As I see news stories about the nationwide walkout of pharmacists at Walgreens and CVS, it brought to mind my time working at a pharmacy a couple of years ago. Believe me, when I read about those frustrated workers having finally had enough and now walking off the job, I get it.
I lived that experience with them when I was working as a pharmacist trainee. This is a very rough area with a lot of violent crime. It's considered one of the worst localities in the state and even the nation. Immigrants (particularly the handful of Nigerians and others from West Africa that have been funneled here by the lying human traffickers), are shocked by the violence in their midst.
I'd ask them on campus "what in Gods name brought you HERE of all places?" and they'd tell me that the smugglers told them it was a safe area with a low crime rate. We local people would look at each other in shock, and I'd say; "Yeah, that was true in 1950, but this area hasn't been safe like that sine the early 1980s. They're lying to you. We're all trying to get OUT OF HERE!"
When I was a child, we lived for a bit in New Jersey, well known as: 'The Armpit of America' and it actually wasn't that bad there, compaired to living in Fallujah, USA.
While it's not quite as bad as the south side of Chicago, it's getting there. It's so bad now that I rarely go out at night anymore. And when I have to, I try to stay on the main arteries, where the scarce police cars regularly patrol.
They even attack and have killed elderly people on the street during the day, even after they've handed over their valuables.
Cooperating with these Neanderthals is no guarantee you're going to walk away alive. I'm even scouting out other SAFER parts of America to relocate to. So my message to potential immigrants is this: If any people smuggler or human trafficker tells you that eastern or east-central Pennsylvania is safe, HE'S LYING TO YOU!
I know, I live here.
So that's the setting for my short time working at a pharmacy. I'd always wondered why there was such a nationwide shortage in the profession, and after just two months working there, now I know why.
Many times my training was interrupted by wild hair-pulling fights among customers and staff. People threatening and cursing out the pharmacists, or attempting to climb over the counter or open the security gate (in order to to steal drugs).
The workload of a pharmacy technician is INSANE!
I was shocked at all of the different areas we had to specialize in, as what clearly used to be separate jobs, have now been combined into one Byzantine mess of a profession. I had no idea they STILL had to count pills by hand, while they're on the phone with a customer, dealing with doctors, and negotiating with a screaming, threatening drug addict, desperate for their fix.
Accounts of men whipping their junk out and furiously masturbating at the counter while leering at the female employees.
Who needs that?
Remember, I was only a trainee trying to learn from training videos on a computer, while the mayhem is occurring in the main pharmacy area just 15 feet away from me.
By the time I quit, I was of the opinion that the pharmacy should be walled off like a bulletproof fortress, with just a thin slot to drop the drugs out of.
It's just too dangerous.
Not only that, but the sheer overwork, is a factor leading many to give up and leave the profession, making the worker shortage even worse. Why put up with all that bullcrap, when you can make the same money now at McDonald's?
Who needs the hassle?
So I completely support my brothers in the pharmacy profession who've finally had enough, and have now walked off the job. And mind you, I wasn't even on the main pharmacy floor, but was watching the chaos from the sidelines. I quit on the day I was to take the main floor, after finding out about the working conditions.
My boss had ended our training before it was complete, due to workers quitting. But in this profession, that was dangerous, because one mistake as a pharmacy technician, can lead to someones death. I wasn't about to be that guy, and wouldn't tolerate my training to be compromised, and told her I was leaving if that happened, and I did.
I've seen enough now to know that if there's a shortage in a profession, it's probably for a very good reason. If others don't even want to work in that job, that's a giant red flag for me to stay the hell away as well. Until the industry addresses the issues related to worker safety and crazy overwork, the long lines and angry customers will be a fixture at your local pharmacy.
If you found that this post added value or inspired you, please share an upvote or reblog :)
