These dedicated professionals are on the front lines of medicine distribution and the ultimate defenders of the right to pharmaceutical safety. They work in a profession in which one mistake – a misread prescription, unclear instructions or the wrong prescription – can have fatal consequences. There’s no excuse for a bad day or a careless error.
Thus, pharmacists and their assistants are held to a high standard of excellence by their employers, government agencies, university degree programs and clinical professional standards, undergoing rigorous training and close monitoring by regulatory and professional boards.
Under Pressure: Big Business for Pharmacists
Pharmacists are under pressure to perform as a general business in many cases. Patient counts are zooming as the population ages, new pressures are added as the drugstore industry consolidates, and the competition for customers is fierce.
Those circumstances mean the pharmacist doesn’t necessarily have a lot of time to spend informing customers of things that they may need to know. It’s not that they’re hiding anything or are unfriendly. They just may not be proactive in providing information or are too busy to make sure that the customer fully understands everything about ingesting the medication beyond a few hurried words of advice.
Given the situation, it falls to consumers to pay attention to their medications, ask relevant questions where necessary, and generally take a larger role in making sure they understand the procedures, processes and instructions that will help make their interactions with pharmaceutical professionals much more fruitful.
Seven Pharmacy Secrets
Here are seven things that pharmacists don’t necessarily reveal -- but they're vital for customers to know:
1) Chain drugstore and supermarket pharmacists have order quotas to maintain – The friendly neighborhood Walgreen’s and CVS have strict rules about the time it takes to fill a prescription. In most cases, they have a 15-minute limit on fulfilling orders, even for multiple medications in a single order. Of course, such slam-bang pressures increase the risk of mistakes. No one particularly monitors the speed of pharmacists unless there’s a direct complaint. But make no mistake, they are employees and will face consequences in performance reviews, promotions and bonuses if they fail to meet or maintain the requested quotas.
2) The time of day affects prescription fulfillment speed – It’s universally acknowledged that mornings are the best time to visit the local pharmacist and get a prescription filled speedily. Later in the day for most workers – including pharmacists -- means fatigue and other distractions. If calls are needed to get refill authorization or other variables delay the process, then pharmacists may get behind, meaning wait time will increase.
3) Customers are always right, but it’s better to be right than fast – Because the wrong medication or dosage can have fatal consequences, it’s best not to harass the person behind the counter, even if he or she exceeds the standard 15-minute wait time. More so than any other profession, the pharmacist needs to be sure he or she is doing the right thing and giving you the right medications. It’s more than counting pills and putting them in bottles.
4) They often can’t read the prescription – If you have a hard time reading what the doctor wrote down, then the poor pharmacist may be in the same boat. Although pharmacists are more in tune with the language of prescriptions, it still may mean a phone call to be absolutely certain of a doctor’s intentions, particularly if it’s possible there’s a conflict with another medication you take. It’s worth the wait time to make sure they get it right. Fortunately, electronic prescription fulfillment is more prevalent, but it is a slow national rollout.
5) Your pharmacists can’t cut you a deal – Most pharmacists are employees of a chain or have a boss who determines what can and can’t be done about pricing. Medications are expensive and growing more so with time. Pharmaceutical distributors can’t tell the manufacturers what to charge, nor can they mark it up.
6) Some generics aren’t worth taking – A brand-name drug has patent protection for 20 years, meaning no other manufacturer can make or sell it. After that, manufacturers can create medications that mimic the original drug, as long as the generic meets the same requirements for dosage, safety, strength, administration, quality and performance. However, not every generic is exactly like its original medication. Even minor differences that may not mean much can have an impact on your health. If you are not sure, ask your pharmacist.
7) Refills should be filled before you run out – Trying to reach some doctors is like trying to reach the Kremlin. You can call and call, leave messages and still don't get a response. Because doctors hold the key to releasing your medications, the pharmacists have their hands tied. So don’t blame them if the turnaround time stretches out several days, and by all means, make sure you adhere to a regular schedule on your medication without having to skip days during waiting time.
The relationship with a pharmacist can be as much of a vital part of maintaining good health as a doctor-patient relationship. Like any trained professional, the pharmacist deserves all the due deference and professional courtesy that should be granted to any other highly skilled professional. If customers develop professional relationships with a particular pharmacy, they may become more comfortable asking the occasional question on medication dosages, potential generics available and the timing of medication ingestion. That’s a valuable tool and makes for a safer experience for all.