
Here, pharmacists share a few things they wish you knew.
1. I Went to School for Pharmacy; this Isn’t a Cheeseburger
Pharmacists have to fill up to 43 prescriptions in one hour. Medicine is important. Be patient, because we don’t have just one task to perform or one bottle of pills to fill in the next 15 minutes. Typically, it takes six years or more to become a Pharmacist.
2. I Work 12-16 Hour Days
Pharmacists sometimes work 12-16 hour days, often with no break and no meal in between. Tired, overworked people make more mistakes.
3. I am Always Rushed
Filling 43 prescriptions in an hour while making/answering pharmacy-related calls, cross checking insurance payments, cross-checking interactions and allergies, and directing a customer to the depilatory cream makes it hard to keep everything straight. Be Patient, please.
4. Be Alert
I really wish you’d help me to help you by being alert. Ask questions, read labels, take notes at the doctor’s office. You may catch a mistake that can be corrected before it can cause harm.
5. Be Patient
Don’t be angry because there is a wait time for your prescriptions. I am still human. Even I can’t read and process everything instantly. When you pick up your medicine, always take pharmacist counseling seriously, even if you are a health professional. The information I can give you could save your life.
6. I’m Not a Glorified Clerk
I really am a professional Plenty of folks don’t know that many pharmacists went to school for Pharmacy just as long as a medical doctor does for his license to practice. I am a highly-trained professional. While I am filling prescriptions and making sure they are right for my patients in every way, I don’t really have time to explain where the Cheezie-Poofs are in the front of the store.
7. I Don’t Choose My Working Conditions
I spend all day on my feet, sometimes without a break to go to the restroom or to eat. I work 12-16 hours in a rushed environment, supervising three or four other people. If I’m not cranking out prescriptions as quickly as a drive through with a burger and fries, I get in trouble, because my bosses aren’t pharmacists.
Pharmacists want to help you feel and be your best. The conditions many of them work under are in violation of many labor rules. A pharmacist’s worst nightmare is that something he gave a patient across his counter made them sick or caused harm. We have to keep speaking out against these corporations for the good of everyone - pharmacy patients, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists alike.
If a pharmacist mistake has harmed you or a loved one order our free book, "How to Make Pharmacies Pay For Injuries Caused by Medication Errors." This book will teach you how you can fight back against pharmacy errors. Call our pharmacy error lawyers for a free case review at 888-523-7616.