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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Plan B contest entry

Funny stuff!

So I had an interesting story tonight while I was working. An 18-year-old girl came into the pharmacy looking for Plan B. IL Medicaid does pay for Plan B, and she, of course, had Medicaid. She didn't have her current Medicaid card with her, and our policy states that pharmacists need to see the Medicaid and ID before we can bill Medicaid for Plan B. Her sister called my assistant manager on duty and asked him why the pharmacist wouldn't dispense the Plan B, since she had the Medicaid number on her profile. After talking with the manager, I had to give her the Plan B. However, she had just received Plan B last week. When asked why she needed another Plan B so quickly, she said that she was allergic to condoms (she didn't tell me, the female pharmacist, but the male assistant manager). She really didn't want to hear about the different types of condoms that our store sells. She wasn't on birth control either. I told her that it would be best for her to be on birth control at this time, and she told me that she was working with Family Planning (our town's version of Planned Parenthood), but she was rolling her eyes when she said that. That made me believe that she wasn't really serious about getting on birth control. I did try to tell her that if she used Plan B too many times in a short amount of time, it can lead to unwanted consequences, and maybe infertility. She really didn't want to hear it, at least not from me, because she thought I was judging her (ok, in a way I was). Of course, I was short-handed (one tech called in sick), and we were getting lots of ER scripts at the time. Did I mention that we have inventory on Monday, so that's why the manager really couldn't come and help us? Long story short, she got her Plan B, and I have a complaint against me.

I don't think this story will stand up to some of the other entries you will receive, but it's still a funny story nonetheless. If you can give me some insight on how this could be handled better, please let me know. Thanks!

Evil Chain RPh

3 comments:

Big 'N Tasty RPH said...

That is okay. I had a girl come in who was scared sh*tless of getting pregnant but she takes her birth control pills regularly like she is supposed to. I told her that the birth control should be enough even if the condom broke and that taking Plan B would probably not make any difference. She asked several questions and I did everything I could to inform her and calm her fear.

I thought I explained everything and she was okay but later one of the other employees asked me why I made that little girl cry. I totally didn't mean to make her cry. I felt like the fungus in the dirt clod stuck in the tread of a logger's boot.

Anonymous said...

funny call today - A girl picked up Plan B at our pharmacy the other day, and was (gasp!) reading the box, where it said for use in women under the age of 17 (because it was the prescription box labeling). She actually thought that it would not work for her, since she was 20, and asked if we had a different brand. Gosh, isn't Plan B being OTC fun when the general public knows about 10% of what they should?

cici said...

Yippeeee..free buffet for tripper, warts, fungus and hiv

Not getting pregnant will be the minor one of her possible problems