For this month’s Pharmacy Assistant Profile, we speak with Renae Winkler, pharmacy assistant at Discount Drug Store in Bundaberg, Queensland, about her career highlights, challenges, and tips for other pharmacy assistants.
Do you have a background in pharmacy, whether it be previously working for a different pharmacy or studying pharmacy?
Before I started at Bundaberg DDS, I had three years of pharmacy experience. My passion for pharmacy has only grown since joining DDS, which is why I continued to stay in pharmacy to pursue my career.
Over the last four years, I’ve been able to learn a range of pharmacy duties and gain further knowledge, not just in pharmacy, but life skills too.
Is pharmacy a career pathway you’ve always been passionate about?
Pharmacy has always been a career pathway that I’ve been passionate about. I love to take on multiple responsibilities, helping lots of different patients, and taking part in new learning opportunities.
What do you enjoy most about working in pharmacy?
One of the best things about working in a pharmacy is making a difference in people’s lives every day. Helping clients to resolve a problem of concern and better understand their health gives me a sense of purpose.
From having a friendly conversation with a customer at the register to helping a person choose the right kind of over-the-counter medicine, connecting with other people makes being a pharmacy assistant so enjoyable.
What are some of the highlights in your career so far?
I was given the opportunity to study a Certificate III in pharmacy, which has allowed me to become a better pharmacy assistant and will help me move forward in my career to become a dispense tech.
What is one thing you think all pharmacy assistants should remember while working?
Always give the best possible care to all customers, but ensure that you know your boundaries as a pharmacy assistant.
Know that you can always lean on the pharmacist in charge, and use each experience as a learning opportunity.
What do you think makes your pharmacy so unique?
Our team goes above and beyond for customers, and we like to deliver the best possible care to everyone who walks through our door.
Our pharmacists take their time to advise our patients on how to take their medicines, so they have a better understanding of what they’re taking.
This is what makes our pharmacy so unique because we take time and care for every individual patient, so they feel confident and safe.
To read the full feature as it appears in the September issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine, visit: rpassistants.com.au/magazines/retail-pharmacy-assistants-september-2021/
