IPPE Community Reflection
I completed my community pharmacy summer rotation at a Harris Teeter Pharmacy in Burlington, North Carolina. Under the guidance of my preceptor Dr. Bo Spitler, I learned many valuable lessons, my knowledge of the pharmacy field has expanded, and I plan to adapt what I have learned into my approach to patient care as a pharmacist.
Up to this point in my life, my retail pharmacy experience has consisted solely of filling prescriptions, counting pills, and ringing people out at the register as quickly as possible. Quantity over quality – do everything as fast as possible for the sake of our scores, not our patients. But along with getting prescriptions ready, we also need to provide quality customer care not only to ensure that our patients are satisfied with our service, but also that they feel comfortable and knowledgeable taking their medications, as it is ultimately the patient in charge of their own health.
What my Harris Teeter rotation taught me differently is the importance of being kind. My only previous retail pharmacy experience has been in an extremely high-volume store, filling over 1,000 prescriptions some days, where I only learned to be as efficient as possible without regards for learning much else. Even though my Harris Teeter rotation location fills only a fraction of the amount I am used to, they provide much better customer service and their patients are happier. It really took me by surprise when every customer that walked in would exchange greetings with Dr. Spitler, by name, conversate about what’s going on in their lives, and always leave with a smile on their face.
I have learned the importance of being kind. Many people who are getting a prescription are usually not feeling well. Tempers may flare with even the slightest bit of waiting time. The pharmacy may be seen as just another obstacle between them getting home. I can get a prescription ready and tell the patient how to take it, but I can also do such simple things as asking them how they are doing, or taking those one or two extra minutes with them if they just need someone to talk to. A simple smile will go a long way. Maybe I can make how they’re feeling even just slightly better by the time they leave the pharmacy. Again, I never saw a single soul that was in nothing but a good mood while at Dr. Spitler’s pharmacy, and I am confident that this is mostly due to his incredibly friendly and relatable personality that creates a closeness and relationships with the patients here. The customer service they are able to provide is all the better because of it.
I am extremely appreciative for being given this opportunity to gain more experience in the pharmacy field, gain new insights into a pharmacist’s approach to patient care and customer service, and being able to put the knowledge I have gained from my first year of pharmacy school into practice.
Ian Caudle, PharmD Candidate, Class of 2020