Observation 1

Interview: Family friend; Pharmacist in Walgreen's

I am very interested in becoming a pharmacist. I would like to be a supervising pharmacist at a local CVS or Walgreen's. I figured that interviewing one would be a very good idea. Our family friend, who chooses to remain anonymous, was kind enough to share some information about her profession.

She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the supervising pharmacist in a Walgreen's.

She works: and average of 40 hours a week

Her yearly Salary: $105,000 a year

Her job interview: The company took her out to dinner. She said when pharmacists apply for jobs, it is more like the pharmacist is interviewing the company to see if they would like to work there.

Her Job Description: Dispensing medication, advise patients about general health questions they may have regarding things such as diet, exercise, stress management, etc., and sometimes counseling patients on the use of prescription and over the counter medication.
She is also responsible for keeping records of patients drug therapies to prevent drug abuse and other harmful drug interactions. She makes sure that all of the prescriptions she fills are accurate.

When asked to describe her work environment, she described it as very clean, well ventilated, and very well lit. She sometimes has to wear gloves or a mask when she is dealing with dangerous products. When the pharmacy is really busy, and they are short staffed, things get pretty hectic.

Overall: She describes her job as very stressful and hectic at times but very rewarding.

After the interview, my desire to enter into this profession grew immensely. I really enjoy the fact that this job would allow me to help people. It offers reasonable hours, and a very respectable yearly salary. I learned that pharmacists spend most of their day on their feet. With all the medications they have to provide and fill, that makes sense. It seems like a very challenging, but exciting profession.