Saturday, December 11, 2010

Am I out of line? Have I become another Bill Maher (or name your cynic) of pharmacy?

  I have really been thinking about this lately.   Have I become just another cynic that wants attention, or are my rants about pharmacy life substantiated.  I watched Tony Dungy talk about how hard it is to be a head coach.  He talked about how many hours he had to put in to be successful, missing out on time with his family, and alluded to the fact that he was often on call due to simply owning a cell phone.  After finishing his explanation he summed it up by saying, "...but we choose our profession."  Now, I think that I would put up with all of the things that he talked about to lead Peyton Manning the to Super Bowl.  Not to mention, make all of the millions that come with doing so. 

   I will say that I agree with Coach Dungy.  We do choose our professions, but like I said before, had I read all of the pharmacist blogs (see sidebar), I probably wouldn't have chose this job.  Being in pharmacy has totally changed my views on people in general.  Don't get me wrong, I love people. I really do.  I want to help them as much as possible, but it is hard when you see the inner demon come out of so many of them on a daily basis. Not to mention dealing with grown people whining like children because their insurance didn't pay or their doctor didn't get back with us, like its our fault.  These people are actually changing the way I think about things.

  I guess what I'm asking is, am I wrong for writing about this stuff?  Is writing about it actually helping anything or should I get up on my days off and go find something out there that is suitable for me?  Hopefully I will find the answer soon.  Until then, please enjoy my rants (as they serve as therapy for me - thank the Lord) and feel free to post any comments. 

Until next time,  have fun counting pills that it took 6+ years of education to be able to do (Doctor).  Like my favorite group (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony) says.... Everything's gonna be alright.

5 comments:

  1. You're not wrong for writing about it... I find it to be a great outlet and the best part is hearing from other people who can identify with your experiences. It kind of keeps you sane. It's also really helpful to get suggestions from others around the country about particular problems you encounter. Every job has its down side -- it is what you make it, and the real question is whether you come out at the end of the day with some sort of job satisfaction. There are good days and bad, it's just being able to keep in in perspective.

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  2. How can we make it better? I think about this alot because I just graduated in 2009 and in no way can I do it for 30+ years. I feel over-qualified and under-appreciated. From time to time I get the patient-pharmacist interaction that I long for, but most conversations with patients involve how soon they can pick up their prescription for hydrocodone/APAP. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one...

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  3. I appreciate your comments. I don't know what it will take to make the retail world better (other than adequate staffing or increased automation), but it is a relief to know that there are like minded pharmacy personnel out there. Hopefully you get as much relief in reading these blogs as I do writing them.

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  4. I think people feel compelled to write (and read) about frustrations with pharmacy simply because they want the reassurance of knowing that they aren't alone. There is comfort in knowing that you aren't the only person in the world that has felt frustrated with the downsides of being a pharmacist. But for me personally, I try not to focus on them all the time or constantly write about my furstrations because I want to talk about other things. I think it's good to have a healthy outlet for your feelings about work and the overall state of the profession but focusing too much on the negatives can drain you!

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  5. I hate everything about my job (retail). And I can think of no position in the entire field of pharmacy I would enjoy. That's why I stick with it. Nothing else I could do outside the profession would bring in half the money. For now and the past 10 years the suffering is worth the money. Everyday I set foot in that damned fish bowl I seriously consider walking out within the first 5 minutes. Somehow I make it through and just keep going. The people are just animals. Nothing less than animals. How many others feel the way I do but fool themselves into believing they love their job or at least love their profession. Oh, when asked "How's work?" I give the standard positive answer just like everyone else but these anonymous boards really help vent the bile and hatred. So vent away man. PharmD. Worst life decision I ever made. As a little blue fish once said "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming"

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