Where do you work?
I work full time, in person, in a Community Pharmacy.
Although I work in one location, our fantastic Primary Care Network [PCN] means that we can all work together [pharmacies and gp surgeries] to fulfil the requirements of our local area, giving the best care we can between one another.
What made you select pharmacy as a career?
I took a great interest in biology and health and social care when at school, where I actually had a Sunday job at my local Boots. They asked me to assist on the healthcare counter, where they put me onto the NVQ2 courses in healthcare assistance and dispensing. Local communities really do rely on pharmacies, particularly with such pressures on the NHS. I found myself really enjoying learning and being able to help people, offering great job satisfaction.
Can you give a overview of your current role?
As the Pharmacy Manager, my main responsibilities are ensuring a safe environment is maintained for my team and our patients by keeping health, safety and legal standards consistently high.
I am there to problem solve, over see the growth of the business, develop training team members and performance plan.
I also liaise with fellow healthcare team members such as the gp surgery, pcn teams, district nurses, hospitals etc to provide seamless care to our local community.
I feel that one of my most vital responsibilities is supporting and inspiring my wonderful team, so they feel content at work, can deliver their absolute best and shine!
What training/qualifications are required to undertake your job?
The minimum training you would need to do my job would be to have an NVQ2 in dispensing, and an awful lot of experience goes a long way.
You need to be able to understand the business side of pharmacy and how each role within the team works, so you are able to oversee and ensure all aspects are running as they should be.
What does an interesting day look like?
An interesting day for me is helping as many people as we can, from getting a patient some treatment in house for an eligible ailment through the pharmacy first service, reducing the GPs burden, helping someone who is feeling particularly under the weather however big or small the issue, communicating with prescribing clerks to solve a query quickly, to getting palliative care medicines ready in time for District Nurses to collect and administer urgently.
No two days are the same in pharmacy, opportunities to learn and assist on a daily basis are many.
What are the highlights of your current role?
I love a challenge and solving problems, which is a huge part of my role.
I really enjoy great communication with our patients, my own team and all the healthcare providers around us.
Facing change, development and variety on a daily basis is a big highlight for me.
