Intern in the ‘ship part 3

I finally got to work drop-off! I have actually have done this before in first semester pharmacy class last year. Drop-off is either laid back or crazy busy. You can be typing a prescription, having a person waiting in line, and a person asking about insurance on the phone. My knowledge and ability to read sig codes from class has made the drop-off easier for me but it is still hard to keep up the pace. It just takes time in any job to be at proper work speed. I am learning how to enter in insurance cards in the system then run them through the system with a new prescription. It is kind of strange in the sense that it is all through the computer system and formularies. If the bill comes back 25 dollars and the customer usually pays 10 dollars then we cannot do anything about it. It is in the control of the insurance company. Many customers do not get that concept. We do not have any magic button to change the price.

Now customers can be clueless and frustrating at times, but we do have some great customers. This one parent has a child who has many prescriptions fill throughout the month. The pharmacist knows this person very well because how often they come to the pharmacy. This parent is always upbeat and understanding when there is a wait or a re-billing for a prescription. Other people like her always say along the lines of “I am here enough not to get mad over the small stuff.” These people make the job enjoyable and give confidence in one’s work. We can do our job and deliver customers medication in a pleasant matter which is otherwise an unpleasant topic: understanding and taking drugs.

What happens if you have to fill a prescription on a holiday say Memorial Day? Do not Fear! The pharmacist is here…and his pharmacy intern. Yes my pharmacy was open on Memorial Day and Yes I work that day and Yes people came in to drop off and pick up their prescriptions. It was actually quite busy in the morning with left over prescriptions and plenty of people calling to ask if we were open to pick up their medication. As the afternoon hit, the day became slower. I got to learn how to return medication to the stock shelves when customers decide not to pick up and pay for their prescription. It was not hard to learn, but I was surprise how many prescriptions people want filled but don’t pick them up. As the late afternoon came upon us, business was at a crawl which I prefer to be at a busier pace. My pharmacist showed me a website where I can receive current drug information. It gives information about new drugs on the market and good counseling points on many of the medications in the pharmacy. Yes, I worked on Memorial Day but as I said to a customer: At least it is air conditioned!