Diary of a Neighborhood Pharmacist, Entry #19

I still recall a few incidents from the relief job that I quit. There were a lot of things that I didn't like about it, the 84-hour workweek (with a long drive at each end of a 12-hour day), the lack of adequate training, and the computer system that wasn't at all friendly, but on top of that, the patients could be openly antagonistic. We were, at the time, the only 24-hour pharmacy in the area, but the services we could provide were limited. If we needed a physician's approval for a refill, we had to call during doctors' office hours. If we had to order a drug, we couldn't place the order, let alone get delivery. All we could offer was the most rudimentary service, and because of staffing patterns, even this was often stalled. The company advertised fast service, but people began coming in at 7am and I was alone until 8am, and I couldn't take in prescriptions, fill, and cashier at the same time.

But the patients didn't make allowances. I still recall the woman who insisted that she should be allowed to cut the line because she had spent four hours waiting at the local emergency room. There was another patient who shouted, "You'd better have that drug! I need that drug!" – this at 2am. Still another patient wanted me to get insurance approval for a medication, ignoring the fact that when I called the insurance company, all I got was a recording saying to call back during normal business hours.

Call it misplaced aggression – but I got threatened because the physicians were off duty, the insurance companies shut down, or simply because the drugs were out of stock. I might have managed to cope with other deficiencies of the job, put in more of my own time learning the system for example, but I didn't like getting into constant arguments on top of everything else. I had chosen the night shift because I thought there would be more opportunity for a professional practice and patient interaction – but I was wrong.

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