Dear Patients,

Retail pharmacy, and most all medical fields, is an interesting and sometimes frustrating balance in giving a patient what they want while giving a patient what they need.  We have to walk a fine line between law, customer service, and insurance regulations.  Our society has become one of convenience and quick fixes.  Patients have come to expect that kind of convenience from their pharmacy.  Even though some pharmacies have drive-up windows, patients should not expect the process to work like McDonald’s.  If McDonald’s messes up your order, it’s very unlikely that you will die; this is not the case for a pharmacy.  Our job is difficult and is only made worse by patients who do not take responsibility for their own life or health care. 

            Refills are listed on the prescription label.  The label will also list an expiration date.  If your refills are denied by the doctor, or just have not been called in, it is your responsibility as the patient to call the doctor and ask why.  The pharmacy handles thousands of prescriptions a week; we do not have time or man power to call you personally when you are out of refills or to remind you to go to the doctor for a check-up.  If you notice that your prescription is about to expire or is out of refills, you should call your doctor.  Your doctor essentially works for you, they are more likely to listen to the request of their patient than that of a faxed notice from the pharmacy. 

Retail pharmacy and the invention of the coupon incentive programs have caused endless problems for pharmacy staff.  Transfers require one pharmacy to call another pharmacy and relay important information about a patient’s prescription.  Most people have more than one prescriptions and in the case of transfers between pharmacies, the larger the number of transfers at one time increases the number of mistakes that can be made.  If you must move your prescriptions, move them as you need them instead of as one large order.  We realize that this is inconvenient but it decreases the chances of error, making is safer for you.  Look at the prescription before you leave the pharmacy counter and ask questions about your new medications. Most importantly, know what medications you are taking, be involved in your own health care.

            Pharmacies don’t like to be rushed; it is important to us that we get your prescription right.  There is a process that insures the patient gets the right medication, this process takes time.  Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on our part.  Are you going on vacation?  Please give the pharmacy more than a day, we can help you if we have time.  No birth control pill because you are due for an appointment? “If I get pregnant, I’m bringing the baby to you” isn’t a response that is going to get you what you want.  Please, call your doctor, make an appointment, and they will probably give you enough medication to last until your scheduled appointment.  Are you coming to the pharmacy right before we close?  We understand emergencies but please help us out by bringing the prescription that the doctor wrote you last week a little sooner than five minutes until close.

           All of these scenarios and more can be prevented with a little understanding and patient’s taking responsibility for their own care.  We, the pharmacy staff, are there to help you navigate the confusing insurance, the doctor’s notes, and the medication you’re not really sure about.  We are gracious and forgive the lack of understanding some patients have; it’s the lazy patient that frustrates the most.  Help your pharmacy staff give you the best care possible by being a part of the process rather than treating us like a fast food restaurant.

The Sometimes Scholar

Emerson, in the American Scholar, makes a distinction between the scholar (Man Thinking) and a mere thinker, or worse, the parrot of other men’s thinking.  This contrast can be seen on college campuses and schools across the United States.  There are students who strive to learn at every opportunity and those that merely repeat what they memorized from their teacher/book/peer.  The question is, whose responsibility is it to make sure these creative, ever-learning, original thinkers exist?

                During my second semester of college, I encountered the first teacher that really made me think.  She incorporated many of the characteristics that Emerson mentioned in the American Scholar; she created an environment that fostered creative learning.  I was to write a paper after sitting outside for about an hour, the subject had to come from the nature I experienced in that hour.  Another assignment was writing a paper based on Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal”, I was to write a proposal that was original to solve a problem in the world as I saw it.  These assignments and many more like it from this particular teacher were challenging at the time, but because of them I grew as a student and gained more confidence for other assignments.

                In contrast, my US Politics, History, and Psychology classes were not as engaging.  I would be hard pressed to tell you more than 3 things that I learned from those classes.  I am a good student with a decent memory, so I received excellent scores in all of these subjects.  The reason that I cannot recall any information, in my opinion, is that I am also good at forgetting what I don’t use or care about.  There was more work to do in these online classes than in the aforementioned English class in many ways, but I did not retain any of it.  I remembered enough to take my test, then moved on, leaving the knowledge behind.  I had all the resources I needed to learn and retain; the fault for that loss of information is mine.

                I have given you two examples from the same college experience, one of an American Scholar as Emerson describes and one of just a mere thinker.  My college experience has been one of learning not only about the subject matter presented to me, but of personal growth.  I am learning who I am, what I can do, and where I can improve.  My personal belief is that the responsibility of a person’s college experience rests mostly on them.  I think that it is the teacher’s job to facilitate an environment of learning, but it is up to the student to learn.  Emerson describes a person who is always learning; a man who goes beyond the classroom and lives life creative and curious and thoughtful.  I am the American Scholar, sometimes.

Freeloading Slackers

We got an egg!  I have been checking the coop every day since they were about 5 months old.  Steve tried to give them "pep" talks, which really amounted to him berating my chickens for being slackers and free loaders.  Then finally, three days ago, I found an egg.  It was soooo tiny, and cute, and brown.  I think the chickens knew that I took it.  They followed me around all day long, every time I walked anywhere they followed.  This is unusual behavior for my chickens.  They like to be their own birds and do their own thing.  Thankfully, I am pretty sure they are unaware that I ate it.  It was weird.  I kinda felt bad that I was eating the creation of my pet chicken.  I fried the egg just the way I like it, took a moment of silence, then I ate it.

I am sure if I did a chemical analysis of my backyard, free range chicken egg, I would find that if is far more nutritious than a store bought commercial farm egg; honestly though, my tastebuds couldn't tell the difference.  Steve pointed out that that was the most expensive egg I will probably every eat.

So far, that has been the only egg.  It's been three days and still nothing more.   Maybe they do know that I ate it and they went on strike?