Before she took a job as editor-in-chief of a pharmacy journal, Rosemary
Killeen spent many years in community pharmacy, first as a staff pharmacist
and later as a manager and regional manager for a pharmacy chain. Her strong
science and math skills and her interest in communications attracted her to
the field.
When she became a pharmacist, she discovered that her years of education
hadn't ended. Pharmacists are always learning because they need to keep up
with all the changes in drug therapy, all the new drugs and all the new problems
with old drugs.
"Just because you graduated from university doesn't mean your days of studying
are over," Killeen says. "You need a commitment to lifelong learning to stay
effective in your practice."
Her favorite aspect of community pharmacy was helping people identify a
problem, solve a mystery or prevent a bad consequence.
"Patients are very appreciative, and you get that feedback right away,"
she says.
One example of a mystery she solved involved a patient who was taking medicine
for an under-active thyroid. The patient's dose had changed to a greater
strength, and suddenly she was experiencing an upset stomach.
During Killeen's investigation of the patient's problem, the patient remembered
that she had experienced similar symptoms a few years earlier when taking
a completely different medicine.
Killeen finally determined that the patient was having a reaction to the
yellow dye that was in the stronger dose of medicine.
"It took a week, and a lot of head-scratching," Killeen recalls. "She thought
we were absolute geniuses to figure this out."
Although Killeen enjoyed working in community pharmacy, she eventually
decided to pursue her interests in writing and editing. She says the ability
to move into different areas within the field is one advantage of choosing
pharmacy as a profession.
"There is a wide variety of opportunities to use your degree, which you
might not realize until you're into the working world," she says.
Tim Gallagher also has found variety within the pharmacy profession. Before
he took a job managing a dozen pharmacies in southern Minnesota, he worked
for 15 years as a retail pharmacist. To be a successful in that type of work,
he says you have to enjoy talking to people and be comfortable around people
who are sick or terminally ill.
"Communication is the key. I think it's the key in most jobs. The best
pharmacists are the ones who have a lot of good medical knowledge, but who
also like to sit down and talk to patients," Gallagher says.
"I saw some students one day who said the worst part of their residency
was having to deal with patients. I almost fell off my chair! Granted, there
are a lot of options with pharmacy. You can go into sales, you can go into
research for manufacturing firms, you can work in a hospital pharmacy and
fill IVs. But if you want to go into community retail or clinical pharmacy,
you have to learn to communicate with patients."
Gallagher says the profession has experienced many changes over the years
and continues to evolve. Historically, pharmacists used to spend most of
their time making their own creams and ointments and counting pills. Now,
he says, all the medicine comes to the store pre-packed, and pharmacy technicians
handle duties like pill counting.
Pharmacists spend most of their time checking prescriptions, counseling
patients and talking on the phone with insurance company representatives.
Most people don't understand what is and isn't covered by their health
insurance policies, so pharmacists spend much of their time explaining it
to them, Gallagher says. Insurance issues can be frustrating for patients
and pharmacists alike.
That's one of the reasons he left the dispensing side of the counter and
took a management job. He now supervises 30 pharmacists, and he strives to
make their jobs as easy as possible. He even remembers to send them birthday
cards.
"I do everything I can to make them happy," he says. "That's why I stay
in it. I still enjoy it."
Despite the long hours, the changing rules and the concerns about insurance,
he still believes it's a rewarding career for young people to consider. Many
independent, small town pharmacy owners will be retiring and selling their
businesses in the next five years, which Gallagher says creates the perfect
opportunity for someone who's dreamed of owning a pharmacy.
"It's the best job you'll ever have. I did it for seven years, and it
is the job I enjoyed the most," he says.