Can someone with dyslexia be a good pharmacist?

[dullard]

I know someone who wants to become a pharmacist. She was diagnosed with dyslexia while in her youth but she learned to mostly compensate for her reading problems. To get back into school, she needs to be rediagnosed to have more time taking the tests. However, she was tested and was considered normal (ie no extra test time) due to her compensation skills. Thus, she wants to keep finding more doctors until she fails the test once.

This brings up two issues:

(1) If someone tests normal now, is it ethical to keep retesting until you fail just to get extra test time. I'd rather not discuss this point here.
(2) Can a dyslexic person be a good pharmacist? As I take it, pharmacists have several duties including managing the pharmacy, checking for drug interactions, and dispensing the correct drug. That got me thinking, with similar drug names, can a dyslexic person actually be a good pharmacist? Or is the chance of mixing up drugs one time too big of a risk to take?

 

[everman]

Well, you're asking whether a dyslexic person who is considered normal due to her compensation skills can be a pharmacist. So if the dyslexia is not a problem, she "tests normal," then I don't see why not. Kind like saying that a person with bad eyesight can drive just fine because their condition is corrected to normal with glasses.

 

[vi edit]

I don't think I'd really recommend it for a hospital based clinical position where you may be asked to draw up something on the fly or with a incredibly larger base of drugs you may be dealing with. Plus the chance of messing up a dosing on an IV bag could be deadly.

But in a retail setting it wouldn't be as bad. With the drug names they are trying to standardize a naming system called "Tallman" where they capitalize commonly confused letters in drug names and you aren't compounding or diluting in as chaotic of an environment.

When it comes to counting out pills and a lot of the "busywork" the techs are doing that part for you. Assuming the person could pass the exams and do all of the coursework, it shouldn't be impossible.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: dullard
I know someone who wants to become a pharmacist. She was diagnosed with dislexia while in her youth but she learned to mostly compensate for her reading problems. To get back into school, she needs to be rediagnosed to have more time taking the tests. However, she was tested and was considered normal (ie no extra test time) due to her compensation skills. Thus, she wants to keep finding more doctors until she fails the test once.

This brings up two issues:

(1) If someone tests normal now, is it ethical to keep retesting until you fail just to get extra test time. I'd rather not discuss this point here.
(2) Can a dislexic person be a good pharmacist? As I take it, pharmacists have several duties including managing the pharmacy, checking for drug interactions, and dispensing the correct drug. That got me thinking, with similar drug names, can a dislexic person actually be a good pharmacist? Or is the chance of mixing up drugs one time too big of a risk to take?

First off I strongly believe the field of psychology is still quite in its infancy. A lot of people are diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia and ADD more then you think. There are people walking around who are brain surgeons, medical doctors and FBI agents who fit the medical criteria for having one of these learning disabilities. But these people execute critical decisions everyday that affects the lives of many. There is so much we don't know about the human brain.

I was diagnosed with ADHD and ADD while I was in elementary school. I took Ritalin at that time. Because that was really the only treatment. The medication was horrible and I stopped taking it. I'm 25 right now and still have ADHD. But I to learned how to "compensate" for it by studying differently. That put me through my B.S. in Computer Science and I'm working on my M.S. right now. I remember reading a book and somewhere there was a quote there from a psychologist indicating it is absolutely worthless to put an ADHD or ADD kid though college as they will bounce around and never graduate!!!!!

 

[steppinthrax]

I remember working in CVS behind the pharm desk. I did very general pharmacy work. Counting pills, baggind meds and putting on lables. I can tell you this much the only thing I saw the Pharmacist do that we were not legally allowed to do is verify that the correct medication was in the vial. That's it. Other then that pharmacist have the knowledge to compound medications. But who buys formularies anymore. Pharmacist are also the only ones you can talk to regarding certian medical problems, which in my opinion you can find online anyway.

Nowadays in a modern pharmacy there really is no need for the pharmacist anymore. The system is totally automated like an assembly line/factory. A tech keys in the perscription and the machine takes over.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Did you hear about the dyslexic insomniac philosopher? He stayed up all night questioning the existence of Dog.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: dullard
I know someone who wants to become a pharmacist. She was diagnosed with dislexia while in her youth but she learned to mostly compensate for her reading problems. To get back into school, she needs to be rediagnosed to have more time taking the tests. However, she was tested and was considered normal (ie no extra test time) due to her compensation skills. Thus, she wants to keep finding more doctors until she fails the test once.

This brings up two issues:

(1) If someone tests normal now, is it ethical to keep retesting until you fail just to get extra test time. I'd rather not discuss this point here.
(2) Can a dislexic person be a good pharmacist? As I take it, pharmacists have several duties including managing the pharmacy, checking for drug interactions, and dispensing the correct drug. That got me thinking, with similar drug names, can a dislexic person actually be a good pharmacist? Or is the chance of mixing up drugs one time too big of a risk to take?

First off I strongly believe the field of psychology is still quite in its infancy. A lot of people are diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia and ADD more then you think. There are people walking around who are brain surgeons, medical doctors and FBI agents who fit the medical criteria for having one of these learning disabilities. But these people execute critical decisions everyday that affects the lives of many. There is so much we don't know about the human brain.

I was diagnosed with ADHD and ADD while I was in elementary school. I took Ritalin at that time. Because that was really the only treatment. The medication was horrible and I stopped taking it. I'm 25 right now and still have ADHD. But I to learned how to "compensate" for it by studying differently. That put me through my B.S. in Computer Science and I'm working on my M.S. right now. I remember reading a book and somewhere there was a quote there from a psychologist indicating it is absolutely worthless to put an ADHD or ADD kid though college as they will bounce around and never graduate!!!!!

I would say psychology is more a toddler than an infant. We know a great deal but still stumble around, knock into things and hurt ourselves (and others), and there's still a bazillion things we don't know and have no clue about.

You can find idiotic quotes from any number of scientists unfortunately. Being a psychologist doesn't cure one of foot in the mouth disease, plus they don't ususally get research PhDs to answer those things, just some counselor (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's far less rigorous) from the phone book.

As a student aspiring to get my doctorate, I can tell you that undergrad courses these days are full of ethical conversations about overdiagnoses, respect for cultural context and acknowledgement of alternate cognitions (autism for example).

I would say there's no reason this girl shouldn't be a pharmacist, but if she's successfully developed the coping mechanisms to be able to test, she should be proud of the accomplishment and not try to milk the system by asking for extra time.

 

[Miramonti]

Sure, all it takes is the aspirin to persevere, and she can do whatever he wants in life.

 

[mh47g]

I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: mh47g
I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

I'd pissed if ANYONE's fuck up caused a loved one's death. If he/she can pass the necessary tests without said illness getting in the way, he/she should be allowed to work in any profession.

 

[jonks]

Should someone not suffering from dyslexia who can't spell dyslexia be starting posts questioning the abilities of someone with dyslexia?

Originally posted by: mh47g
I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

I'd rather a smart person with dyslexia be a pharmacist than an idiot be a pharmacist. Idiocy has killed more people than dyslexia.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
Should someone not suffering from dyslexia who can't spell dyslexia be starting posts questioning the abilities of someone with dyslexia?

Originally posted by: mh47g
I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

I'd rather a smart person with dyslexia be a pharmacist than an idiot be a pharmacist. Idiocy has killed more people than dyslexia.

Should someone with such ADD-ridden grammar question one's spelling?

 

[imported_Lothar]

I don't see any reason why not.

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: jjsole

Originally posted by: sirjonk
Should someone not suffering from dyslexia who can't spell dyslexia be starting posts questioning the abilities of someone with dyslexia?

Originally posted by: mh47g
I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

I'd rather a smart person with dyslexia be a pharmacist than an idiot be a pharmacist. Idiocy has killed more people than dyslexia.

Should someone with such ADD-ridden grammar question one's spelling?

Start the thread I did not, did I?

 

[blackdogdeek]

if all she has to do is match the name on the prescription with the name on the bottle i would think she would be ok since the dyslexia would affect both the names equally, no?

eg - let's say the prescription says "amoxycillin" but she reads "axomycillin". wouldn't she read the matching bottle as "axomycillin" as well and therefore choose the right meds?

NOTE: this post contains possible ignorance regarding the nature of dyslexia. i'm basing my hypothesis on the assumption that dyslexia affects anything that is read in the same uniform manner when it's entirely possible that it affects different words in different ways every time they are read. ie - amoxycillin might be read as axomycillin one day, then ayomxcillin the next, etc.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: mh47g
I'd be pissed if her fuck up caused a loved one's death... So no.

And there are those who don't have dyslexia and fuck up just as much. This is the danger of putting a psychological illness as a label on someone. If it becomes public knowledge it limits a person's career or general worth in life. When in actuallity the psychologial background for the evaluation and understanding of that disease is limited.

An example was when the APA used to treat homosexuallity as a mental disorder. Commonly trying to find every which way to treat these people or "reverse" them. The APA no longer does this and it's not listed in a DSM. It's simply a sexual orientation.

 

[funboy6942]

May come out to your favor when you hand here your prescript for Vicoden. Supposed to get 25, but she gives you 52

 

[zbalat]

ton yhw nosear yna ees t'nod I