Thursday, April 17, 2014

It's Not All Bad


It's not all bad in retail pharmacy. It's mostly bad, but not all bad. Ok, maybe it's like only 98% bad and 2% good. Or maybe it's just Goofmart Pharmacy and the band of Ferengi I work for. Or maybe it's just my particular district. I'm rambling now.

 But it's not all bad.

 Just recently I had THREE people, on THREE different occasions, come up to me and PERSONALLY thank me for the medication advice I gave them a few days ago. I don't even recall the specifics. But they felt I gave them excellent counsel and they came back to tell me they appreciated it.

 So yeah, it's not all bad.
A few months ago I dispensed an SSRI to a teenager. It was new to the patient and I counseled both the teen and the mom about the medication and talked about Serotonin Syndrome. It's a rare but serious possibility with drugs that affect Serotonin. I've only seen one case of actual Serotonin Syndrome in the past but I always mention it.

 My counseling paid off. Later that week the mother called me to thank me because she caught the symptoms early with her teen and the hospital confirmed that he was genuinely affected by the condition and were able to treat him immediately. Because I counseled the mother, the issue was caught early and she thanked me over and over again.

So yeah, it's not all bad. Keep your chin up, fellow pharmacists. The company thugs we work for may mock us for not putting profit above patient safety, but you and I both know what's most important.
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5 comments:

  1. iratecanadianpharmacistApril 17, 2014 at 5:51 PM

    I had a customer tell me she's glad I was there to explain to her about her newly diagnosed diabetes medications because I remember who she is. That made my week

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 17, 2014 at 5:57 PM

    Much love to you for a happy post! Good job Mister RxMan :D

    and bonus points for Ferengi :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. pharmaciststeveApril 17, 2014 at 7:41 PM

    Years ago.. I opened a new in house pharmacy in a out pt mental health facility.. A couple months into being their .. the in-house ARNP.. told me one day that she was dead set against the pharmacy being in house..but she was glad that the pharmacy was now there.. A couple of months later.. she told me the worst thing that could happen .. is that they took me away.. Other than owning my own store for 20 yrs.. the interaction with the in-house medical staff.. made it one of the best jobs I ever had.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 18, 2014 at 3:40 PM

    Well you just explained EVERYTHING. Healthcare is now run by the Ferengi. Everything at my job makes so much more sense now...

    ReplyDelete
  5. @drwalker_rphApril 19, 2014 at 4:45 PM

    It's always a great feeling when you have a patient make a special trip to the pharmacy just to say "you're the reason" we come to your pharmacy. You're what makes it worthwhile and retains my business.

    ReplyDelete

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