World Pharmacist Day and 25 years on the field

Today is World Pharmacist Day and coincidentally this year I am celebrating 25 years qualified as a Pharmacist. There has been a lot of water under the bridge and I am still learning a lot. A friend of mine says if you are still on the field you can still make a difference and I am here everyday doing my job as my Mother and late Father before me did. The job has become a lot more diverse in the last quarter century. When I started in my mind at least there were three places you could go once you qualified - Community, Hospital or Industry. Now there are many niches in each area with Pharmacists completing MBAs, working as journalists and working in IT for example. But for me 'The Shop' as my family call Conefrey's CarePlus Pharmacy is my niche. The work is hard, the hours long, dealing with the general public while never easy has never been so demanding but god help me I still get a little buzz when I have helps someone out or solved some problem. For the day that is in it I have thought about the three highlights of my tenure so far in Pearse Street.

1. The customers: The best business advice I ever received is from my Mother. It is simple and four words - 'Talk to your Customers'. My Mother's family had a shop at home and she took over when my Father passed away so she has a great pedigree for business. As I said previously dealing with the general public can be challenging and a lot can be assumed on both sides of a conversation. This phrase helps me every day.
2. Learning opportunities: Everyday is a learning day. I tell this to Pharmacy students I work with and remind them that on the first day they qualify they won't know everything. Similarly on the day before we retire we still won't know everything either. Being a Pharmacist keeps me on my toes and I wish I had know this phrase when I started out as it would have saved me a lost of stress.
3. Being able to make a difference: I call myself a Community Pharmacist as I have worked in the Dublin 2 area since 1999. The health system here is imperfect but based on what Community Pharmacy can do, not what it cannot my colleagues and I make a big difference to patients all over the country. Could things be easier? Yes absolutely but hopefully if ongoing talks with the department of health yield fruit we will receive extra funding to expand our role.

Next time you see your local Pharmacist hopefully you will understand a little more about what they can and already do to look after your family. If you have to call in today to get a prescription or a pack of headache tablets maybe you can even wish them a Happy World Pharmacist Day! We are the most accessible health care professionals in Ireland, on every main street in every town. You do not need an appointment to see us. We will only be too glad to see you today or any day.