Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Jan's on Second, but Who's on First?

A lady appears at the PICK UP window...

"I'm here to pick up a prescription for Jan Flickendorf."

I look. Nothing is in will-call.

"I don't have anything for you."

"But I got a phone call less than a week ago."

"What's your birthdate?"

"10/7/1945"

I type it in. Nothing comes up. "Will you please verify your birth date for me?"

Eyes roll. "10/7/1945!"

"I don't have you in the computer. What was the last name again?"

"Flickendorf!" she yells it at me.

I see your name here, but the birth date isn't 10/7/45. But I do have Jan Flickendorf. I'm sorry. What was the medication you needed?"

"I don't know. YOUR computer called me."

I fiddle some more, then I see it. We filled Avodart twelve days ago. Nine days after that it went back to stock because it wasn't picked up. But I'm troubled. Why would this lady need Avodart? I see weird stuff all the time, but I'm still troubled.

"I see we filled Avodart twelve days ago. When it wasn't picked up, it went back to stock."

"Well HE needs it now! He just ran out!"

"Who?"

"Jan!"

"I'm sorry, aren't you picking up a prescription for you?"

"JAN IS MY HUSBAND. THE NAME 'JANET' IS A WOMAN's name. I'M PICKING UP FOR MY HUSBAND, JAN."

Based on the angry response, I think this has happened a few times since 1945.

And there you go... that explains everything, except why someone would give their own birthday when picking up for someone else, or why someone would give a son a woman's name at birth. But apparently "Jan" was a popular boy's name in the 1940s. Unfortunately, that was quite awhile ago and this is the FIRST time I've come across a male named Jan and I've been around a few years. All the people named Jan that I know are female.

"I'll get it filled right now."

"Why wasn't it ready for me now? Your computer called me."

"You mean Jan?"

"Yes, I mean Jan!"

"The prescription was filled twelve days ago. Ten days ago you would have received your first call. Seven days after that it would have gone back to stock?"

"Why?"

"We put things back to stock after nine days."

"But wasn't out of medication!"

"You mean Jan?"

"Yes, I mean Jan!"

I briefly fiddle on the computer. The dates indicate that Jan the man isn't fully adhering to his medication therapy. I try to explain this to Mrs. Flickendorf.

"Well I don't care... your computer called me too early."

"You mean Jan."

"YES I MEAN JAN."



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Jan" is Danish or Dutch for "John" and is a popular male name in Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

Anonymous said...

Trust me...the same thing happens in the doctors office. You get all the way to date of birth...THEN. they tell you they are not the pt....spouse..child or sig other is!