Advice from a Pharmacist

My love for the pharmacy profession

I think the pharmacy profession chose me as much as I chose to be a pharmacist. I would love to say that it was a decision that was given the amount of time that it truly deserved but rather it was my fascination with seeing the neatly arranged bottles in pharmacies as a child and my desire to help others that led me to believe, “Hey, I could do that”. Not necessarily the way that most might fall into their profession, but it has never been a decision that I have regretted for one day over the last 30 years I've practiced. I wanted a profession where 40 years later, I wouldn't look back and say "What did I do with my life?"

I love being a pharmacist because of the impact that I can play in my patients’ lives. I love being a pharmacist because of the lives I have touched, but most importantly, because of the lives that have touched me. 

I love being a pharmacist because my education taught me to recognize that the old woman in the pool was having a stroke, and I was able to get immediate attention for her. I have personally delivered medicines not because I had to but because "it was  the right thing to do".

In my 30 years of service I have had the extreme pleasure and the equally extreme disappointment of experiencing the highest highs and lowest lows this life can pass out. Missing out on family and social moments has occasionally left me with doubt about my chosen profession. But seeing the results of my efforts in a room full of family and friends who have overcome a variety of illnesses due in some small way to my help and intervention fills my spirit and dispels those doubts.

Pharmacy has been a unique blessing to me. The missed life events have made me more acutely aware of the value of family and friends. The often overlooked role of pharmacists in the world of healing is immense -our care is a constant source of immeasurable peace and comfort.  Whenever I see a friend undergoing the ravages of chemotherapy, I know in my heart that at some point the intervention of a caring pharmacist will ensure their safety and security, and I am comforted by that thought. I have laughed, I have cried, and I have shared my patients lives. As deeply as I have touched their lives with my pharmaceutical skills, they have touched my life with their stories.

Pharmacy is unique among healthcare professions because of our accessibility - we can do more than just counsel. It allows us to become a problem-solver, a confidant, and a friend, and it allows us to do the rest of our job so much more effectively. We are the front-line of health care. Our interactions with patients can truly change and save lives. 

So I guess if you ask me why I love being a pharmacist my best answer is that pharmacy is not just a job or a profession, it is a lifestyle. It is for the strong of will and conviction and for the soul tender enough to appreciate the deep-rooted pain of human suffering. Pharmacy has nourished my mind and my soul. It has made me a more caring, considerate, and tougher person. Pharmacy has not been my chosen career, pharmacy has been my life.