The Pharmacists You’ll Meet in Internships--Community Edition

A while back, we had a post, about the people you will meet in pharmacy school.

Our latest installment is “the pharmacists you’ll meet in internships--community edition.”

It would be an interesting study to conduct, to see who the people you’ll meet in pharmacy school will become when (if, in some cases) they are pharmacists. Do they hold true to their pharm school categories? What were the pharmacists I characterize today like during pharmacy school? Check back with me after 2011, when our study is continued.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you The Pharmacists You’ll Meet in Internships. Community edition, of course. Hospital installment coming within the next 2 to 3 years.

The Genuinely Good Pharmacist.
She may be like the Generally Nice Guy of pharmacy school. She always tries to do what’s right. She is what every pharmacist should aspire to be. She treats her techs well and never hides from patients. She is also a preceptor. She is calm, and never takes a bad day out on her techs or interns, as some other pharmacists are prone to do. She is also the one who probably takes the most crap from the district manager, because she does care and she will do something about it. It was this pharmacist who first encouraged me to go to pharmacy school—I’m still not sure whether or not I should love her or hate her for that. Anyway, this person takes a real interest in your internship and is always trying to come up with a new learning experience for you. She has taken you under her wing and you will probably turn out ok thanks to her guidance.

The Ancient Relic.
This isn’t just a middle aged pharmacy student, as our last list suggested. This pharmacist has been known as “druggist,” “apothecary,” and “chemist,” in his lifetime. When he went to pharmacy school, there were only two drugs: aspirin and penicillin. So he thinks that it is entirely reasonable for you to memorize everything there is to know about any given drug, including its structure. The first prescriptions he filled as a young pharmacist were probably written in Latin and had to be compounded. Later, his pharmacy had a soda fountain in it, where he may or may not have dispensed cocaine-cola. Although this pharmacist may or may not be crotchety and unreasonable, his vast experience is still nonetheless a valuable resource, if he thinks a young whippersnapper such as you deserves to hear about it.

The Law.
He has actually become one of my favorite pharmacists. At first I thought he was kind of a tool, but he’s actually pretty valuable for getting things done. Young and ambitious, with a possible diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, this pharmacist likes everything to be just-so. He likes to see diagnosis codes on pathoamines, won’t cave when being harassed for an early refill on a control, and god help you if you don’t make an offer to counsel if you’re on pick-up duty. He is also a stickler about company policy, which is annoying at times, but is ripe for mockery on his days off. He is not afraid to say no to gift card scammers or to yell at people for going the wrong way through the drive-thru. He is also a pretty good advocate for his patients, and has been known to bitch out many receptionists, nurses, PAs, and physicians for not authorizing refills, submitting prior auths, or clarifying prescriptions quickly enough. Nothing thrills him more, however, than catching a fake prescription. He should probably work for the DEA. He is mildly interested in your internship and makes an effort to keep you occupied and doing more than just tech work, but couldn’t hide his disappointment when you reveal that you have no intentions of staying at Major Chain Pharmacy, or even community pharmacy, upon graduation.

The Cool Pharmacist.
You love to work with this guy. He is usually at odds with The Law. He is probably a recent graduate, most likely still on good terms with the professors and thus a good resource, and often-times a floater. His approach to pharmacy is rather laissez-faire. He rolls with the punches and never gets very worked up over anything. He jokes around, may be known to prank call other pharmacies or give copies in weird voices, and treats you to Starbucks, Taco Bell, or pizza on a pretty regular basis. He will bring his iPod and speakers on weekend shifts and may be known to burst into a song or dance routine on occasion, too. Also mildly interested in making sure his interns have some sort of learning experience under him, in fact he may have a really interesting project, article, or some good insight for you from time to time. He really knows his shit, but unfortunately his nonchalance will probably earn him a hearing in front of the Board of Pharmacy some day, provided his disregard for authority doesn't get him fired first.

I'm Just In It For the Good Hours and Pay.
This pharmacist is pregnant about once a year. She only went to pharmacy school because the job is easy to leave and she only has to work 20 hours a week. On the rare occasions you work with her, she has little if any useful input for you and your internship. Once she hits 8 months pregnant, she sits in the corner, complains about her feet being swollen, and makes you bring her scripts to check.

The Angry Pharmacist.
We have all read his blog. However, I'm pretty sure TAP is really a nice guy at work, and all the day's frustrations come out in his blog, as is true for most of us internet pharmacy ranters. Unfortunately, some pharmacists I’ve had the displeasure of working under are always that angry, both on and off the internet. Angry at you, angry at patients, angry at doctors. I'm pretty sure this person's blood pressure is through the roof. They are kind of the bane of your existence and you find yourself always needing the day off for exams whenever they are scheduled to work.

The Jaded Pharmacist.
Different than the Angry Pharmacist, the Jaded Pharmacist has probably been practicing at least 5 to 10 years. They are fed up with chains, with bureaucracy, and disrespect. But, you know, the hours are too comfortable, and the money too good for them to leave. This pharmacist’s contribution to your internship is giving you advice on life, such as not selling your soul to Major Chain Pharmacy and not listening to a word the district manager says to you.

The Apathetic Pharmacist.
They usually work midnights. They don’t even care enough anymore to be angry or jaded. They might also overlap a bit with the Lazy Pharmacist, but not necessarily, although they may still lash out in a passive-aggressive manner against Major Chain Pharmacy by doing small things such as filing any "important" faxes with the district manager's header on them in the trash can.

The Lazy Pharmacist.
This pharmacist probably gives his interns the most responsibility out of any pharmacist, just because he doesn’t want to do a damn thing. Go counsel those patients, prepare that compound, and talk to that physician on line 8. I will be sitting right here reading a magazine.

The Hospital Pharmacist.
They fill in on weekends for the extra money. They don’t have a clue about how things at Major Chain Pharmacy work, so good luck if the computers crash, you are faced with an obscure insurance problem, or you don’t know where a particular binder of paperwork is kept, because you're flying solo. Usually pretty interesting to talk with, these pharmacists are also some of the happiest you will ever meet.

The Moral Crusader.
The infamous type, who places personal beliefs ahead of his patients and refuses to dispense birth control or Plan B. Thankfully, I have never worked with this pharmacist, and were one to come to Major Chain Pharmacy, I would make sure I never did work with this character, but unfortunately this type does exist, and must be included.

The Spazz.
Nice when it’s slow, a terror when it’s busy. When she wasn't taking her anxiety out on technicians, our particular spazz was known to stand in the derm section, crying or hyperventilating, although thankfully she has moved on from Major Chain Pharmacy to a place that is hopefully less stressful. She is also probably a drama queen, and often a very bad influence. Once the people start lining up at the counter, the queue fills up with scripts, and the phone lines start flashing, this pharmacist is in the corner popping Xanax.

--IISgirl ... as always, hit me up if you've got something to add! comment or email irritableinterngirl at gmail dot com