Why You Should Work at the Pharmacy
Back in 2016, I wanted to go to pharmacy school. The next step after that big decision would be getting experience by working in a pharmacy. Not only will it look impressive on my pharmacy school application, but it will also help me when I become a pharmacy student. After I got my first job as a pharmacy technician, I was clueless at everything. My pharmacy manager made me memorize the most commonly dispensed medications to get me going. However, once I continued working, I caught on pretty quickly.
I continued working even after being accepted into pharmacy school. Being regularly exposed to all these medications at work has helped me with the drug quizzes. I learned to process prescriptions, dispense medications, communicate with patients, and solve insurance problems. All of these experiences I had were beneficial in many ways. I believe that everyone could work in a pharmacy, regardless of what field. If you work in any sort of healthcare field, I highly recommend getting experience at a pharmacy.
Working in a pharmacy means you get to interact with patients. Customer service is a big part of the job. I think everyone should work in a customer service job at least once because it is an eye-opening experience. I had customers yell at me for not getting what they wanted, but I also had customers who were patient because they understood what it was like to serve other people. Customer service can take a toll on some people, but I still think it can give you a good insight into what the world is like.
It’s obvious that working in a pharmacy will allow you to become exposed to different kinds of medications. This will especially come in handy if you want to go into any kind of healthcare field. I had a coworker that wanted to become a pharmacist but eventually found out the field wasn’t for them. They went the nursing route instead and continued working in the pharmacy until they graduated nursing school. They told me that working in a pharmacy has helped a lot with the pharmacology course. I have met other nurses who had no prior pharmacy experience tell me that they struggled with pharmacology. Working in a pharmacy may seem difficult at first, but repeated exposure to these medications will help in the long run.
Another reason why working in the pharmacy can benefit you is insurance knowledge. Before working as a pharmacy technician, I did not know anything about insurance. Medical or prescription insurance? They were all the same to me and mostly handled by my parents. Now I know that medical insurance and prescription insurance are different services, and not everyone has both. Another problem with insurance is that not all drugs are covered. They must go through a prior authorization (PA) to get it covered. Many healthcare providers, including physicians and nurses, will have to do PAs at some point. While the pharmacy doesn’t necessarily process the PAs, we are still the median that helps patients receive their medications.
Not only will you know how to type prescriptions and dispense medications, but you will also gain experience in customer service, knowledge of different medications, and how to solve insurance problems. You can learn even more depending on the people you meet and talk to. Although some days at the pharmacy may be rough, I am glad to be part of the pharmacy team.
