Times they are a changin'

Pharmacy has always been to me a wonderful profession. Years ago the Pharmacist dispensed odd concoctions under a shroud of secrecy to patient patients. These days patients are rarely patient. We live in a world that expects everything fast and cheap and unfortunately the pharmacy profession has bought into this mentality and has followed suit. No longer is a pharmacy used to purchase wonderful healing medications guided by the knowledge and friendliness of the local Pharmacist. Today, most people expect to rush through a drive thru window and get what they need and expect it to be cheap. The Pharmacist is expected to work longer hours and with less technician support than ever before in spite of increasing consumer demand for quick service. When is it going to be enough? What will it take for the Pharmacy professionals to stand up and get society's attention and realize that faster isn't always better? (After all, fast food might taste good, but it certainly isn't good for you!) Respect for the Pharmacist has declined over the years and severely so just since I graduated in 1989. The Pharmacist is a public servant, true...but with the onslaught of bigger and better, faster and cheaper, the respect for the knowledge and caring nature of the Pharmacist has dwindled. Chain stores offer a 15 minute guarantee for prescriptions. This isn't a pizza you're ordering people...it's for your health! The Pharmacist needs to review your profile, scan for drug-drug interactions, make sure the dosing is appropriate and many other things (including sorting out your insurance) before we just "hand it to you". This is sad. I genuinely love what I do but the rush, rush of retail simply wore me out over a 15 year period of time. I wish patients had a better understanding of what goes on behind the counter. We are people too and we really do want what is best for you.

The last two years, I have been working in the hospital environment and it is a challenge but I love it! Pharmacists are much more respected in the hospital and people actually care what we have to say. Pharmacists make recommendations all the time about patient therapy and dosage adjustments and our knowledge is utilized so much more. In addition, I am essentially going back to school. I borrowed a colleague's 4-inch thick Therapeutics book and dove straight in! It frightens me sometimes to realize just how much of my education I haven't used over the years and if you don't use it, you lose it! It feels good to use my brain more these days. I had sort of fallen into a rut over the years simply counseling patients. Believe me, I enjoy speaking to patients very much, but the clinical knowledge and wording of things definitely goes by the wayside during patient counseling. I am eager to learn (and remember) new things these days. but, a part of me will always be unsure of myself. I need to work on my self-confidence. I believe that I may know the answers, but am afraid to speak up for fear of being wrong. This will get better with time. Until then...off to read about Hypovolemia and Septic Shock. Funny, I don't remember the type being so tiny when I was reading this book at age 21...