Do we have any pharmacists here? Why does it take so long?

[Fordiesel69]

I have always been interested in the behind the scenes stuff that takes place to better understand what really goes on filling a prescription. Friend had wisdom teeth pulled and opted to not get the meds called in ahead of time. So after the procedure they drove and had to wait over an hour at the pharmacy in extreme pain, while they seemingly were not at all busy, nor were there any customers aside from a few drive thru pickups.

The delay was not the online order. They received the online prescription and just sat on it intentionally.

Was curious if we have any pharmacists that can shed light on the process.

 

[Zee09]

I have a great one 15 minutes away. If I called one in now it would be ready when I got there. I have had others that would take many hours or days.

 

[Dave Hess]

Because the pharmacist has 150 orders to fill before your friend’s prescription.

Lots of retail pharmacists (CVS, Walgreens, etc…) are swamped with orders to fill before they even start their day.

** Edit **
Crazy corporate metrics retail pharmacists have to meet, just because the pharmacy didn’t look busy the pharmacist is like a hamster on wheel trying to meet their goals. First In, First out filling of Rx.

 

[PimTac]

It depends on the pharmacy and the staffing. Behind the scenes they are getting refill requests, doctors phone calls, patients calling with medication questions and so on.

There is a lot you won’t see from the front.

 

[Oillover]

Because the pharmacist has 150 orders to fill before your friends prescription.

Lots of retail pharmacists (CVS, Walgreens, etc…) are swamped with orders to fill before they even start their day.

+1
Especially with rising population numbers as well as increased drug dependencies.
Add to that an industry with less and less pharmacists and you have a situation comparable to mechanics at dealerships.

 

[John105]

Dr prescribed some cream for me (my elbow got an infection). By the time Woonsocket got the cream my elbow was better

Another time they were joking about the fridge being left open and they were administering Moderna there. Really nucking futs.

 

[twouvakind]

Once you let that pain get ahead of you it is hard to get relief.

 

[mrsilv04]

They are often overworked, underpaid, and understaffed. In Kansas City, they've had enough.

CVS apologizes amid claims of unsafe workplace; pharmacists plan a second walkout today

Last week's walkout in Kansas City, and the corporation’s swift response, have brought fresh attention to long-running alarms over pharmacy staffing.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I have always been interested in the behind the scenes stuff that takes place to better understand what really goes on filling a prescription. Friend had wisdom teeth pulled and opted to not get the meds called in ahead of time. So after the procedure they drove and had to wait over an hour at the pharmacy in extreme pain, while they seemingly were not at all busy, nor were there any customers aside from a few drive thru pickups.

The delay was not the online order. They received the online prescription and just sat on it intentionally.

Was curious if we have any pharmacists that can shed light on the process.

1) You admit you don't know how the process works, and...
2) You weren't there, yet...
3) You've come to the conclusion that the 'just sat on it intentionally'.

Interesting.

 

[wander2039]

My nephew is a pharmacist and my wife is a pharmacy tech. ALOT goes on between the doc sending it and getting filled. They just don't fill it because it lands on their desk.

 

[John105]

They are often overworked, underpaid, and understaffed. In Kansas City, they've had enough.

CVS apologizes amid claims of unsafe workplace; pharmacists plan a second walkout today

Last week's walkout in Kansas City, and the corporation’s swift response, have brought fresh attention to long-running alarms over pharmacy staffing.

www.usatoday.com

I heard starting pay has gone up significantly. Makes me wonder what that does to veterans. Say someone with zero experience starts at $110k in 2023. Zero experience. A similar person started at $65k in 2015. It’s likely that after 8 years they make less or same. Probably that’s discouraging and it would show in the team’s performance.

 

[LDB]

A lot goes into getting a scrip ready for the patient. And had your friend been wise and had the meds called in ahead of time there wouldn't have been a problem.

 

[bdcardinal]

My nephew is a pharmacist and my wife is a pharmacy tech. ALOT goes on between the doc sending it and getting filled. They just don't fill it because it lands on their desk.

I'm sure its easier now with dedicated software, but part of the process was verifying other prescriptions associated with that name didn't have any known adverse reactions or incompatibilities.

 

[Owen Lucas]

AI and robots will solve this problem eventually, and unfortunately.

 

[Barkleymut]

Pharmacists are probably googling what is the best motor oil to use in their cars instead of doing their jobs. #sarcasm

 

[ATex7239]

Clearly they were just trying to cheese him off. What else better could they possibly have to do?

 

[John105]

Pharmacists are probably googling what is the best motor oil to use in their cars instead of doing their jobs. #sarcasm

Or shopping at Costco while working from home

 

[The Critic]

I heard starting pay has gone up significantly. Makes me wonder what that does to veterans. Say someone with zero experience starts at $110k in 2023. Zero experience. A similar person started at $65k in 2015. It’s likely that after 8 years they make less or same. Probably that’s discouraging and it would show in the team’s performance.

And most of them top out under 200K, in fact quite a bit under. Not exactly a great career considering the working conditions, difficulty of finding employment (in most metropolitan areas) and educational investment.

What does this mean? Well, it's going to affect the demographics of folks entering the field.

 

[Jdeere562]

I get mine filled the easy way. Granddaughter works at a Hy-Vee pharmacy. She was here last night and I needed a couple prescriptions refilled. She just snapped a pic of the bottles with her phone and took them to work today.

Texted me she will drop them off after work tonight.

 

[Dave Hess]

Hospital pharmacist is much better than retail.