Not As Bad As I Thought

   I was not looking forward to Saturday. It was going to be busy. I would be working with my intern and training in a new pharmacist. In addition I would be working with a relatively new tech. It would be a lot to handle in one day. I wasn't sure that I could do it. I had done it before and wasn't happy with how things turned out. I didn't feel like either the pharmacist or the intern were given what they deserved from me. I hoped it wouldn't happen again.
  My hopes were in vain. I was going to have to do it again. The tech and pharmacist were going to be different people, but the situation was going to be exactly the same. I suppose that I didn't get it right the first time so fate was going to give me a second chance. I would have preferred to live with my first failure.
  I told C that I would be in bad shape on Saturday night. Usually we go on a date, but I didn't think I would be up for it. It would be better if we stayed home so I wouldn't have to be grumpy in public. I was certain it was going to be a disaster.
  Things were looking bleak on Friday. It was a busy day. I barely got to eat lunch. It felt like we were struggling to keep up with the work, never mind trying to get ahead. I was very worried. The new pharmacist was coming in at seven to start training. How was I going to be able to do this with all this work? I had no idea.
  John, the pharmacist I was going to train, came at ten minutes to seven. I let him in and asked him to call the help desk so he could get set up on the computer. While he did this I dismissed the intern for the day.
  Once I got back from dismissing the intern my tech announced she was leaving for her break. I was a little irked. It was not a good time for her to leave, but it was getting late. We were too busy for her to take her break earlier. I really needed to plan these things better.
  I started to show John the basics of our computer system. He helped me to fill some prescriptions for people who were waiting. I had hoped not to have this happen. Fortunately John was a quick learner. He was able to help me until the tech returned.
  I went over most of the basic functions with him. By that time it was closing. I showed him closing procedures and asked him to come ten minutes before we opened so I could show him the opening procedures.
  The next morning I sat outside the pharmacy waiting for him. I waited until three minutes before opening. He did not show up. This was not a good sign. I had to get the pharmacy open so the intern and I went inside. I went to get the cash drawers while she turned on the lights. When I got back I opened the gates and logged onto the computers. Then John showed up. He was sorry, but he had a plumbing issue in his apartment. These things happen, I knew he couldn't help it. I showed him as best I could the opening procedure. We all got to work.
  I had John do my job and asked the intern to help him. I got out some paperwork that needed to be done. After a little initial coaching thing seemed to be moving well. John and the intern were talking. I was getting my paperwork done. So far so good.
  As the morning went on I went from cautiously hopeful to hopeful. John was taking to our system like a duck to water. He and the intern seemed to be having a good time chatting while they worked. I joined in their chat and learned some things about John. He had worked for other retail chains and he also worked at an insurance company doing clinical reviews. I filed that information away. One of the lessons I'd planned to go over with the intern involved insurance and prior authorizations. I decided I was going to ask him to help me. It was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.
   Things were going much smoother than I had anticipated. John was an efficient worker and also just plain fun to work with. The three of us were having a good time.
  After lunch I asked John to run the pharmacy while I went over assignments and lessons with the intern. Most of the work had been done by then. When I got to the lesson on insurance, John came over to get his water bottle. I asked him to talk about his clinical review job with my intern. He talked for about ten minutes. His viewpoint was interesting to me. I assumed that the clinical reviews were done by people who just followed a checklist and had no medical training.
  John was looking for something to do. All the processing work had been done. I knew that I needed to do the narcotic count. I asked him if he would mind doing it. He said yes and got right to work. All my fears about a bad Saturday were gone. All was well.
   The intern and tech left at four. John and I were alone in the pharmacy. I showed him a few more things. A few more customers had come in and he helped them. I was fairly certain that he would do just fine in any pharmacy. All he needed now was experience.
   Saturday turned out much better than I had planned. In fact it was fun. I felt like everyone got what they needed and had a good time as well. My worry was needless. I left work with a sense of satisfaction. It was a good day after all.