There’s a big difference between the promising world of Pharmacy School and the real world of being there. A few things that stand out in no particular order after over 20 years would be:
-There are people out there for whatever reason, are not looking for you to make them happy or to make you happy.
-Being reactive in a discussion with a dissatisfied customer is much worse than taking a minute and putting yourself in their position.
-There are treatments that you see working clinically that you may or may not have been taught in pharmacy school or afterwards that may bring negative attention to you by strongly opinionated individuals. All health professionals are biased towards personal clinical experience. Your main goal is to keep patients safe and help them improve their health with their best interest in mind. (Haters gonna hate).
-There is virtually no workplace in the world that is exempt from workplace politics.
-Managing staff is like parenting: if both of you can’t separate the job from friendship, then both fall apart.
-As long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen. Showing that you have learned from the mistake going forward is the best response.
-If you are looking to make money off of filling prescriptions through third party reimbursement, remember they control your income so you need to come up with other ways to make money. Don’t be embarrassed to admit that you are trying to make a profit because that’s what keeps you in your neighborhood operating as a business making them healthier. If someone claims you are profiting off of sick people, that’s fair, but you are really profiting in making them healthier.
-Pharmacy is a dynamic business and you will need to be just as dynamic to be profitable. Many things are out of your control with your profit margin and this forces your profession to change to keep alive. Don’t be afraid to branch out within your scope of practice. Just don’t be a carpenter that tries electrical. This means providing services and products you didn’t before and actually charging for things that everyone takes for granted as being free.
-You may not be able to eat, drink or go to the bathroom when needed.
-Be aware of the difference between what you think is permissible income-wise with the government and what is really permissible. The former is irrelevant.
-Donating to your community may seem expensive but it helps to keep your business strong by keeping your community strong.
-You are the expert on medications, the doctor is the expert on medicine.
-Delegating authority is one of your strongest assets in success.
-No one pharmacist can be the number one go to on every subject, but you can be on one or two subjects. This is what will set you apart and make your business both interesting and profitable.
-There is a huge difference between a leader and a boss.
-The customer is not always right but they should walk away thinking so.