Rated Rx

Why Pharmacists Ask For Your Date Of Birth (Weekly Weigh In)

In this Weekly Weigh In, Sam Llona, Robbie Abasi, and Xavier Hill answer a listener question about why pharmacists ask for your date of birth every time. They show how look alike names, same birthdays, and rushed handoffs lead to wrong patient errors, including a real mix up with a long acting injectable that forced a hospital policy change. You hear how teams prevent errors with multiple identifiers, barcoding, and good catch reporting, and why many near misses never get logged. The crew closes by debating biometric shortcuts and apps at pickup, and why patient safety still needs human checks.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pharmacy Classes They Should Have Taught (Plan B Blind Draft)

In this Plan B Blind Draft from the Rated Rx Podcast, Sam Llona, Robbie Abasi, and Xavier Hill rank the classes and skills they wish pharmacy school actually taught. From “how to say we’re short-staffed in 14 professional tones” to “defensive counseling when every patient is a lawyer,” the crew mixes humor and truth to spotlight the skills every pharmacist learns the hard way.Between talk of refunds on half-empty bottles, the art of passive-aggressive communication, and real stories from practice, this episode captures the parts of pharmacy life that don’t make it into textbooks. You’ll hear laughter, frustration, and honesty about what it’s like to navigate patient interactions, burnout, and unrealistic expectations in healthcare.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Three Skills Every Pharmacist Needs (Under The Cap)

In this Under the Cap episode of the Rated Rx Podcast, Robbie Abasi, Sam Llona, and Xavier Hill kick things off with a hilarious work rant about privacy, cameras, and the unexpected realities of hospital pharmacy life. Once the laughter settles, the team dives into this week’s theme—“Things I Wish I Knew in Pharmacy School.”They unpack a Pharmacy Times article called “The Three Skills You’ll Need Most” and explore how the profession is shifting from memorizing knowledge to mastering real-world skills. The crew breaks down what truly separates good pharmacists from great ones: communication that motivates, business adaptability in a broken PBM world, and AI fluency that keeps pharmacists relevant in the digital age.From workplace wedgie confessions to sharp commentary on billing, burnout, and automation, this episode blends humor with the hard truths every pharmacist and student should hear.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grades vs. Networking: What Really Matters (Adverse Reactions)

In this Adverse Reactions segment of the Rated Rx Podcast, Xavier Hill, Sam Llona, and Robbie Abasi react to a TikTok from Retail with Reece about the most important lessons learned in pharmacy school. The crew takes the viral video’s message about grades and networking and turns it into an open, honest conversation about what really matters after graduation.They talk about the value of communication, confidence, and relationships over GPA, sharing how networking opened unexpected doors in their own careers—from residency connections to real-world job offers. The discussion digs into what pharmacy schools get right, what they miss, and how students can balance grades with experience without losing themselves in the process.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does Pharmacy School Prepare You Enough For The Job (Weekly Weigh In)

In this Weekly Weigh-In from the Rated Rx Podcast, Sam Llona, Robbie Abasi, and Xavier Hill reflect on what pharmacy school actually prepares you for—and what it doesn’t. The crew debates whether the curriculum focuses too much on memorization and not enough on communication, empathy, and real-world problem-solving.Sam kicks things off with a story from his sterile compounding lab, where a testosterone formula failed a particle test, leading to a deep dive into benzyl alcohol chemistry and troubleshooting under pressure. From there, the team talks about the hands-on lessons that school often misses: learning to talk to doctors, managing burnout, and gaining confidence through real experience instead of just grades.This episode gives pharmacy students and professionals an honest look at what it takes to grow beyond the classroom and into the realities of patient care, teamwork, and communication.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rated Rx Takeover on TWiRx

This special crossover episode was originally featured on This Week in Pharmacy (TWiRx) from the Pharmacy Podcast Network on October 17, 2025. The Rated Rx Podcast crew—Robbie Abasi, Sam Llona, and Xavier Hill—join host Todd Eury for a candid takeover that blends humor, honesty, and hard truths about the profession.They talk about what pharmacy school doesn’t teach, how grades and residencies shape (and sometimes limit) career expectations, and why burnout often starts with unrealistic goals. The conversation covers ownership myths, the role of AI in pharmacy, and the responsibility pharmacists have to speak up when systems fail patients.It’s an open discussion between educators, practitioners, and innovators—each with a different view of where pharmacy stands today and where it’s headed next.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medications That Changed the World

This week on the Rated Rx Podcast, Robbie Abasi, Sam Llona, and Xavier Hill celebrate Pharmacy Month by talking about the medications that changed the world. The crew shares their top picks—penicillin, smallpox vaccines, and antiretroviral drugs—and how each one reshaped public health. They move from past breakthroughs to future hopes, debating which conditions need the next big cure and why diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s still frustrate researchers and families alike.Later, things take a strange turn when they react to a viral TikTok of someone marinating chicken in NyQuil. You’ll hear the team’s pharmacist brains short-circuit as they try to make sense of it. From there, the Plan B Blind Draft introduces the wildest made-up medications imaginable, from freezing time pills to regret-free memory tabs.Robbie wraps with a new segment called Under the Cap, revisiting the story of thalidomide and the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Amendment that forever changed how the FDA approves drugs. The discussion shifts to today’s political climate, vaccine misinformation, and the importance of trusting experts over conspiracy headlines. The episode ends with a blunt reminder: read books, not comment sections.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Space Pharmacists and Salmonella Shots

This week on the Rated Rx Podcast, Robbie Abasi, Sam Llona, and Xavier Hill talk about what happens when personal data meets mental health apps. They share which wearables they actually use, how accurate the data feels, and whether the privacy tradeoff is worth it. You’ll hear about sleep tracking rings, guided meditation apps, and where the line falls between wellness and surveillance.The group also asks the bigger question: who regulates this stuff? They compare mental health apps to supplements—promises everywhere, oversight nowhere—and debate whether tech companies should face the same rules as drug makers. The conversation takes a turn into data tracking, government access, and whether devices like Neuralink cross an ethical line.In Pharmacy Fantasy, the crew imagines a world where pharmacists run a spaceship. From floating insulin vials to reconstituting antibiotics in zero gravity, things go sideways fast. They end with a Blind Draft of the worst things to find in a pharmacy fridge, and a reaction to a viral “food tampering” video that sparks a talk about safety seals, the Tylenol murders, and why pharmacists still trust but verify.This podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.