“What does a pharmacist do, exactly?” This is a common question I have been asked by many people during my late high school and continuing college career. A large number of these curious people, and even myself many years ago, would assume that pharmacists just sit behind a counter and sell medicine to patients.
However, after doing my own research, I found that this is not the case. From a very young age, I have always wanted to dedicate myself to the medical field. While I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do at first, I finally found and quickly became interested in the ever-expanding field of pharmacy.
By the second semester of my junior year in high school, I still had no idea what I wanted to do in life. I was always asked the old question, “what do you want to major in?” and it frustrated me because I truly didn’t know yet and I felt like time was running out. I didn’t know it at the beginning of the semester, but one general chemistry course would alter my answer to that question forever. I quickly became interested in the content that we were studying and found that I could understand the information with ease.
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While looking through some of the pages of the textbook, I came upon a note in the book talking about how pharmacists use many different aspects of chemistry every day. With this in mind, I went and conducted more research and found that this field of study really spoke to me. Two years later, I was beginning my first ever college courses.
I had shaped my class schedule around pharmaceutical related classes. Like any freshman, I was extremely nervous, especially for my first chemistry course. However, during the semester, it felt like I was picking up right where we had left off from my high school course.
I enjoyed coming to class and taking notes on the lectures. I also found that my problem-solving abilities were changing. This enjoyment would continue through even my organic chemistry courses a year later. Taking biology at the same time as these chemistry courses, I quickly observed and was fascinated that these subjects build on each other and knowledge from one course can be applied in another.
As I continued with my studies through the years, I quickly made a name for myself in these departments. Many people were shocked when they heard about my grades. People would ask why I didn’t pursue another path, and I would say my enjoyment of chemistry and learning more about it steered me into pharmacy.
Something was missing as I continued my studies. I realized I needed to gain experience in the real world under a pharmacist. I quickly began to apply to shadow a pharmacist to several pharmacies in my area. I met Nikki Adams, she agreed to let me shadow her in her pharmacy for about a month. I wasn’t allowed to do much, only fetch medicine for prescriptions, but I was able to make some observations.
I noticed how close Nikki was with her patients and how she knew everyone by name as soon as they walked in the door. I also noticed how she carved her own niche in her community by providing a delivery service for residents who couldn’t leave their home. Because of Nikki, I was able to gain an incite into retail pharmacy in a rural community. A few months later, I had the opportunity to shadow for a month at South Georgia Medical Center’s pharmacy.
The head pharmacist there was Berry Ivey. At first, I was just allowed to observe, but as the weeks went by, I was able to gain more responsibility. I was able to package certain medicines and ship prescriptions to the patient. I was also able to sort and restock medicine and observe IV preparation.
Because of Berry, I was able to gain experience in a city hospital setting. As of August 2018, I will began working in a retail pharmacy under Lee Pinnell. Here I will be able to obtain my pharmacy technician license and will be able to do much more work and learning than when I was shadowing. With these experiences, I have been able to make the decision of what path I want to pursue in the pharmacy world.
My ultimate goal is to work in a retail pharmacy environment and become the head pharmacist of that establishment. This is where I have felt the most comfortable. I enjoy the close relationship between a pharmacist and the patient. This brings a sense of helping the community to me. Being admitted into a reputable pharmacy program would be one of the major steps to helping me achieve my goals.
