Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Start of my Career

The Registration

On 25th July 2011, I sealed my status as a qualified healthcare professional as my name got permanently imprinted onto The Register of Pharmacists. I was given an number which I had to display on every premise that I work in, a unique number for which the public could check to make sure that I was a legitimate professional. That catapulted me fully, and I mean FULLY into realization of how far I've come, how much training I have had, and most importantly, how ready I was to take this on.

The First Day

Every August, I will come to celebrate the anniversary of my career. Turning up, a little nervous, plenty excited, I was keen to start tasting the success. The first couple of days took plenty of getting used to. I've worked in 4 different pharmacies, 3 different areas, 2 different companies, and that's only over the past 3 years that I've been in the UK. You'd think there was nothing to get used to, but there still were much that was different.

Getting used to being the manager. Where you have to make all your decisions on your own two feet, no more tutor to consult to.

Getting used to different stores/ staff/ stock/ dispensary/ customers quickly. So that I may carry out the days activities seamlessly, as if their regular pharmacist was not absent.

Getting used to there being only one of me. There are tasks that only I could do, they vary, and I may get interrupted. But it is an essential balancing act that I needed to master skillfully.

The Verdict so far...

has been fantastic. I've had great feedback from stores, hoping that I'd come back. Customers wanting to know when I am going back to the store. Staff whose jaws dropped when he found out I've only been practicing for under 2 weeks, he could not believe it at all. I've been inspired by some customers, and also inspired a few others. Told people off for inappropriate behaviour, which went down smoothly because I was doing the right thing. So far so good.

It's a learning process, every single day.

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