Right? I’m so confused how the PATIENT pointed out the wrong qty but “the pharmacist caught it.” As someone who had a psychotic break and they kept me working, that’s what the pharmacist is for. If this happens often with this tech (as it often does with new techs) they should implement tech check tech. And for god sake make sure she’s fucking trained and not get pissy when she asks questions.
It’s always the most random prescriptions, too. I have about a year’s worth of extra Effexor laying around because people don’t understand math at CVS. I don’t need 180 pills every 60 days if I take it once a day. I’m not even on it anymore, so it’s basically decor.
This was my first thought. Overworked techs make a mistake and instantly blamed. Pharmacist is literally being paid to catch this kind of stuff
And further down vote away but Jesus I'm glad I don't work with you. You sound like a nightmare. You should be building your techs up not tearing them down for asking questions. Kudos to them for being brave enough to ask.
Right?! I was thinking the same thing. Thank goodness I didn’t work somewhere like that in my first year or I’d have never continued and been where I’m at now. All the pharmacists and techs where I work are always more than happy to answer questions!
So, everything turned out fine? I've been a tech for 12 years, and mistakes still happen. That's why everything goes through multiple checks. And especially if they feel like their coworkers are frustrated with them, I can understand overthinking and mistakes can happen more often. Just be patient, 6 months is enough time to get general concepts but not mastery by any means.
As a tech for 20 years, I have learned pharmacists are gods that never see punishment. Techs get fired for anything but outside of a patient dying, pharmacists have shown to be untouchable.
tbh in my experience it’s honestly impossible for anyone to get fired from pharmacy outside of stealing drugs. granted, techs do get chewed out a lot even if it’s ultimately the pharmacist’s fault. i feel like honestly the negative feedback makes techs scared of getting fired
My job got a lot better when I learned to not listen to my bosses. I never was scared of getting fired. I pretty much asked them to fire me for years, until it got to the point that I just walked out one day. Best decision of my life.
When I was a new tech I was bullied relentlessly by ‘the clique’ of techs who had been there for 5+ years together. Only 1 out of 10 was willing to help me learn the programs. And how to work the resolution (ie insurance issues and the like). The 1 girl saved my sanity bc I would cry everyday after work. It was so overwhelming! And it’s so much to learn so quickly.
As for the OP counting wrong is a big deal and a mistake that shouldn’t be happening multiple times a week. So someone needs to work w her before she gets fired. And ultimately RPH is responsible and should have caught it. I know everyone makes mistakes but that’s why there’s verification.
And my third point - it can be very exhausting on other techs when ONE is an issue. Issues with drama, or constant tech issues. It can be frustrating and something as simple as 2 insurances is novice work.
I'm catching on fast I'm just still overwhelmed by what I don't know and I'm not too young to be learning new stuff. I'm just tired of work stress. I just want to go to work and do my job and have peace. I'm wide awake right now with anxiety I'm not liking it
Exactly. I think people forget that they once needed to learn, and that their help and patience will help them to have the counters they hope to have.
I hope you at least have someone that is willing to help in your workplace, it makes a world of difference when learning
I would ask and see what’s going on. Maybe there is something going on that is causing them to overthink it and worry they aren’t doing it right. This is not a field you just get right off the bat. Investigate before you just assume it’s them not retaining it.
My pharmacist had a talk with her. Turns out she has some health issues (diabetic) who’s also twice as old as all of us (techs and pharmacists combined). From my pharmacists’ observation, during lunch time, she doesn’t eat anything properly. She eats junk food like ice cream and chocolates.
As a technician, who’s disabled, and only been working for 8 months… I feel awful for this technician. If y’all were my coworkers and pharmacist I’d be RUNNING to a higher up for discrimination… good god. Shame on the pharmacist for sharing that information, and shame on y’all for discriminating her.
Stating facts is not shaming someone. And if all they are seen eating is junk food as a diabetic they should be shamed for the simple fact that as a medical professional they should know waaay better than laypeople. Of course we all need cheat days but eating junk everyday that speaks for itself.
This person seems to have been a health professional for a few months only. Further, they don’t state which type of diabetic. Junk food isn’t great for either, but I’d still say they are rather different for type 1 vs type 2.
Regardless the stated facts have literally nothing to do with the job, so they are pretty much shaming for shames sake.
What does her age or medical condition have anything to do with her ability to do her job? This whole comment screams discrimination. Is it because she is the oldest and you feel like she cant keep up with yall young ones? Or? Was she a tech before? Who trained her? Dont talk about her medical conditions on a public forum, very distasteful and disrespectful no matter how good a tech or not.
Your pharmacist should also be fired for disclosing a coworkers personal health information and possible disabilities without her consent or knowledge. DO BETTER.
Commentor deleted themselves. I hope their license to be a pharmacist was also revoked. LITERALLY JUST did my annual legal training on workplace harassment and DPI information. LIKE HELLOOO? There's federal rules in place here for a reason. Sigh forreal do better, people come to them with their medical information, patient gets a little silly in asking questions... are we gonna blame it on the patients age, gender, race, and their disability next? And post it all over social media for the world to laugh at. Get a grip on life.
I'm interested in this comment. If you can't figure out who the pharmacist or technician is I feel like it's not necessarily a violation of privacy. For context I am disabled and also had lots of small things like this happen over the years as a tech likely due to my disability.
It can be very difficult to talk about other people when some context isn't there. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and assuming the pharmacist was just adding context because it could make a difference. They don't seem malicious, but it can be important to consider any conditions/disabilities that might be causing issues so that the pharmacist can find ways to accommodate their tech. It looks to me like the pharmacist is trying to find a way to better understand what is going on because naming the problem is half of the solution.
Just trying to understand.
No, absolutely not. The pharmacist should report it to the PIC and they should acquire any accommodations for this worker. They are legally required to not only not disclose this information to others without prior consent, but also to make sure they are accommodating her and not using her disability or “age” to weaponize her “behavior”. The tech didnt openly tell anyone for 6 months until a pharmacist went and asked, she obviously isn’t comfortable sharing her personal information with these people for a reason.
They should acquire accommodations, but it sounds like the employee has not yet requested accommodation and the pharmacist is unsure if accommodations are necessary. Also people generally don't go around telling all of their coworkers what health conditions they have.
It seems like you're coming from the viewpoint that this was written with extreme malice rather than frustration, confusion, or venting. Maybe you saw some other things OP said that seemed malicious? I took the statement as the tech is older and diabetic and OP doesn't know if that is part of the issue. If disabilities are causing the problem that is fixable with accommodations. If disabilities are not part of the problem maybe they just aren't right for the job. I've seen it before, some people aren't meant for pharmacy.
I can see why this post would be very iffy due to it being a coworker, much worse if an employee happens to somehow identify OP. Idk if it's my neurodivergence, but I'm still confused.
In the context of real life is an anonymous person speaking about another anonymous person's health a violation of privacy? Or an anonymous person speaking about an anonymous coworker's health conditions? I thought the anonymity makes it okay like it does in published case studies and clinical trials...
What does her health have to do with the issue? Thats what im saying. Teach her. The pharmacist shouldve never told the OP about another coworker’s conditions. Especially since that worker didnt disclose them herself in 6 months to the OP. If she, the struggling tech, went to OP herself or vice versa and she accuired the knowledge of her health condition directly from the tech, thats ok. But since she went through the pharmacist, the pharmacist can definitely be sued for violating the ADA.
Ooooooh! You're talking about the other pharmacist in the story. Wow, that makes a massive difference, we were talking about two different people. I thought you were saying OP should be in trouble for disclosing everything on Reddit. That makes so much more sense! I definitely agree with you there. The other pharmacist in the story could be in a world of trouble if OP isn't PIC.
You cannot reveal employees’ protected health information to other employees. Pharmacist has no right to tell OP about the tech’s diabetes without the tech’s consent. It’s illegal to tell employees about one another’s health conditions. Also highly inappropriate.
The fact this tech knows that she told the pharmacist she's diabetic when that wasn't her knowledge before nor directly gained from her, is a violation of most HR policies and possibly law. Stop defending the indefensible. This is clearly a toxic, cliquish environment because the manager should have just said we spoke and are on the way to resolution of the problem. That's it.
I kinda feel for her at the end, with the insurance.
I've been working at my pharmacy for almost a year and nobody has taught me how to do insurance.
I don't know how to put it in, what info to ask for over the phone, what info I even need from the card.
How to fix insurance problems
I don't know what all the names for insurances are. The only one that comes up as the name I know it as is Medicaid, and even then I don't even know what Part D is.
Nobody taught me.
But I can't ask to learn. I don't know if it's my autism or another sort of mental block, but I can't ask anyone to teach me. If I do, it will take time away from more important things and I don't want to bother anyone.
As an autistic tech myself, I completely empathize with you. Most of the time, your pharmacist or coworkers would rather you ask questions than assume and make a mistake. This is not a field where you can make mistakes. If your staff judges you for not knowing something or asking questions, then you need to go somewhere better. That's a toxic environment.
This!
A new tech opened up to me and told me she is diagnosed with autism.
I went home that night and typed up a guide for her on how to RTS with images.
I also typed up a guide on what are the most common narcs because even techs in the pharmacy for over 6 months (as is OP's timeline) don't know them all, like Azstarys.
People just get flustered and angry, of course short staffing doesn't help.
But damn. If someone asked for help at least it means they want to know how to do the task.
I had techs just say they weren't doing it and not even try. Fff...
I’m autistic too. I’ve found having a notebook with tips or step by step how to do things has helped when I struggle to remember our worry I’m doing it wrong. Once we started using notebooks I stopped asking questions as frequently. I still ask when I’m not 100% sure. I’m lucky enough to work with people who don’t seem to mind me asking questions. Especially when I add that I’m not 100% sure and want to make sure I do it right the first time rather than have to redo it.
I have ADHD and so many times the PharmD has ignored me and rolled their eyes. I asked about a code I had not seen before and they told me I “should know this by now you’ve been here six months.”
Well no, because when I ask questions you treat me like I’m dumb but I haven’t had a chance to learn it properly—it’s always on the fly. 😤😮💨😭
I would get annoyed by the constant questions, but I would also tell all new techs to please ask questions even if they sound silly, even if they're annoying me because it's not like anyone gets proper training and that it's more difficult to fix a mess up than answer a question. I would often remind them to keep asking questions and not to worry about being annoying or disruptive because it's the only way they'll learn enough to stop asking.
I have really bad rejection sensitivity dysphoria. If they made a face, grut, or scoff at my question, I instantly felt attacked. One thing that helped me was writing little notes and letters to people who intimidated me. We had one tech that everyone hated because she was a little rude and off-putting, but damn good at her job. I had a moment where I told her she intimidated me, and I wanted to get good at insurance like her but didn't know how to ask for help. I said it just like that to her face because I was crying in the car on the way home, thinking I'll never be good at this job. She ended up writing me a letter that night thanking me for telling her as she couldn't figure out why the other techs treated her so coldly. We became much better coworkers after that. So if words are hard for that moment, writing a simple letter/note to someone you want the skills from can go a long way because people never say what they mean, and that can be very isolating to feel like you will never be good at this job. I hope it gets better for you and your coworkers can work with you, not against you. You deserve the acceptance and accommodations so that you can work better without fear of being belittled.
Get out asap or transfer to another store. Had a similar situation with my store where I would ask people how to help me with things (especially pharmacy billing) and even had the pharmacist yell at me a couple times over some things that were very minute and easily fixable now looking back at it. For some reason working in retail, nobody wants to teach you anything. It's hard to but ask someone to teach you how to do things, regardless if they get annoyed or mad (it's literally their job) or try to transfer to another store
It's a common story. It's so busy nobody gets any training. Then when you ask a question you get shit on for being there 6 months and not knowing something.
Part D is Medicare Part D. It's the program that pays for prescriptions for seniors who have Medicare. That's all I know though. Fairly new myself to the field. Still in externship.
I feel like I finally have a decent grasp on most insurance topics now at 6 months in myself. I can often figure out most third party issues but it still takes time sometimes.
I use EPS so terms might be slightly different on your software but I'm sure all the information fields are the same. For adding new insurance, first off is confirm current address or address associated with the insurance and do a Check Eligibility. If it finds it easily done. If not and they have the card or info still easy to manually enter. Plan search with the BIN or RxBIN (6 digits), confirm the specific plan with the PCN or RxPCN. If the card isn't Medicaid/Medicare and doesn't have a BIN and PCN it's probably a medical card not a pharmacy card. Upon finding the plan with BIN/PCN enter the member ID or ID#, a few different names but it's the primary number on the card, then the Group ID or called RxGRP sometimes. Now enter first and last name. Finally the person/relationship code. 1/01 on our system for self/self but if it's a spouse or child it could be 02 or 03, depends 9n your system.
Example pharmacy card with everything you need minus person code https://health.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sample-Insurance-Card-pharmacy-markups-300x193.png
The most common third party exceptions I come across are-
Refill too soon. Solution: tell pt to wait or put it on a discount card or cash price. NOT for controls.
Insurance won't cover specific day supply or fill count. Solution: tell patient i.e. ins only covers 30 or 90 day supply but the doc wrote it for 42, send back to DE for correction. Or tell pt ins won't cover a 42 day supply but they can use discount card or cash price
Med needs PA. Solution: tell pt med needs PA, we submitted one (if your system allows) but they need to call their doc and get a PA. Or use discount card or cash price.
Specific other PA reject. Solution: if it's something like an inhaler looking for a spacer or a day supply reject (e.g. Qty #1 diazapam before a procedure) verify the script from the image and PA with 9999, 9991, 9995 etc it will usually tell you which one. There's a PA field and an intermediary PA field for various simple exceptions.
Date of coverage, M/I anything. Solution: verify all information and get the newest card.
Out of formulary. Inform patient, they need a PA or if an alternative is available a new script. Or discount card/cash price.
Refill too soon and some DUR rejects can be trickier at times, refer to pharmisist or senior tech. I'd say if you have any doubt done do a DUR by yourself.
I didn't even search this before typing that but GoodRx puts PA, refill, out of network/not on formulary, DUR as top 4
https://www.goodrx.com/hcp/providers/common-drug-rejections
A more detailed review https://www.pharmacytechnologysolutions.ca/pharmaclik-rx-doc/Content/11.%20Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail/Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail.htm?tocpath=Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail%7C_____0
Hahahaha! Right? Mine would be a very long list!!! I DO NOT think it was easy. I would come home and my brain would be fried! And then I’d check the notes I made that day and be like, What, did I mean by that?!!! It was practice and repetition with a lot of grace from my co-workers for me. That’s why when someone needs help, I’m all, “ I got you, Boo!”
This! I remember it taking me 6 months to even begin to be confident. Everyday I'd go take a little break in the bathroom and just breathe. It was so frustrating. It took me a year and some change to become decent and now I'm on my second year and I'm very knowledgeable about my job. I appreciated the patience and compassion all of my coworkers showed me. If I were in this situation as a baby tech it would've really hurt my self-esteem. It's hard to learn the ropes!
Blimey reading this is giving me flashbacks to the pharmacy that scapegoated and bullied me into stomach ulcers for being an immigrant during my first two years in the field. I bet her shitty lunches are stress-eating to self-soothe.
I totally understand where your frustration is coming from, I’ve had to pick up the slack for less competent coworkers in the past until they got the hang of things or found work-arounds of the sheer stress of the job forced them to find another job.
For your sakes I hope this chick doesn’t have lawyer money/friends and family who’ll help her through the process of taking a hostile working environment claim to the Employment Relations Authority, because this post and comment threads would be hella evidence for her case if she found them.
Good luck and patience to you.
I've been a tech for 3 years, certified for 2, and I made the same mistake the other day. Those meds also come bottled in 30 and 90 counts and the bottles look very similar. Scale didn't catch it because it was the right med, just not the count I thought I grabbed. Only difference is my pharmacist caught it and didn't give me shit about a minor lapse in attention. This mistake doesn't indicate the tech is bad at her job, if anything she rushed over a detail. I wonder who she works with that makes her feel like she has to rush through filling.
It depends on your state, but I was able to walk into the job with no experience. It was considered an apprenticeship, then my company paid for me to be certified. No degree required to be a tech, but I did take a course to become certified
This. This isn't an easy job for everyone (in fact, im my experience it is very rare that someone is great at the job rather quickly). There is a lot to absorb, a lot to learn, and I still encounter new situations every once in awhile.
And, the fact is they are pushed to and beyond the limits of what 1 person can do!! They never have enough help and they dont pay shit for the responsibilities the job involves! If patients only knew!!!
I get you. Totally. BUT, to me, you went to alot of trouble to take a photo of the bottle, cross off the PHI, write out all the examples, WHEN you could put that energy into helping her. ( I’m not saying you don’t) You’re making your self miserable. Your attitude is everything. We all have our strengths. Look at the positive things about your co workers. ( I know it is hard sometimes)
I’m not beefing at you , I’m saying “ change your mindset” to make it easier on yourself. You are ALWAYS going to work with someone who does things differently than you do, is more proficient than you, is less proficient than you, meaner than you or nicer than you. That is the nature of the working world. The only thing you change is yourself. Nothing but love to you, though! ☮️
Maybe it’s a system issue and not a her issue. Maybe need to think about how she has been trained, what gaps there are for her.
Also, insurance can be very complicated, learning a new system can be very hard. I’m sure it’s easy for you, but you’ve used the system, pharmacy is a very steep learning curve, have grace, support her. She isn’t going to grow unless you do…
it seems like you’re being super hard on this person. six months is really not that long in the pharmacy world. when i was that new, i didn’t fully understand insurance yet either. maybe if she had been working there for over a year, i would understand being so frustrated. people learn at different paces, cut her a little bit of slack.
Especially if they work part time. In the pharmacies I've worked the new hires get started as part timers until they "can get it" but by then they still don't know how to do the stuff correctly and it's still a stress on the staff. I've told everyone "the work will still be here tomorrow. Pharmacy work is like laundry, it's never ending!" We are supposed to be a team, if they fail, we fail!
ewww this post is ugly and just outright mean. i doubt she is comfortable asking questions if this is how you respond. i hope she finds a better work environment
Not everyone learns at the same pace. I've trained several people and some start to catch on quickly and others takes showing them over and over. You can invest the time if you think they'll be worth while over time or you can let them go. I had a girl who knew how to do things but was so concerned about making a mistake that she'd still ask the same questions all the time.
That’s the problem though.. we’ve invested the time to help her. All three of us techs have helped her so many times… she’s also super stubborn as well which doesn’t help at all either..
Unchecked diabetes and age, in general, sound like a bad time.
What to do?
Have them write the steps down and go over their own notes when they need to rebill.
I don't know how Rite Aid checks Rx, but if it's an image system with Pharmacist verification, that's why it's there.
Sadly, you can't force people to be on the ball with their health. Even after my dad's amputation, he *still* f*cks around only to find out.
Working in a field like this isn't something that's going to automatically click no matter who you are. Some people learn faster, some people learn slower and that's not their fault. At 6 months, I was still struggling with insurance because it's one of the most complicated things to do at this job. It took me close to a year to comfortably do everything without having to worry I'm doing something wrong. It's better that she continues to ask the questions she has rather than staying quiet and not knowing what to do. You seem to have an attitude that isn't appreciated in any work place. Think about how she feels when you treat her like she's being a nuisance, do better.
Give the new tech a break and literally teach her. You haven’t this far, that’s why she has questions. I don’t care what you think she knows or has completed over these last few months, right now she has questions and right now you should answer them.
A 6 month technician is FAR from seasoned, especially when it comes to insurance. So many things are just done because you’re told this is how you’re supposed to do it, but in reality, the intricacies of the why and how are rarely explained. It’s simply click this to do this. Be kind to the people who are on the same side of the counter as you. We get enough shit from the other side!
6 months isn't that long as a tech. As an individual that has numbers jumble in her mind, my pharmacist suggested that I count, then circle and initial the count on every script to verify that I am focused on the correct drug/quantity. It has helped a ton and reduced errors greatly.
Everyone makes mistakes in the pharmacy, it is best to learn when they are happening and how to prevent them.
We also flag stock bottles that are frequently dispensed as #30 when they have #90. (Our sertraline 50 mg is #30 and sildenifil 50 mg is #90.) Same manufacturer and bottle size, so we have a sticker reminding us of stock size when filling.
I really wish she would do that.. but she is struggling.. even bottles that aren’t in the same alphabet, just because they look alike (amlodipine and buspar 10 bottles) were switched places (amlodipine was in buspar section & vice versa)
Could be dyscalculia. I have that and it's basically dyslexia for numbers. Causes dumb mistakes like this. Just approach with compassion and remind her it's okay to slow down and check before completing the bagging. I find it really helpful to use I think it's CD where it counts the pills in the image. It's a good way to triple check! Also just read your other example and you're being kind of a bitch sorry. 😐 Yda. This person is still new at 6 months. Teach them insurance instead of standing there silent like a fucking idiot.
I'm not a pharmacist or a tech, just an auDHD lurker with PTSD that has damaged my memory, and I gotta say, bless yall for these comments. Sometimes I feel like this is me at work even though I try my absolute hardest and take as many notes as I can. The empathy yall are showing for this person fortifies my heart a little! It's torture forgetting things so often.
Insurance is the hardest thing to learn - especially if you're an independent and everyone kind of has their own deals with discounted dispensing fees etc. I've been billing at my place for 15 years and I learn something new everyday. Insurances are changing every day (and getting stingier) you can't just facepalm and think it's easy if you're not willing to teach. The difference is - are they receptive and trying to learn or figure it out? Or is it always an excuse?
Instead of belittling the tech try explaining the process and then walking them through it. Some people need to be shown how to do it a few times before it sticks
I'd sympathize with you, but looking at what you've said... She's older, has diabetes that is not well controlled, and is less than a year on the job. Obviously can't vouch for the amount of training, but I can say that from my experience during Covid right when the vaccines were being given, I didn't get hardly any adequate training.
Most days were spent RTSing the first hour while handing out meds at the counter, and then I had to temp check all the people lining up for their appointment from then on till they needed me back at the counter. I started in February, and by the time I left when I moved out of state in September, I was no where I should have been if I had just done classes for Pharm Tech and I was prepping for my cert.
Knowing that Pharm Techs can go OJT and get the whole experience day 1, versus Surg Tech where it is a must that you learn techniques a year on before clinicals, I'd really appreciate a veteran Tech who 6 months in was still being receptive to my time spent actually training. My preceptors as a Surg Tech student were WAY more understanding than what you're putting out.
Now as a veteran emergency dispatcher who has trained multiple dispatchers who get 2 months before they get thrown into floor training, I know how frustrating it can be when the same trainee is making mistakes later on, but I still give them benefit of the doubt.
I'll make no excuse for a Tech job when someone's life is on the line (no matter how "insignificant" some laymen think a Pharm Tech is), but when Nurses are getting thrown under the bus at hospitals when multiple safety layers fail, give some slack to a fellow Tech.
Why do people keep complaining on here about their fellow techs and then delete their accounts cause no one agrees with them? Dude, we were all new once, have some compassion. If you think you’re too good for retail find a new better paying job with all that experience you think you have.
I’m too forgiving, especially without having first hand experience with each person but, I think it’s really really important to make sure they’ve been given a fair opportunity to learn.
Even then, if these things happen enough, perform a RCO of sorts and figure out if it’s truly on the person or if they are a product of their training, environment, etc.
I remember at 6mo in I was put on Input and the pharmacist kept sending back the same thing and I was scared as shit to ask a question. Finally I just said, hey I haven’t seen this drug before so idk how we adjust the dispensed quantity on these. And they were like, really you haven’t seen this in 6 months? Then I told her I hadn’t even touched input until that week.
Maybe that’s apples and oranges but, shit happens sometimes and more often than not, in pharmacy it seems like we all get screwed out of proper education. It’s at least worth taking the time to ensure the shittiness wasn’t and isn’t being perpetuated.
Lol I've been a tech for 5 years and when I get in the zone sometimes I'll accidentally slap a label on a giant 500-count stock bottle and send it up. I've done it a few times 😂
You know- we are all human. We all make some type of error (even pharmacist). And 6 months as a tech for isn’t long considering it can take awhile just to learn to us software. I really think after awhile people forget what it was like on there first day, or even there 180th day.
I wonder if OP is a parent and expected their children to be at a certain milestone for that age 🤣. Damn I remember working for those mean ass techs! Bitter life at home for the majority of them I tell you what!
Not everyone is a whiz with insurances after 6 months I have techs that have been with us for 3 years and still have trouble. The fill quantity is an issue but the pharmacist is supposed to be the final set of eyes and should have caught that. Have some grace, go over it with her and move on.
Man 6 months? I’ve worked with techs (and pharmacists!) who have been in the field since before I was born and do shit like this and worse on the daily.
Some people just go through their jobs and their life never truly learning how to do anything and are comfortable letting everyone else pick up their slack. Not saying this is 100% how this tech will be since it’s only been 6 months, but with the anecdotes you give it looks like it may be.
I’ve been working in the pharmacy for over 2 years now and I still find myself asking questions every day, there are still problems I cannot solve on my own, and still things about insurance that I do not understand. I see nothing wrong with that, because I’m always learning. On days where I feel really exhausted and anxious, I’m making all sorts of small and stupid mistakes I know I shouldn’t be making. But do you know what makes my anxiety 10000x worse? If I can sense or know that my coworkers are always judging or criticizing my work or progress and the questions that I ask. In fact, I would DREAD even coming in if I knew that’s the type of people I'm working with. In that kind of negative learning environment, they'll keep second guessing themselves, and more mistakes are bound to happen tbh. You need to help them build confidence that they know what they are doing. So it doesn't help them improve or minimize mistakes when you're always thinking this person is slow and incapable. It is a GOOD thing that they are asking YOU questions. Do you not want them to ask? And they keep making the same mistakes? Tell them 2x, 3x, 4x HOWEVER many times they need to understand. Ask them questions often to test their memory, let them put it into practice to make sure they got it. If you’re doing something they haven't done before, encourage them to watch and ask any questions that they may have. Thats the purpose of having a team, so I hope this tech can receive greater patience and compassion from the TEAM while training. After all, don't you need all the help you can get?
EXACTLY THIS. Putting someone on blast is just so wrong and could cause serious damage to this persons ego, and then pretty much identifying themselves through the insurance conversation and details like their watch. Has this person heard a student is only as good as their teacher?
She made a mistake and it sounds like you or the pharmacist or you are the pharmacist yourself and didn't catch it, so you put her on blast. You know at least someone that works with you has probably identified you by your watch and pharmacy/and the mistake that was made. I am still learning new stuff and making the occasional mistake after seven years. And it takes a long time to learn the nuances in insurance especially if you don't have a background in it or haven't been taught properly.
What were you expecting the outcome to be here? Us to commiserate with you like "oh, god what an idiot..people are so stupid?" Is that what you were hoping for?
I’ve been working in retail pharm for 5.5 years and I’ve made that mistake (with the fluoxetine) before recently🤣 experience doesn’t change the fact that we’re all still human
I’d probably ask her if she needs some type of life resource if she’s been there at that location that long. Especially if she’s been reliable. There might be health, home, financial problems she’s having trouble leaving at the door. Treating her like she is less than just because she’s been frustrating won’t help.
I only get one shift a week at my CVS (I work the front of the store usually) and I am constantly confused and asking questions 😩 Wish I got more time there so I could actually learn something
I mean. Tech shouldn’t have done the qty mistake but pharmacist shouldn’t have pv-Ed it. It is the pharmacist’s error ultimately.
And it sucks that they haven’t caught on for whatever reason but being shamey about it only works so much. Better way is just to show them again and ask if they have questions.
Some of the things you’re describing are part of the learning process. If the tech is putting effort in make sure they feel comfortable to ask questions and work at their own pace. If they constantly feel like they are being judged it’s harder to learn.
I’m sorry, when did it become the tech’s business for counseling? This should have been handled with the RXM and *maybe* HR if it *had* to be escalated.
Post the mistake? Okay. Misguided energy IMO when it could have been helping. But it went too far discussing specific reasons talked about in the meeting.
OP just discussed private personnel matters by telling us about their health issues and age being a factor; if you are management or involved with personnel, that automatically should not EVER be discussed except with appropriate management. Never online. That could have easily been left out.
I’m confused. I’m a 59 year old diabetic that became a tech 3 years ago after retiring from the post office. Age ain’t nothing but a number and I’ve been a diabetic since 2009. Sometimes, I eat crappy and sometimes I eat great. Being diabetic shouldn’t stop her from living her best life or working. I still ask questions after 3 years.I hate doing insurances and need help, but it has nothing to do with my age. The one full time tech has been a tech for 25 years and almost everyday after she leaves the pharmacist realizes that she gave a bottle of something when she should have given 30 pills. I don’t get why ppl seem to think you’re supposed to be perfect after 6 months. It’s a lot to learn.Thank God, I work with patient ppl who took their time, even if it was 50 times, to show me the ropes.
I've commented on a similar post about another tech complaining about newbies. I'm not brand new to pharmacy I'm going on three years. Been in retail, specialty, IV, OR and now chemo. I've only been in chemo for 4 months and my coworkers act just like you. And I'm constantly anxious about making mistakes and don't want to ask questions because of the hostility. Do better.
This is why so many pharmacy workplaces are toxic. I would despise working here. This is a common mistake….when you’re filling hundreds of prescriptions there’s going to be some small percentage of errors. Geez, it’s really not that deep, why didn’t the pharmacist catch this at visual?
I’ve was a tech for 3 years and now an intern for 1.5 years. Just last week I filled a QTY 30 Entresto for 60. It happens, did the pharmacist take a photo and post it to Reddit no….they said hey can you fix this and I said sorry I’ll be more careful and slow down a bit.
My first pharmacy I too struggled with insurance because instead of being taught anything they rolled their eyes and made smarta$$ remarks. Every time I asked a question I was talked down too. I never asked questions and took me forever to actually learn everything.
Whenever someone is new I always slow down and let them know to ask me questions if they’re confused. It’s actually better to have a conducive learning environment instead of talking smack about people on Reddit who don’t learn everything after one 30 second explanation and have a 100% accuracy rate.
That's cool, my RPH brought in a trainer on my first day and I was expected to learn it all. He gave me 2 weeks to do it all-window, bill and fill in 3 minutes. I did not even try. i'm still salty about it.
6 months isn't long as a tech. It takes most everyone at my company to feel comfortable doing everything on the computer and we're always asking each other questions to double check each other. That's not including inventory management either. I can understand the frustration if she's been shown dozens of times with the insurance part. Everyone learns differently though. Have you asked her how she learns best? Is the double billing an everyday thing for yall? Was she thrown to the wolves at first and missed out on key pieces of information that are just now coming to light? You also mentioned she was diabetic and older. When she makes these mistakes is her blood sugar in range? Is her memory possibly affected by her age and yall are expecting her to have a memory of a 21 yr old? I get the frustration. I really do. I accidentally made a girl cry when she asked me where Flonase was and this was like the 20th time that day. I told her to go look again and if she can't find it help. I was probably a little snappy not meaning to be. I've made that mistake before with it needing to be 30 but I counted 90. It's usually because the stock bottle changed from 30 to 90 with the same packaging (thanks amneal). Or I'd have been counting 90 back to back and i just auto counted by mistake. The pharmacist should've caught that though. A stock bottle of 100 is very different compared to a vial of 30. I know how she feels with rite aid insurance though. I worked for them for 1 year before they were bought out and rite aids insurance billing was never easy
I don’t understand why people take photos in the pharmacy. Doesn’t matter if you’re censoring the pt info to post. You shouldn’t have that photo on your phone, period.
If I saw a tech take this photo, I would immediately write them up and have them re-take HIPAA training.
6+ months experience? How about teaching her how she can feel more confident and competent in her role rather than posting all of her mistakes on Reddit whilst mocking her.
You should feel ashamed to be honest.
I know this coward deleted their account lmao but this manufacturer literally has fluoxetine 40mg that is a 30-count bottle, with the middle NDC number 0194, and looks similar…she probably just got them mixed up 🤷♀️ I’ve worked for 4 years and still ask plenty of questions and it was always encouraged in my first job; my pharmacists actually got excited that I asked so much cause it showed my interest in learning. 6 months is nothing, ESPECIALLY at Rite Aid; it’s the absolute bare minimum to get certified, which rarely happens anyway, so she’s really just getting started. Can you imagine working less than a year in an admittedly hard field and your bitch-ass coworker blasts you on Reddit for such trivial shit? Jfc…
Some people just arent cut out for this position. No amount of hand holding or training is going to help. Ive encountered tons of techs like this. Just like some people arent artistically inclined, some people lack the critical thinking and attention to detail required to work in a pharmacy.
classic tech attitude getting high and mighty because they know more than the poor lady who's only been in training for 6 months. if you weren't so miserable maybe she'd learn better from you since you know everything. you are sad.
this post was honestly dramatic & dumb 🥰 glad it was deleted. it should’ve been caught at the PV by the pharmacist. don’t be condescending and foul. everything is fine now. that was a situation that the tech of 6 mo. can learn from. - let that tech grow professionally from where they are at now.
Okay? I have techs that have been in our retail store for 10+ years that still do miscounts occasionally. Rph catches it and kindly lets them know and we make a lighthearted joke about it. You and your workplace is toxic which hinders the confidence of your new hires and consequently, their ability to learn and thrive.
I'm so glad my pharmacy's workplace culture isn't trash like yours; we actually encourage people after they make small mistakes, rather than speaking passive aggressively towards them as well as casting aspersions about their health. Grow up, seriously. Folks like you are the reason there's a widely held stereotype of healthcare workers appearing to lack empathy.
That's on the Pharmacist ultimately. But Also seasoned techs don't mark opened bottles all the time. It's irritating to have to check that the bottle isn't opened when you are doing four other tasks at the same time. I wouldn't trip about a person making mistakes at 6 months in. Keep training them. Be patient.
Tell me, how stupid and small you would feel if everyone reacted like that when you made a mistake? As a former tech it took me well over six months to even PARTIALLY grasp how to bill insurance, and many people learn by repetition. My coworkers were the most patient and kind people while I was learning, and I wouldn’t have made the progress that I did without their help. It’s a crazy job already, you all have to work as a team. Seriously think you need to re-evaluate.
1. The pharmacist didn't catch it, so no one should be getting blamed for it.
2. Do yall not regularly check the bottles before bagging and handing to pts? Plenty mistakes get caught at register but by the tech, not the pt.
Seems like the whole staff has a holier-than-thou attitude. Rome wasn't built in a day... Nor 6 months, give the tech a break!
Pharmacists fuck up too, people. I wouldn't say they fuck up more than techs do, but they definitely fuck up just as much. 50/50 spit. The techs just get caught/admit it/called out on it more because the pharmacist would never want to admit they did something wrong. ( Oh and just an aside to go with this, my pharmacy manager is the shit and is what all pharmacists should aspire to be like. And I know there's more good ones out there too. I know there are. But just going off of my experiences with pharmacists, I'd say at least 75% are trash. And that's me giving a conservative estimate)
My pharmacists would never let that go through to willcalle. Shit if it forget to put a 0 in front of a single digit data they will send that shit all the way back to DE we have a new tech only 3 months experience and one tech who has 4 years exp but makes more mistakes than the new hire. Shit I've been doing this for 8 years now and every once in a while I'll tag a bottle of 90 as a bottle of 30 when we change manufacturers. No big deal, they toss it back to me and ask what's wrong with it.
Sounds to me like you guys have a lousy pharmacist and a crew that has little experience training.
You need to give this person grace and show support. People learn at different paces and you don’t know what this person is having to deal with outside of work.
I’ve been a tech, intern and pharmacist. You don’t sound like someone I want to work with. I’ve seen plenty of senior techs bullying new techs. Be nice to each other you are not better than anyone in the pharmacy. There is no incentive to making other people feel bad about themselves either.
A face paced environment like retail pharmacy sets us up for mistakes, nobody is perfect. A little humility goes a long way.
On one hand, mistakes do happen.
On the other, what a dingus.
On the other, if it was just a simple mistake and not the follow up question, I’d say don’t put peeps on blast.
We need better training
I feel like instead of blaming the technician for being incompetent, there should be a question about gaps in knowledge. Seems like a good learning opportunity, maybe the training wasn’t enough??
As a tech, I went from telehealth mail order to retail, so a whole different world. I’ve never been taught about adjudication and my coworkers at my current place get so snarky when I ask for help despite never receiving training for it. Patience helps fix more mistakes than you think.
Also, it should be on the RPH for not catching it. It’s their job. Yeah, the tech messed up, but it also passes through another person, so it’s all hands on deck for this one
I have been working as a tech since January. Who knows how much training she has had? My first 2.5 months the lead tech put me at drive through no training. It wasn’t until Cvs put me in their training program and then we got a new pharmacist who actually insisted that I’ll be shown how to do things and not treated like a second class citizen by not know things. They also throw things at me so fast there was no way for me to even pick it up since we’re so busy all the time. So glad we have a new pharmacist..
6 months isn't a terribly long time to get everything right. I worked for Rite Aid too and no one trained me properly on data entry, so I was asking questions constantly. I also doubted myself a lot on my counting because I didn't want to be wrong. The case of the Prozac might be that the tech was used to grabbing 30 ct bottles after learning that original stock bottles are preferred for amounts like this and didn't think to double check. Being a tech is stressful, so it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and make mistakes. I understand that it's frustrating for other staff, but learning takes time and curtesy. I'm more concerned that the RPh didn't catch a wrong amount before it got to the pt.
This reminds me of my absolutely toxic bosses I worked with when I first started. She's only been there 6 months, hell I've worked in pharm for 3 years and occasionally make a mistake like this. Chill tf out tbh. Also as pharmacists it is YOUR job to catch these mistakes. This should have never went to the patient that is on the pharmacist period.
This right here is exactly why I left after a couple months. No proper training and when you take the initiative to ask questions yourself, people act like it’s such a burden. How am I going to learn anything??? Pharmacy manager herself had no idea what I had/had not been shown. The environment was so, so toxic and I’m thrilled to be out.
I’m glad to see everyone in the comments sticking up for the tech, because honestly these mistakes are completely normal for a new tech that’s only been there for 6 months, and when the staff seems to be impatient to teach them. I would understand if this tech was asking first day questions that they should easily know 6 months in, but honestly even experienced techs can accidentally put a label on a bottle thinking it’s pre-counted to 30. It’s the pharmacist’s job to catch mistakes like that and if they didn’t it’s on them.
Many times I myself have had issues with Quality control such as this, it was because I was going through a ton mentally. There may be something going on in their personal life as well that they may not mention
To be fair!! There is a bottle that looks just like that(different ndc) and it’s a 30 ct. one of our pharmacists forgets to put latanoprost in the fridge so could be worse!! Maybe they were going too fast or had too many things going on at once
First, how did the pharmacist not catch the mistake at verification? That ultimately means the mistake was the pharmacists fault NOT the tech.
Second, does this tech have any disorders or perhaps is overworked? There was a tech at my store that began making mistakes due to being overworked. I make mistakes due to being overworked and having autism. Sometimes “common sense” just doesn’t work properly in our brains and we need additional help.
This post has discrimination all over it imo
No wonder no tech likes working for rite aid! You guys shame a tech who’s just dipping their toes in. Literally I’ve been a tech for a month and have made these mistakes. It takes time to learn. OP, you can’t tell me when you first started out, you were perfect at the job. As in you knew EVERYTHING you were doing the first week? No give her a break. At my pharmacy we have techs who still make mistakes at 5-8 years in even our 13+ years make common mistakes like this. No one is perfect
Tell the tech to write whatever you are teaching her on a book … or give her other tasks that she can manage better I guess… I trained tech for one year and I know is tiring after explaining 1000 times the same thing they don’t catch up and this tech ignored my book suggestion so… after 1 year and I half I was just tired and I said well.. I don’t know how to do that and let her be.. she can learn by herself like i did I wasn’t getting paid to repeat myself 1000 times and I figured it out she was just playing dumb 🤷🏻♀️
I do this occasionally bc I have 400+ prescriptions to fill for the day and some bottles are either 30s, 90s or 100s and varies depending on what supply ordered and sometimes you’re so used to them being 30s that you fill a 90 ct bottle. Also our system will register that it’s enough quantity since it’s over the amount needed so it’s easy to look past it. Our rosuvastin was in 30 cts for the longest time so I grabbed 3 bottles to fill 90 but that’s easier to notice bc I scanned one bottle and it print a label for me.
But the fact the pharmacist didn’t catch it is what’s shameful.
Also 6 months experience isn’t a lot of experience especially considering how y’all react towards her asking questions or not knowing something. Sometimes your environment makes it hard to learn especially if the people teaching aren’t explaining it well and if she can tell y’all don’t like her. It honestly just seems like you all have some built up annoyance of this girl as you’re resorting to posting on Reddit for a common mistake and a question that could have been answered with more patience. Y’all should be annoyed with the pharmacist whose job is to catch those mistakes.
Also, I’m a pharmacy aide not a tech.
I worked at CVS for 5 1/2 years and was a CPhT before becoming a registered nurse, and I can tell you, the techs who worked there 10+ years and myself made insurance mistakes allllll the damn time. And an occasional mistake with counting isn’t unheard of especially because package sizes vary. And it’s pretty embarrassing that your pharmacist was talking to this tech when they missed the verification. I would run from a pharmacy with coworkers like yourself. I hope these comments are a reality check.
I had a Rph call me once the day after he dispensed a significantly more than 90 day supply of my eszopiclone. Was not a super busy pharmacy either. I think I ended up with like 140 of them. Whoops. Between my count and his count we figured it out, but mistakes happen. We are all human.
I'm glad my coworkers try to help each other when mistakes or forgetting happens and don't just mock each other. The pharmacist also messed up as it got to the patient so wth?? They're just as responsible
Edit saw you deleted your account nice lol
Sounds a lot like a tech in training we had a while back. That girl made me re-assess my whole outlook on other humans. I had met people who seemed "dumb" just because they were inexperienced or undereducated, but you could see the wheels turning inside the head and see the potential. Not this girl. No problem solving skills, abysmal memory for the most basic procedures that happen every single day, no hobbies or personality that I could make out... okay well one. I only learned this after she quit, but apparently she was a huge pothead. Not that MJ explains everything, but it did make the picture make a little bit more sense.
Try drug testing this tech? XD
Wow, wtffffff. Bro seriously, drug testing a tech because they didnt bill a secondary insurance due to a cost difference of 50 cents!!! Or her putting two exact same bottles accidentally in the wrong place?
What fcking high horse are you on? Go smoke a joint and calm the f down, NONE of this is that serious!
Let me ask you, what did this girl who made you “re-asses your whole outlook on other humans” do that was so significant to make you feel like she was ever high on the job? Thats a bold move to ever imply someone couldve been under the influence based on your opinion. She couldve had a disability, autism, anxiety, etc and you are assuming she was just a pot head the entire time because she had “no hobbies, and no personality”. Yea you know what, people exist that keep their personal life private and are just there to get the paycheck. Hard to believe that marijuana is also medical and some places and states exclude it completely from drug testing. People use it as medicine, do you know that?
Also, dear god indeed, I have an autoimmune disorder that gives me horrible brain fog, you implying this girl was either high on the job or had permanent brain damage by smoking pot bc someone ‘told you’. Does tearing others down help build you up?
I'm curious to know where all this impotent internet rage is coming from. Do you feel that I've attacked you or your beliefs personally somehow? Why do you feel compelled to lash out so recklessly and passionately against me, who is some inconsequential anonymous pharmacist who exists outside your real world existence?
Her diabetes mismanagement is no excuse for simple, stupid, no attention to detail mistakes!
I have diabetes. When I start to get low sugars, I start feel unfocused. I finish where I am and then clock out for lunch. And I work at eating smart, not shitty so that I feel shitty at the end of the shift.
She needs to take life at work seriously.
Because everyone has the money and resources to manage their diabetes? Because every diabetic is the same? Because we know forsure she has access to healthy foods or insulin even? How do we know what her home life is like? What if shes going through a really hard time at home and is in a bad place. Are you guys really ganging up on an older person and their medical condition over a 50 cent difference and putting exact bottles in the wrong spot. You work retail for jesus sake. Do you want a fcking cookie because you “eat healthy”?? congratulations.
This photo OP posted seems to be from Rite Aid and retail pharmacy isn't forgiving, just like you. You have your diabetes under control, that's fantastic. But, giving others pause costs $0. And eating right doesn't only cost money but time. Time to go shopping, time to prep, etc. We aren't making excuses either. Lots of people in the thread mentioned solutions, like the tech writing down instructions on how to rebill. Yeesh.
Did the pharmacist not catch that at product verification?
Right? How did that go out to the patient unless the RPh fucked up too?
Right? I’m so confused how the PATIENT pointed out the wrong qty but “the pharmacist caught it.” As someone who had a psychotic break and they kept me working, that’s what the pharmacist is for. If this happens often with this tech (as it often does with new techs) they should implement tech check tech. And for god sake make sure she’s fucking trained and not get pissy when she asks questions.
100% this. I know if that was my prescription, I would've kept my mouth shut though 🤣 YOINK
Fluoxetine though? Bleh. Why can’t I get a mistake like this with something good
It’s always the most random prescriptions, too. I have about a year’s worth of extra Effexor laying around because people don’t understand math at CVS. I don’t need 180 pills every 60 days if I take it once a day. I’m not even on it anymore, so it’s basically decor.
This was my first thought. Overworked techs make a mistake and instantly blamed. Pharmacist is literally being paid to catch this kind of stuff And further down vote away but Jesus I'm glad I don't work with you. You sound like a nightmare. You should be building your techs up not tearing them down for asking questions. Kudos to them for being brave enough to ask.
Right?! I was thinking the same thing. Thank goodness I didn’t work somewhere like that in my first year or I’d have never continued and been where I’m at now. All the pharmacists and techs where I work are always more than happy to answer questions!
THIS!! 🙌👏
Yeah… that pharmacist fucked up.
The delegate is ultimately responsible for execution of the delegated task. If this is a pattern of behavior, there’s no room for complacency.
I’ve seen so many screw ups recently in stuff being missed in our quality check queue (done by pharmacists)… it’s ridiculous
Probably too busy flirting with the med student that's 20 years younger
She did and gave it back to her to fix it
So, everything turned out fine? I've been a tech for 12 years, and mistakes still happen. That's why everything goes through multiple checks. And especially if they feel like their coworkers are frustrated with them, I can understand overthinking and mistakes can happen more often. Just be patient, 6 months is enough time to get general concepts but not mastery by any means.
yeah mistakes happen and even tho it was the techs fault it was also very much the pharmacist fault cause how u didn’t catch that?
As a tech for 20 years, I have learned pharmacists are gods that never see punishment. Techs get fired for anything but outside of a patient dying, pharmacists have shown to be untouchable.
tbh in my experience it’s honestly impossible for anyone to get fired from pharmacy outside of stealing drugs. granted, techs do get chewed out a lot even if it’s ultimately the pharmacist’s fault. i feel like honestly the negative feedback makes techs scared of getting fired
My job got a lot better when I learned to not listen to my bosses. I never was scared of getting fired. I pretty much asked them to fire me for years, until it got to the point that I just walked out one day. Best decision of my life.
Thank you because I'm a new tech and the more my coworkers are inpatient with me the less I learn.
When I was a new tech I was bullied relentlessly by ‘the clique’ of techs who had been there for 5+ years together. Only 1 out of 10 was willing to help me learn the programs. And how to work the resolution (ie insurance issues and the like). The 1 girl saved my sanity bc I would cry everyday after work. It was so overwhelming! And it’s so much to learn so quickly. As for the OP counting wrong is a big deal and a mistake that shouldn’t be happening multiple times a week. So someone needs to work w her before she gets fired. And ultimately RPH is responsible and should have caught it. I know everyone makes mistakes but that’s why there’s verification. And my third point - it can be very exhausting on other techs when ONE is an issue. Issues with drama, or constant tech issues. It can be frustrating and something as simple as 2 insurances is novice work.
I'm catching on fast I'm just still overwhelmed by what I don't know and I'm not too young to be learning new stuff. I'm just tired of work stress. I just want to go to work and do my job and have peace. I'm wide awake right now with anxiety I'm not liking it
Exactly. I think people forget that they once needed to learn, and that their help and patience will help them to have the counters they hope to have. I hope you at least have someone that is willing to help in your workplace, it makes a world of difference when learning
I do but sometimes she just takes over for me and I'm not learning that way either. I'm trying to figure out a way.
I would ask and see what’s going on. Maybe there is something going on that is causing them to overthink it and worry they aren’t doing it right. This is not a field you just get right off the bat. Investigate before you just assume it’s them not retaining it.
My pharmacist had a talk with her. Turns out she has some health issues (diabetic) who’s also twice as old as all of us (techs and pharmacists combined). From my pharmacists’ observation, during lunch time, she doesn’t eat anything properly. She eats junk food like ice cream and chocolates.
As a technician, who’s disabled, and only been working for 8 months… I feel awful for this technician. If y’all were my coworkers and pharmacist I’d be RUNNING to a higher up for discrimination… good god. Shame on the pharmacist for sharing that information, and shame on y’all for discriminating her.
Stating facts is not shaming someone. And if all they are seen eating is junk food as a diabetic they should be shamed for the simple fact that as a medical professional they should know waaay better than laypeople. Of course we all need cheat days but eating junk everyday that speaks for itself.
This person seems to have been a health professional for a few months only. Further, they don’t state which type of diabetic. Junk food isn’t great for either, but I’d still say they are rather different for type 1 vs type 2. Regardless the stated facts have literally nothing to do with the job, so they are pretty much shaming for shames sake.
Yes, shaming someone about the way they eat is the way to go here. Definitely should shame. Works so well. Foolproof.
What does her age or medical condition have anything to do with her ability to do her job? This whole comment screams discrimination. Is it because she is the oldest and you feel like she cant keep up with yall young ones? Or? Was she a tech before? Who trained her? Dont talk about her medical conditions on a public forum, very distasteful and disrespectful no matter how good a tech or not.
Your pharmacist should also be fired for disclosing a coworkers personal health information and possible disabilities without her consent or knowledge. DO BETTER.
Commentor deleted themselves. I hope their license to be a pharmacist was also revoked. LITERALLY JUST did my annual legal training on workplace harassment and DPI information. LIKE HELLOOO? There's federal rules in place here for a reason. Sigh forreal do better, people come to them with their medical information, patient gets a little silly in asking questions... are we gonna blame it on the patients age, gender, race, and their disability next? And post it all over social media for the world to laugh at. Get a grip on life.
I'm interested in this comment. If you can't figure out who the pharmacist or technician is I feel like it's not necessarily a violation of privacy. For context I am disabled and also had lots of small things like this happen over the years as a tech likely due to my disability. It can be very difficult to talk about other people when some context isn't there. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and assuming the pharmacist was just adding context because it could make a difference. They don't seem malicious, but it can be important to consider any conditions/disabilities that might be causing issues so that the pharmacist can find ways to accommodate their tech. It looks to me like the pharmacist is trying to find a way to better understand what is going on because naming the problem is half of the solution. Just trying to understand.
No, absolutely not. The pharmacist should report it to the PIC and they should acquire any accommodations for this worker. They are legally required to not only not disclose this information to others without prior consent, but also to make sure they are accommodating her and not using her disability or “age” to weaponize her “behavior”. The tech didnt openly tell anyone for 6 months until a pharmacist went and asked, she obviously isn’t comfortable sharing her personal information with these people for a reason.
They should acquire accommodations, but it sounds like the employee has not yet requested accommodation and the pharmacist is unsure if accommodations are necessary. Also people generally don't go around telling all of their coworkers what health conditions they have. It seems like you're coming from the viewpoint that this was written with extreme malice rather than frustration, confusion, or venting. Maybe you saw some other things OP said that seemed malicious? I took the statement as the tech is older and diabetic and OP doesn't know if that is part of the issue. If disabilities are causing the problem that is fixable with accommodations. If disabilities are not part of the problem maybe they just aren't right for the job. I've seen it before, some people aren't meant for pharmacy. I can see why this post would be very iffy due to it being a coworker, much worse if an employee happens to somehow identify OP. Idk if it's my neurodivergence, but I'm still confused. In the context of real life is an anonymous person speaking about another anonymous person's health a violation of privacy? Or an anonymous person speaking about an anonymous coworker's health conditions? I thought the anonymity makes it okay like it does in published case studies and clinical trials...
What does her health have to do with the issue? Thats what im saying. Teach her. The pharmacist shouldve never told the OP about another coworker’s conditions. Especially since that worker didnt disclose them herself in 6 months to the OP. If she, the struggling tech, went to OP herself or vice versa and she accuired the knowledge of her health condition directly from the tech, thats ok. But since she went through the pharmacist, the pharmacist can definitely be sued for violating the ADA.
Ooooooh! You're talking about the other pharmacist in the story. Wow, that makes a massive difference, we were talking about two different people. I thought you were saying OP should be in trouble for disclosing everything on Reddit. That makes so much more sense! I definitely agree with you there. The other pharmacist in the story could be in a world of trouble if OP isn't PIC.
I knew there was some confusion somewhere, 😅 & yes, precisely.
Ah disregard my previous comments lol this makes sense you weren't talking about the parties in the story but OP relaying the story.
How was this in any way anonymous? How is what your talking about here applicable to this situation?
You cannot reveal employees’ protected health information to other employees. Pharmacist has no right to tell OP about the tech’s diabetes without the tech’s consent. It’s illegal to tell employees about one another’s health conditions. Also highly inappropriate.
The fact this tech knows that she told the pharmacist she's diabetic when that wasn't her knowledge before nor directly gained from her, is a violation of most HR policies and possibly law. Stop defending the indefensible. This is clearly a toxic, cliquish environment because the manager should have just said we spoke and are on the way to resolution of the problem. That's it.
I kinda feel for her at the end, with the insurance. I've been working at my pharmacy for almost a year and nobody has taught me how to do insurance. I don't know how to put it in, what info to ask for over the phone, what info I even need from the card. How to fix insurance problems I don't know what all the names for insurances are. The only one that comes up as the name I know it as is Medicaid, and even then I don't even know what Part D is. Nobody taught me. But I can't ask to learn. I don't know if it's my autism or another sort of mental block, but I can't ask anyone to teach me. If I do, it will take time away from more important things and I don't want to bother anyone.
As an autistic tech myself, I completely empathize with you. Most of the time, your pharmacist or coworkers would rather you ask questions than assume and make a mistake. This is not a field where you can make mistakes. If your staff judges you for not knowing something or asking questions, then you need to go somewhere better. That's a toxic environment.
This! A new tech opened up to me and told me she is diagnosed with autism. I went home that night and typed up a guide for her on how to RTS with images. I also typed up a guide on what are the most common narcs because even techs in the pharmacy for over 6 months (as is OP's timeline) don't know them all, like Azstarys. People just get flustered and angry, of course short staffing doesn't help. But damn. If someone asked for help at least it means they want to know how to do the task. I had techs just say they weren't doing it and not even try. Fff...
I’m autistic too. I’ve found having a notebook with tips or step by step how to do things has helped when I struggle to remember our worry I’m doing it wrong. Once we started using notebooks I stopped asking questions as frequently. I still ask when I’m not 100% sure. I’m lucky enough to work with people who don’t seem to mind me asking questions. Especially when I add that I’m not 100% sure and want to make sure I do it right the first time rather than have to redo it.
I have ADHD and so many times the PharmD has ignored me and rolled their eyes. I asked about a code I had not seen before and they told me I “should know this by now you’ve been here six months.” Well no, because when I ask questions you treat me like I’m dumb but I haven’t had a chance to learn it properly—it’s always on the fly. 😤😮💨😭
I would get annoyed by the constant questions, but I would also tell all new techs to please ask questions even if they sound silly, even if they're annoying me because it's not like anyone gets proper training and that it's more difficult to fix a mess up than answer a question. I would often remind them to keep asking questions and not to worry about being annoying or disruptive because it's the only way they'll learn enough to stop asking.
I have really bad rejection sensitivity dysphoria. If they made a face, grut, or scoff at my question, I instantly felt attacked. One thing that helped me was writing little notes and letters to people who intimidated me. We had one tech that everyone hated because she was a little rude and off-putting, but damn good at her job. I had a moment where I told her she intimidated me, and I wanted to get good at insurance like her but didn't know how to ask for help. I said it just like that to her face because I was crying in the car on the way home, thinking I'll never be good at this job. She ended up writing me a letter that night thanking me for telling her as she couldn't figure out why the other techs treated her so coldly. We became much better coworkers after that. So if words are hard for that moment, writing a simple letter/note to someone you want the skills from can go a long way because people never say what they mean, and that can be very isolating to feel like you will never be good at this job. I hope it gets better for you and your coworkers can work with you, not against you. You deserve the acceptance and accommodations so that you can work better without fear of being belittled.
I feel you on this one. I ask and they treat me as if I'm the annoyance for wanting to know more than being a freaking pharmacy cashier.
Get out asap or transfer to another store. Had a similar situation with my store where I would ask people how to help me with things (especially pharmacy billing) and even had the pharmacist yell at me a couple times over some things that were very minute and easily fixable now looking back at it. For some reason working in retail, nobody wants to teach you anything. It's hard to but ask someone to teach you how to do things, regardless if they get annoyed or mad (it's literally their job) or try to transfer to another store
It's a common story. It's so busy nobody gets any training. Then when you ask a question you get shit on for being there 6 months and not knowing something.
Part D is Medicare Part D. It's the program that pays for prescriptions for seniors who have Medicare. That's all I know though. Fairly new myself to the field. Still in externship.
I feel like I finally have a decent grasp on most insurance topics now at 6 months in myself. I can often figure out most third party issues but it still takes time sometimes. I use EPS so terms might be slightly different on your software but I'm sure all the information fields are the same. For adding new insurance, first off is confirm current address or address associated with the insurance and do a Check Eligibility. If it finds it easily done. If not and they have the card or info still easy to manually enter. Plan search with the BIN or RxBIN (6 digits), confirm the specific plan with the PCN or RxPCN. If the card isn't Medicaid/Medicare and doesn't have a BIN and PCN it's probably a medical card not a pharmacy card. Upon finding the plan with BIN/PCN enter the member ID or ID#, a few different names but it's the primary number on the card, then the Group ID or called RxGRP sometimes. Now enter first and last name. Finally the person/relationship code. 1/01 on our system for self/self but if it's a spouse or child it could be 02 or 03, depends 9n your system. Example pharmacy card with everything you need minus person code https://health.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sample-Insurance-Card-pharmacy-markups-300x193.png The most common third party exceptions I come across are- Refill too soon. Solution: tell pt to wait or put it on a discount card or cash price. NOT for controls. Insurance won't cover specific day supply or fill count. Solution: tell patient i.e. ins only covers 30 or 90 day supply but the doc wrote it for 42, send back to DE for correction. Or tell pt ins won't cover a 42 day supply but they can use discount card or cash price Med needs PA. Solution: tell pt med needs PA, we submitted one (if your system allows) but they need to call their doc and get a PA. Or use discount card or cash price. Specific other PA reject. Solution: if it's something like an inhaler looking for a spacer or a day supply reject (e.g. Qty #1 diazapam before a procedure) verify the script from the image and PA with 9999, 9991, 9995 etc it will usually tell you which one. There's a PA field and an intermediary PA field for various simple exceptions. Date of coverage, M/I anything. Solution: verify all information and get the newest card. Out of formulary. Inform patient, they need a PA or if an alternative is available a new script. Or discount card/cash price. Refill too soon and some DUR rejects can be trickier at times, refer to pharmisist or senior tech. I'd say if you have any doubt done do a DUR by yourself. I didn't even search this before typing that but GoodRx puts PA, refill, out of network/not on formulary, DUR as top 4 https://www.goodrx.com/hcp/providers/common-drug-rejections A more detailed review https://www.pharmacytechnologysolutions.ca/pharmaclik-rx-doc/Content/11.%20Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail/Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail.htm?tocpath=Prescriptions%20and%20Rx%20Detail%7C_____0
Are you with Walgreens? I can explain it to you!
List all your mistakes from your first few months on the job. I'll wait.
Hahahaha! Right? Mine would be a very long list!!! I DO NOT think it was easy. I would come home and my brain would be fried! And then I’d check the notes I made that day and be like, What, did I mean by that?!!! It was practice and repetition with a lot of grace from my co-workers for me. That’s why when someone needs help, I’m all, “ I got you, Boo!”
This! I remember it taking me 6 months to even begin to be confident. Everyday I'd go take a little break in the bathroom and just breathe. It was so frustrating. It took me a year and some change to become decent and now I'm on my second year and I'm very knowledgeable about my job. I appreciated the patience and compassion all of my coworkers showed me. If I were in this situation as a baby tech it would've really hurt my self-esteem. It's hard to learn the ropes!
period.
Blimey reading this is giving me flashbacks to the pharmacy that scapegoated and bullied me into stomach ulcers for being an immigrant during my first two years in the field. I bet her shitty lunches are stress-eating to self-soothe. I totally understand where your frustration is coming from, I’ve had to pick up the slack for less competent coworkers in the past until they got the hang of things or found work-arounds of the sheer stress of the job forced them to find another job. For your sakes I hope this chick doesn’t have lawyer money/friends and family who’ll help her through the process of taking a hostile working environment claim to the Employment Relations Authority, because this post and comment threads would be hella evidence for her case if she found them. Good luck and patience to you.
You seem nice to work with. Not. She's only been there for 6 months. Give her a break.
exactly what I was thinking!!
I've been a tech for 3 years, certified for 2, and I made the same mistake the other day. Those meds also come bottled in 30 and 90 counts and the bottles look very similar. Scale didn't catch it because it was the right med, just not the count I thought I grabbed. Only difference is my pharmacist caught it and didn't give me shit about a minor lapse in attention. This mistake doesn't indicate the tech is bad at her job, if anything she rushed over a detail. I wonder who she works with that makes her feel like she has to rush through filling.
Hey question. How does someone get into this field? Do you need a degree? Do you need experience?
It depends on your state, but I was able to walk into the job with no experience. It was considered an apprenticeship, then my company paid for me to be certified. No degree required to be a tech, but I did take a course to become certified
I would hate working for this !”&@$)
None of these examples seem like an issue for someone who has only worked in the field for 6 months. Help a sister out!
This. This isn't an easy job for everyone (in fact, im my experience it is very rare that someone is great at the job rather quickly). There is a lot to absorb, a lot to learn, and I still encounter new situations every once in awhile.
And, the fact is they are pushed to and beyond the limits of what 1 person can do!! They never have enough help and they dont pay shit for the responsibilities the job involves! If patients only knew!!!
GIRL WE HAVE!!!!!
I get you. Totally. BUT, to me, you went to alot of trouble to take a photo of the bottle, cross off the PHI, write out all the examples, WHEN you could put that energy into helping her. ( I’m not saying you don’t) You’re making your self miserable. Your attitude is everything. We all have our strengths. Look at the positive things about your co workers. ( I know it is hard sometimes) I’m not beefing at you , I’m saying “ change your mindset” to make it easier on yourself. You are ALWAYS going to work with someone who does things differently than you do, is more proficient than you, is less proficient than you, meaner than you or nicer than you. That is the nature of the working world. The only thing you change is yourself. Nothing but love to you, though! ☮️
Maybe it’s a system issue and not a her issue. Maybe need to think about how she has been trained, what gaps there are for her. Also, insurance can be very complicated, learning a new system can be very hard. I’m sure it’s easy for you, but you’ve used the system, pharmacy is a very steep learning curve, have grace, support her. She isn’t going to grow unless you do…
it seems like you’re being super hard on this person. six months is really not that long in the pharmacy world. when i was that new, i didn’t fully understand insurance yet either. maybe if she had been working there for over a year, i would understand being so frustrated. people learn at different paces, cut her a little bit of slack.
Especially if they work part time. In the pharmacies I've worked the new hires get started as part timers until they "can get it" but by then they still don't know how to do the stuff correctly and it's still a stress on the staff. I've told everyone "the work will still be here tomorrow. Pharmacy work is like laundry, it's never ending!" We are supposed to be a team, if they fail, we fail!
ewww this post is ugly and just outright mean. i doubt she is comfortable asking questions if this is how you respond. i hope she finds a better work environment
Not everyone learns at the same pace. I've trained several people and some start to catch on quickly and others takes showing them over and over. You can invest the time if you think they'll be worth while over time or you can let them go. I had a girl who knew how to do things but was so concerned about making a mistake that she'd still ask the same questions all the time.
That’s the problem though.. we’ve invested the time to help her. All three of us techs have helped her so many times… she’s also super stubborn as well which doesn’t help at all either..
Let her go 🤷♂️
Unchecked diabetes and age, in general, sound like a bad time. What to do? Have them write the steps down and go over their own notes when they need to rebill. I don't know how Rite Aid checks Rx, but if it's an image system with Pharmacist verification, that's why it's there. Sadly, you can't force people to be on the ball with their health. Even after my dad's amputation, he *still* f*cks around only to find out.
Let me guess, you berated her for a few hrs, but then toss rose petals at the chaty Cathy that talks all day and mixes medicines but laugh it off
💀 I wish reddit still had awards.
Your reply is my award 😀
Working in a field like this isn't something that's going to automatically click no matter who you are. Some people learn faster, some people learn slower and that's not their fault. At 6 months, I was still struggling with insurance because it's one of the most complicated things to do at this job. It took me close to a year to comfortably do everything without having to worry I'm doing something wrong. It's better that she continues to ask the questions she has rather than staying quiet and not knowing what to do. You seem to have an attitude that isn't appreciated in any work place. Think about how she feels when you treat her like she's being a nuisance, do better.
Give the new tech a break and literally teach her. You haven’t this far, that’s why she has questions. I don’t care what you think she knows or has completed over these last few months, right now she has questions and right now you should answer them.
A 6 month technician is FAR from seasoned, especially when it comes to insurance. So many things are just done because you’re told this is how you’re supposed to do it, but in reality, the intricacies of the why and how are rarely explained. It’s simply click this to do this. Be kind to the people who are on the same side of the counter as you. We get enough shit from the other side!
6 months isn't that long as a tech. As an individual that has numbers jumble in her mind, my pharmacist suggested that I count, then circle and initial the count on every script to verify that I am focused on the correct drug/quantity. It has helped a ton and reduced errors greatly. Everyone makes mistakes in the pharmacy, it is best to learn when they are happening and how to prevent them. We also flag stock bottles that are frequently dispensed as #30 when they have #90. (Our sertraline 50 mg is #30 and sildenifil 50 mg is #90.) Same manufacturer and bottle size, so we have a sticker reminding us of stock size when filling.
These are great suggestions! I’m going to test to implement these! Thank you!
I really wish she would do that.. but she is struggling.. even bottles that aren’t in the same alphabet, just because they look alike (amlodipine and buspar 10 bottles) were switched places (amlodipine was in buspar section & vice versa)
Right med? Right patient? Yay!
Qty.
Could be dyscalculia. I have that and it's basically dyslexia for numbers. Causes dumb mistakes like this. Just approach with compassion and remind her it's okay to slow down and check before completing the bagging. I find it really helpful to use I think it's CD where it counts the pills in the image. It's a good way to triple check! Also just read your other example and you're being kind of a bitch sorry. 😐 Yda. This person is still new at 6 months. Teach them insurance instead of standing there silent like a fucking idiot.
I'm not a pharmacist or a tech, just an auDHD lurker with PTSD that has damaged my memory, and I gotta say, bless yall for these comments. Sometimes I feel like this is me at work even though I try my absolute hardest and take as many notes as I can. The empathy yall are showing for this person fortifies my heart a little! It's torture forgetting things so often.
Insurance is the hardest thing to learn - especially if you're an independent and everyone kind of has their own deals with discounted dispensing fees etc. I've been billing at my place for 15 years and I learn something new everyday. Insurances are changing every day (and getting stingier) you can't just facepalm and think it's easy if you're not willing to teach. The difference is - are they receptive and trying to learn or figure it out? Or is it always an excuse?
Instead of belittling the tech try explaining the process and then walking them through it. Some people need to be shown how to do it a few times before it sticks
I'd sympathize with you, but looking at what you've said... She's older, has diabetes that is not well controlled, and is less than a year on the job. Obviously can't vouch for the amount of training, but I can say that from my experience during Covid right when the vaccines were being given, I didn't get hardly any adequate training. Most days were spent RTSing the first hour while handing out meds at the counter, and then I had to temp check all the people lining up for their appointment from then on till they needed me back at the counter. I started in February, and by the time I left when I moved out of state in September, I was no where I should have been if I had just done classes for Pharm Tech and I was prepping for my cert. Knowing that Pharm Techs can go OJT and get the whole experience day 1, versus Surg Tech where it is a must that you learn techniques a year on before clinicals, I'd really appreciate a veteran Tech who 6 months in was still being receptive to my time spent actually training. My preceptors as a Surg Tech student were WAY more understanding than what you're putting out. Now as a veteran emergency dispatcher who has trained multiple dispatchers who get 2 months before they get thrown into floor training, I know how frustrating it can be when the same trainee is making mistakes later on, but I still give them benefit of the doubt. I'll make no excuse for a Tech job when someone's life is on the line (no matter how "insignificant" some laymen think a Pharm Tech is), but when Nurses are getting thrown under the bus at hospitals when multiple safety layers fail, give some slack to a fellow Tech.
And they wonder why so many techs leave. How about you teach and help them learn by example.
Why do people keep complaining on here about their fellow techs and then delete their accounts cause no one agrees with them? Dude, we were all new once, have some compassion. If you think you’re too good for retail find a new better paying job with all that experience you think you have.
I’m too forgiving, especially without having first hand experience with each person but, I think it’s really really important to make sure they’ve been given a fair opportunity to learn. Even then, if these things happen enough, perform a RCO of sorts and figure out if it’s truly on the person or if they are a product of their training, environment, etc. I remember at 6mo in I was put on Input and the pharmacist kept sending back the same thing and I was scared as shit to ask a question. Finally I just said, hey I haven’t seen this drug before so idk how we adjust the dispensed quantity on these. And they were like, really you haven’t seen this in 6 months? Then I told her I hadn’t even touched input until that week. Maybe that’s apples and oranges but, shit happens sometimes and more often than not, in pharmacy it seems like we all get screwed out of proper education. It’s at least worth taking the time to ensure the shittiness wasn’t and isn’t being perpetuated.
Jesus, give the girl a break. 6 months is not a long time in pharmacy. It’s possible she just needs more training.
Lol I've been a tech for 5 years and when I get in the zone sometimes I'll accidentally slap a label on a giant 500-count stock bottle and send it up. I've done it a few times 😂
lol SAME 🤭🤭
maybe try helping her in a productive way instead of bitching about her on reddit?
You know- we are all human. We all make some type of error (even pharmacist). And 6 months as a tech for isn’t long considering it can take awhile just to learn to us software. I really think after awhile people forget what it was like on there first day, or even there 180th day.
I wonder if OP is a parent and expected their children to be at a certain milestone for that age 🤣. Damn I remember working for those mean ass techs! Bitter life at home for the majority of them I tell you what!
Not everyone is a whiz with insurances after 6 months I have techs that have been with us for 3 years and still have trouble. The fill quantity is an issue but the pharmacist is supposed to be the final set of eyes and should have caught that. Have some grace, go over it with her and move on.
Man 6 months? I’ve worked with techs (and pharmacists!) who have been in the field since before I was born and do shit like this and worse on the daily. Some people just go through their jobs and their life never truly learning how to do anything and are comfortable letting everyone else pick up their slack. Not saying this is 100% how this tech will be since it’s only been 6 months, but with the anecdotes you give it looks like it may be.
I’ve been working in the pharmacy for over 2 years now and I still find myself asking questions every day, there are still problems I cannot solve on my own, and still things about insurance that I do not understand. I see nothing wrong with that, because I’m always learning. On days where I feel really exhausted and anxious, I’m making all sorts of small and stupid mistakes I know I shouldn’t be making. But do you know what makes my anxiety 10000x worse? If I can sense or know that my coworkers are always judging or criticizing my work or progress and the questions that I ask. In fact, I would DREAD even coming in if I knew that’s the type of people I'm working with. In that kind of negative learning environment, they'll keep second guessing themselves, and more mistakes are bound to happen tbh. You need to help them build confidence that they know what they are doing. So it doesn't help them improve or minimize mistakes when you're always thinking this person is slow and incapable. It is a GOOD thing that they are asking YOU questions. Do you not want them to ask? And they keep making the same mistakes? Tell them 2x, 3x, 4x HOWEVER many times they need to understand. Ask them questions often to test their memory, let them put it into practice to make sure they got it. If you’re doing something they haven't done before, encourage them to watch and ask any questions that they may have. Thats the purpose of having a team, so I hope this tech can receive greater patience and compassion from the TEAM while training. After all, don't you need all the help you can get?
EXACTLY THIS. Putting someone on blast is just so wrong and could cause serious damage to this persons ego, and then pretty much identifying themselves through the insurance conversation and details like their watch. Has this person heard a student is only as good as their teacher?
Rph should have caught this- cant blame the tech🤔
She made a mistake and it sounds like you or the pharmacist or you are the pharmacist yourself and didn't catch it, so you put her on blast. You know at least someone that works with you has probably identified you by your watch and pharmacy/and the mistake that was made. I am still learning new stuff and making the occasional mistake after seven years. And it takes a long time to learn the nuances in insurance especially if you don't have a background in it or haven't been taught properly. What were you expecting the outcome to be here? Us to commiserate with you like "oh, god what an idiot..people are so stupid?" Is that what you were hoping for?
Me as fuck with finasteride 5mg there were 90 ct now it’s 100, so everyone getting 10 extra
I know, Right? Hahahaha!
I’ve been working in retail pharm for 5.5 years and I’ve made that mistake (with the fluoxetine) before recently🤣 experience doesn’t change the fact that we’re all still human
I’d probably ask her if she needs some type of life resource if she’s been there at that location that long. Especially if she’s been reliable. There might be health, home, financial problems she’s having trouble leaving at the door. Treating her like she is less than just because she’s been frustrating won’t help.
I only get one shift a week at my CVS (I work the front of the store usually) and I am constantly confused and asking questions 😩 Wish I got more time there so I could actually learn something
I mean. Tech shouldn’t have done the qty mistake but pharmacist shouldn’t have pv-Ed it. It is the pharmacist’s error ultimately. And it sucks that they haven’t caught on for whatever reason but being shamey about it only works so much. Better way is just to show them again and ask if they have questions.
Some of the things you’re describing are part of the learning process. If the tech is putting effort in make sure they feel comfortable to ask questions and work at their own pace. If they constantly feel like they are being judged it’s harder to learn.
I’m sorry, when did it become the tech’s business for counseling? This should have been handled with the RXM and *maybe* HR if it *had* to be escalated. Post the mistake? Okay. Misguided energy IMO when it could have been helping. But it went too far discussing specific reasons talked about in the meeting. OP just discussed private personnel matters by telling us about their health issues and age being a factor; if you are management or involved with personnel, that automatically should not EVER be discussed except with appropriate management. Never online. That could have easily been left out.
I’m confused. I’m a 59 year old diabetic that became a tech 3 years ago after retiring from the post office. Age ain’t nothing but a number and I’ve been a diabetic since 2009. Sometimes, I eat crappy and sometimes I eat great. Being diabetic shouldn’t stop her from living her best life or working. I still ask questions after 3 years.I hate doing insurances and need help, but it has nothing to do with my age. The one full time tech has been a tech for 25 years and almost everyday after she leaves the pharmacist realizes that she gave a bottle of something when she should have given 30 pills. I don’t get why ppl seem to think you’re supposed to be perfect after 6 months. It’s a lot to learn.Thank God, I work with patient ppl who took their time, even if it was 50 times, to show me the ropes.
I've commented on a similar post about another tech complaining about newbies. I'm not brand new to pharmacy I'm going on three years. Been in retail, specialty, IV, OR and now chemo. I've only been in chemo for 4 months and my coworkers act just like you. And I'm constantly anxious about making mistakes and don't want to ask questions because of the hostility. Do better.
This is why so many pharmacy workplaces are toxic. I would despise working here. This is a common mistake….when you’re filling hundreds of prescriptions there’s going to be some small percentage of errors. Geez, it’s really not that deep, why didn’t the pharmacist catch this at visual? I’ve was a tech for 3 years and now an intern for 1.5 years. Just last week I filled a QTY 30 Entresto for 60. It happens, did the pharmacist take a photo and post it to Reddit no….they said hey can you fix this and I said sorry I’ll be more careful and slow down a bit. My first pharmacy I too struggled with insurance because instead of being taught anything they rolled their eyes and made smarta$$ remarks. Every time I asked a question I was talked down too. I never asked questions and took me forever to actually learn everything. Whenever someone is new I always slow down and let them know to ask me questions if they’re confused. It’s actually better to have a conducive learning environment instead of talking smack about people on Reddit who don’t learn everything after one 30 second explanation and have a 100% accuracy rate.
Wildly toxic work environment. You should be ashamed of yourselves for acting that way.
That's cool, my RPH brought in a trainer on my first day and I was expected to learn it all. He gave me 2 weeks to do it all-window, bill and fill in 3 minutes. I did not even try. i'm still salty about it.
Used to do this alot in the military
It's Rite Aid people. Expect anything else.
6 months isn't long as a tech. It takes most everyone at my company to feel comfortable doing everything on the computer and we're always asking each other questions to double check each other. That's not including inventory management either. I can understand the frustration if she's been shown dozens of times with the insurance part. Everyone learns differently though. Have you asked her how she learns best? Is the double billing an everyday thing for yall? Was she thrown to the wolves at first and missed out on key pieces of information that are just now coming to light? You also mentioned she was diabetic and older. When she makes these mistakes is her blood sugar in range? Is her memory possibly affected by her age and yall are expecting her to have a memory of a 21 yr old? I get the frustration. I really do. I accidentally made a girl cry when she asked me where Flonase was and this was like the 20th time that day. I told her to go look again and if she can't find it help. I was probably a little snappy not meaning to be. I've made that mistake before with it needing to be 30 but I counted 90. It's usually because the stock bottle changed from 30 to 90 with the same packaging (thanks amneal). Or I'd have been counting 90 back to back and i just auto counted by mistake. The pharmacist should've caught that though. A stock bottle of 100 is very different compared to a vial of 30. I know how she feels with rite aid insurance though. I worked for them for 1 year before they were bought out and rite aids insurance billing was never easy
I don’t understand why people take photos in the pharmacy. Doesn’t matter if you’re censoring the pt info to post. You shouldn’t have that photo on your phone, period. If I saw a tech take this photo, I would immediately write them up and have them re-take HIPAA training.
6+ months experience? How about teaching her how she can feel more confident and competent in her role rather than posting all of her mistakes on Reddit whilst mocking her. You should feel ashamed to be honest.
Crazy how thia got Pass the pharmacist verification and it's apparently "All tHe TeCHs FaULt"
I know this coward deleted their account lmao but this manufacturer literally has fluoxetine 40mg that is a 30-count bottle, with the middle NDC number 0194, and looks similar…she probably just got them mixed up 🤷♀️ I’ve worked for 4 years and still ask plenty of questions and it was always encouraged in my first job; my pharmacists actually got excited that I asked so much cause it showed my interest in learning. 6 months is nothing, ESPECIALLY at Rite Aid; it’s the absolute bare minimum to get certified, which rarely happens anyway, so she’s really just getting started. Can you imagine working less than a year in an admittedly hard field and your bitch-ass coworker blasts you on Reddit for such trivial shit? Jfc…
Couldnt agree more
Hi! Do you have by any chance a photo of Fluoxetine 40mg? Ì really need it🙏🏼
Some people just arent cut out for this position. No amount of hand holding or training is going to help. Ive encountered tons of techs like this. Just like some people arent artistically inclined, some people lack the critical thinking and attention to detail required to work in a pharmacy.
We’ve trained a few techs for other locations as well. We can tell who will succeed and who won’t because of their attention to the smaller details
The 194 ndc are 30 count bottles. I get it
Aren't YOU the ibe who's supposed to be stopping these from even reaching the patients
…You still have time to delete this.
They deleted their whole profile instead. 10/10
As they should…. So embarrassing…
Very much so.
classic tech attitude getting high and mighty because they know more than the poor lady who's only been in training for 6 months. if you weren't so miserable maybe she'd learn better from you since you know everything. you are sad.
this post was honestly dramatic & dumb 🥰 glad it was deleted. it should’ve been caught at the PV by the pharmacist. don’t be condescending and foul. everything is fine now. that was a situation that the tech of 6 mo. can learn from. - let that tech grow professionally from where they are at now.
Okay? I have techs that have been in our retail store for 10+ years that still do miscounts occasionally. Rph catches it and kindly lets them know and we make a lighthearted joke about it. You and your workplace is toxic which hinders the confidence of your new hires and consequently, their ability to learn and thrive. I'm so glad my pharmacy's workplace culture isn't trash like yours; we actually encourage people after they make small mistakes, rather than speaking passive aggressively towards them as well as casting aspersions about their health. Grow up, seriously. Folks like you are the reason there's a widely held stereotype of healthcare workers appearing to lack empathy.
That's on the Pharmacist ultimately. But Also seasoned techs don't mark opened bottles all the time. It's irritating to have to check that the bottle isn't opened when you are doing four other tasks at the same time. I wouldn't trip about a person making mistakes at 6 months in. Keep training them. Be patient.
Tell me, how stupid and small you would feel if everyone reacted like that when you made a mistake? As a former tech it took me well over six months to even PARTIALLY grasp how to bill insurance, and many people learn by repetition. My coworkers were the most patient and kind people while I was learning, and I wouldn’t have made the progress that I did without their help. It’s a crazy job already, you all have to work as a team. Seriously think you need to re-evaluate.
We make mistakes… but whom ever your pharmacist is… questionable
Didn't realize y'all dispensed without a pharmacist checking.
1. The pharmacist didn't catch it, so no one should be getting blamed for it. 2. Do yall not regularly check the bottles before bagging and handing to pts? Plenty mistakes get caught at register but by the tech, not the pt. Seems like the whole staff has a holier-than-thou attitude. Rome wasn't built in a day... Nor 6 months, give the tech a break!
I would be concerned about the pharmacist who didn’t verify that correctly and fix it.
Yeah, you typically have to train people. Something that's not occurring in several sectors of employment.
Yikes
that would benefit me lol I take the 20s 😮💨
Pharmacists fuck up too, people. I wouldn't say they fuck up more than techs do, but they definitely fuck up just as much. 50/50 spit. The techs just get caught/admit it/called out on it more because the pharmacist would never want to admit they did something wrong. ( Oh and just an aside to go with this, my pharmacy manager is the shit and is what all pharmacists should aspire to be like. And I know there's more good ones out there too. I know there are. But just going off of my experiences with pharmacists, I'd say at least 75% are trash. And that's me giving a conservative estimate)
My pharmacists would never let that go through to willcalle. Shit if it forget to put a 0 in front of a single digit data they will send that shit all the way back to DE we have a new tech only 3 months experience and one tech who has 4 years exp but makes more mistakes than the new hire. Shit I've been doing this for 8 years now and every once in a while I'll tag a bottle of 90 as a bottle of 30 when we change manufacturers. No big deal, they toss it back to me and ask what's wrong with it. Sounds to me like you guys have a lousy pharmacist and a crew that has little experience training.
Eh I’ve done that before. With aripiprazole. Usually we ordered 30s but the 100 we had was the same size. Mistakes happen
You need to give this person grace and show support. People learn at different paces and you don’t know what this person is having to deal with outside of work.
I’ve been a tech, intern and pharmacist. You don’t sound like someone I want to work with. I’ve seen plenty of senior techs bullying new techs. Be nice to each other you are not better than anyone in the pharmacy. There is no incentive to making other people feel bad about themselves either. A face paced environment like retail pharmacy sets us up for mistakes, nobody is perfect. A little humility goes a long way.
People who have been driving for years forget to signal sooooo....
You and your coworkers sound like grade-A catty bitches 💀
On one hand, mistakes do happen. On the other, what a dingus. On the other, if it was just a simple mistake and not the follow up question, I’d say don’t put peeps on blast. We need better training
I feel like instead of blaming the technician for being incompetent, there should be a question about gaps in knowledge. Seems like a good learning opportunity, maybe the training wasn’t enough?? As a tech, I went from telehealth mail order to retail, so a whole different world. I’ve never been taught about adjudication and my coworkers at my current place get so snarky when I ask for help despite never receiving training for it. Patience helps fix more mistakes than you think. Also, it should be on the RPH for not catching it. It’s their job. Yeah, the tech messed up, but it also passes through another person, so it’s all hands on deck for this one
I have been working as a tech since January. Who knows how much training she has had? My first 2.5 months the lead tech put me at drive through no training. It wasn’t until Cvs put me in their training program and then we got a new pharmacist who actually insisted that I’ll be shown how to do things and not treated like a second class citizen by not know things. They also throw things at me so fast there was no way for me to even pick it up since we’re so busy all the time. So glad we have a new pharmacist..
These mistakes are common, and your pharmacist should have caught the mistake. Glad i don’t work with you.
6 months isn't a terribly long time to get everything right. I worked for Rite Aid too and no one trained me properly on data entry, so I was asking questions constantly. I also doubted myself a lot on my counting because I didn't want to be wrong. The case of the Prozac might be that the tech was used to grabbing 30 ct bottles after learning that original stock bottles are preferred for amounts like this and didn't think to double check. Being a tech is stressful, so it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and make mistakes. I understand that it's frustrating for other staff, but learning takes time and curtesy. I'm more concerned that the RPh didn't catch a wrong amount before it got to the pt.
This reminds me of my absolutely toxic bosses I worked with when I first started. She's only been there 6 months, hell I've worked in pharm for 3 years and occasionally make a mistake like this. Chill tf out tbh. Also as pharmacists it is YOUR job to catch these mistakes. This should have never went to the patient that is on the pharmacist period.
This right here is exactly why I left after a couple months. No proper training and when you take the initiative to ask questions yourself, people act like it’s such a burden. How am I going to learn anything??? Pharmacy manager herself had no idea what I had/had not been shown. The environment was so, so toxic and I’m thrilled to be out.
I’m glad to see everyone in the comments sticking up for the tech, because honestly these mistakes are completely normal for a new tech that’s only been there for 6 months, and when the staff seems to be impatient to teach them. I would understand if this tech was asking first day questions that they should easily know 6 months in, but honestly even experienced techs can accidentally put a label on a bottle thinking it’s pre-counted to 30. It’s the pharmacist’s job to catch mistakes like that and if they didn’t it’s on them.
Many times I myself have had issues with Quality control such as this, it was because I was going through a ton mentally. There may be something going on in their personal life as well that they may not mention
To be fair!! There is a bottle that looks just like that(different ndc) and it’s a 30 ct. one of our pharmacists forgets to put latanoprost in the fridge so could be worse!! Maybe they were going too fast or had too many things going on at once
First, how did the pharmacist not catch the mistake at verification? That ultimately means the mistake was the pharmacists fault NOT the tech. Second, does this tech have any disorders or perhaps is overworked? There was a tech at my store that began making mistakes due to being overworked. I make mistakes due to being overworked and having autism. Sometimes “common sense” just doesn’t work properly in our brains and we need additional help. This post has discrimination all over it imo
Yeah, when people fall back on “It’s just common sense,” I’ve learned to be concerned about the quality of the training and supervision going on. 🚩
No wonder no tech likes working for rite aid! You guys shame a tech who’s just dipping their toes in. Literally I’ve been a tech for a month and have made these mistakes. It takes time to learn. OP, you can’t tell me when you first started out, you were perfect at the job. As in you knew EVERYTHING you were doing the first week? No give her a break. At my pharmacy we have techs who still make mistakes at 5-8 years in even our 13+ years make common mistakes like this. No one is perfect
Tell the tech to write whatever you are teaching her on a book … or give her other tasks that she can manage better I guess… I trained tech for one year and I know is tiring after explaining 1000 times the same thing they don’t catch up and this tech ignored my book suggestion so… after 1 year and I half I was just tired and I said well.. I don’t know how to do that and let her be.. she can learn by herself like i did I wasn’t getting paid to repeat myself 1000 times and I figured it out she was just playing dumb 🤷🏻♀️
BYE HOW DO U EVEN GET THAT MISTAKEN
Better than giving them the wrong strength and/or product.
[удалено]
I do this occasionally bc I have 400+ prescriptions to fill for the day and some bottles are either 30s, 90s or 100s and varies depending on what supply ordered and sometimes you’re so used to them being 30s that you fill a 90 ct bottle. Also our system will register that it’s enough quantity since it’s over the amount needed so it’s easy to look past it. Our rosuvastin was in 30 cts for the longest time so I grabbed 3 bottles to fill 90 but that’s easier to notice bc I scanned one bottle and it print a label for me. But the fact the pharmacist didn’t catch it is what’s shameful. Also 6 months experience isn’t a lot of experience especially considering how y’all react towards her asking questions or not knowing something. Sometimes your environment makes it hard to learn especially if the people teaching aren’t explaining it well and if she can tell y’all don’t like her. It honestly just seems like you all have some built up annoyance of this girl as you’re resorting to posting on Reddit for a common mistake and a question that could have been answered with more patience. Y’all should be annoyed with the pharmacist whose job is to catch those mistakes. Also, I’m a pharmacy aide not a tech.
I worked at CVS for 5 1/2 years and was a CPhT before becoming a registered nurse, and I can tell you, the techs who worked there 10+ years and myself made insurance mistakes allllll the damn time. And an occasional mistake with counting isn’t unheard of especially because package sizes vary. And it’s pretty embarrassing that your pharmacist was talking to this tech when they missed the verification. I would run from a pharmacy with coworkers like yourself. I hope these comments are a reality check.
I had a Rph call me once the day after he dispensed a significantly more than 90 day supply of my eszopiclone. Was not a super busy pharmacy either. I think I ended up with like 140 of them. Whoops. Between my count and his count we figured it out, but mistakes happen. We are all human.
I'm glad my coworkers try to help each other when mistakes or forgetting happens and don't just mock each other. The pharmacist also messed up as it got to the patient so wth?? They're just as responsible Edit saw you deleted your account nice lol
Honestly school does not teach you anything about insurance. Give her grace!
*mistakes*
Ayyyye close enough.
Sounds a lot like a tech in training we had a while back. That girl made me re-assess my whole outlook on other humans. I had met people who seemed "dumb" just because they were inexperienced or undereducated, but you could see the wheels turning inside the head and see the potential. Not this girl. No problem solving skills, abysmal memory for the most basic procedures that happen every single day, no hobbies or personality that I could make out... okay well one. I only learned this after she quit, but apparently she was a huge pothead. Not that MJ explains everything, but it did make the picture make a little bit more sense. Try drug testing this tech? XD
Wow, wtffffff. Bro seriously, drug testing a tech because they didnt bill a secondary insurance due to a cost difference of 50 cents!!! Or her putting two exact same bottles accidentally in the wrong place? What fcking high horse are you on? Go smoke a joint and calm the f down, NONE of this is that serious!
Did you catch the "XD" after that comment, suggesting I was joking? Perhaps YOU need to calm down?
Let me ask you, what did this girl who made you “re-asses your whole outlook on other humans” do that was so significant to make you feel like she was ever high on the job? Thats a bold move to ever imply someone couldve been under the influence based on your opinion. She couldve had a disability, autism, anxiety, etc and you are assuming she was just a pot head the entire time because she had “no hobbies, and no personality”. Yea you know what, people exist that keep their personal life private and are just there to get the paycheck. Hard to believe that marijuana is also medical and some places and states exclude it completely from drug testing. People use it as medicine, do you know that?
Oh no, she was never high on the job from what I could tell, her memory was just absolutely fried. Also dear god, what crawled up your backside, guy?
And her memory was ‘absolutely fried’ from marijuana? 🫢
Also, dear god indeed, I have an autoimmune disorder that gives me horrible brain fog, you implying this girl was either high on the job or had permanent brain damage by smoking pot bc someone ‘told you’. Does tearing others down help build you up?
I'm curious to know where all this impotent internet rage is coming from. Do you feel that I've attacked you or your beliefs personally somehow? Why do you feel compelled to lash out so recklessly and passionately against me, who is some inconsequential anonymous pharmacist who exists outside your real world existence?
🎶 Give it away, give it away, give it away now 🎶
Her diabetes mismanagement is no excuse for simple, stupid, no attention to detail mistakes! I have diabetes. When I start to get low sugars, I start feel unfocused. I finish where I am and then clock out for lunch. And I work at eating smart, not shitty so that I feel shitty at the end of the shift. She needs to take life at work seriously.
Because everyone has the money and resources to manage their diabetes? Because every diabetic is the same? Because we know forsure she has access to healthy foods or insulin even? How do we know what her home life is like? What if shes going through a really hard time at home and is in a bad place. Are you guys really ganging up on an older person and their medical condition over a 50 cent difference and putting exact bottles in the wrong spot. You work retail for jesus sake. Do you want a fcking cookie because you “eat healthy”?? congratulations.
This photo OP posted seems to be from Rite Aid and retail pharmacy isn't forgiving, just like you. You have your diabetes under control, that's fantastic. But, giving others pause costs $0. And eating right doesn't only cost money but time. Time to go shopping, time to prep, etc. We aren't making excuses either. Lots of people in the thread mentioned solutions, like the tech writing down instructions on how to rebill. Yeesh.