During my freshman year in high school, my science teacher assigned us to interview people in the community about how they use science in their careers. Although I don’t remember most of the people I spoke with, I can tell you that I spent meaningful time with a local community pharmacist who changed my life.
What I saw was a man who loved his career and truly cared for his patients. In an instant, I knew that I wanted to become a pharmacist, and I never wavered from that goal throughout high school.
Knowing what you want to be when you grow up at age 14 is unusual, but it is very liberating. I simply had to work backwards to figure out how to achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist.
After high school, I chose to attend Ohio Northern University (ONU) because it had a unique pharmacy program. Rather than attending college for 2 years and then applying to the pharmacy program, ONU students were admitted to the College of Pharmacy from day one.
Although it was expensive, being in pharmacy school from day one and avoiding the risk of rejection made it worthwhile for me.
In college, I spent a lot of time in the library. Although the classwork was difficult, I did well with one exception: organic chemistry.
I did fail organic chemistry—a notorious “weed out” course—but I successfully retook the class over the summer and graduated on time with the rest of my classmates. Failing a course is a difficult stumbling block, but I stood strong and persevered.
Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful pharmacy profession for so many reasons.
First, I’m thankful that community pharmacists are the health care professionals most accessible to the public. If my local pharmacist wasn’t accessible to me, then I likely would have taken a different career path.
Second, I’m proud of the work we pharmacists do, the diversity of our career options, and the relationships we share with our patients and fellow health care providers.
Pharmacy is a profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives. It certainly has made all the difference in mine.
Pharmacy | Milwaukee, WI, USA | Right | September 12, 2010
(A couple approaches the counter.)
Me: “Can I help?”
Customer: “Yes, can you give me advice about his stool?”
Me: “I’m sorry, I can’t give medical advice. Perhaps you’d like to speak to our pharmacist, or consult your doctor?”
Customer: “No, I’m sure they’re very busy. I just want someone to tell me if it’s normal.”
Me: “The law says I can’t give advice. Let me get the pharmacist.”
Customer: “No, really, I have some here.” *whips out a clear bag of poo on the counter* “See, it’s all gritty. That’s not normal, is it? Do you have pills for that?”
Me: “Ma’am, you might want to take that to your doctor. We can’t accept biological waste.”
Customer: *to her husband* “See, Joe, I told you it was wrong. That’s why I save them.”
Pharmacy | Boulder, CO, USA | Right | July 16, 2010
(I am counseling a patient on using an inhaler.)
Me: “Do you know how to use an inhaler, sir?”
Patient: “Nope, never used one.”
Me: “Okay, you’ll want to begin inhaling, and then depress the inhaler as you are breathing in. Then, hold your breath for as long as possible to allow the medication to be absorbed into your lungs.”
Pharmacy | Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | Right | July 1, 2010
(A customer comes to the counter with a bleeding hand.)
Customer: “Have you got a first aid kit back there? I caught my hand and it’s bleeding.”
Me: “Of course. I’ll go get it.”
(I come back with the kit and take out some antibiotic ointment and some bandages.)
Customer: “Oh, I shouldn’t need the bandages.”
Me: “Are you sure? It’s bleeding quite a lot.”
Customer: “Well, that ointment will just fix it, won’t it?”
Me: “Pardon?”
Customer: “That stuff you’ve got in your hand, that’ll just heal it up right?”
Me: “This helps it heal faster and prevents it from getting infected, but it doesn’t heal it immediately.”
Customer: “Don’t you have the stuff that just fixes it right away?”
Me: “I don’t believe they have anything that does that, ma’am.”
Customer: “They do, I saw it before!”
Me: “Where did you see it?”
Customer: “I saw it on some movie. I don’t want that stuff there. I want the stuff I saw in the movie. Just get that stuff and fix this already, will you?”
Pharmacy | Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | Right | June 28, 2010
Customer: “I’m picking up a prescription for [name].”
Me: “Okay. Just a second.”
(I check the drawer for the prescription and can’t find it.)
Me: “When did you order it?”
Customer: “Well, I saw the doctor on Monday.”
Me: “So you came in on Monday?”
Customer: “No, I went to the doctor’s on Monday.”
Me: “Okay, so when did you drop your prescription off?”
Customer: “What do you mean? I went to the doctor.”
Me: “And did he give you a piece of paper that said what drugs you needed?”
Customer: “Yeah.”
Me: “That’s a prescription. You need to bring it here so that we know what you need.”
Customer: “But I saw the doctor on Monday! Why didn’t he do it?”
Me: “That’s not his job. That’s what pharmacists are for.”
Customer: “So what, he’s a doctor but he’s not a pharmacist? Look, I saw him on Monday so he probably just did it then. You’re just not looking hard enough. Look for the things done on Monday!”
Pharmacy | Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | Right | June 25, 2010
Customer: “Why isn’t my prescription ready yet?”
Me: “We’re trying to get in contact with your doctor because of a problem with the prescription. You’re profile says you’re allergic to penicillin. Is that correct?”
Customer: “Oh yeah, that stuff is real bad for me!”
Me: “The medication your doctor prescribed has penicillin in it, so we’re trying to get a hold of him to find out what he wants you to take.”
Customer: “Oh, well, he wants me to take the penicillin. That’s what he wrote down, right?”
Me: “Yes, but you said you were allergic to it.”
Customer: “But he’s a doctor, so he knows what’s best. If that’s what he wrote, then just give me that.”
Me: “Well, we’ll check with him first to make sure that it’s safe for you.”
Customer: “Of course it’s safe for me or the doctor wouldn’t have prescribed it! He probably just cured my allergies. Check my old prescriptions; I bet he prescribed me something to cure my allergy!”
Pharmacy | Boston, MA, USA | Right | June 12, 2010
(I work as a pharmacy tech at a chain pharmacy. I am also currently in pharmacy school and will be a pharmacist one day.)
Customer: “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Me: “I’m sorry. Can I help you with something?”
Customer: “No! I refuse to be helped by a high school dropout! You should be ashamed of yourself for working where children can see you! You are going to make them think that it is okay to not have an education!”
Me: “Ma’am, I am not a high school dropout. I have a high school diploma and I am currently in pharmacy school working towards a Doctor of Pharmacy. I am going to be a pharmacist one day.”
Customer: “Stop lying! I have never heard of a pharmacist before. You are a high school dropout!”
Manager: “Can I help you?”
Customer: “Yes! Your employee is lying to me! She says she is going to be a pharmacist! That job doesn’t exist!”
(The manager looks at our pharmacist who is near tears from laughing so hard.)
Manager: “Ma’am, see the man over there? He’s the one who filled your prescription. He is a pharmacist.”
Customer: “No he isn’t! He just counts pills! You don’t need school for that!”
Pharmacy | New Jersey, USA | Right | April 19, 2010
(My phone number is 1 number off a nearby pharmacy. We get a lot of misdials. My father happens to actually be a pharmacist but he doesn’t work there.)
Me: “Hello?”
Caller: “Hello? You just say Hello? How dare you be so rude! You should say “thank you for calling”!”
Me: “Oh, you must be looking for [pharmacy]. You have the wrong number.”
Caller: “Liar! How would you know what store I’m looking for? You’re just trying not to get in trouble. Give me your manager.”
Me: “Ma’am, I don’t have a manager. You’ve called a private residence. The number for the pharmacy is close to our number, so we get a lot of wrong calls.”
Caller: “This is outrageous! Give me your manager! I will not be treated this way!”
(At this point the caller was rambling and being rude so I hung up the phone. She called back, and my father answered it.)
Father: “Hello?”
Caller: “Is this the manager? Thank god! I want to know if [drug] can be taken with food! And you should fire that girl that answered before, she was very rude to me! I want to file a complaint!”
Father: “Ma’am, this is not the grocery store pharmacy. You just told off my 14-year old daughter. I happen to be a pharmacist. That drug does not need to be taken with food. However, you should see a doctor about your ears, as you clearly can’t hear a word anyone says.”
(While waiting in line, I overhear a conversation between a teenager and a police officer, both of whom are also waiting. The boy has red plastic cups and ping pong balls in hand.)
Officer: “Can I ask what those are for?”
Teenage customer: “No, no questions.”
Officer: “Where’s the party?”
Teenage customer: “No parties.”
(The kid checks out, and as he’s walking out the door yells “SODA PONG!” and flicks his wrist.)
Officer, to me: “Yeah, I’ll get the call in a couple hours.”
(A forty-something year old woman comes to the counter with her purchases. Amongst them is a box of condoms, which have security stickers on them. Before I scan the item, I swipe it a few times over the scanner to deactivate it.)
Customer: “Is it not scanning?”
Me: “No, I’m just deactivating the security sticker. I don’t want you to set off the alarm on the way out. Especially over condoms!”
Customer: “Oh I’m not embarrassed! They’re not for me, they’re for my son. I can’t even get an erection
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