Walmart..good times..

Posted by Andrew Chang at Friday, June 22, 2012

As I am sure most of you guessed, I just finished my community rotation. It was at Walmart in Saline, located just out of Ann Arbor.

Now I know I'm supposed to talk about what my rotation was like, what I did, how long I worked, etc etc. It's a community rotation..it is exactly what you would imagine it to be. There's a transfer here, a new prescription called in there. Insurance troubleshooting everywhere and a ton of patient interaction. Patient interaction is either the most fulfilling part or the most aggravating part of the community setting in my opinion. There is no greater feeling than knowing you made a difference in someone's life no matter how small that may be. On the flip side, there is no greater frustration than talking to a wall. But that's life, you got to take the good along with the bad.

I believe that most people have had some community experience, whether working or through their IPPEs, so I do not want to bore you with those details. What I wanted to focus on was the importance of having a good work environment with enjoyable and deft coworkers. Everyone is a beginner at one point or another in their lives and usually they need help to get started. Working with people that are skilled and knowledgeable in their craft makes life infinitely easier, especially when they are willing to help. In my rotation I was surrounded by people who would take their time to make sure that you learned and understood what was going on. Lisa, the preceptor really tried to go through the over the counters, which was something our c/o 2013 did not get a course on. I also remember getting help from Elizabeth, now a P2 at UM, on troubleshooting insurances. It's an empowering feeling to know that people want to help you so you can do well and learn. Don't worry Debbie, Erin, Paul and Nora I love you all too. :) The work environment was quite entertaining as well. I had the privilege of working with Mr. Charles Heidbreder. For those of you guys who were in our disease management discussion.. yeaaah. Imagine instead of 2 hours a week, it multiples into 40 hours a week. We added our dynamic into an already diverse group of people and somehow it clicked. I would not say anyone in the pharmacy is particularly similar to another, but we were able to have a real good time together. And that makes a big difference on those days that just never end.

For those of you guys who follow us, you have big shoes to fill! Haha I'm just kidding. Good luck!