Next up maybe... consulting?

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Anyone have any advice on this one?  The other is a work from home opportunity.  I smell lack of discipline and the ability to blog all day long... LOL! I typed up my notice and handed it to my boss this past Monday.  He interrupted me and asked me if that is where I was that morning, at an interview?  "No.  I was at a medical appointment, as I said.  I have no reason to lie."  What the hell?  I'm turning in my notice and you are accusing me of trying to find another job?  Hello!  I haven't found another job yet.  I'm in no hurry because all I know is that I want the heck out of candy packing and doing nothing.  Let me share what I'm doing today since the candy packing is long over with.   I am going through a 900 pages of MARS for a nursing home they are supposedly starting in November.  I am counting how many bottles of each medication that they need to purchase.  Are you freaking kidding me?  It's called busy work, and I hate it!!!!!

Packing tic-tacs and hot tamales again

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Can't beat it!  I don't have to worry about drug interactions or drug duplications!  It's easy as pie, and I won't kill anyone say I change Mickey Mouse's red cinnamon tic-tac for a new lemon tic-tac!  There's no implications, no loss of licensure.  I have no sleepless nights tossing about wondering if I filled the prescription correctly for it is a sugary treat with no side effects except maybe a blood sugar increase or stomachache. Boss man walked over to check on me today asking, "How's it going over here?  Do you have the box running over?"

I thought, "Do you see the damn box running over you idiot?"  but said, "Not yet."  The not yet tone was very monotonous though.  No hope in that one at all.

I got paid today.  It's earmarked partly for a new Ann Taylor suit for I have two interviews scheduled for next week:  consulting position and a staff position with their competitor.

Watch out.  Blonde Pharmacist is out applying for another new job.  This time I'm going to get it right.

Today...

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Today consisted of me packing different colored Tic Tacs and hot tamales into packages for Boss.  There are no orders to do, so I am stuck packing candy.  And eating candy.  And cussing under my breath at the injustice of it all!  Seriously though (LOL), I am well on my way to finding another opportunity.  I still want the work from home position and also interested in a possible consulting position.  Both sound good to me.  Wish me luck! In the meantime, I typed up a resignation letter.  "I regret to inform you that my last day will be August 31, 2007.  There are several issues here that hinder my professional growth."  (You are an asshole... oh wait... can't say that).

Today, I heard one of the two technicians tell the boss that he had had a phone call while out of his office.  He interrupted her to ask her, "Did you think to ask them what they wanted?"  Um.  Wait a minute... did she think?  It's not really what he says, it's HOW he says it...  he has this incredible berating tone to his northern accent.  I'd like to bitchslap him.

I chickened out on the resignation thing but I feel deeply I need to keep working for the money.  If he wants to pay me more than 100K per year to pack candy, then so be it.  I just know that better things are coming.

Thanks for the comments!

To the lady that has been out of school for two years and moving across the state and wants out of retail... I remember when I was in your shoes...  I BEGGED.  Literally... and wore a $300.00 suit to the interview...  I presented myself well... and it worked.

I need to go suit shopping again this week.  It's time to stun!

Magic Mouthwash (the vague term for a concoction of ANYTHING)

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When I worked in retail pharmacy, a physician would write a prescription for "Magic Mouthwash" and the patient would hand over the prescription with this look of "magic."  This special blend of WHATEVER would be the cureall for their sore mouth and throat caused by thrush or radiation or any other mouth/throat pain condition.  The physician rarely would include what he/she "thought" to be their special recipe.  So, we would have to call and clarify. "What would Dr. Doe like in his magic mouthwash?"  I would ask simply.

"Magic Mouthwash?"  asks the nurse, "I don't know.  What do you normally put in it?"

Sigh.  "Well we could start with diphenhydramine, lidocaine, and nystatin all at a 1:1:1 ratio or we could do tetracycline and throw in some mylanta with the formerly mentioned ingredients at all different ratios.  There are probably a 100 different magic mouthwashes out there.  What is the doctor treating?"

And it would end up that I could pick whatever I wanted.  That made me think... hmmm  placebo effect.

So what exactly should you put in Magic Mouthwash?

The usual concoction contains equal amounts of viscous lidocaine and diphenhydramine for analgesia...and Maalox or a similar antacid to enhance coating of the ingredients in the mouth.  Some also include nystatin to prevent or treat fungal growth...a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation...or tetracycline to prevent secondary bacterial infections.

 

Who knows if this stuff even works and is worth the money since we pharmacists usually tack on a compounding fee.  I say get a prescription for lidocaine viscous and buy your own benadryl solution and mylanta and make your own... for less.

Alli - a new name = magic for the nonmedical community, apparently

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Alli was born over-the-counter recently. It's the old Xenical drug (Orlistat) made by GlaxoSmithKline. Have you ever tried this medication personally? I have to share. Though, I will warn you, this is definitely TMI (too much information for those of you not into text messaging, short cuts, or the current way to speak... LOL). I took Xenical when it came out. Um (blushing) embarrassed to say I bought 5 capsules from the independent pharmacy I was working for... I know I know... unethical right? ANYWAY! There's issues with loss of Vitamins A, D, E, and K absorptions and also the potential for ANAL LEAKAGE. Yep. Anal Leakage.

What is anal leakage? Well it's where you can't control the oil slick coming out of your ass. I remember being horrified thinking, "Oh oh." Ran in a heated sprint to the bathroom (luckily at home!) and immediately there was a layer of OIL that spread out in the toilet water. OIL. What in God's name???

The new nonprescription diet drug Alli is flying off store shelves, but most people who use it will lose very little weight and may experience embarrassing side effects.

• Forum: About 20% of people who use Alli will lose 10% or more of their body weight. But most don't lose much weight at all, and some suffer embarrassing gastrointestinal side effects. Will you try the pill? Join a discussion.

Pharmacies are reporting brisk sales of Alli (pronounced like the noun "ally"), which is sold by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and is the first over-the-counter diet drug to win FDA approval. Unlike other prescription weight-loss drugs such as Meridia and the generic phentermine, Alli doesn't make you feel full, reduce cravings or curb your appetite. Instead, it prevents the body from breaking down and absorbing fat.

The active ingredient in Alli is orlistat, which is found in a higher dose in the prescription diet drug Xenical. Alli blocks about 25% of the fat you eat; Xenical blocks one-third of the fat you ingest. For instance, a half-cup serving of Haagen-Dazs ice cream has about 320 calories and 19 grams of fat. Alli, which is taken with meals, would prevent the body from absorbing about 4.75 fat grams or about 43 calories. If you consume about 2,000 calories a day and eat about 30% fat, the fat-blocking benefits of Alli would translate to about 150 calories a day. A pound of weight loss equals 3,500 calories.

Here's what users of orlistat, the ingredient in Alli, can expect from the weight-loss drug:

• One in five will lose 10% or more of body weight

• Half will lose less than 5% of their body weight

• Side effects include gas, oily discharge and loose stools

The downside of Alli is the fat it blocks can come out of your body in embarrassing ways. The Glaxo Web site, myalli.com, warns the drug can cause gas with oily discharge as well as frequent or loose stools. The site suggests it's probably a "smart idea" to wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes to work if you use Alli.

To avoid the side effects, Glaxo suggests limiting fat intake to 15 grams a meal. Many Americans consume 80 to 100 grams of fat a day. Glaxo officials concede that many people would lose weight on their own with a diet that's moderate in fat, but that the pill helps them lose more weight.

"If you'd lose 10 pounds on a diet, you'll lose 15 pounds by adding Alli to your diet,'' says Vidhu Bansal, director of medical affairs for Glaxo's consumer-health division.

If someone is consuming a diet already low in fat and high in carbohydrates, they likely won't get much benefit from Alli. However, doctors say most people are eating far more fat than they realize.

Orlistat has been used by an estimated 28 million people world-wide, and studied in 30,000 subjects in about 100 trials. In a 1999 Journal of the American Medical Association report, 1,187 dieters, who weighed an average of 220 pounds, took either a placebo or 120 mg of orlistat (twice the dose of Alli). After one year, individuals in the orlistat group lost an average of 19.27 pounds, about 50% more than the 12.8-pound average weight loss in the placebo group.

Yeah, um, I don't know about this one... I can see it now. Misinformed customers buying the drug and LOTS and LOTS of accidents in the underwear!

Wittiest comebacks in retail pharmacy

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This morning I am not scheduled to work, so I decided to look around the blogosphere and find some retail pharmacy blogs.  They are the funniest ones after all constantly reminding us all what assholes the general public is today.  Without further ado here is a good one.  The Angriest Pharmacist posts about receiving a fax from a CUSTOMER to refill his meds.  I probably in my passive-aggressive style would have personally played the blonde card and pretended the fax was broken and that I didn't get the fax.  Then, I would have probably continued on to do more things to have my own satisfaction internally at watching an asshole customer squirm.  These are some of the reasons I left the retail world.  I wanted to personally choke about 30% of my customers. Case-in-point, one of my favorite top three stories from retail occurred at the same store while floating that the gay man visited in my previous post.  A man walks in holding his five year old son and asks me to refill his son's albuterol nebules for his breathing treatments.  Of course, the man has TennCare.  Don't you just miss TennCare pharmacists in Tennessee?  What a crock of shit.  Anyway, I submit the claim online, as we do immediately to file for coverage, get the copay, etc... and lo and behold this man had JUST refilled it a few days ago.

"Sir, I submitted your claim through your insurance."  Keep in mind here that I didn't say TennCare.  I could have done that.  Still staying professional.  "Unfortunately, it was just refilled a week ago, and because the doctor's directions specify a certain number of days per refill, your insurance will not cover the cost this time."  I always hated that explanation.  I hated that I HAD to represent the thousands of insurance companies out there telling them why FOR the companies.  Toward the end of my 3 year tenure in retail, I learned to plaster a face on that basically said, "These insurance companies are so..." and then I would proceed to dial the phone number to the company and get a rep on the phone and then HAND THE PHONE TO THE CUSTOMER for any questions about the copay, when it was last filled, etc...  I got to the point where I would actually say, "Ma'am, I'm sorry.  I work for (Drugstore).  I'm not familiar with the thousands of insurance plans out there.  Can I dial your insurance company for you as I really have no information about your insurance that YOU pay for..."

Anyway, I digress, the man holding his son wanting his albuterol refilled raised his voice immediately and going into what I called "Bulldog Stance."  "WHAT?!  It's not going to cover it?  Little Johnny NEEDS his BREATHING treatment for his ASTHMA!"  Customers nearby start to notice his loud mouth.  He's trying to draw them in for backing of sympathy.

I had none.  "Sir, I'll be glad to ring this up for you - cash price is $21.00."

"I am NOT paying for it!!!!  It's supposed to be covered."  He is obviously enraged.  I had a certifiable nutcase.  Great.

"Sir, once again.  I don't know how else to explain it but to get TennCare on the phone to explain it to you.  I don't work for them and only submit the claim where they decide to approve or deny.  They are stating via computer, "TOO SOON."  I look sympathetically at his son in his arms.  Too big to be carried, but he's witnessing his Dad's total ASS-OUT.

"I cannot beLIEVE you will not fill that prescription."

"Sir, I filled your prescription.  It's right here.  YOUR INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER IT.  I will gladly ring it up for cash price and you can call your insurance company and file it at home if you wish."  Here we go.  Now I'm not filling the rx.  Yep, that's right.

He's ranting and raving and as he does so he must be squeezing his child tighter because the child wimpers, "Daddy, you are hurting me..."

He looked at his child and then at me, even go as far as pointing one of his fingers at me, "No son, I am not hurting you.  SHE is."

I immediately said, "What am I doing over here?  A Jedi mind trick for you to squeeze your child because you are being completely irrational and not listening to me about the insurance that you own, not me?  UNREAL."  I put his prescription in the bins again turning my back on him.

"I WILL HAVE YOUR JOB; I WILL TALK TO YOUR BOSS!!"  He's livid at this point and the crowd about him seems to realize that he's a nutcase as well and throws me sympathy looks.

"I really could care less about this job and having to deal with people like you."  This is where I lost it.  He stares at me and I continue, "But I want to congratulate you on giving everyone, including your son, a fine performance of how to be an asshole."  And then, no I didn't.  I CLAPPED.

I kind of realized then it was time for me to move on.  Retail wasn't for me anymore.  I'd get myself shot.

Sometimes I have to remember the horror of retail pharmacy...

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I remember several years ago... in 2001 to be exact... I was floating for a pharmacy corporation which meant I would be sent to the worst part of town during the most unsafe times.  My first experience at this particular store included a homosexual man demanding that his valium would be filled by a certain time that day.  It was coming in the order, so I couldn't fill it until the delivery guy brought the drugs the pharmacy was out of...  his valium was one of those drugs.  The customer told me that his medicine would be filled by 2pm because he had to catch a plane. UM... ok.  2pm.  Sounds good, except buddy, I don't know what times the drugs are delivered.  I am a floater... not a regular pharmacist that you can verbally abuse.  Needless to say, he threw around the ultimatum again in the air and flippantly walked out with his head held high like a proud rooster ruling the coop.

2pm rolls around.  The drugs aren't delivered yet.  Mr. Homosexual comes back and demands his pills.  "I'm sorry, sir, the delivery hasn't made it yet.  I don't have your medication filled."

He was beyond upset.  He was livid as he spewed, "You have NO idea what it feels like to be gay and flying into BUSH COUNTRY for the funeral of a dear friend who died of AIDS."

"Nope," I said, "I sure don't.  I don't have a clue."

He got his meds at 2:30pm.  I did the best I could!

Teamwork and Positive Attitude!!!

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There was this cheery orientation video that we all had to watch with the rest of the newbies during the Human Resources' led introduction. I cannot remember the exact name of it, but it had phrases come across the screen of what staff members should NOT say to other members of the staff or patients in the hospital. Rather than: "No. I don't know." Say: "No... but let me find out for you."

There were twenty or more of them, and oh... what a perfect world it seemed for that 10 minutes of listening to those positive and helpful statements. In the real world, I remember the first three weeks of work. I heard them all.

"No... it's not my job."

"Sorry, I don't know."

Or just ignored me. I felt like the biggest idiot asking question after question but considering there was no real formal training program, I guess I got by after four weeks of it.

Andy gave me a brand-new shiny white notebook filled with a 5 week training schedule, a page to write down all my usernames and passwords... (um... doesn't that defeat the purpose?), and blank pages to write notes. OK.

A few words about the training schedule.

I don't know how many of you pharmacists out there have specialty pharmacists, but it's this new phenomenon of further separating the pharmacists from those with residencies and fellowships. We have a few female specialty pharmacists: critical care, infectious disease, pain management, and a couple of others. And their boss, Ann, who has about a month left before she moves away. Most of the regular staff (non-residency pharmacists) cannot stand Ann because they say she forced more work on them and our boss Andy didn't stand up for them. OK. Whatever. Now we have to calculate creatinine clearances for Vancomycin, etc... Big deal. Doesn't matter to me.

Part of the training schedule included meeting with every single one of the specialty pharmacists, etc... and discussing what they do and taking me up on the floors to see them in action. One of them did her job with that setting up the meeting and showing me what she does, etc... One of them mentioned setting something up in three or four days but never delivered or remembered it later (That would be Jessica, who seems nice enough)... is that MY job to remind her? It's THEIR TRAINING PROGRAM! Another one of them, Kimmie, never mentioned it or anything. Geeze. So I didn't see any of it.

The third week, I saw my boss Andy completely ass out. We have automatic orders that can be ordered in group by physicians and we don't have to see the actual written orders... they are pre-approved orders. They print off all day as the orders are being entered along with the scanned and written images we see. Sometimes we get a little bit behind on the pre-approved orders. Andy waltzes into our little room and asses out one day as we are behind on them but also severly understaffed. I saw the real Andy. He's passive aggressive.

Also the third week was when it was discovered by me that although we are in one department, we are severly divided. Staff vs. Clinical. I'm staff. Ann, Kimmie, Jessica, and management with some others are clinical. They have private celebrations for one another without including the staff and don't have the decency enough to take it off site but rather leaves us out. Like I care... but I remember the terms used in my interview...

"Oh Blonde Pharmacist...." Andy says nicely, "We have the best team attitude and everyone is positive and we are making sure that all new hires fit with us and vice versa."

Um. OK. I see what's going on here. He's hiring one person at a time to try to change the culture.

I don't want to be a part of the revolution!