I won't lie, I have had my tough days where I had to put in numerous $5 into this jar....
To answer the questions, I don't regret becoming a pharmacist & it is truly rewarding. I do have to say it's not always easy and it comes with its challenges and frustrations.
Looking back, I got into the professions, because I wanted to help my grandmother out with her numerous amount of medications. It was overwhelming for my parents & aunt/uncles, because English was a 2nd language, and thus Medical Lingo a 3rd language for them. My grandmother passed away during my 2nd year of pharmacy school, before I was able to help her with any of her medications.
Thus, I constantly find myself treating my patient as if they were my family members. For instances, I will never forget a few patients that have taught me a few important lessons:
1) A retired pharmacist who passed away a year ago taught me {Humility}. I remember I used to explain to her the drug drug interactions & dosing of her medications. Later, I read in a palliative care notes, that she was a retired pharmacist. I asked her why she didn't just tell me, she stated that she didn't mind & that she was helping me learn. I smiled and thanked her. I still remember the day I read her death note and cried, just to quickly realized that she was no longer in pain.
2) A deaf patient who taught me {Patience}. My usual 20 minute initial phone consult turned into a 90 minute in person consultation with an American Sign Language Interpreter. On future office visits, he taught me patience as I attempted to use my medical sign language I learned for him along with writing certain items down. At the end of one of the conversation, he signed to me "improved" & "thank you", which really made my day, because I knew I had made a difference.
3) A difficult to managed patient taught me {Compassion}. I attempted to give her instructions over the phone like my other patients, but she never understood the instructions. Lastly, I resorted to having her bring in a pill box for me to fill. On her 2nd visit, she brought me these:
Two toy flashlights along with her pillboxes. She said "Thank You" for helping her with her medications & that she wanted me to have it! On the way out she gave me a hug and said "I appreciate you for all of your help". I was kind of shocked and had no idea she was going to hug me, so I stood there like a deer in headlights before I realized to say "Your welcome"
These are just some of the examples that have touched me during my year of practice.
So the title of this blog is Dandelions. Why? I love dandelions, because I associate them with making a wish & having hope.
So today, I wish to be a better pharmacist & that my patients get well soon :)
This is a card I made for one of my sick patients with a LIVESTRONG bracelet.
To many more years, memories, and lessons to come :)
[Humility] [Patience] & [Compassion]
I think it is very rewarding to be in our profession. That being said, we do have our bad days and days where we asked ourselves this very same question. I understand your feeling Jamie. We are in the position we are for one reason or another. Maybe it is our work place that can make us feel down about ourselves. But after everything said and done, we collect ourselves and see how and what it is that we can fix.
ReplyDeleteHaving rough times at work, reading this does help me feel a bit better. /huggle
awwe Huggles I understand how you feel. I think the question came up to me when i was having some rough days at work too. So I kind of thought about it for a week & was wondering if I really was in the right professions.
DeleteI agree sometimes it's the position we are in causes us to be frustrated. Don't worry I have shed many tears over the past years :) Hugs Huggles, you know you can call me anytime :) Hope it gets BETTER!