Personal Narrative: A Career As A Pharmacy Technician

I am currently a pharmacy technician in-training at Kroger Pharmacy, and plan to obtain my official technician license in December. I dispense medications, input patient 's information into the computer system, answer phone calls, maintain sanitation standards in the pharmacy, and help customers locate over the counter medications and supplies. Working at the pharmacy has taught me how to work efficiently in fast pace situations, how to prioritize what tasks neeed to be completed first, time management skills, and the names of

Ever since high school, I knew I wanted to work in the pathology field. I thought I wanted to be a pathologist. I talked to the career counselors at my school and expressed my interest. Fortunately for me, I was contacted not much after about an internship at Montefiore Medical Center.

It is important to follow any guidelines and leaflets in medication, as this helps the safe administration of all medicines. It is also important to find out if a person has already taken medication prior to the care support worker giving them any. This is to ensure that you do not overdose the individual.

As a student, one of my competency to achieved to become a professional nurse is medication administration. Since medication error can kill, there is the need to be vigilant at all time in dispensing under supervision. I have managed to disperse quite a few times but occasionally get muddled with the whole process by doing little errors and the pace at which I administer needs to be faster due to factor of time and the amount of patient lined up for medication. I have noticed some errors that needs to back up all the time. I have discussed with my mentor {and all areas of weakness have been recognized as a great opportunity for improving my experience in medication administration. I have also read about methods of administration which some literature provides evidence of 5Rs and others give as much as 10RS. Whichever way of dispensing the initial 5RS is the basic for individual to familiarize. There are other things that needs to be considered such as washing hands prior to administering, check the drug chart, the right patient, right drug, right route, right amount/dosage, the history or background record of the patient, allergy or intolerance}, the right education provided to the patient, documenting as given, documenting refusal and right evaluation. On the other hand, I need to have that self-awareness of which patient is in the medication room and know how to talk

I started my health care career as a nursing assistant at the young age of 16 years-old perusing the dream of one day becoming a nurse. At that time, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into and what it meant to be in the health care. I have been able to touch and impact so many different people’s lives throughout the last 6 years from patients and residents to their family members. Sometimes not even realizing that I was changing someone’s life. Although I’ve helped hundreds of people there is one person that will I will always remember.

Pharmaceutical representatives, show the physicians the newest drugs on the market, to drum up business for the pharmaceutical companies. The representatives leave samples of the products, In hopes that the doctor will strat prescribing their new name brand products for his patients instead of generic drugs.Also, in some cases, the patients are not financially able to purchase a new drug not knowing if it will help with their disease.The clinic 's management staff will determine whether they will be except the newest medication samples from the representative. If it is a useful product to the physician and their patients that the clinic serves.These pharmaceutical companies offer gifts and meals to the doctors.Such as free services to physicians, like building websites or providing free web pads with the name of the pharmaceutical products on them.

A retail or independent pharmacist typically provides a person with general healthcare advice and has the authority to supply a prescription or a non-prescription medication to the public. A retail pharmacist generally works in a retail setting rather than in a clinical or hospital setting.

Transactional Leadership is based on the principles of the social exchange theory, in which an individual would expect to give and receive benefits or rewards when engaging in a social interaction (Sullivan, 2012). The interaction will cease if one or both person decides that the exchange of benefits and rewards are no longer worthwhile. Transactional Leadership theory also focus on the task that need to be carried out and makes sure they are done the right way as compared to Transformational Leadership theory which focus on staff empowerment (Marquis and Huston, 2015).

Interpersonal skills and effective communication among healthcare professionals are at the core of quality patient care. Interpersonal skills are defined by Rungapadiachy (1999, p.193) as “those skills which one needs in order to communicate effectively with another person or a group of people”. It includes verbal communication, non-verbal communication, listening skills, negotiation, problem-solving, decision-making, and assertiveness (Skills You Need, n.d.). The National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities (1991) defined communication as, “Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person, information about that person 's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states.

Over the past six years, I have witnessed Hy-Vee undergo key structural changes, mainly in the pharmacy department. The reorganization process has helped the pharmacies produce more efficient numbers and profits. Structural changes such as a new computer system and a central fill processing facility has improved the work flow. This allows the pharmacist to have more time to help our patients, which is ultimately what our goal is. There were definitely some doubts about whether restructuring would be successful. In order to really comprehend how big of an impact central fill was going to have on our pharmacies, we first need to look at the structure of the Hy-Vee pharmacy and the different components that make it up.

Pharmacists are in a unique position to help. They have the ability and knowledge to implement programs as part of their daily practice to ensure that patients are adherent to their medications. As the medication experts, pharmacists should lead the way to improving medication adherence and providing optimal patient care.

I have always had somewhat of an interest in the medical field, but I never wanted to become a physician or pediatrician. A pharmacist is the perfect in between of being in the medical field but not being an actual doctor. Also, dealing with drugs and medicine has always seemed interesting to me for as long as I could remember. As I previously mentioned, pharmacists have job mobility, stability, and flexibility. Pharmacists are employed everywhere in the country, so it’s very likely that I get a job anywhere. Also, everybody gets sick, and people are going to continue to get sick, so my job will always be stable and secure. After talking with my aunt, who is a pharmacist, I found out that a pharmacist only has to complete a certain amount of hours a week. So I could work 3 days and finish all my hours and have rest of the week off, or I could spread my hours throughout the week. Those aren’t the only reasons I want to go into this profession, I really want to help people get well and feel better. A physician isn’t the only role that helps patients feel better. A pharmacist also has a key role. Pharmacists are healthcare providers that have to communicate with there patients to make sure they can take the medication properly according to their lifestyle, diet, and transportation. The best reason of all is that I get to work directly with patients. Pharmacists are able to see patients anytime during the week, morning, evening, and

Nursing, and everything that it entails, cannot be easily described in just one simple word or phrase. It goes beyond the meaning of a profession and the stereotypical definition of treating the ill. Nursing is the “protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (American Nurses Association, 2010, p. 1). Therefore, it is a career that requires dedication, passion, critical thinking, and knowledge. It demands commitment and an understanding of its core values and concepts, as well as the nurse’s own personal philosophy and principles.

To create an environment where these errors are a rare occurrence, all healthcare professionals must dedicate themselves to implementing QSEN's six core competencies each and every day. These professionals must also speak up when they see room for improvement in their workplace. Regardless of the healthcare setting or demographic of patients, safe outcomes are the purpose of providing patient-centered care. Since nurses are the largest subgroup of healthcare professionals, their ability to make strides towards improved medication administration is undeniable. As the nursing code of ethics states, nurses have the duty to protect the health and safety of those in their care (Winland-Brown, Lachman, O'Connor Swanson, 2015). By taking extra caution to administer medications correctly, this honorable obligation will always be within

Three skills pharmacists must have when it comes to interpersonal communication are negotiation, persuasion, and conflict resolution (“Pharmacists”). In both pharmacies and hospitals, physicians tend to disagree on how best to handle a situation. A pharmacist must be able to listen and understand all sides of a conflict and be able to find a resolution. Typically this requires working with the parties involved in the conflict and coming to an end that satisfies everyone involved. This can be quite difficult, but with the skill of persuasion, pharmacists should be able to convince both parties to change their behaviour in order to make a compromise work. Pharmacists oversee everyone in the pharmacy and therefore must be able to communicate with their subordinates appropriately and efficiently (“What Pharmacists Do”). It is their job to facilitate a good relationship between all their coworkers in order for the pharmacy to run smoothly and resolve any issues that may come up (Christakis 1,3). Pharmacists interactions through interpersonal communication keeps the workplace running smoothly. My overall academic and working experiences in the past have prepared me to be an