Monday, November 14, 2016

Listening is a Skill, a REAL SKILL

So this lady calls first thing in the morning and starts talking to me like I know her issue and dilemma exactly.

Something about did we order the Budesonide because her husband really needs it and has to have it. It always makes me wonder about the people that call first thing in the morning about a medication they don't really need. Does that happen? Of course you really need it. Why are we discussing that?

I tell her that I was off yesterday afternoon and have no idea what she's talking about but I'll look it up. I go to our outstanding orders. Nothing. I come back to the phone and she's still talking like I never left.

I ask for the name and birthdate of her husband. She gets agitated and gives it to me. I look up her husband. He has a profile but no drugs listed on his profile.

I tell her the bad news. Now she's extremely agitated and wants to know when the nice lady she talked to yesterday will be there. I said she was just a floater tech and wouldn't be back.

I promise her I will find out what's going on and call her. She hangs up then calls back immediately... like 30 seconds was enough time for me to figure it all out. She tells me again how her husband is desperate to get the medicine (thanks for the review on that) and how she desperately needs to talk to the nice lady pharmacist that helped her yesterday.

Then the lightbulb clicked on for me. I said we don't have a female pharmacist at this location.

"Isn't this Flea Circus Drugs?"

"No, this is Goofmart. That's why I answered the phone GOOFMART PHARMACY... twice."

<click>

4 comments:

Crohnie said...

In this lady's defense - that drug can have some nasty side effects if you stop it cold rather than tapering. I almost ended up in the hospital after a blood pressure crash while attempting to taper it. When I went to a work meeting an hour away and realized I forgot to take my med, I called my doc to see if I'd be okay skipping a dose or if I should go home and get it (totally screwing up my schedule). He was quite concerned and called a pharmacy near my meeting for me to be able to get a dose to get through the day.

I totally understand why this call frustrated you but you see patients all the time that think everything is an emergency that isn't. Going without this drug is an emergency, at least according to my doc.

Anonymous said...

Why do these mouth-breathing idiots think it is completely ok to use us as emotional punching bags?

Oh wait, that's right. They've been told their ENTIRE LIVES that they are unique and important snowflakes and that every little emotion they feel must be acted upon and that every little desire must be fulfilled.

I hate people.

Anonymous said...

Had a moron walk into the local Wrong Aid that I work at and give the poor tech a hard time about whatever until I walked over and finally figured out that the idiot lady thought she was at the 'corner of happy and healthy.'

It wasn't until I repeatedly pointed at my lab coat and the plethora of logos plastered all over the pharmacy that she finally realized her mistake. I've never been more amused in my life as she tucked tail and literally ran out the front door. Stupid cow.

tbunni said...

Anon 2:16 - I wish I'd been there!

Although I almost understand her confusion. Along one heavily strip-malled (strip-mauled?) street in my town (which when I was a child was a lovely, edge-of-town lane) we have two "happy and healthy", one Wrong Aid, a danger-way, tri-mart, buy-ko and two Barrier-marts. All within a six mile stretch. And nearly everyone uses red, white and/or blue in some combination in their logo. I guess we really need our meds.