That's Not How It Works.

Have you ever worked in a place where you find yourself repeating a piece of information so frequently you lose track of how many times you've said it?  I have, and still do, and I wish I could figure out a way to inform the public without having to do it one customer at a time.  So, with that in mind, I'll let you in on a little secret.

Ready?

Your pharmacy doesn't fill prescriptions in the order they are recieved.  Seriously, that's not how it works.  If you're like many people, you just assumed that it was standard procedure.  I know I did before I actually worked at a pharmacy.  Now, I know better.  And, I wish I could let everyone in on the secret to ease tension and unfulfilled expectations.  I'm going to give it my best shot, for you, right now.

Prescriptions come in to the pharmacy in several different ways.  The one we are most familiar with is the actual written script from the doctor.  You know, the one they hand you on your way out of the office.  Once it's in your hand, its your job to get it to the pharmacy and have it filled.  Another method you might be familiar with is the E-script.  This is a prescription sent electronically from your doctor to the pharmacy of your choice.  There is also the fax method where your doctor's office faxes a copy of your script to the pharmacy.  Or, maybe your doctor has the time to actually call the pharmacy and read your script to a pharmacist.  No matter how your prescription arrives at the pharmacy, it's not filled as it's received.  It's actually placed in a QUEUE to be worked on, and the queue is based on the best estimate of when it will need to be ready, not when it arrived.

I could go into great detail about all the different categories contained in the WORK QUEUE, but it's probably more information than you need to understand the concept, so let's see if I can make it short and sweet.

There are prescriptions we must work on immediately based on special circumstances.  These prescriptions are categorized as URGENT.  Having a busy schedule is not a special circumstance.  No one is begging for the opportunity to sit in the pharmacy waiting area while we work on filling their prescription, but that doesn't make their situation URGENT.  This category is used only in special circumstances, and those circumstances are decided by the pharmacist or technician.  Period.  Any prescription designated as URGENT will be worked on first.

The next category of work in the queue is designated as WAITING.  This is the largetst working queue.  These are prescriptions that will be picked up within 30-60 minutes.  Most likely they were dropped off in person, or a patient called the pharmacy to let us know they were on their way.  Other than the few URGENTS we might see in a day, this is where technicians start when they are filling prescriptions.  We start with the prescriptions that need to be ready first because the patients will be arriving first.

The next category is TODAY.  These are prescriptions we will have ready before the end of business.  There is no guarenteed time, but we will work on them once we've cleared our URGENT and WAITING queues.  If you show up before your prescription is ready, we will move it up to the WAITING queue and you can be out of there in as little as 30 minutes.

Finally, there is the FUTURE DATE category.  These prescriptions will be sent to the CENTRAL FILL location, filled, and sent back to our pharmacy the next business day (except Sundays).  For the most part, these are maintenace drugs that were ordered slightly in advance of their refill date.

During the day, each of these queues grows as prescriptions arrive and shrinks as prescriptions are filled.  There is no way to guess how many scripts will be in each queue at any given time.  The only constant there is is the order in which we will work on them. 

At the pharmacy where I work, a busy day can see upwards of 700 prescriptions.  Each of those prescriptions goes through several steps from arrival to pick up.  At each and every step, there are potential, unpredictable roadblocks.  Many of these roadblocks are out of our control.  We want you to be satisfied.  That's our goal, but sometimes we aren't as successful as we'd like to be, and it's not for lack of trying, but for lack of understanding the process.  So, now you have a little bit of understanding about the process.  I hope it helps you next time you're waiting at the pharmacy. 

...AND THEN THEY OFFERED ME THE JOB.

Life changed, drastically, in the last three months.  At 55, my husband, Steven, decided to take an early retirement, and my life changed.  After 19 years of being a Stay-At-Home-Mom, I was about to venture out into the workforce again.  Sure, I'd been an elementary school teacher for 10 years, but the gap in my professional work history was pretty big, and I didn't want to go back to my previous career.  So, at 51 years old, I was sticking my foot back into the water, and I was almost convinced I'd drown.

My search for a job had conditions.  I needed to secure health benefits for my husband, my daughter, and myself.  I knew I wouldn't be suited for over night shifts.  A chronic illness would prevent me from doing serious physical labor, and an 8 hour shift was about all I'd be able to get through without physical consequences.  More importantly, I would need to find a job where Sundays off was an option.  Sundays in my family are the day when we we all get together at my mother's house (or mine in the "play outdoors" weather) and laugh, play, eat, debate, swim, drink wine, discuss life, and have Starbucks.  It's a tradition I was determined to maintain.  So, where could I find something to meet these conditions and find myself fulfilled and challenged?  The search began.

Some day, I'll get into the details of the job search, but, for today, I'll just tell you where it ended.  I was offered a job as a Pharmacy Technician for a well known business in my area.  Why was I drawn to this opportunity?  It seemed challenging and intellectually stimulating.  It allowed me to work with people, and I happen to like most people.  There would be plenty of interaction, which I knew would keep my mind busy and make time move quickly.  I felt I could make a contribution.  I would be able to secure the health benefits my family needed, and Sundays off was a go.  I accepted the offer, and that's where the journey, and this blog, begin.

In the two plus months since I began my job, my brain has been working overtime to catch up on everything I need to know to do my job well.  There is so much important information to memorize.  So many rules and procedures and medication names and insurance policies and more.  Is it challenging?  Heck yes!  Is it busy?  No doubt.  Is it fun?  YES, it is fun, and I work with some really great people who make it even more fun.  Sure, I'm still flailing about a little as I try to put the pieces into place, but, each day I feel like I've made progress in the right direction.  And, each day, something happens which taps into my education and years as a teacher, and makes me want to inform people about the way the pharmacy works, from my point of view, so they'll be more knowledgeable, and possibly less surprised or frustrated in their experiences.

With that said, get ready for some stories, good and bad, that might help you the next time you're waiting in line.  Maybe, just maybe, you'll find out something that changes your perspective and brings you a more positive experience.  I know, when I'm behind the counter, I'm striving for a positive interaction with each and every customer.  Sometimes I win.  Sometimes I lose.  Each time, I want to make it better <3

-C-