For my interview, I did not personally know any pharmacist so Mrs. Kate suggested Mrs. Garn. I interviewed Jennifer Garn, a pharmacist at the University of Oklahoma Goddard Health Services Center. With the intent on getting a better insight as to what goes on in a pharmacy and figure out if it was the right job for me.
To start off the interview I asked her why she wanted to be a pharmacist. She told me that while she was in high school she worked in a drug store. At that drug store, there were two female pharmacists and that both women had a family. They were both able have a career and have a family life. This is an important factor, in my opinion, because these days to many parents are caught up in their jobs and miss the opportunity to be a parent and watch their children grow up. Someday I wish to have a family of my own, and I want to be able to be there for my children to teach them my values and support them with whatever it is that they may be interested in.
The next issue would be school. I asked Mrs. Garn what subjects she was most interested in while she attended college, he answer was her English classes. I then asked her what her least favorite classes were, her answer was O-Chem. For me, it’s quite the opposite. I’m not a fan of grammar, never have been, so I find myself having to work harder in that class than any of my other classes, even chemistry. I enjoy chemistry, I find the science very intriguing and challenging in a good way. I enjoy the labs and learning about why our world functions that way it does.
So if the day comes that I graduate from the school of pharmacy and get my degree and job, then what? Working at a pharmacy can be a very repetitive job, how would I keep myself motivated or entertained? I asked Mrs. Garn this and her answer was, “Well although counting and looking at medications is repetitive every single patient is different. The relationships I’ve had with all these patients is amazing. I worked at target corporation for 18 years and in those different settings I got to know the patients to where I was the only pharmacist they ever had for all their children and their families and every year.”
I am a very competitive person, so, of course, I want to be the very best at whatever I'm doing. I wanted to know what makes an ideal pharmacist. Mrs. Garn told me that to be successful you need to be confident when you talk to patients. She said, " [Y]ou could have all the book knowledge in the world, but if you can't convey that message to a patient for them to trust you and believe what you're saying is true then it just stops right there." She couldn't stress this enough. It was at the heart of pharmacy, to be a pharmacist is an enormous responsibility. You become responsible for all the lives of the patients you provide medicine too. One slip up and it could ruin your whole career.
Sometimes work can be overwhelming, it happens to everyone. I wanted to know how Mrs. Garn dealt with this. She said that fortunately there are three pharmacists at Goddard, and they are each experienced enough to know when any of them are overwhelmed with work. When they sense this they can take over for the other person so they can have some time to relax and unwind a little.
Probably the hardest part of being a pharmacist is trying to decipher doctor's notes. I asked Mrs. Garn what she did when she couldn't make out the prescriptions. Her answer was quite simple. "[W]e call the doctor and speak to them or the nurse to find out even if the directions don’t seem appropriate for the patient." Looks like I'll be able to sleep at night now.
Science is always changing and improving, especially medicine, so how do pharmacist keep up with current practices? She told me something I was not aware of. She told me that each state has their own laws as to how much continued education you have to do. Oklahoma requires 15 hours. They also receive monthly newsletters with information regarding new laws or changes to how the bottles should be.
Be a pharmacist can be challenging, it’s a great responsibility, and it requires continued education. It’s a lot to ask for, but by being a pharmacist you can make a positive impact on this world. I want to be a pharmacist because I want to help the people who need me most. I want to provide care for the families that struggle to pay bills, I want to help the children that may not have shoes to wear, I want to help the community I live in and help it grow and develop so that we all live as a family. I want to be a pharmacist, and this interview only strengthen my attitude.
