Community Pharmacy Meeting Minutes

Dr. Vicki Sobczak:

Working at Deforest for 30 years
Pharmacy school used to be 3 years schooling, one year internship
First year of pharmacy school: Doubtful thoughts, Fast-paced, difficult, new challenge
Studying in groups is very helpful!
Worked at a pharmacy front desk (before technicians were a thing)
Transplant unit at the hospital: Did not enjoy it, liked the patients, not the work; More hands-on; Don’t get to develop long-term patient relationships
Husband golfed with a man who owned Deforest pharmacy- lead to a management job at Deforest pharmacy
Sense of trust with patients early on, because you cannot share patient information with others, so oftentimes not much talking about work at home.
People (not at work) often ask questions relating to pharmacy
Lions Club- Speak with community about public health ex: diabetes
Spoke with 3rd graders and Church about pharmacy
One-on-one communication experiences are valuable for becoming a pharmacist
Flexible profession; appealing to women who want to start a family

What do you see as both opportunities and challenges in community/retail pharmacy?

The relationships and trust built are a big plus
Challenges with the insurance companies
How to stay alive when big companies are trying to push you out?
Pharmacists are working more towards pushing health information rather than only pills, more communication with doctors

How are community pharmacists working towards addressing health inequities?

Each pharmacy somewhat tweaks their model to meet the needs of their community
“Flip the Pharmacy”- More pushing towards a healthy lifestyle when possible, having conversations with people on their lifestyle.
All sorts of different answers from different pharmacists

Does working in community pharmacy ever start to feel repetitive? Or does it still feel fresh?

Feel free to contact Dr. Sobczak with any questions!

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PRE-PHARMACY CLUB