Holby city and the dodgy pharmacist character

[kemzero]

did anyone watch Holby city last night (18/7) It used to be my favorite prog but after last night I'm not too sure.Pharmacists were depicted as failed medical students who are only good at doing drug audits...the nurses had a go at us as for the doctors this character was a distant memory ,if that! The p'cist said to his son "I want you to be somebody in life not someone who nodoby remembers"........for me that was a tough pill to swallow....I will be making my point on the next points of view..now where 's Annie? (Anne Robinson)....the writers had no right or did they?

[Linnear]

I love the 'old failed medical student' bit.

I always tell people that I wanted to be a doctor but I chickened out when they went to remove my brain.

Have you seen the news today that top doctors are saying that medical training doesn;t include enough pharmacology and people are dying because Drs don't know how to prescribe properly.

Can I just say, "Well, Duh!"

[admin]

Hi All

I personally never wanted to be a Dr as I came to pharmacy through industry. I have to say however, that if you look on student forums, it's full of kids saying "I'm applying for pharmacy if I don't get into.....medicine, dentistry, etc etc etc"

[Steve G]

I agree, last nights Holby was a joke. Oh, and the bit where they were talking about stomach ulcers:
Nurse: "Don't stress, it'll make it worse"
P'cist: "Ulcers aren't caused by stress"
Nurse: "How do you know that?"
P'cist: "I trained as a doctor"
(or something along those lines)

Ok, so assume the character was 45. Started med school at 20, so in 1986. H. pylori wasn't isolated until 1982, and it was only in 1994 that the NIH accepted there was a strong association between H.pylori and ulcers (http://www.cdc.gov/ulcer/history.htm). So, likelihood is he learnt it when he was a pharmacist, but that didn't fit the script really did it?

And as for doctors not being taught enough pharmacology, why don't the powers that be lengthen medical training so that it includes a pharmacy degree. I mean, doctors need to know ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about EVERY DISEASE and EVERY DRUG ever in the history of the world.

What the story really highlights is the need for better use of our skills, but no one seems to have said that. I was almost throwing stuff at the telly when the BBC had a junior doctor and the chair of the GMC, both saying along the lines of "there are lots of people who can help doctors with drugs, including nurses and pharmacists." Please tell me, what do nurses know about drugs?

[Linnear]

I tell you what though, you can't blame our wonderful Society. They do a wonderful job of promoting us!

They rubber stamp all the orders for the extra work we have to do. But it's not because they're brown nosing the govt. It aids our professional image!


Repeat after me: B*LL*CKS!

[kemzero]

I am livid,boiling absolutely furious........but what am I or my colleagues going to do about it .......yeah you got it in one............absolutelynothing! we moan moan moan but no action
sorry ..just blowing off some steam!phew that's better

[Zoggite]

Hey, how about forming a "University Challenge-the Professionals" Pharmacists team, and taking on the Mighty Medical Profession? I'm dead serious!

[Linnear]

Hey, how about forming a "University Challenge-the Professionals" Pharmacists team, and taking on the Mighty Medical Profession? I'm dead serious!

Good idea but for one thing. All the doctors I know although crap at Rxs etc seem quite intelligent whereas I know a lot of pharmacists that are blatantly crackers! I include myself in that before anyone decides to take a pop.

[admin]

Hey, how about forming a "University Challenge-the Professionals" Pharmacists team, and taking on the Mighty Medical Profession? I'm dead serious!

I'm up for it! I've been on local TV already, so the camera doesn't scare me!

[Linnear]

It does me! They say it adds pounds!

[admin]

I am livid,boiling absolutely furious........but what am I or my colleagues going to do about it .......yeah you got it in one............absolutelynothing! we moan moan moan but no action
sorry ..just blowing off some steam!phew that's better

If that makes you mad, try reading this.

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/conte...l/321/7266/913

Ok its old, but never got any reply from the society. Check out the other things on the list!

[admin]

I tell you what though, you can't blame our wonderful Society. They do a wonderful job of promoting us!

They rubber stamp all the orders for the extra work we have to do. But it's not because they're brown nosing the govt. It aids our professional image!


Repeat after me: B*LL*CKS!

B*LL*CKS !

How was that?

[Steve G]

If that makes you mad, try reading this.

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/conte...l/321/7266/913

Ok its old, but never got any reply from the society. Check out the other things on the list!

How on earth could they not reply to that? Or was the society just unaware of the statement?

and the reply on the rapid response by Peter Morrell is hardly positive towards pharmacists, though hopefully attitudes have changed a bit in the intervening six years
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/elett...7266/913#10374

[Zoggite]

Good idea but for one thing. All the doctors I know although crap at Rxs etc seem quite intelligent whereas I know a lot of pharmacists that are blatantly crackers! I include myself in that before anyone decides to take a pop.

You don't need to be intelligent, you only need to know about characters in The Simpsons and Eurovision song contest winners!

[Jeff]

I am livid,boiling absolutely furious........but what am I or my colleagues going to do about it .......yeah you got it in one............absolutelynothing! we moan moan moan but no action
sorry ..just blowing off some steam!phew that's better

Come off it - pharmacy has changed - the community contract is less volume related and more about professional services than it used to be.
We can now earn our own script pads.
There's a minor ailment scheme in Scotland that ought to be transferred South of the border.
A whole new career path as pixies.
A defence organisation that claims to represent pharmacists (the PDA)
Mr Bhaiji has changed our role in relation to profession judgement and CD's
http://tinyurl.com/nhy4o

Plenty has happened - and plenty are making it happen.

Jeff