be nice to pharmacy workers :(

[_xoffmod]

This doesn't relate to anxiety or depression but just something that makes me mad and upset and just AHHHH like i wanna go hulk mode, if possible.

So i work as a pharmacy technician at a retail pharmacy and last night my manager was reading me reviews of our store and i was just so like wtf. First of all we are one of the busiest stores in our entire district and we are understaffed most times. We're one of those stores that doesn't have enough people because corporate doesn't give us enough hours.

ANYWAYS.. so there are tons of reviews about how they had to wait and how were rude and understaffed. I just get so annoyed when people get pissed off because they came right after their fucking doctors appointment like their medicine would be ready because the DOCTOR said so. LIKE NO NO NO NO. Since we are so understaffed we get behind on counting out the medications because we're so busy getting the counter and the drive through. The comments about being understaffed low-key gets me like if you noticed were understaffed WHY DONT YOU APPLY TO HELP US??? i think people think its just putting pills in a fucking bottle but no its not. You enter the script, the pharmacist has to check that it was written right and that insurance will even cover it, then we pull the medication, count, and put into a vial and then it goes back for a final check before it even reaches a patient. We also do vaccines for anything from pneumonia to flu to covid to tdap and that takes a chunk of our time as well. Guess what??? were also human and we make mistakes about the vaccine information so why can't people be more understanding? if you don't like the way we do it or are sick of waiting then maybe going to a pharmacy for vaccines isn't a good idea. I also forgot to add about the phones. Unfortunately answering the phones are the last of our priorities because of being understaffed and so busy and we got a lot of snarky comments like "ive been trying to call all day and no one answered" and honestly most of the phone calls are just is my prescription ready... If your pharmacy has text/phone alerts, sign up for them. If your pharmacy has an app, get the app, submit all the details and get all your prescriptions only our phone! Out of all my jobs, this is where i feel VERY under-appreciated because most of the customers are very rude to us.

The moral of the ridiculous rant is please try to be nice to pharmacy workers. I know it can be frustrating not being able to get your medications on time, but please don't take it out on us. We are only human and can only do and take so much in one day. There are numerous medications that are on backorder that we can't get in. I always say that we are the middle man between doctors and insurance companies. it goes doctors - pharmacy - insurance companies and we get the brunt of everything.

I also wish I was able to match customers energy because that would be GREAT and a HUGE stress relief...

[Sillysausage234]

My pharmacy are really helpful…and it’s obvious they are doing their best to help people….yesterday there was a horrible woman in front of me arguing over something that if she’d been quicker to request a refill it would of been ready ….anyway she walked off without her stuff ,was probably suppositories she had that look about her like she was constipated… she got to me started shaking her head refering to the young assistant she said if she had a brain she’d be dangerous …😳….should ban anyone who abuses health care workers imo

[_xoffmod in reply to Sillysausage234]

oh my god.. i swear some people should just not be allowed in the public if they're going to act like that. I SECOND THAT BAN! P L E A S E!!!!

[Isinatra in reply to Sillysausage234]

if I could, I’d “like” you twice.” Lol

[Sillysausage234 in reply to Isinatra]

she looked like she needed a coffee enema

[Isinatra in reply to Sillysausage234]

😂😂😂😵‍💫

[Blueruth]

thanks for your work. I think the professional is highly undervalued. You understand med interactions and probably have records such as allergies. Yet doctors seem just as dismissive as customers. I had a friend who could have avoided an overdose if he had just listened to the pharmacist instead of the doctor who couldn’t justify his logic. I’ve read about the understaffing and shift in responsibilities to techs. I agree it is horrible.

[_xoffmod in reply to Blueruth]

thank you so much! it is very very undervalued. yes we do! but we also hire people who haven’t worked in the profession so on-top of all that we’re trying to train and customers are just ruthless.

[Imeallytryingmybest]

Oh my I could only imagine at my last workplace something very similar would happen what I used to love to do instead matching their energy which tbh I wish I COULD AHAH is overly nice in return you should see how pissed they get hehe

[Isinatra]

I can see the stress on my pharmacy’s workers and I don’t want to add anymore stress. The job is important and accuracy is of the utmost importance. If I’m laid out on an operating table, I’m not going to tell the surgeon to hurry it up.

[_xoffmod in reply to Isinatra]

I appreciate you trying not to add any! i also don’t want any customers feeling like they can’t ask us stuff and such sometimes it’s just so hard to try and talk to them when there’s so much other stuff that needs attention.

from my experience working in surgery, i don’t think anyone would tell a surgeon that unless you wanted to get absolutely verbally assaulted 🤣🤣 but i understand that! at my pharmacy we count EVERYTHING and we don’t have a machine so it takes more than it should.

[Isinatra in reply to _xoffmod]

January 12…..🙏

[Isinatra]

I don’t know….my cardiologist would probably laugh and tell the anesthesiologist to shut her up. He’s done that before…..

Yes, when I ask questions, I’ve never been treated like a bother. I think there’s a National Pharmacists Day. I’ll look…..😁

[Against_the_current]

Say it louder! 🙌Pharmasists are mistreated heroes. My mom's a pharmasist and the treatment she gets from clients makes her struggle so much. It hurts watching her that way. Clients are not only rude and leave terrible reviews but are also arrogant, sneaky and stupid. There are mostly really old people and gypsies and they are really rude, ignorant about meds and confusing them, trying to get it for free etc. Also working with receipt scares the hell out of her. It's horrifying. Be kind to the pharmasists. Once a kind pharmasist made my whole day better

[_xoffmod in reply to Against_the_current]

oh my.. i could only imagine what she goes through. i’m sure your mom is a great and wonderful pharmacist to work with! yes i so agree!!! yes the area i work in is a very high medicaid/medicare area and people are always trying to argue about their medications to us and most of the time i’m just like i’m not sure it’s what the doctor wrote. omg and about refills… i could rant about that too!!!

[Against_the_current in reply to _xoffmod]

You are heroes

[AnxiousSilver]

Sadly.. I've had pharmacy workers that treated me better than my own doctor.

Pharmacy workers are one of the few groups of people (I won't say the others ATM, because this thread is about you) that are underappreciated.

.

Do pharmacy workers make the pill or the vaccines themselves?

No. But yet they are still "sometimes" the human punching bags when things don't work out.

.

*Again* I have had amazing advice given to me or my family (which includes over the counter product suggestions/solutions) by pharmacy workers, when my doctor was too busy to take my call, or during off hours.

Personally, I have no problem talking to pharmacy workers on a "first name basis", and also thanking them on later date for them helping me out when I was struggling.

[_xoffmod in reply to AnxiousSilver]

i’m sorry but i’m also glad that the pharmacy staff was nice to you! that makes me happy. i’m sure there are all sorts of different professions that are undervalued!! omg yes yes we are most definitely the human punching bags. i love that! i’m so glad that pharmacy staff can give that advice to you when doctors sometimes can’t. thank you for being nice to us 🥹