The Patient’s Perspective
I met a pharmacist years ago when I was filling prescriptions for myself and my family at a local CVS. The CVS felt like an old-fashioned traditional pharmacy, with great customer service, smiling staff, and no pharmacy drive-up. I didn’t know my pharmacist’s name at first, but she was warm, and I could tell she was full of compassion. She was proud to wear her white lab coat because she knew it was meant to help others. I could just sense this Batman-cape vibe.
I eventually learned that my pharmacist’s name was Jill. Not only did she help me and my family with our medications, but she also listened to me. She asked how I was doing, and she walked me through the complicated OTC aisles when I didn’t quite know what to give my kids when they were sick. I could tell that she really cared. And although there were other patients, demands, and phones ringing, she never made me feel like my family and I were not important or her priority.
I lost touch with Jill when she moved, hopefully pursuing other opportunities her career had to offer. But years later, I saw on social media that she had won an award for her outstanding efforts in patient care. I spontaneously reached out, never thinking she would remember me. Little did I know, she remembers everything. I told her that I wish I still had a pharmacist like her. Someone that cared. This actually disappointed her, as she didn’t really understand why another pharmacist wasn’t following in her footsteps.
I told Jill I was diagnosed with cancer. Not the best kind but also not the worst. But I was depressed. I could feel her heart break a little bit over the phone as she offered me some comfort. We talked, and she started explaining treatments and outcomes. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry,” or the token words, “I’ll pray for you,” Jill asked me how she could help. She was very solution-oriented, and she reminded me to focus on what I could control for me and my family.
Share Your Story
How do you personalize the patient experience for those you serve? We want to hear from pharmacists across all practice settings about the moments that have made a difference in your patients' lives—and perhaps in your own career journey, as well.
Join Pharmacy Times in celebrating the essential role pharmacists play in building foundations of experience that truly matter. Share your patient experience stories with us by emailing us at [email protected] or mention @PharmacyTimes on social media using #PharmacyTimesPX.
Note: Patient Experience Week is celebrated annually from April 28 to May 2, honoring health care professionals who impact patient experience every day. Follow along with more stories all week at PharmacyTimes.com and on social media using #PharmacyTimesPX.
Jill did help me. Even though she wasn’t my pharmacist anymore, she recommended things, had ideas, and helped me navigate the complex world of health care. She connected me to providers that would listen, and in the new virtual world, she got on Zoom and helped me understand what my many medications were for when I was confused. Jill gave me an opportunity to maximize my time with my family. She also gave me great wine recommendations to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary, a milestone I was so happy I didn’t miss, along with a few graduations and family trips to faraway lands. I learned along the way that Jill wrote a children’s book, and I just got a copy and read it to my new grandchild. She is a true “Jill of all trades!”
So many people praise their physicians, and don’t get me wrong, I have praised my physician and my nurse and the rest of my care team over the years. But the pharmacist and their potential often get overlooked. I hope we stop overlooking people like Jill, who sincerely changed my faith and hope not just in the health care system but in conquering my disease. My family and I owe a lot to that pharmacist I met so many years ago at CVS who simply smiled, looked up, and cared.
You never know how a community pharmacist has the potential to change your life. When they ask you, “What questions do you have?” when they are dispensing your medication, I encourage you to always ask a question and not just walk away. Get to know your pharmacist; they might just be an interesting and helpful person.
The Pharmacist’s Perspective
My name is Jill. I am a pharmacist. I have also been an inventor and an entrepreneur my whole life. Long gone are the days of independent corner drugstores, but working in one as a teenage girl inspired and shaped me in so many ways. I was constantly challenged and encouraged by managers and mentors to use and leverage my creative abilities to further my career path. Whether it was increasing patient satisfaction or negotiating contracts over soda and candy sales, every challenge that I faced in my pharmacy career taught me something new.
In business school, I continued to grow my skillset to collaborate with diverse groups of people. I have helped negotiate, innovate, and streamline drug dispensing mechanisms. I have published and worked to enhance public awareness and outreach around numerous industry- and health-related topics.
Relaying valuable resources and knowledge to providers and, ultimately, patients has become the compass of my mission. To gain the necessary perspective and foundation, I have listened carefully to the stories and concerns of the patients who are the very reason we strive for excellence. They are the ultimate destination in my profession. It is for the patient that we aim to maximize value—value in accessing medications and quality of care that will extend their lives.
We also aim to maximize the value of hope. There are so many stories to tell. Listening to others helped me learn how people valued life and the world. Most importantly, it made people smile and feel heard. I offered hope. No matter what role you are in as a pharmacist, no matter where you work or how long you have been practicing, understand that making a difference in the life of a patient matters. By simply looking up from the counter, Todd has helped me in my career journey just as much as I have helped him.
Building the Foundations of Experience
This year's Patient Experience Week theme, "Building the Foundations of Experience," reminds us that exceptional patient care often starts with simple human connections. As Todd and Jill's story demonstrates, pharmacists build these foundations through listening, compassion, and going beyond medication dispensing to truly impact patients' lives.
Pharmacists stand at a unique intersection in health care, often the most accessible health care professionals and sometimes the most frequent touchpoint for patients managing chronic conditions. Whether in community settings, oncology, or health systems, pharmacists have countless opportunities to enhance the patient experience.
