purchase they make, every person they have an encounter with. With everyone saying this, it just means very little. There’s no power behind it. Also, does it really make you have a better day? Having a high school-aged cashier tell me, “Have a nice day,” does nothing for me. It doesn’t make me feel better, it isn’t an ego booster, and it certainly does not mean that I am going to have a good day.

Additionally, do we care if the person has a nice day? Most of the time our patients are sick, so they are not going to have a nice day. Sometimes, they are rude, so we don’t WANT them to have a nice day. Sometimes they are perfect, and we do want them to have a nice day. So, why don’t we reserve that for the people we enjoy, care about, and want to have a nice day — those great patients that love and respect us, that hug us and call in their refills early, that understand “the doctor did not call back” does not mean “the pharmacist won’t give you your medicine.” They deserve a great day. They get a little more out of me in terms of politeness. Everyone else does not get that from me.

So, is that rude? Am I wrong? I’m sure someone out there has some crazy reason for why I should say, “have a nice day” — or why they do. It’s not going to change my mind, but I will humor you.

What do I say to end a sale and say goodbye?

“Thanks a lot. We’ll see you next time.” — because hopefully, if I’ve done my job right, they’ll want to come back, whether for an Rx, beer, or a greeting card.

Have a nice day,
The Angriest Pharmacist