Looking
at newspapers, notice boards, and listening to the grapevine, one
can find a plethora of options for a graduate position.
And the choice can be guided by so many factors.
What pays the best?
What has scope for future gain?
What is the easiest to get to?
Community or hospital?
Superficially, the answers to these questions can seem all important.
But it wasn't until I started writing down what I wanted to gain
from my graduate year that I realised the generic nature of my objectives.
1. I want
a team environment that encourages hard work and supports initiative.
2. I want
to be continually learning, especially through peer discussions
with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. I want to
be exposed to different points of view.
3. I want
to be involved in a variety of tasks that maintain interest and
provide daily challenges.
4. I want
to be involved in forward thinking, patient-orientated pharmacy
care.
5. I want
extensive patient contact, filled with counselling opportunities,
so that I gain satisfaction that I have positively contributed
to a patient's health.
Apart from
sounding excessively demanding and possibly a little idealistic,
I do believe that most pharmacies fare favourably when compared
to my 'wishlist'.
Not every pharmacy will be on equal terms in every aspect, but
each will attest to the importance of such objectives.
On the eve
of the biggest ever pharmacy convention to reach Australian shores,
namely the FIP/PAC Congress due to begin on September 4, there
will be a lot of soul-searching and enthusiastic discussion on
the future of pharmacy.
The student arena, via the IPSF (International Pharmaceutical
Students Federation), will be equally animated.
It is healthy that pharmacy always looks ahead to the future,
predicting changes and proposing counter-strategies.
Only today I was arguing the pharmacy line against the anticipated
Woolworths/Coles push into pharmacy management.
"What could you offer that a supermarket pharmacy couldn't?"
my opponent declared.
I had to pause.
Price?
No.
Range?
Probably not.
Service?
Maybe.
Patient Care?
Definitely!
Unfortunately for the big companies, when you focus on price,
customer care can no longer be the priority.
And it won't take long before the realisation occurs - where health
is involved service and professionalism is paramount.
So lets keep
talking.
Lets get motivated.
But is there such a thing as worrying too much about where you're
headed?
My future for pharmacy isn't complicated.
Its doing the simple things very well.
Its taking the wishlist and maximising its potential.
Being confident in the services you provide and aiming to continually
improve.
If you aren't providing this type of experience for your graduates
ask why not?
If you aren't providing this type of experience for your current
employees ask why not?
If you aren't providing this type of experience for yourself ask
why bother?
Now I'm sure….I
am excited about being a pharmacist.
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