In the End

Seeing that I was working in retail for the first time, and it was an internship, I took away some thoughts on retail pharmacy. The first was customer service. I learned you always have to be on your game in front of people. There is this expectation of always having a smile, quick in acknowledging the person, and speaking in simple terms. Even though pharmacy is a complex and time consuming topic, it is placed in a setting with people who have busy lives and simple medical knowledge. One time, a customer asked me about the difference between lisinopril and Dyazide. I started out describing the molecular differences then I realized this explanation is not helping her. I summed it up as they targeted two different sites in the body.

Secondly, I became experienced at being accurate and multiple tasking. At times in the pharmacy it is crazy: phones going off, customers lining up, and running out of drugs. One has to be quick, but more importantly accurate in times of stress. When counting Vicodin, we have to double count because it is a control medication. I want to quickly and accurately count the Vicodin then move onto my next task like serving the drive thru. If I am not accurate, the customer will come back saying that we shorted him. This causes more time to deal with the situation and takes away from filling today’s prescriptions. I learned to do things right the first time because it will save me time later if issues arise.

Retail taught me to be fast and to prioritize. One area I haven’t mastered just yet is drop off. I know how to work drop off but I do not have the speed for it at peak hours. One needs to prioritize when prescriptions are due then start typing them right away. And it is just not the prescriptions from walk-ins. It is ones from the drive thru, computer system, fax, and phone calls that add to the volume at drop off. One minute I am doing fine with my prescription level then five pop up on the computer, a person walks in with two and my pharmacist gives me three from phone calls. I am quick at typing but it still takes a thorough knowledge of the inventory and solving insurance problems not to be slowed down and keep up with the volume.

I realized learning and re-learning is the key to being on top of the game. Since pharmaceutics are always evolving and adding new drugs to the market, the pharmacy has to keep up with the times. Fast movers change from time to time. Brands become generics. One can get use to certain drugs and know everything about them until a customer asks you about a new drug. If I want to be great at my job, I have to look to improve myself and test my knowledge. It is easy to get in a comfort zone and think you are doing a good job when actually you can do better.

My final thought is the people I worked with this summer. They were the number one reason I enjoyed my time in the pharmacy. For being friendly, caring, and helpful, it was easy to enjoy the good and get through the crazy times in the busy retail world. I had several co-workers my age to talk about college stuff and enjoy going to the bar after a long day at work. When I leave this week for school, I won’t miss the customers, but you guys!