A woman came in the other night to purchase her daughter's Ovide prescription in addition to four bottles of a hydrating creme by Sunsilk.
Ovide, by the way, is essentially a nuclear bomb for the head lice community.
As she started to leave, she said as an afterthought, "Your hair looks a bit dry and you seem to have a lot of fly-aways. You should try this [referring to the Sunsilk]; it really helps."
At first, I was offended. How dare head-lice woman comment on the arid desert that is my hair! My head may be conducting enough static electricity to stop the heart of small animals, and it may appear as though small tumbleweeds have taken up residence on my scalp, but... your kid has little bugs living, shitting, fornicating, and laying eggs in her hair! I was not about to take criticisms from her, no matter how constructive they might be!
But I swallowed my pride and thought, 'what the hell.' We had received a shipment of Sunsilk bottles written entirely in Spanish, and, as such, they had been marked 75% off, so I picked one up. I was happy that my five years of studying Spanish came in handy for once--I was able to read the directions on the label.
Well, anonymous-head-lice-eradicating woman, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and I tried it today after my shower.
You may not be able to keep parasites off your kid's head, but you sure know a thing or two about how to moisturize your follicles.
My fly-aways were, indeed, tamed.
So, thanks.
--IISgirl ... at least my hair will look good for my final tomorrow.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Are you Irritable too?
So, obviously me and IISGirl are pretty...irritated with school and work.
Are you pissed off as well? Let us know, email either me irritableinternboy@gmail.com or IISGirl at irritableinterngirl@gmail.com
We want to hear your stories of your adventures as a pre-pharm/pharmacy student or as a pharm tech/intern!
If your story is amazingly funny, we will post it and give you total props for it!
--IISBoy...so busy studying for finals I am asking you to write my latest post for me!
Are you pissed off as well? Let us know, email either me irritableinternboy@gmail.com or IISGirl at irritableinterngirl@gmail.com
We want to hear your stories of your adventures as a pre-pharm/pharmacy student or as a pharm tech/intern!
If your story is amazingly funny, we will post it and give you total props for it!
--IISBoy...so busy studying for finals I am asking you to write my latest post for me!
Productivity
Clearly today was a productive day at work. Strangely enough we have not been ridiculously busy the past few weekends. I haven't been sure what to do with all the extra time. I've actually had time to go to the bathroom, eat, and read a magazine! IISboy was nice enough to call me this morning and we had a nice chat under the guise of "calling for copies." You know things have been bad at the pharmacy when my coworker says, "IISgirl, someone on line 2 asked for you by name," and I ask, "Do they sound angry?"
The other memorable part of the day consisted of another intern and I emptying desiccant packages into a big vial (I believe it was an empty budeprion xl bottle) until it was entirely full of silica gel particles and shaking it around like a maracca. It killed about 30 minutes of time. This idea came about at around 2:30PM, actually, so we ended up having to dig through the trash to find all of the day's discarded desiccants.
Then I realized that the maracca was producing a lot of dust, and breathing it will probably cause silicosis of the lungs, a nasty chronic inflammatory condition. So as a final act before we got rid of our potentially hazardous concoction, we decided to test its absorbency, since its whole point is to protect important things like shoes and drugs from moisture.
Apparently adding (several ounces of) water to desiccants causes an exothermic reaction, and a bunch of heat generated very quickly. We couldn't hold the bottle anymore. We were afraid that it might melt all over the counter, so we threw it in the trash and then monitored the trash for the next hour to make sure it didn't catch fire. As of 3:59 when I left, the trash had not caught fire, so it's out of my hands now.
By the way; for being a desiccant, it wasn't as absorbent as I thought it would be, and I certainly don't want an exothermic reaction happening every time some moisture seeps into my bottle of Vicodin.
IISboy tried to call me out in his last post, but I am still too scatter-brained to write the essay that I would undoubtedly compose.
--IISgirl ... I have a Saturday night off work! I don't know what to do with myself!
The other memorable part of the day consisted of another intern and I emptying desiccant packages into a big vial (I believe it was an empty budeprion xl bottle) until it was entirely full of silica gel particles and shaking it around like a maracca. It killed about 30 minutes of time. This idea came about at around 2:30PM, actually, so we ended up having to dig through the trash to find all of the day's discarded desiccants.
Then I realized that the maracca was producing a lot of dust, and breathing it will probably cause silicosis of the lungs, a nasty chronic inflammatory condition. So as a final act before we got rid of our potentially hazardous concoction, we decided to test its absorbency, since its whole point is to protect important things like shoes and drugs from moisture.
Apparently adding (several ounces of) water to desiccants causes an exothermic reaction, and a bunch of heat generated very quickly. We couldn't hold the bottle anymore. We were afraid that it might melt all over the counter, so we threw it in the trash and then monitored the trash for the next hour to make sure it didn't catch fire. As of 3:59 when I left, the trash had not caught fire, so it's out of my hands now.
By the way; for being a desiccant, it wasn't as absorbent as I thought it would be, and I certainly don't want an exothermic reaction happening every time some moisture seeps into my bottle of Vicodin.
IISboy tried to call me out in his last post, but I am still too scatter-brained to write the essay that I would undoubtedly compose.
--IISgirl ... I have a Saturday night off work! I don't know what to do with myself!
Monday, April 14, 2008
For your viewing DISpleasure
Pre-Test Anger
So its that time of the semester again...Finals. It is the most magical time of the year for me- the time in which I begin to understand what the professor has been saying for the past few months and for the first time I feel like I actually know something. Finals week (or weeks for us) is also the time in which those annoying people in my class begin to get even more annoying...they are constantly saying, "ohhh buddyyy--are you ready!???" or "aww im totally going to fail...just kill me!" Oh My God. The world does not understand how seriously I get pissed off when someone comes to me and bitches me out because I am not complaining or as nervous as they are about an upcoming exam.
For instance today...we had an exam later into the day and we still had lecture this morning, so for this 3 hour lag time I was beginning to freak out just because the people around me are going psycho! What the hell? I feel like I am going to fail just because the dumbass next to me is so damn jittery it looks like he's gonna drop a brick in his Fruit of the Looms. Sit your ass down and breathe!!!!!
This is why I don't like to study with anyone...I am not antisocial because I totally love to be around people, but I do not want to second guess my confidence (btw I am not that smart...I just am really confident in what I know) and go crazy! I just want to sit down review my stuff and take the damn exam---not waste my time and contemplate with others on what is or is not going to be on an exam...how the hell is that gonna help me if I'm not spending the time to actually learn that stuff!?
So people if you are one of the million that goes crazy before an exam (it is good to stress, a little) leave me the HELL alone!
Its not like I go into study groups and sit down with a smug look and just say "fucking losers--this shit is easy!" (Those people fuckin make me even more angrier!)
So basically my point is...
I dont really have a point, I just needed to vent and I'm sure there are many of you out there that can relate to this and feels just as much, if not more, anger about stupid nervous people as I do.
---Your Angry (and stressed out) Intern---
IISBoy
For instance today...we had an exam later into the day and we still had lecture this morning, so for this 3 hour lag time I was beginning to freak out just because the people around me are going psycho! What the hell? I feel like I am going to fail just because the dumbass next to me is so damn jittery it looks like he's gonna drop a brick in his Fruit of the Looms. Sit your ass down and breathe!!!!!
This is why I don't like to study with anyone...I am not antisocial because I totally love to be around people, but I do not want to second guess my confidence (btw I am not that smart...I just am really confident in what I know) and go crazy! I just want to sit down review my stuff and take the damn exam---not waste my time and contemplate with others on what is or is not going to be on an exam...how the hell is that gonna help me if I'm not spending the time to actually learn that stuff!?
So people if you are one of the million that goes crazy before an exam (it is good to stress, a little) leave me the HELL alone!
Its not like I go into study groups and sit down with a smug look and just say "fucking losers--this shit is easy!" (Those people fuckin make me even more angrier!)
So basically my point is...
I dont really have a point, I just needed to vent and I'm sure there are many of you out there that can relate to this and feels just as much, if not more, anger about stupid nervous people as I do.
---Your Angry (and stressed out) Intern---
IISBoy
Sunday, April 13, 2008
For your viewing pleasure, part 3
Nothing too interesting has happened at work lately, other than our idiot district manager being sent to the opposite end of the country and a small victory in the gift card war. It's so satisfying to say no to a coupon for a $30 gift card. At school? Just the usual finals craze. I need to stay away from my classmates, they have been intensely insane the past few days. How many times are they going to ask me my opinion on whether or not something will be on the exam? Devote half the time you spend speculating and freaking out to actual, productive studying, and chances are you'll be in good shape. Myself, I have become a permanent resident of the local coffee shop. Free wi-fi and free refills? And my favorite organic grocery store next door for when I get hungry? (Yes, I'm awfully pretentious and picky about my food for someone who is dirt poor.) Why should I ever leave??
Anyway, I came across this during one of my many study breaks, and had to share.
Oh no, our little blog is starting to get controversial! Although sadly I'm in no state of mind to write a coherent social commentary on this right now (although believe me, it gets me fired up), so I'll just let the irony speak for itself.
--IISgirl ... thankful for a brief respite from the tortures of pharmacokinetics!
Anyway, I came across this during one of my many study breaks, and had to share.
Oh no, our little blog is starting to get controversial! Although sadly I'm in no state of mind to write a coherent social commentary on this right now (although believe me, it gets me fired up), so I'll just let the irony speak for itself.
--IISgirl ... thankful for a brief respite from the tortures of pharmacokinetics!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tonight's memorable moment
In the midst of today's 5 o'clock chaos, I had one of the most random phone calls ever.
"Do you carry Colon Cleanse?"
"Yes we do. Aisle 7."
"Can I buy it in the drive-thru? I don't have any legs."
Normally we frown upon selling things other than prescriptions in the drive-thru, but who am I to tell the legless man he can't cleanse his colon?
I don't even know how he's driving a car.
--IISgirl ... confused
"Do you carry Colon Cleanse?"
"Yes we do. Aisle 7."
"Can I buy it in the drive-thru? I don't have any legs."
Normally we frown upon selling things other than prescriptions in the drive-thru, but who am I to tell the legless man he can't cleanse his colon?
I don't even know how he's driving a car.
--IISgirl ... confused
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Another post for your viewing pleasure...
Anyone notice that it's the same pharmacist from IISboy's post? And again, the poor bastard is trying to compound some Klonopin?
And actually, to be more accurate, that quote should read, "I'd blow a pharmacist's head off for 2mg of Klonopin."
[ie: Pharmacy Robberies on the Rise in Ohio]
Picture courtesy of someecards.com
--IISgirl ... now back to my regularly scheduled biochem notes!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Under no circumstances should you EVER go to work on your day off.
I was on my way home from class, absolutely dying from itchy, watery eyes... really, I was itchy all over. Ahh, spring is here! My allergies are back. I realized I had forgotten to pick up my Allegra and Patanol, so I swung by the pharmacy to get them before going home and contemplating hitting the books.
Of course, Monday afternoon, our pharmacy is absolutely swamped. I'm talking a line 10 deep at the pick-up counter, 5 or 6 people waiting to drop off, and I didn't even want to look at the drive-thru. The phones were ringing off the hook. All of this with only 3 techs and a pharmacist. I decided not to stay and chat, paid for my drugs, and was about to go.
"IISgirl?" I heard my pharmacist say.
SHIT!
I turned around. "Yes?"
"Ummm... would you mind staying for just an hour or so to help us get caught up?"
Oh no. Don't do this to me.
I absolutely adore my RPh, I can't leave her like this, plus I'm dirt poor and begging for extra hours so I can finally pay off the last thousand or so I owe for this semester's tuition, before I have to think about paying tuition for next semester. If I work an hour, I can make like... $10 at best after taxes! Woo-hoooo!
With a sigh, I headed over to drop off. A pile of scripts about the same thickness as a copy of DiPiro was sitting there, waiting to be typed, when a 90 year old mummy walks up, and dumps out a Medco bottle full of almost a dozen different medications, all mixed together. She's practically deaf, by the way, so I'm screaming to her at the top of my lungs. So much for HIPAA.
I swear to god, what she dumped out on my counter looked like this:
"I accidentally mixed my pills together, can you help me?" She had never had a script filled at our pharmacy before, probably never will, and here I am, expected to sort out yet another mail order mess.
She has no idea what she's on or how she takes it. I spent the majority of the next hour looking the pills up online, sorting them all out for her, and telling her what they're for. Do the friendly pharmacists in the mail order company waste time sorting pills out for you, I ask?! No! I'm the idiot who makes my patients wait an extra 15 or 20 minutes on top of the 30+ minutes they would have waited to begin with, while I help obnoxious old ladies out of the goodness of my heart! But what do I care, it's not like my company gives bonuses anymore for meeting the company's goals, nor are we compensated for our time by any means other than our hourly wage. Why should I care what I spend my time doing at work?
Anyway, the ungrateful old bat never even said thank you. I glared at my pharmacist when the hour was up and I had somehow miraculously typed all of the prescriptions, who shrugged apologetically, logged my hours in, and I left.
Next time, I'll just claw my eyes out instead of setting foot into work on my day off to pick up my Patanol.
--IISgirl ... I'm only blogging to avoid studying!
Of course, Monday afternoon, our pharmacy is absolutely swamped. I'm talking a line 10 deep at the pick-up counter, 5 or 6 people waiting to drop off, and I didn't even want to look at the drive-thru. The phones were ringing off the hook. All of this with only 3 techs and a pharmacist. I decided not to stay and chat, paid for my drugs, and was about to go.
"IISgirl?" I heard my pharmacist say.
SHIT!
I turned around. "Yes?"
"Ummm... would you mind staying for just an hour or so to help us get caught up?"
Oh no. Don't do this to me.
I absolutely adore my RPh, I can't leave her like this, plus I'm dirt poor and begging for extra hours so I can finally pay off the last thousand or so I owe for this semester's tuition, before I have to think about paying tuition for next semester. If I work an hour, I can make like... $10 at best after taxes! Woo-hoooo!
With a sigh, I headed over to drop off. A pile of scripts about the same thickness as a copy of DiPiro was sitting there, waiting to be typed, when a 90 year old mummy walks up, and dumps out a Medco bottle full of almost a dozen different medications, all mixed together. She's practically deaf, by the way, so I'm screaming to her at the top of my lungs. So much for HIPAA.
I swear to god, what she dumped out on my counter looked like this:
"I accidentally mixed my pills together, can you help me?" She had never had a script filled at our pharmacy before, probably never will, and here I am, expected to sort out yet another mail order mess.
She has no idea what she's on or how she takes it. I spent the majority of the next hour looking the pills up online, sorting them all out for her, and telling her what they're for. Do the friendly pharmacists in the mail order company waste time sorting pills out for you, I ask?! No! I'm the idiot who makes my patients wait an extra 15 or 20 minutes on top of the 30+ minutes they would have waited to begin with, while I help obnoxious old ladies out of the goodness of my heart! But what do I care, it's not like my company gives bonuses anymore for meeting the company's goals, nor are we compensated for our time by any means other than our hourly wage. Why should I care what I spend my time doing at work?
Anyway, the ungrateful old bat never even said thank you. I glared at my pharmacist when the hour was up and I had somehow miraculously typed all of the prescriptions, who shrugged apologetically, logged my hours in, and I left.
Next time, I'll just claw my eyes out instead of setting foot into work on my day off to pick up my Patanol.
--IISgirl ... I'm only blogging to avoid studying!
For Your Viewing Pleasure
**Why the the fuck is he using a Mortar & Pestle for an order of Vicodin????**
(http://www.marriedtothesea.com/101107/ten-thousand.gif)
(http://www.marriedtothesea.com/101107/ten-thousand.gif)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sunday nights...
Quality question of the evening:
"Can I take Viagra and Levitra at the same time?"
...someone must be desperate!
Thank god our pharmacy is open on Sunday nights so we can answer questions about life threatening conditions like ED!
--IISgirl ... NO MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PENIS PLZ.
"Can I take Viagra and Levitra at the same time?"
...someone must be desperate!
Thank god our pharmacy is open on Sunday nights so we can answer questions about life threatening conditions like ED!
--IISgirl ... NO MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PENIS PLZ.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Stupid Techs....
Another rant by IISBoy...
A few months ago the pharmacy's power to hire the techs was taken away and given to the general manager of the store, this means that the first day our new tech started we had no idea who she was and what experiences she had...apparently she had none. This is damn ridiculous. This bitch is 35+ years old and has no technical training of any kind in her whole life. She just began taking college classes at the local comm. college and is taking a ridiculously challenging curriculum of karate, keyboarding, and spanish 101. The only thing she's good at standing in front of the cash register and showing off her cigarette smoke stained teeth...and I'm sure if you examine her a little closer (I never did...the stench of her unwashed hair+cigarette smoke keeps me at a 5ft min distance away from her at all times) I am sure you will find some skin damage on her nose from the shit that she snorts. How she managed to pass the piss test prior to being hired..who knows?
So what makes me upset is that every week when I go in to the pharmacy I have to do my work plus pick up on all of her mistakes. She cannot input insurances, she miscounts all the time, and she cannot re-shelve the medications in alphabetical order. Now you may ask, why the fuck doesn't the pharmacist just fire her ass? Well because the damn store manager refuses to open the position for a new tech until later this year. All she does during the day is talk to customers about her crappy life and stands and stares at us while we're scrambling all over the place as where behind at least 15-20min on everything.
Today we received a huge drug order of 4 or 5 boxes and I was trying to organize them by where they go while answering the phone and she is standing on the side reading the Pharmacist's business card...why!?? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THERE READING THE DAMN ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF THE PHARMACY!???
it seemed like she was having difficulty with that too because her face looked extremely tight as she was making out the words of the name of the place where she works... and the digits of the phone number probably made her totally confused.
Unbelievable that one person can do and say so many dumb things in an 8 hour shift....
Also today one of our experienced technician is ~3months pregnant and she gave us the news just this weekend. So today the pharmacist printed up a list of category x drugs to stay away from for her for reference (avodart, proscar, etc.). At the same time the pharmacist asked the stupid tech "you're not pregnant too, right??? hahaha" (obviously he was just joking)
and a simple no would've sufficed.
But from the other end of the pharmacy while inputing a script with the patient in front of me waiting for her insurance card back, I hear "Naw, I'm not pregnant, shit--I haven't had sex in 7 months!"
My eyes along with the patients' widened and I turned and told her, PLEASE...we don't NEED or WANT to know THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
how does she respond?
"I went from having sex 7 days a week to zero!!"
OMG.
Thank god for the patient who was a young woman..she told me in a quiet voice, "please don't let her fill my prescription"
At least I find comfort in the fact that the tech is unhappy and isn't gettin any...
--IISBoy...good luck to all you poor interns that have to deal with even bigger dumbasses than me
A few months ago the pharmacy's power to hire the techs was taken away and given to the general manager of the store, this means that the first day our new tech started we had no idea who she was and what experiences she had...apparently she had none. This is damn ridiculous. This bitch is 35+ years old and has no technical training of any kind in her whole life. She just began taking college classes at the local comm. college and is taking a ridiculously challenging curriculum of karate, keyboarding, and spanish 101. The only thing she's good at standing in front of the cash register and showing off her cigarette smoke stained teeth...and I'm sure if you examine her a little closer (I never did...the stench of her unwashed hair+cigarette smoke keeps me at a 5ft min distance away from her at all times) I am sure you will find some skin damage on her nose from the shit that she snorts. How she managed to pass the piss test prior to being hired..who knows?
So what makes me upset is that every week when I go in to the pharmacy I have to do my work plus pick up on all of her mistakes. She cannot input insurances, she miscounts all the time, and she cannot re-shelve the medications in alphabetical order. Now you may ask, why the fuck doesn't the pharmacist just fire her ass? Well because the damn store manager refuses to open the position for a new tech until later this year. All she does during the day is talk to customers about her crappy life and stands and stares at us while we're scrambling all over the place as where behind at least 15-20min on everything.
Today we received a huge drug order of 4 or 5 boxes and I was trying to organize them by where they go while answering the phone and she is standing on the side reading the Pharmacist's business card...why!?? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THERE READING THE DAMN ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF THE PHARMACY!???
it seemed like she was having difficulty with that too because her face looked extremely tight as she was making out the words of the name of the place where she works... and the digits of the phone number probably made her totally confused.
Unbelievable that one person can do and say so many dumb things in an 8 hour shift....
Also today one of our experienced technician is ~3months pregnant and she gave us the news just this weekend. So today the pharmacist printed up a list of category x drugs to stay away from for her for reference (avodart, proscar, etc.). At the same time the pharmacist asked the stupid tech "you're not pregnant too, right??? hahaha" (obviously he was just joking)
and a simple no would've sufficed.
But from the other end of the pharmacy while inputing a script with the patient in front of me waiting for her insurance card back, I hear "Naw, I'm not pregnant, shit--I haven't had sex in 7 months!"
My eyes along with the patients' widened and I turned and told her, PLEASE...we don't NEED or WANT to know THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
how does she respond?
"I went from having sex 7 days a week to zero!!"
OMG.
Thank god for the patient who was a young woman..she told me in a quiet voice, "please don't let her fill my prescription"
At least I find comfort in the fact that the tech is unhappy and isn't gettin any...
--IISBoy...good luck to all you poor interns that have to deal with even bigger dumbasses than me
Interns are appreciated.
I spent the better part of an hour making an absolutely beautiful compound of Aquaphor, Triamcinolone, and Urea crystals all by myself, and yet all I was congratulated for today by the pharmacist was finding the source of the funky smell that had overtaken the pharmacy (it was the garbage--I had forgotten that I had emptied the unidentifiable contents of the staff refrigerator straight into the garbage can earlier that morning).
This compound was freaking beautiful! 480 grams of creamy splendor! I even finished off the top of the ointment jar in a beautiful damn design that looked like it was frosting on a cake!
Yet finding the origin of the smell was my crowning achievement today.
Although the smell was pretty funky.
Anyway, my hard work is probably being slathered inappreciatively on someone's ass cheeks right now.
--IISgirl ... cleaning fridges is what I go to school for!
This compound was freaking beautiful! 480 grams of creamy splendor! I even finished off the top of the ointment jar in a beautiful damn design that looked like it was frosting on a cake!
Yet finding the origin of the smell was my crowning achievement today.
Although the smell was pretty funky.
Anyway, my hard work is probably being slathered inappreciatively on someone's ass cheeks right now.
--IISgirl ... cleaning fridges is what I go to school for!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The 3 ring circus we call Pharmacy School
We're sitting in class right now (obviously not paying attention) and looking around at our fellow pharm school students. Coupled together in their little cliques and gangs, we can basically label and stereotype each person into a set category. We are sure if you're in Pharmacy School, you, too have these type of people amongst you. For you pre-pharmers, here's a look at the people you will meet in pharmacy school! These are in no particular order, we are just looking down at the front row and just describing who we see.
Okay, first off, we have the obvious know-it-all. She (more often than not it's a she) sits in the front row of all the classes and is extremely organized, with her notes and tape recorder, poised for action. Of course the only reason this person knows it all is because of the massive amount of time they spend studying their notes. They clear out their ipods and replace all their Dave Matthews and John Mayer mp3s with physiology lectures, and listen to it non-stop, just in case they missed anything! Arch nemesis: the slacker.
Then we've got the sleuth. As a detective, this individual must ask a million questions irregardless of whether or not it is blatantly obvious! This person has to raise their hand every 10 minutes to annoy not only the professor but the rest of the class. Frequently, their questions result in the entire class being detained an extra 5 minutes while the professor scrambles to finish the lecture. Most likely, like in our class, the sleuth is a total jerk and thinks they are the shit... Umm. Yeah. Asking the professor to clarify the names of the 4 heart chambers when it is displayed on a 20 ft projection screen does NOT make you smart, just unobservant...better luck next time buddy!
Similar to the sleuth, you've got the editor. This person is very astute, and hangs on the professor's every word, just waiting for the chance to correct him or her! When the time comes that the professor has contradicted himself, the editor immediately raises his hand (typically a guy), and the next 5 minutes of class are spent resolving a minor and unimportant error.
Each class has at least one of their own ancient relic. Our class is lucky enough to have several. A student who is old enough to be the mother of at least half the class. This person may share the role of the know-it-all or the sleuth but I believe, out of respect for the elderly, that they should have their own category. Our class' relic acts like shes 22 and says words like, "f'sure!" "duhhh" and "like, whatever..." My mom is the same age as her and I believe she's never used these words in the same context as our relic. This person will also most likely not be able to operate a computer or palm pilot without significant trouble and help.
The frat boy. One comment only for this person: How the FUCK did you get here!?
The ditz. Counterpart to the frat boy. Again, how the fuck did you get here?!
The creeper. The guy goes after girls he knows are out of his league, and fails time and time again, and yet consistently tries with no remorse, humility, or shame. He is probably a little bit older than the average student, and quite possibly (although not confirmed) lives with his mom well into his 30s. He is obviously alone in life and desires someone to be with, but is too socially uneducated to find a friend. You might feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a god damn stalker! Avoid sitting alone at lunch tables, in the library, or taking the elevator alone, because the minute you do, he will be there to put you in a very socially awkward situation.
The overactive ovary. This bitch goes through her menstrual cycle on a light speed basis, suffering from PMS on an almost chronic basis. Either that, or she's just bipolar! You never know what to expect. Will she be friendly today? Bitchy? Who knows!
Example of her cycle:
Day 1: Hey!!! How are you! Whats UP! Life is so beautiful! :)
Day 2: Hey. How ya doin'. Yea? That's cool.
Day 3: Don't fuckin' talk to me you douchebag, I'm sick of looking at your ugly face!
Day 4: Oh, I was just really pissy...How ya doin' though!? Good...yeah? That's awesome...
Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
I think if she continues like this, her ovaries are going to dry up by age 30.
The un-experienced, aka "the pharmacy virgin." This person bypassed the recommendation of having experience to be admitted into the school. Without any previous on-site knowledge of the Pharmacy Industry, this person made the life changing decision of becoming a pharmacist. Ironically, these people are the happiest people in the class.
The drama queen. The one that stirs things up either by talking shit about someone else in the class or saying something completely offensive. Everyday this person has to come to class with a list of things to bitch about; school, work, family, or her cheating boyfriend who she 'loves' too much to break up with.
The generally nice guy. Fairly social and balanced, this guy always has your back. You miss notes? He's got 'em. Need to switch lab days with him? No problem. Wanna talk sports? Sure thing! Even in the most stressful situations, he's still smiling.
The mom. She has to keep reminding you all the time that she has kids. Demands special treatment and sympathy because she's popped a few out. Has to relate every conversation back to herself, her children, and her husband. I've got news for you: none of us care! She will also try to act like your mom, and try to boss you around or "shhhh!" you during class.
The slacker. Usually a very intelligent individual, this person probably slept and procrastinated their way to the top of their class in high school and undergrad, and are in for a big shock once they start grad school--they can no longer be number 1 without applying effort! After the first round of midterms, they typically learn to accept their Bs, and go back to sleeping, chatting on AIM, and playing video games. If you're not a slacker, you either hate them, or want to be them.
The overachiever. This person is like, omnipresent. Every time you turn around, they're there. At class. In the library. At ASP meetings. They are probably president, vice president, or in some other leadership role in at least one organization. They join every pharmacy organization there is, do every single community service project that comes their way, go to every class event, hold down a job, and somehow still manage to maintain excellent grades. You'd think they might be annoying, but for the most part they're pretty likable.
Sleeping Beauty. I'm not implying it's always a girl, but we all have the individual that is in class, ready to take notes and pay attention...and 15 minutes into the lecture you see them nodding off and falling completely asleep. You are unsure whether to wake them up or just sit there and tell everyone around you and laugh.
The unstable one. The person you take bets on with your friends, as to whether or not they will make it all four years...or even until next year.
The chef. The chef?? You must be confused. But it's the best way to put that even though she is beginning 4 years of intensive schooling, this woman could not wait to have a bun in the oven.
The class couple. Our class hasn't had a successful relationship yet, so I really don't have much to say about this one! There are the omnipresent couples among the p2s and p3s, however. In general, kids, pharmacy school ruins relationships! Don't forget that!
The invisible man. The guy you never knew was in your class until test day.
The Fiancé/Fiancée. For some reason this person thought that pharmacy school is the perfect time to get married. Never mind being dirt poor and not having the time to wipe your own ass! They will talk incessantly about their upcoming marriage, and will plan for it eventually at the expense of their grades. They're generally nice people, so at first you're happy for them... but then you're just fucking annoyed.
The cliques. The catch-all group. We all know what high school was like. Why should pharmacy school be any different? I have news for you... it's not! We've got the girly-girls in one corner, we have the guys in the back, the weirdos stick together, then there's the Asian posse, the Indian crew, etc. People love their cliques.
*If you think we missed the most important type of person, then add a comment or send me an email at irritableinternsyndromeboy@gmail.com, and we'll be sure to add it on (and give props to you!)
**Soon to be up:: our list of the professors you meet in Pharm School!...stay tuned**
--IISboy and IISgirl ... you could probably call us slackers!
Okay, first off, we have the obvious know-it-all. She (more often than not it's a she) sits in the front row of all the classes and is extremely organized, with her notes and tape recorder, poised for action. Of course the only reason this person knows it all is because of the massive amount of time they spend studying their notes. They clear out their ipods and replace all their Dave Matthews and John Mayer mp3s with physiology lectures, and listen to it non-stop, just in case they missed anything! Arch nemesis: the slacker.
Then we've got the sleuth. As a detective, this individual must ask a million questions irregardless of whether or not it is blatantly obvious! This person has to raise their hand every 10 minutes to annoy not only the professor but the rest of the class. Frequently, their questions result in the entire class being detained an extra 5 minutes while the professor scrambles to finish the lecture. Most likely, like in our class, the sleuth is a total jerk and thinks they are the shit... Umm. Yeah. Asking the professor to clarify the names of the 4 heart chambers when it is displayed on a 20 ft projection screen does NOT make you smart, just unobservant...better luck next time buddy!
Similar to the sleuth, you've got the editor. This person is very astute, and hangs on the professor's every word, just waiting for the chance to correct him or her! When the time comes that the professor has contradicted himself, the editor immediately raises his hand (typically a guy), and the next 5 minutes of class are spent resolving a minor and unimportant error.
Each class has at least one of their own ancient relic. Our class is lucky enough to have several. A student who is old enough to be the mother of at least half the class. This person may share the role of the know-it-all or the sleuth but I believe, out of respect for the elderly, that they should have their own category. Our class' relic acts like shes 22 and says words like, "f'sure!" "duhhh" and "like, whatever..." My mom is the same age as her and I believe she's never used these words in the same context as our relic. This person will also most likely not be able to operate a computer or palm pilot without significant trouble and help.
The frat boy. One comment only for this person: How the FUCK did you get here!?
The ditz. Counterpart to the frat boy. Again, how the fuck did you get here?!
The creeper. The guy goes after girls he knows are out of his league, and fails time and time again, and yet consistently tries with no remorse, humility, or shame. He is probably a little bit older than the average student, and quite possibly (although not confirmed) lives with his mom well into his 30s. He is obviously alone in life and desires someone to be with, but is too socially uneducated to find a friend. You might feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a god damn stalker! Avoid sitting alone at lunch tables, in the library, or taking the elevator alone, because the minute you do, he will be there to put you in a very socially awkward situation.
The overactive ovary. This bitch goes through her menstrual cycle on a light speed basis, suffering from PMS on an almost chronic basis. Either that, or she's just bipolar! You never know what to expect. Will she be friendly today? Bitchy? Who knows!
Example of her cycle:
Day 1: Hey!!! How are you! Whats UP! Life is so beautiful! :)
Day 2: Hey. How ya doin'. Yea? That's cool.
Day 3: Don't fuckin' talk to me you douchebag, I'm sick of looking at your ugly face!
Day 4: Oh, I was just really pissy...How ya doin' though!? Good...yeah? That's awesome...
Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
I think if she continues like this, her ovaries are going to dry up by age 30.
The un-experienced, aka "the pharmacy virgin." This person bypassed the recommendation of having experience to be admitted into the school. Without any previous on-site knowledge of the Pharmacy Industry, this person made the life changing decision of becoming a pharmacist. Ironically, these people are the happiest people in the class.
The drama queen. The one that stirs things up either by talking shit about someone else in the class or saying something completely offensive. Everyday this person has to come to class with a list of things to bitch about; school, work, family, or her cheating boyfriend who she 'loves' too much to break up with.
The generally nice guy. Fairly social and balanced, this guy always has your back. You miss notes? He's got 'em. Need to switch lab days with him? No problem. Wanna talk sports? Sure thing! Even in the most stressful situations, he's still smiling.
The mom. She has to keep reminding you all the time that she has kids. Demands special treatment and sympathy because she's popped a few out. Has to relate every conversation back to herself, her children, and her husband. I've got news for you: none of us care! She will also try to act like your mom, and try to boss you around or "shhhh!" you during class.
The slacker. Usually a very intelligent individual, this person probably slept and procrastinated their way to the top of their class in high school and undergrad, and are in for a big shock once they start grad school--they can no longer be number 1 without applying effort! After the first round of midterms, they typically learn to accept their Bs, and go back to sleeping, chatting on AIM, and playing video games. If you're not a slacker, you either hate them, or want to be them.
The overachiever. This person is like, omnipresent. Every time you turn around, they're there. At class. In the library. At ASP meetings. They are probably president, vice president, or in some other leadership role in at least one organization. They join every pharmacy organization there is, do every single community service project that comes their way, go to every class event, hold down a job, and somehow still manage to maintain excellent grades. You'd think they might be annoying, but for the most part they're pretty likable.
Sleeping Beauty. I'm not implying it's always a girl, but we all have the individual that is in class, ready to take notes and pay attention...and 15 minutes into the lecture you see them nodding off and falling completely asleep. You are unsure whether to wake them up or just sit there and tell everyone around you and laugh.
The unstable one. The person you take bets on with your friends, as to whether or not they will make it all four years...or even until next year.
The chef. The chef?? You must be confused. But it's the best way to put that even though she is beginning 4 years of intensive schooling, this woman could not wait to have a bun in the oven.
The class couple. Our class hasn't had a successful relationship yet, so I really don't have much to say about this one! There are the omnipresent couples among the p2s and p3s, however. In general, kids, pharmacy school ruins relationships! Don't forget that!
The invisible man. The guy you never knew was in your class until test day.
The Fiancé/Fiancée. For some reason this person thought that pharmacy school is the perfect time to get married. Never mind being dirt poor and not having the time to wipe your own ass! They will talk incessantly about their upcoming marriage, and will plan for it eventually at the expense of their grades. They're generally nice people, so at first you're happy for them... but then you're just fucking annoyed.
The cliques. The catch-all group. We all know what high school was like. Why should pharmacy school be any different? I have news for you... it's not! We've got the girly-girls in one corner, we have the guys in the back, the weirdos stick together, then there's the Asian posse, the Indian crew, etc. People love their cliques.
*If you think we missed the most important type of person, then add a comment or send me an email at irritableinternsyndromeboy@gmail.com, and we'll be sure to add it on (and give props to you!)
**Soon to be up:: our list of the professors you meet in Pharm School!...stay tuned**
--IISboy and IISgirl ... you could probably call us slackers!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Peeing Patients
IISboy had a rant tonight about dirty patients. This reminded me (much to my chagrin) that I, IISgirl, have personally seen a patient pee not once, but TWICE in my pharmacy.
The first such occasion happened about a year ago. A woman was waiting for her prescription, and I'm not sure if 15 minutes was too long to hold it, or what... but she urinated on one of the waiting area chairs.
I did not personally witness the act of micturition, but I did notice things were looking a little moist as she walked away from the pick-up area. It wasn't until about 5 or 10 minutes later when an observant patient came up to me and told me that one of the seats was wet that I put two and two together.
"...clean up in the waiting area, please."
DO NOT EVER SIT IN OUR WAITING AREA. If you have to wait, take a stroll around the store or sit in your car for 15 minutes, but under no circumstances should you ever sit in those chairs! I have seen urine, vomit, and who knows what other bodily fluids leak, ooze, and seep over there. On a side note, I am told that late one midnight shift, someone started a small fire underneath one of those chairs.
On to my second story. There is not much to explain here. It was a hot, August day. One of our regulars, whom we wish wasn't a regular, came in to fill an Rx for Naftin for the 8th or 9th time that year.
A little history on her: she steals our carts. She digs through our dumpster. As for her fungus, it had gone beyond normal fungus, and it appeared as though a small shiitake mushroom was growing right off the end of her finger. No, she is not transient--just crazy.
And there she was, standing in front of register three, peeing. I do not believe this woman is incontinent. Just crazy.
AND SHE IS PEEING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AND A TECH.
What do you even say in that circumstance? I don't even know. Maybe you learn that in pharmacy school. In our lab at school, we interact with actors who are supposed to train us how to counsel patients and deal with difficult situations. I'm thinking we might learn that how to deal with the peeing patients in our second year. I'd have to check the syllabus.
She walked away, and we saw the telltale wet spot going all the way down her pants, and the puddle now blocking register three.
What else could I do?
"clean up at register three, please."
*sigh*
Another reason for me to leave the chain pharmacy in favor of a hospital upon graduation: they have nurse assistants to take care of those "accidents."
--IISgirl ... don't pee in my pharmacy, or else I will blog anonymously about you!
The first such occasion happened about a year ago. A woman was waiting for her prescription, and I'm not sure if 15 minutes was too long to hold it, or what... but she urinated on one of the waiting area chairs.
I did not personally witness the act of micturition, but I did notice things were looking a little moist as she walked away from the pick-up area. It wasn't until about 5 or 10 minutes later when an observant patient came up to me and told me that one of the seats was wet that I put two and two together.
"...clean up in the waiting area, please."
DO NOT EVER SIT IN OUR WAITING AREA. If you have to wait, take a stroll around the store or sit in your car for 15 minutes, but under no circumstances should you ever sit in those chairs! I have seen urine, vomit, and who knows what other bodily fluids leak, ooze, and seep over there. On a side note, I am told that late one midnight shift, someone started a small fire underneath one of those chairs.
On to my second story. There is not much to explain here. It was a hot, August day. One of our regulars, whom we wish wasn't a regular, came in to fill an Rx for Naftin for the 8th or 9th time that year.
A little history on her: she steals our carts. She digs through our dumpster. As for her fungus, it had gone beyond normal fungus, and it appeared as though a small shiitake mushroom was growing right off the end of her finger. No, she is not transient--just crazy.
And there she was, standing in front of register three, peeing. I do not believe this woman is incontinent. Just crazy.
AND SHE IS PEEING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AND A TECH.
What do you even say in that circumstance? I don't even know. Maybe you learn that in pharmacy school. In our lab at school, we interact with actors who are supposed to train us how to counsel patients and deal with difficult situations. I'm thinking we might learn that how to deal with the peeing patients in our second year. I'd have to check the syllabus.
She walked away, and we saw the telltale wet spot going all the way down her pants, and the puddle now blocking register three.
What else could I do?
"clean up at register three, please."
*sigh*
Another reason for me to leave the chain pharmacy in favor of a hospital upon graduation: they have nurse assistants to take care of those "accidents."
--IISgirl ... don't pee in my pharmacy, or else I will blog anonymously about you!
Dirty Patients
While behind the back counter of the pharmacy working hard, I heard something that may have pissed me off before but was damn excited to hear that day, a ::whistle:: and someone beckoning for my assistance! It was only my first week as an intern so I was excited to lay some 1st year pharm knowledge and without looking directly at the person I quickly ran to the consultation window. I was...or shall I say my nose, was in for a huge surprise---the guy's putrid smell was only comparable to a skunk's ass, which I assume smells like regular ass (which I'm sure smells better than how this guy did)
In his hand he had both a box of lotrimin and lamisil and wanted to know which one would clear the fungus on his fingers and nails...I made it clear to him when I answered him it was not necessary for me to hold and look at the boxes and shake his hand in the end and that answering his question thoroughly and his general appreciation for our help was reward enough.
Bull shit.
I just didn't want to touch him. He was a stinky old fungus man. Let me paint a picture for you-- just imagine how Pigpen from Peanuts would look if he actually aged...and then beat the living crap out of him. Thats how this guy looked. Round headed. Old. Dirty. Beat Up.
Another instance didn't occur with me but with one of our techs who was explaining to a customer how to use RID (lice shampoo or something), because apparently our tech had personal experience with lice just a few years ago (she's like in her late 30's). I see when looking up every few moments that the child next to the woman was scratching her head constantly and then touched her mom's hand. I looked up again a few moments later and I see her shaking the tech's hand with the same one that the child grabbed. It was 7:00pm'ish and I tasted the PB&J I had for lunch in my mouth...
...the tech, being the genius she is, runs straight to the drop-off and begins taking scripts. I lost it! I took her aside and soaked her hands with antibacterial gel and ran a muck with disinfectant throughout the pharmacy. I'm sure it really didn't do much but I felt better so yea.
I hate fucking dirty people. Wash your hands. Wash your hair. You have no damn excuse if you're coming into our damn pharmacy/store and buying shit--you must have the damn money for running water and soap.
In his hand he had both a box of lotrimin and lamisil and wanted to know which one would clear the fungus on his fingers and nails...I made it clear to him when I answered him it was not necessary for me to hold and look at the boxes and shake his hand in the end and that answering his question thoroughly and his general appreciation for our help was reward enough.
Bull shit.
I just didn't want to touch him. He was a stinky old fungus man. Let me paint a picture for you-- just imagine how Pigpen from Peanuts would look if he actually aged...and then beat the living crap out of him. Thats how this guy looked. Round headed. Old. Dirty. Beat Up.
Another instance didn't occur with me but with one of our techs who was explaining to a customer how to use RID (lice shampoo or something), because apparently our tech had personal experience with lice just a few years ago (she's like in her late 30's). I see when looking up every few moments that the child next to the woman was scratching her head constantly and then touched her mom's hand. I looked up again a few moments later and I see her shaking the tech's hand with the same one that the child grabbed. It was 7:00pm'ish and I tasted the PB&J I had for lunch in my mouth...
...the tech, being the genius she is, runs straight to the drop-off and begins taking scripts. I lost it! I took her aside and soaked her hands with antibacterial gel and ran a muck with disinfectant throughout the pharmacy. I'm sure it really didn't do much but I felt better so yea.
I hate fucking dirty people. Wash your hands. Wash your hair. You have no damn excuse if you're coming into our damn pharmacy/store and buying shit--you must have the damn money for running water and soap.
A typical day...
Hello and welcome to our irritable little blog. I'm a first year pharmacy student and an intern at a major chain pharmacy. I've been working as a tech there for far too long. Naturally, I hate it. If it weren't for my (thankfully) exceptional coworkers, I would have left long ago. If I hadn't realized there was a job for me other than baby-sitting technicians for 12 hours a day in a chain pharmacy after graduation, I probably would have never gone to pharmacy school.
Where to begin, to describe the last time I worked? First of all I walked in at 3, already in a raging fit of PMS, to find my station an absolute hurricane of prescriptions waiting to be typed. It took me close to 5 hours to catch up with the insanity.
Oh, our regular pharmacist also called off, so we had a fill-in all evening. He's a pretty awesome guy, one of my favorites to work with. His pastimes include prank phone calls to other pharmacies and dancing like Michael Jackson, so a shift with him is usually pretty interesting.
Other than the sheer volume of scripts I had to type, the first case of insanity didn't come for another hour or so. I'll spare you the details, but she started going apeshit on our pharmacist, and the rest of us, because her doctor sent us an entirely illegible fax that was supposed to go in conjunction with a script we had never filled for her at our pharmacy before. We also had no script for her, but she insisted she had dropped it off yesterday. She flipped out to us, to our manager, and even called our district manager when our pharmacist said that, even if we had a script, he would refuse to fill it until the doctor sent legible blood work results over in conjunction to the script. (Of course, it's Clozapine, but you could have guessed that by how unstable this lady was...and it can't be dispensed unless the pharmacist has blood work to review and verify along with it).
A few hours later she came back, after our pharmacist had been trying for a while to get in contact with the doctor to help this lady. The script was sitting at the other chain up the street, where she had dropped it off the day before.
I hate people.
Next weirdo of the night: This guy is a 70-something year old man WHO WILL NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP. EVER. He had been bitten by his mangy old cat and naturally it got infected and swelled to gargantuan proportions. I mean, the guy's cat doesn't even like him! I heard the whole 30 minute long story yesterday. He came back today with a script from his doctor for brand name only Ultracet because that time he got the "genetic" Ultracet, it didn't work. Never mind the fact that we had never even filled Ultracet for him before, he had Ultram. And naturally Ultracet is going to have different effects than Ultram because it has an additional ingredient of Acetaminophen. I argued with him for a while over this before I gave up. Whatever, you old bat, I'll fill it for the brand name, I'm not the one paying for it. He had the nerve to complain when it cost more. No shit, there has been a dirt cheap generic out for years.
After telling his cat story to every person who walked by him, he also started telling our patients how bad "genetic" drugs are, inducing a panic in the pharmacy and an influx of questions of "Is this true? I demand brand name!"
If you listen to some old crackpot standing in line at the pharmacy, and believe him, then you are a moron. Your punishment for being a moron is a higher co-payment and having to wait 24 hours while I order the brand name that we never keep in stock, because no one ever fucking gets it, because yes, the generic is just as effective.
Then this guy calls up later and says he is allergic to any Vicodin ES that has the "M320" printed on it. Sorry, but that's all I stock. Unless you have an allergy to things like red dye, you are not allergic to generic drugs, genetic drugs, or even geriatric drugs, you are just a paranoid dumbass who probably also buys things like clothes based solely on having the brand name because you think the others are grossly inferior. Tell me you have an allergy to Red Dye #40, or a specific binding agent, and I will go out of my way to find a manufacturer that doesn't use it. But you are not allergic to "M320," or any other pills you don't find aesthetically pleasing, so STFU. I'm not ordering another manufacturer of Vicodin ES so I can give you 16 tablets and the rest can sit on my shelf taking up space for years, go somewhere else or suck it up.
Back to "genetic" man. This guy ALWAYS tells every female in the pharmacy that he has the body of an 18 year-old. It is not just enough to tell us this, no, he has to give you a visual every time by lifting up his shirt and showing you his leathery old stomach. His claims are definitely an exaggeration.
Anyway this asshole is standing there lifting his shirt up at me, and I'm trying to ignore him and get back to work, when our pharmacist comes over to save the day.
"Sir!" he says, in a ridiculously pompous tone. "You need to put that away right now! Your behavior is inappropriate! My intern is trying to work and we do not appreciate your nudity in our pharmacy! Your prescription is ready, I must insist that you leave!"
The guy grumbled that the pharmacist was just jealous, but eventually left.
Then the pharmacist proceeded to rant about dirty old men, but I guarantee you that he will be a dirty old man someday. In fact he's already a dirty young man and hits on almost every female he works with. But at least he's 27, and not 72, and so far the most he feels like he has to do to impress women is dance.
--IISgirl, going back to trying to pay attention in a painfully boring physiology class
Where to begin, to describe the last time I worked? First of all I walked in at 3, already in a raging fit of PMS, to find my station an absolute hurricane of prescriptions waiting to be typed. It took me close to 5 hours to catch up with the insanity.
Oh, our regular pharmacist also called off, so we had a fill-in all evening. He's a pretty awesome guy, one of my favorites to work with. His pastimes include prank phone calls to other pharmacies and dancing like Michael Jackson, so a shift with him is usually pretty interesting.
Other than the sheer volume of scripts I had to type, the first case of insanity didn't come for another hour or so. I'll spare you the details, but she started going apeshit on our pharmacist, and the rest of us, because her doctor sent us an entirely illegible fax that was supposed to go in conjunction with a script we had never filled for her at our pharmacy before. We also had no script for her, but she insisted she had dropped it off yesterday. She flipped out to us, to our manager, and even called our district manager when our pharmacist said that, even if we had a script, he would refuse to fill it until the doctor sent legible blood work results over in conjunction to the script. (Of course, it's Clozapine, but you could have guessed that by how unstable this lady was...and it can't be dispensed unless the pharmacist has blood work to review and verify along with it).
A few hours later she came back, after our pharmacist had been trying for a while to get in contact with the doctor to help this lady. The script was sitting at the other chain up the street, where she had dropped it off the day before.
I hate people.
Next weirdo of the night: This guy is a 70-something year old man WHO WILL NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP. EVER. He had been bitten by his mangy old cat and naturally it got infected and swelled to gargantuan proportions. I mean, the guy's cat doesn't even like him! I heard the whole 30 minute long story yesterday. He came back today with a script from his doctor for brand name only Ultracet because that time he got the "genetic" Ultracet, it didn't work. Never mind the fact that we had never even filled Ultracet for him before, he had Ultram. And naturally Ultracet is going to have different effects than Ultram because it has an additional ingredient of Acetaminophen. I argued with him for a while over this before I gave up. Whatever, you old bat, I'll fill it for the brand name, I'm not the one paying for it. He had the nerve to complain when it cost more. No shit, there has been a dirt cheap generic out for years.
After telling his cat story to every person who walked by him, he also started telling our patients how bad "genetic" drugs are, inducing a panic in the pharmacy and an influx of questions of "Is this true? I demand brand name!"
If you listen to some old crackpot standing in line at the pharmacy, and believe him, then you are a moron. Your punishment for being a moron is a higher co-payment and having to wait 24 hours while I order the brand name that we never keep in stock, because no one ever fucking gets it, because yes, the generic is just as effective.
Then this guy calls up later and says he is allergic to any Vicodin ES that has the "M320" printed on it. Sorry, but that's all I stock. Unless you have an allergy to things like red dye, you are not allergic to generic drugs, genetic drugs, or even geriatric drugs, you are just a paranoid dumbass who probably also buys things like clothes based solely on having the brand name because you think the others are grossly inferior. Tell me you have an allergy to Red Dye #40, or a specific binding agent, and I will go out of my way to find a manufacturer that doesn't use it. But you are not allergic to "M320," or any other pills you don't find aesthetically pleasing, so STFU. I'm not ordering another manufacturer of Vicodin ES so I can give you 16 tablets and the rest can sit on my shelf taking up space for years, go somewhere else or suck it up.
Back to "genetic" man. This guy ALWAYS tells every female in the pharmacy that he has the body of an 18 year-old. It is not just enough to tell us this, no, he has to give you a visual every time by lifting up his shirt and showing you his leathery old stomach. His claims are definitely an exaggeration.
Anyway this asshole is standing there lifting his shirt up at me, and I'm trying to ignore him and get back to work, when our pharmacist comes over to save the day.
"Sir!" he says, in a ridiculously pompous tone. "You need to put that away right now! Your behavior is inappropriate! My intern is trying to work and we do not appreciate your nudity in our pharmacy! Your prescription is ready, I must insist that you leave!"
The guy grumbled that the pharmacist was just jealous, but eventually left.
Then the pharmacist proceeded to rant about dirty old men, but I guarantee you that he will be a dirty old man someday. In fact he's already a dirty young man and hits on almost every female he works with. But at least he's 27, and not 72, and so far the most he feels like he has to do to impress women is dance.
--IISgirl, going back to trying to pay attention in a painfully boring physiology class
1st Year Goodness
Its almost the end of the first year of Pharmacy school and looking back...I have learned nothing that I can put into practical use in ANY situation. I understand that this is the first year which further knowledge will build off of but come on! I pay thousands of dollars to be in graduate school and I learned nothing practical for the first 8 months! What the hell!? I have the same responsibilities as a 2nd or 3rd year intern and how well do you think I can consult a patient with my 'vast' knowledge of pharmaceuticals???? Might as well let one of the dumbass techs at my Pharmacy teach the patient about their medication. I'm not saying I am a dumbass but the fact of the matter is the same...if they allow us as pharm students to have so much responsibility at least teach us something useful in the first year about our careers as Pharmacists rather than training us to be a hybrid of nurses and statisticians. Do I honestly care how to use a Othalmoscope or how to calculate P and T-value of clinical data. If I wanted to physically interact with patients I would've applied to Med School or if I wanted to do research I would've done my PhD...but wait--oh my! I'm in PHARMACY school.
I am sure many would bitch and complain about my rant saying things like its important to understand and diagnose DRPs and understand the Drug Handouts and blah blah blah. I don't care...I don't care who you are...if you're in Pharmacy School- no matter what you say- 90% of you all are going to end up in fucking Rite-Aid or CVS, it is inevitable and it is a career in which 4 years of training is totally unnecessary. All you need to know is : how to count by five and how to find answers to questions on the internet!
This is how I feel about Pharmacy after one year. I know its terrible but it makes my life a hell of a lot more interesting when I bitch and complain about how stupid the patients and colleagues I interact with are! Honestly though, I love my career choice because I have accepted my fate as an overworked pill dispenser, and a constant search on salary.com makes me smile.
Plus working at a Pharmacy is the perfect job for a cynic like myself. There is no other job where you can face the most obnoxious uptight assholes and despite their constant bitching and yelling is depending on you to dispense their medication. Therefore I have so much material to rant about the patients yet my ego isn't destroyed because I know they NEED me!
Which pharmacy associate has NOT purposely gone slower than usual to dispense a medication or transfer a script for a patient who is a complete fuckface!? I take my profession very seriously, though I bitch about it, and extend my scope of practice beyond pharmaceutical care, I am a social counselor that teaches individuals to become more polite and patient with the world. While many are intimidated by the constipated look the patients gives them when it takes more than 45 seconds to fill their order (since when did CVS or Rite-Aid become a damn Taco Bell??) , I take that as a sign that I am making him/her into a more humble person. See, as an intern--I am making the world a better place!
--IISboy
I am sure many would bitch and complain about my rant saying things like its important to understand and diagnose DRPs and understand the Drug Handouts and blah blah blah. I don't care...I don't care who you are...if you're in Pharmacy School- no matter what you say- 90% of you all are going to end up in fucking Rite-Aid or CVS, it is inevitable and it is a career in which 4 years of training is totally unnecessary. All you need to know is : how to count by five and how to find answers to questions on the internet!
This is how I feel about Pharmacy after one year. I know its terrible but it makes my life a hell of a lot more interesting when I bitch and complain about how stupid the patients and colleagues I interact with are! Honestly though, I love my career choice because I have accepted my fate as an overworked pill dispenser, and a constant search on salary.com makes me smile.
Plus working at a Pharmacy is the perfect job for a cynic like myself. There is no other job where you can face the most obnoxious uptight assholes and despite their constant bitching and yelling is depending on you to dispense their medication. Therefore I have so much material to rant about the patients yet my ego isn't destroyed because I know they NEED me!
Which pharmacy associate has NOT purposely gone slower than usual to dispense a medication or transfer a script for a patient who is a complete fuckface!? I take my profession very seriously, though I bitch about it, and extend my scope of practice beyond pharmaceutical care, I am a social counselor that teaches individuals to become more polite and patient with the world. While many are intimidated by the constipated look the patients gives them when it takes more than 45 seconds to fill their order (since when did CVS or Rite-Aid become a damn Taco Bell??) , I take that as a sign that I am making him/her into a more humble person. See, as an intern--I am making the world a better place!
--IISboy
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