First Blog

After hours of extreme boredom at work, I finally found something to keep me entertained. The pharmacy blog. I started with the Drug Monkey, followed his links to many other talented and funny bloggers. I had the desire to start my own, so here it goes. Also, they blocked MySpace at work, so now I am even more bored than usual.

I was frustrated today with another pharmacist. I got a call from him, asking if I had generic MS Contin 30mg, #120 in stock. Yup, I did. He sent a patient over with a prescription. Two major problems. One: the prescription was electronically signed. For morphine. CII prescriptions have to carry a hand-signature. Two: the prescription had two orders on it. One for the morphine, another for nystatin. In Arizona, Class II controlled substance prescriptions must only contain one drug per blank. WHY oh WHY did the other pharmacist send this over to me?

When I told the patient about how the prescription wasn’t legal to fill, the daughter got aggressive with me. She works in a hospital. I’m making up the law. Why am I being a bitch. Etc. I had to literally get out the Arizona Controlled Substance Act and photocopy the page with the rule on it. They eventually went back to the doctor and got a new, legal, prescription.

The lady got the drug, all is well.

Except, perhaps, with the profession. Doctors either don’t know or don’t care about controlled substance laws, it seems. I wish I could get the prescribers that I deal with to work in a pharmacy for ONE DAY. Then they would understand how to write a proper prescription. Legibly, and with all the pertinent information on it. Including a DEA number if it’s for a controlled substance. And a circled name if there is more than one doctor per blank.

I am mostly irked about the other pharmacist. Why did he pawn off a problem prescription on me, even if he didn’t have the drug in stock? That is just lazy and unprofessional. It makes me into the bad guy because he didn’t want to be.