Over the last month we have seen a airline attendant “losing it ” on a American Airlines flight she was on.
A couple of weeks later we hear about a Jet Blue airline Captain “losing it” mid-flight.
Depending on how you look at it… there an be a lot of similarities between our work environment (Pharmacists) and the airline work environment.. we both deal with a rushed/impatient public…
Generally… the airline passenger has been harassed by the TSA before getting on the place, waiting in line to board the plane.. then crammed into a small flying tin can.
As opposed to coming to a pharmacy… having been waiting for hours to be seen at the physician’s office or ER… only to be told by us that their insurance won’t pay for what was prescribed… after waiting for hours and coming back…because we are that many hours behind. Or be told that we had to contact the prescriber… and have not heard back.. only to be told … there will a longer wait…
We have seen incidents… like what is unfolding now in NC.. where the RPH & staff was expected to handle 30 Rxs/hr .. from opening to closing … only to find themselves on July 1st ,2012 averaging > 40 Rxs/hr for the first 7 hrs of the day… and when the RPH decided to close the drive thru window … as a safety issue… was told by the non-pharmacist store manager and DM… that it was to remained open… patient safety BE DAMNED !
Recently… it was reported by a RPH at a BIG BOX STORE that a patient/customer THREATENED a Rx dept staff member over some issue..
How much longer before one of the Rx dept staff goes off somewhere? Has it already happened and it just hasn’t reached the news?
There are stories after stories out their.. of management giving patients/customers gift cards when they are “unhappy” for just about anything… are we creating a culture of “bitch and you will receive”… how many people patiently waiting in line… sees these things unfold and quickly figure out that they can get something for free… by “pitching one”
All companies have in their policies and procedures manual (P&P) that they do not tolerate a “hostile work environment”.. unless the P&P specifically states that this only applies to employees… it should apply to patients/customers as well…
Could situations — like NC — where the non-Pharmacist manager and DM… was interfering with the PIC in provide a error free work environment… creating a hostile work environment? Did this corporation encourage/condone a hostile work environment… against their own policies and procedures…. ???
Filed under: General dumb-ass problems
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