Of course you want to get it filled. Why else would you be here? Do you think I'm so stupid that I don't know that? Did you think if you don't tell me you want it filled that I'm going to use the paper instead of Kleenex or that I'm going to just throw it away?
When people bring prescriptions to the pharmacy, what do they think is the option there? Most people don't even know that yes, there is another possibility... that we could put the prescription on record in our computer and we can fill it later. Yes, that's an option, and yes, some people do drop off prescriptions with the intention of having them placed on hold. But like I said, most people don't know that.
So what is it that these people think we're going to do with these prescriptions if we don't fill them. Here's twenty options:
"Here's my prescription. I want to..."
1. "get it filled."
2. "have you enter it on your computer so I may fill it at a later date."
3. "let you use it as Kleenex then throw it away."
4. "make a paper airplane out of it and sail it around the pharmacy. Weeee!"
5. "roll it up and let's snort some Cocaine."
6. "have you check the spelling on my name."
7. "use the corner to get a piece of food out of my teeth."
8. "use your Origami skills and make me a swan!"
9. "fold it up as a paper football. Let's play!"
10. "use it as kindling to start a fire! It's dang cold in here!"
11. "hide it in the pharmacy and have the techs try and find it."
12. "rub it in your hair to get some static electricity and stick it to the wall."
13. "cut it up and have you use it for Scrap-Booking."
14. "have you keep it with you at all times to remind you of me."
15. "play rock, paper, scissors. Now where's the rock and scissors?"
16. "learn all about how doctors write prescriptions. Can you help me decipher it?"
17. "say goodbye. Bye, little piece of paper. I love you."
18. "have you stop chewing gum. Put your gum here!"
19. "help you clean up something. It's a tiny dust pan!"
20. "test the sharpness of your spatula, RxMan..."
Hi there Crazy,
ReplyDeleteWe get a lot of people who bring in their rxs for us to put on file, so they won't misplace it. But we're pretty firm on not filling rxs early, so our patients are really accustomed to us telling them that we filled 3 of the meds on their new rx and logged the fourth because it was too early.
I practice in the Yukon Territory, Canada (next door to Alaska).
"make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl"
ReplyDeleteNumber 11 (Hide it in the Pharmacy and have the techs try and find it.) is actually the option of choice at our local Wal-Mart!
ReplyDeleteAs a generally polite person, this post bugs me a little. When I bring a prescription in, I ALWAYS say some variant on "I'd like to get this filled, please"... because that, too me, is far politer then just thrusting it in their faces and walking away. You're a person, behind the counter and I try to treat you with respect, which means politely asking you to do your job, and greeting you in a polite manner. ESPECIALLY as otherwise I would be being asked "How can I help you?" which would lead to "can you please fill this for me?" conversation.
ReplyDeleteIt might be frustrating because you hear it 20 times a day, but it's only polite from my side.
You have these things in every service job. I call pizza hut, I say that I'd like to place an order. Yet it'd be rude if I just said "I want a pepperoni pizza". And! At least in the circumstances of the pizza, jumping right to the food is awkward because before they can fill out my pizza order, they need to get my address/phone number, discover if I'm asking for delivery or carry out, and so forth. Saying "I would like to place an order" allows the employee to initiate their work conversation.
To me... same deal with the pharmacy. Do you need my name and address before you accept my prescription? I don't know! "Can you please fill this" makes it clear what my purpose is, standing in front of the counter. And in most circles, just shoving a paper towards you would be considered rude!
Yeah, I have to agree with Jenet. What would you prefer customers say/do when presenting a prescription to be filled?
ReplyDelete"Hi, I have a new prescription."
ReplyDeleteThink of it like this: You go to the movie theater and tell the person at the window, "I want to see a movie." Yeah, they know that, duh. Instead, say "I would like two tickets to The Pharmacist Terminator, please."
If it only happened 20 times a day I could handle that. But this happens 200 billion times every day. I don't know how to explain it with language that would make you understand the depth of despair this creates. It's not much different than people who call up on the phone and say, "I want you to refill my Lipitor generic. That's my cholesterol medication." I don't need to be told it's your cholesterol med. They covered that in Pharmacy school. I know what it is for, just like I know you want to get your prescription filled when you hand it to me at the drop off window.
And like I said at the beginning, it's a LITTLE thing that drives me nuts. I'm the CRAZY RxMan, remember? What makes someone crazy is all the little things added up over the years.
As for the prescription "push" on the counter... that drives me nuts too. I have a blog post coming up about that next week.
Stay tuned...
I usually give over the script, say good morning/afternoon to the staff and tell them which ones I want filled and whether or not I want the generic. (APO brand salbutomol is foul). I also ask if they want any more breastfeeding association schedules. Mind you I know the pharmacist by name due to my volunteer work and the fact that unless it's an urgent script out of their opening hours we go there pretty much exclusively.
ReplyDeleteI don't like it when I'm searching for a filled prescription and the patient helpfully states "I got a phone call saying it was ready". Yes, it's ready. That's why I'm looking for it in this big bin of filled prescriptions! No, I just like to paw through them for a few minutes to catch a bit of a breather before addressing you.
ReplyDelete