The Pharmacy Chick

Over the years, I have gotten used to our wholesaler being out of things. Sometimes it feels like we live in a third world country by the sheer amount of “shorts” I see on my invoices every day. What is it with (blame manufacturers or wholesalers, you pick) the fact that I have to change generics every other month because the one I had in July, I cannot get in August. It just goes on and on. Every night when my reports print and I see what I will NOT get, I head to the computer to get alternates. One thing that is not on that list is my supplies.

Today I got my invoices and noted that my wholesaler was out of BOTH safety caps for my 8 dram and my 13 dram vials. Are you kidding me!!!! Granted, we dont wait til we have used our last cap to order, but we dont keep 50 bags of each on hand either. I also found out that some other stores were calling us to see if we had any extra to spare (over my dead body). As with all things that constitute a problem, it was handed to me.

First, lets backtrack a bit. Many years ago, you might remember if you are old enough, when you bought a box of vials, you got the safety caps included in the box. They would also include a few non-safety caps. To me, this make sense, what good are the vials without a lid? But for some inexplicable reason, they (being the manufacturer) decided to split the combo and make us purchase the caps separately.

Pharmacy Chick isn’t allowed to buy the kind of vials she likes. I love those vials with the reversible caps. They are perfect! Safety when you want them, non safety when you dont. And, the lid doubles as a cup if you are desparate (haha). And since the lids COME with the vials, I wouldn’t have to buy them separately.

So anyway, I am given the pharmacist specific task of procuring more caps. RING RING–called the wholesaler and ascertain that yes indeed they are out of caps still. They do not know when they will get more in. I tell them they need to do better than that…every pharmacy in the nation needs caps. This should be a “never out” item. I finally hit on a better option. I ask (because they don’t offer) “can you check a different distribution center (DC) to find these items?” He puts me on hold (sit and wait, sit and wait) til he comes back on and tells me he ordered 2 bags of 8 dram caps from a different DC. I guess I had to ask “How about 13 dram?” (back on hold again). Eventually he returns and tells me I also get 2 bags of 13 dram caps. To arrive on monday. Today is thursday.

I might be dispensing 30 lanoxin in a 20 dram vial by then, but we will survive. Wonder what everybody else is doing?

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