During my freshman year in high school, my science teacher assigned us to interview people in the community about how they use science in their careers. Although I don’t remember most of the people I spoke with, I can tell you that I spent meaningful time with a local community pharmacist who changed my life.
What I saw was a man who loved his career and truly cared for his patients. In an instant, I knew that I wanted to become a pharmacist, and I never wavered from that goal throughout high school.
Knowing what you want to be when you grow up at age 14 is unusual, but it is very liberating. I simply had to work backwards to figure out how to achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist.
After high school, I chose to attend Ohio Northern University (ONU) because it had a unique pharmacy program. Rather than attending college for 2 years and then applying to the pharmacy program, ONU students were admitted to the College of Pharmacy from day one.
Although it was expensive, being in pharmacy school from day one and avoiding the risk of rejection made it worthwhile for me.
In college, I spent a lot of time in the library. Although the classwork was difficult, I did well with one exception: organic chemistry.
I did fail organic chemistry—a notorious “weed out” course—but I successfully retook the class over the summer and graduated on time with the rest of my classmates. Failing a course is a difficult stumbling block, but I stood strong and persevered.
Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful pharmacy profession for so many reasons.
First, I’m thankful that community pharmacists are the health care professionals most accessible to the public. If my local pharmacist wasn’t accessible to me, then I likely would have taken a different career path.
Second, I’m proud of the work we pharmacists do, the diversity of our career options, and the relationships we share with our patients and fellow health care providers.
Pharmacy is a profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives. It certainly has made all the difference in mine.
(I am at the cashier, ringing up a long line of people. I notice when customers walk in, they suddenly skirt around the theft detectors. A lady approaches the counter.)
Lady: “There is a big spider in the entrance!”
(Note: I don’t want to leave the counter because of the enormous line.)
Me: “Okay, cool.”
Lady: “You have to kill it. You work here.”
Me: “It’s not hurting anyone.”
(The lady’s husband chimes in.)
Husband: “Kill it, she’s right!”
(Everyone in the line seems to agree with the lady and her husband.)
Me: “Okay, I’ll just move it outside.”
Husband: “No, kill it!”
Me: “No, it wont do any harm out there in the parking lot.”
(I move the spider outside.)
Lady: “I can’t take it anymore!”
Me: “Can’t take what?”
(Suddenly, the lady grabs a basket made for carrying products outside and finds the spider. She starts violently smashing the red basket on the spider.)
Lady: “Why is it not dying?!”
(It turns out the basket has little legs on the bottom, preventing it from making contact with the spider. She eventually figures this out and kills it, but not before it charges her one last time and causes her to flip out!)
Pharmacy | Sacramento, CA, USA | Right | January 1, 2013
(I am taking a refill order over the phone.)
Me: “Thank you for calling [pharmacy]. How can I help you?”
Customer: “I need to refill a couple of prescriptions. This one I have the number for.”
(She proceeds to give me the number, and while I am running the prescription through her insurance I hear some kids playing in the background.)
Me: “Okay, so that one went through just fine. What is the next one?”
Customer: “I don’t have the number, but can you look it up for me? It’s my birth control.”
(I look in the customer’s file and sure enough it’s there. But while I am running it, the playing in the background has turned into a serious screaming and fighting match.)
Customer: *embarrassed* “And this is why I am refilling the birth control. Can’t you tell?”
(It’s currently flu season, and we are offering flu shots.)
Me: “Alright, sir. We got you all set. Have you gotten your flu shot yet?”
Customer: “Ah, no. I don’t get a flu shot. I don’t get the flu, sweetie.”
Me: “Wow, you must be lucky.”
Customer: “You want to know my secret, dear?”
Me: “What’s your secret, sir?”
Customer: *leans in close* “You see now, chickens, cows, pigs: they get the flu. So, if you don’t eat them, you don’t get the flu! You remember that now!”
Pharmacy | Ontario, Canada | Working | November 22, 2012
(I’ve just come from the emergency department of the hospital, with instructions to fill two prescriptions immediately. I’m obviously sick and having difficulty breathing. It’s about 9:30 PM, which is 30 minutes before closing.)
Me: “I have a severe corn allergy, so can you please double-check the ingredients on those before filling them?”
Pharmacist: “No.”
Me: “…Pardon? ”
Pharmacist: “Almost all medications are made with corn starch, you know. I don’t think I can fill them.”
Me: “My understanding is that very few prescriptions meds have corn in the them. Can you check them please?”
Pharmacist: “No. I don’t have the ingredients.”
Me: “Aren’t they on the bottle?”
Pharmacist: “No.”
Me: “Can you look them up somewhere? Online or in a compendium?”
Pharmacist: “No.”
Me: “I really need these medications immediately.”
Pharmacist: *sighs* I guess I could leave them for someone tomorrow, and they could call the company.”
Me: “I need them tonight. I’m not sure what to do.”
Pharmacist: “I’m sure you’ll be fine. There’s only a little bit of corn starch in a pill.”
My Husband: “NO! Didn’t you hear her? She’s ALLERGIC!”
Pharmacist: “Well, there’s nothing I can do tonight. I guess I can keep these until tomorrow and someone else will deal with it.” *wanders off*
(I called another pharmacy in the same chain, and they were able to check the ingredients immediately. We retrieved my prescriptions from the unhelpful pharmacist, and my husband made a complaint the next day. It turned out he was a temp and was fired.)
(I work at a pharmacy, both as a tech and at the till when necessary. It is a Sunday, so the pharmacy is not heavily staffed. The sole customer waiting is a man, late 20s to early 30s, wearing a pink button-up shirt.)
Me: “Hello, sir. How can I help you?”
Pink Guy: “Six for [Name].”
(I search the current container and find five prescriptions. It’s not uncommon for a prescription to be put in adjacent containers if the proper one is too full, which this one likely was. I search the other containers but don’t find anything.)
Me: “One sec, I have to check the computer.”
(I check the computer. I do verify he has six prescriptions to pick up.)
Me: “Sorry about that. Can I verify the date of birth, please?”
Pink Guy: “What is this? You want my date of birth now?”
Me: “Yes sir, to verify the prescription.”
Pink Guy: “You guys never asked for that before.”
(I am roughly two years’ tenure in the pharmacy, and that has been a part of policy since day one.)
Me: “If I could just verify the date of birth to make sure there isn’t another person with the same name?”
Pink Guy: “It’s not very likely you’d have two people with the same exact name. I suppose you want me to verify my social security number in case someone has both my name and my birthday?”
(We actually do have two people with the same name and birthday.)
Me: “Not necessarily. I would go by address or phone number first.”
Pink Guy: “I’m not comfortable giving you my date of birth.”
Me: “I already have a date of birth here. I just need you to verify at least the month and the day.”
Pink Guy: *crossing his arms* “Fine. But just know that you’ve never asked me for this before and I’ve been coming here for years. It’s [birthday].”
Me: “Thank you, sir.” *check each of the prescriptions* “Okay. And I have all six prescriptions.”
Pink Guy: “Six?”
Me: “Yes, sir, six prescriptions.”
Pink Guy: “Not seven?”
Me: “Was there more?”
Pink Guy: “There should be one more.”
Me: “Okay, let me check the computer.”
(I go back to the computer, and re-enter him just to refresh the data. I verify each prescription that I have and make sure he doesn’t have another one that he usually refilled; none pop out.)
Me: “I only have six prescriptions for you, sir.”
Pink Guy: *with an inflection implying I’m a moron* “And there aren’t any for my wife?”
Me: “Oh, I see. It’s under another name.” *without asking him, I query by address, and find his wife. I see that she does have a pending prescription, but there’s a catch* “Did you call it in today?”
Pink Guy: “Yeah, I called it in this morning. It said it’d be ready tomorrow but I figured you guys would have it ready by now.”
Me: *explaining casually* “Well, not exactly. You see, when you call it in it actually gets picked up by an outside pharmacy and they fill it and ship it to us next-day. You did it through the automated system, right?”
Pink Guy: “Well, yeah. I’ve done it before and you guys had it ready.”
Me: “Well… I’m not sure about that time, but I do know the automated system tells you when the pickup is and then asks if you want it earlier; if you select that you want it earlier it sends it to us. Maybe that just didn’t go through this time.”
Pink Guy: “No, I just assumed you’d have it ready by now.”
(Well, at least he’s honest.)
Me: “Well, I’m sorry but we don’t. But I can pull it and we can fill it here. The pharmacist is out to lunch, but when he gets back in about ten minutes he’ll fill it right away. Do you have some shopping you could do or would you like to wait in the waiting area?”
(The pharmacist is behind the counter, but I’m not going to bother him unless I absolutely have to.)
Pink Guy: “No! I don’t have time for all of this crap! If you guys aren’t ready I’ll just waste my time and gas and get it tomorrow! I’m in a hurry!”
Me: “I’m sorry about that, sir.”
(I start scanning and bagging the prescriptions. He reaches across the counter at me to tear the bag away from me.)
Me: “Excuse me, just a sec, sir. I need you to verify the information on the screen.”
Pink Guy: “I thought you already verified everything. That’s why I gave you my date of birth!”
Me: “I need you to verify everything on the screen. Make sure all of the information is correct and hit ‘next’ in the lower-right of the screen.”
(Without looking at the screen, he hits the ‘back’ button at the lower-left.)
Me: *re-initializing the verification phase* “It’s the ‘next’ button on the lower-right, sir.”
(Second time’s the charm. He still doesn’t look at the screen.)
Me: “And if you could sign to verify you’ve picked up the prescriptions.”
Pink Guy: *mutters a signing-my-life-away cliche* “There. Are we done?” *extends his hand, expectantly*
Me: “Not quite. Your total comes to $20.”
Pink Guy: “Are you kidding me!? You make me go through all that and then you expect me to fork over $20? I have insurance! It covers everything! You must not have run it through, you idiots. Go check your little computer and you’ll see. I have never had to pay anything for my meds!”
(I go to the computer and refresh his information.)
Me: “It shows here we ran it through [Insurance]. They paid [amount] toward the prescription, leaving you with a co-pay of $20. The last time you got it, on [date], they paid [amount minus $20] and therefore you had a $40 co-pay. And you’ve had a $40 co-pay the last 3 times you picked this medication up.”
Pink Guy: “This is ridiculous! Whatever.” *pulls out his checkbook* “Can I get $100 cash-back?”
Me: “No, sir, the limit is $50. And, I’m sorry, but I don’t have enough in my till.”
Pink Guy: “Well… can’t you get more?”
Me: “I could, but it’d be faster for you if you just got a bottle of water and get cash-back up at the front.”
Pink Guy: *standing up defiantly* “I’m not making two transactions. I’ll wait.”
Me: “Okay. Your total is $70, and the date is [date].”
Pink Guy: “You said it was $20 before!”
Me: “Right. $20, plus $50 cash-back is $70.”
(He proceeds to write his check.)
Pink Guy: “Can I have my cash-back?”
Me: “I need to run the check first.”
(With a great show of impatience and contempt he tears the check out and hands it to me. It’s policy to verify the check by hand before running it through the feeder. Before even turning it my direction, I see he hasn’t signed it.)
Me: “Could you please sign the check?”
(He clicks his pen and makes a very dramatic and flourish display of signing the check.)
Me: “Thank you.” *I start to validate the check, the date is wrong by a few days* “I’m going to change it to today’s date and initial it, okay?”
Pink Guy: “Fine, whatever.”
(I check everything, saving the amount for last since I know it’s cash-back and I want to verify they match properly. But… there’s a problem.
Me: “Sir, I’m afraid I’ll need you to write a new check.”
Pink Guy: “What the he-why!?”
Me: “Because. You wrote the amount for $120, but the limit for cash-back is $50, and that’s how much I asked for.”
Pink Guy: “Well here!” *takes the check from me, scribbles all over it, and writes the new amounts in as tiny as he can above the errata* “There. You need my driver’s license?”
Me: “No, sir, I need you to write a new check. This one is illegible and I can’t accept it into my till.”
Pink Guy: “Screw you! Fine, forget the cash-back. I’ll just pay with my card.”
(He pulls the card out, and swipes it. But it’s too fast, I have to hit a button first.)
Me: “Okay, your card is ready to swipe.”
Pink Guy: “I already swiped it.”
Me: “I wasn’t ready in time, sorry. I have to hit a button for it to take. It’s ready now, though.”
Pink Guy: “The machine said it was ready!”
Me: “That’s the default screen. It always says that. I know it’s irritating. I wish they’d change it.”
(He swipes his card again, and poises with his pen. I expect him to start with the card transaction, but notice he’s still standing there after a second.)
Pink Guy: “Well?”
(I look at my screen, and realize it hasn’t taken the card still. I clear it and prime it again.)
Me: “Try it again, please?”
Pink Guy: “No! You’ll charge me twice!”
Me: “It won’t charge you twice. I promise. It only charges when you approve the amount and sign.”
Pink Guy: “If it charges me twice I’ll get you fired.”
Me: “I promise. It won’t charge you twice.”
(He poises with the card and practically stares me down as if judging the worth of my soul as he slides the card through. It’s then I notice the magnet strip is in his fingers.)
Me: “May I see your card, sir?”
Pink Guy: *apparently giving up, he responds less angrily than I expected* “Take it.”
(I take the card and swipe it through the correct way, setting it on the counter. Once again he poises with the pen, waiting for the prompt, and again, I notice it’s taking him a tad longer than other people. I look at the screen just as he comments.)
Pink Guy: “It’s still not doing anything.”
(I pick up his card, and take in a breath. It’s a ditch effort, but I enter the card number manually. No dice. I hand his card back.)
Me: “I’m sorry sir, your card won’t go through. Do you have another method of payment?” (It has been rejected.)
Pink Guy: “What the h***!” *literally throws the card at me, hitting my chest, and I catch it* “That’s a new f****** card! Of course it’ll take! Your computer is stupid!”
Me: “I’m sorry, sir.”
(He leaves, and I continue the day setting any emotions aside to deal with for later. I put his credit card in with one of the scripts and make a note of it for whoever has to handle it. Later that week, the pharmacist, who had been sitting behind the counter that whole time, talks to me during a slow hour.)
Pharmacist: “Hey, [My Name], you remember Mr. [Pink Guy] from the other day?”
Me: “Yeah, what about him?”
Pharmacist: “His wife came by the next day. I did the transaction. She picked up all seven scripts. She didn’t say anything about the price. Paid with a perfect check, and got the $50 cash-back.”
Me: “So, she didn’t give you any trouble?”
Pharmacist: “No, not at all.”
Me: “Well, good. At least that whole thing happened on a slow day.”
Pharmacist: “Yeah. Anyway, here.” *takes a Barnes & Noble gift card from his smock pocket and sets it on the counter* “Consider this an apology from Mr. [Pink Guy].”
Pharmacy | Portland, OR, USA | Right | January 29, 2013
(I’m at a chain company pharmacy/mini-stores getting a bottle of water. As I pass by the pharmacy, I witness an exchange between a very burly, muscular customer and a short, skinny female clerk.)
Customer: “I need to refill my prescription.”
Clerk: “Well, I’m sorry, but according to our systems, you have no refills left. You’ll need to contact your doctor and get a new prescription.”
Customer: “What?! I want my pills. Give me my pills!”
(The exchange continues for a while, with the customer getting more and more agitated. The clerk appears to be frightened and close to tears. The commotion is drawing the attention of the people around.)
Customer: “You dumb b****, are you f***ing stupid? Give me my pills or there will be a problem.”
(At this point, I step between him and the clerk behind the counter.)
Me: “Look buddy, she already said that she’s not giving you pills and told you what to do. So you better just listen to her, leave, and stop making an a** of yourself.”
(For a moment he looks like he is going to hit me, then just stomps away swearing under his breath.)
Me: *to the clerk* “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
Clerk: “It’s alright. Thank you for that. Here, that water is on me, okay?”
(I am at the cashier, ringing up a long line of people. I notice when customers walk in, they suddenly skirt around the theft detectors. A lady approaches the counter.)
Lady: “There is a big spider in the entrance!”
(Note: I don’t want to leave the counter because of the enormous line.)
Me: “Okay, cool.”
Lady: “You have to kill it. You work here.”
Me: “It’s not hurting anyone.”
(The lady’s husband chimes in.)
Husband: “Kill it, she’s right!”
(Everyone in the line seems to agree with the lady and her husband.)
Me: “Okay, I’ll just move it outside.”
Husband: “No, kill it!”
Me: “No, it wont do any harm out there in the parking lot.”
(I move the spider outside.)
Lady: “I can’t take it anymore!”
Me: “Can’t take what?”
(Suddenly, the lady grabs a basket made for carrying products outside and finds the spider. She starts violently smashing the red basket on the spider.)
Lady: “Why is it not dying?!”
(It turns out the basket has little legs on the bottom, preventing it from making contact with the spider. She eventually figures this out and kills it, but not before it charges her one last time and causes her to flip out!)
Pharmacy | Oakland County, MI, USA | Right | January 16, 2013
(I am a customer in this pharmacy store late at night. As I walk up to the counter, a male customer is loudly complaining to a male cashier about ‘the gays.’ Being a lesbian, I’m gathering up the courage to say something when the following happens.)
Male Customer: “The gays keep trying to turn everyone!”
Male Cashier: “It must be rough.”
Male Customer: “How do you mean?”
Male Cashier: “I have a handful of gay friends, and no matter how much time I’ve spent with them, I’ve never wanted to have sex with other dudes. I’m just saying it must be rough to have such a tenuous hold on your sexuality that you’re always worried about being turned by the slightest contact. I feel for you.”
(It takes a moment, but the male customer realizes what the male cashier is saying.)
Male Customer: “…Hey, f*** you, buddy!”
Male Cashier: “You want to f*** me? Oh god, it’s happening now! There must be a gay in the store! Run!”
Customer: *screaming* “Go to h***!”
(The customer then runs out of the store. As I put my stuff up on the counter, the manager runs up from one of the aisles.)
Manager: “What the h*** was that?”
Cashier: “Oh, I’m probably just getting a customer complaint in the morning. Totally worth it… I’ll explain later.” *to me* “Sorry about all that. How are you tonight?”
Me: “If I was straight, I would totally be giving you my number right now.”
Pharmacy | Jersey City, NJ, USA | Working | January 9, 2013
(About three months prior, we hired some new help since we were severely understaffed at our pharmacy. Two of the workers are doing very well. One, on the other hand, is not. Today, it’s a bit busier than normal, and unfortunately the not-so-good worker is the only one I have to back me up on the register. Note: In October we switched our rewards cards.)
Coworker: “Do you have [Rewards Card]?”
Customer: “Yes, it’s right here.” *pulls out our current rewards card*
Coworker: “Sorry, but we have a new one now that we switched to.”
Customer: “I was told this is the new one.”
Coworker: “Yeah, but we have a newer new card.”
Customer: “Well, what’s going to happen to my points?”
Coworker: “I can switch you, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Customer: “Well, this is stupid! Why do you keep changing it up?!”
(By this point, I finish cashing out my own customer and speak up.)
Me: *to the customer* “Ma’am, I can assure you, the card you’re holding is our current rewards card. I have no idea why he’s lying to you.” *to my coworker* “For God’s sake, don’t do that.”
(My coworker shuts up for the rest of the transaction. After all the customers are cashed out and gone, I confront him.)
Me: “You cannot do that to the customers! What the h*** are you thinking?”
Coworker: “Man, I been doing that, and I’m gonna keep doing it! It’s what keeps me sane here!”
(I am a pharmacist working at 24-hour pharmacy. This takes place on a late Sunday evening.)
Female Caller: “Hello, um… I… um… you know the morning after pill?”
Me: “Yes, certainly. What would you like to know about it?”
Female Caller: “Is there an anti-morning after pill?”
Me: “Sorry? An anti-morning after pill?”
Female Caller: “Yes. You see, this guy, he came around today, and he brought some flowers and everything, so now I’m kind of regretting taking that pill. So is there an anti-morning after pill I could take?”
Me: “No, I’m sorry, there isn’t such a thing.”
Female Caller: “Oh, that is a shame. Do you think they will make one?”
Me: “No, I’m sorry, but I really don’t think they will.”
Female Caller: “Really? Oh, that is a bummer.” *hangs up
Pharmacy | Ontario, Canada | Working | August 25, 2012
(A customer pays with a fifty dollar bill. Spotting it, the pharmacist on duty grabs his wallet and asks the cashier to give him the fifty for two twenties and a ten.)
Coworker: “I can’t do that!”
Me: “Why not? He’s giving you $50 for $50.”
Coworker: “But my till will be wrong!”
Me: “How? You take out the fifty, and put in two twenties and the ten. The totals are still the same.”
Coworker: “But I won’t have the fifty, and the register will KNOW!”
Pharmacy | New York, USA | Right | August 15, 2012
(My coworker at the pharmacy has been working with a customer who seems to be having the worst day. Unfortunately, my coworker is the victim of the customer’s mood, and he has reduced the poor girl to tears. Behind this customer is a young father in his mid-20s and his three sons, aged probably six, two, and less than a year old. The young father is clearly upset with the behavior of the customer in front of him, but, probably for the sake of his children, is keeping his mouth shut. Out of nowhere, his six-year-old son speaks up.)
Six-year-old Son: “‘Scuse me, sir? I think you’ll probably get what you need easier in life if you’re nice to people. You’re making the pretty lady sad and she didn’t do anything wrong.”
Customer: *clearly shocked* “Didn’t your father here teach you to mind your own business, son?!”
(The young father is actually grinning proudly, and reaches over to high-five his son.)
Father: “Actually, I taught him not to raise his voice at good, honest people.”
Customer: *clearly embarrassed, pays and leaves quickly*
Six-year-old Son: *to my coworker* “Can I give you a hug? If anyone gives you trouble, call me!”
(My coworker was very impressed by the brave little boy’s actions, while his father proudly teared up. I doubt the family will ever have to pay at our pharmacy again, and my coworker has a new best friend!)
Pharmacy | Sacramento, CA, USA | Right | January 1, 2013
(I am taking a refill order over the phone.)
Me: “Thank you for calling [pharmacy]. How can I help you?”
Customer: “I need to refill a couple of prescriptions. This one I have the number for.”
(She proceeds to give me the number, and while I am running the prescription through her insurance I hear some kids playing in the background.)
Me: “Okay, so that one went through just fine. What is the next one?”
Customer: “I don’t have the number, but can you look it up for me? It’s my birth control.”
(I look in the customer’s file and sure enough it’s there. But while I am running it, the playing in the background has turned into a serious screaming and fighting match.)
Customer: *embarrassed* “And this is why I am refilling the birth control. Can’t you tell?”
(It’s currently flu season, and we are offering flu shots.)
Me: “Alright, sir. We got you all set. Have you gotten your flu shot yet?”
Customer: “Ah, no. I don’t get a flu shot. I don’t get the flu, sweetie.”
Me: “Wow, you must be lucky.”
Customer: “You want to know my secret, dear?”
Me: “What’s your secret, sir?”
Customer: *leans in close* “You see now, chickens, cows, pigs: they get the flu. So, if you don’t eat them, you don’t get the flu! You remember that now!”
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