My first experience working in pharmacy was when I completed work experience in secondary school. I worked in my local pharmacy for a week where I learned the ropes on how a pharmacy runs and different types of medications. From that point on I knew I wanted to pursue pharmacy as a career path and set out my goals and targets to be able to make this a reality. Upon finishing work experience, I started working at the same pharmacy part time while studying. From there, I started studying pharmacy full time, achieving my qualification as a pharmacy dispenser.
I love working with technology and was looking for something a bit different that I could do in the pharmacy sector, outside of community pharmacy. I did some research and came across Phlo. What intrigued me about Phlo was that they were combining technology and great patient care to build a 21st century pharmacy experience for their patients. I decided that I would set myself a challenge and apply for the role as a dispenser. Working within a fast-growing digital pharmacy is different from working in a usual community or high street pharmacy. Everything is always changing and evolving, meaning no two days are the same. I like the fact that our systems and pharmacy operations are always evolving and changing to make our patient experience better every day.
On a typical day I arrive at the London pharmacy at 8am and start by printing the NHS and Private prescriptions from the night before. Sometimes this can take a while as we receive a large volume of prescriptions. Once this is complete, I then start to pick the medicines for the prescriptions, putting them into individual baskets and getting them ready to be processed onto our system. Once they have been picked, I add them onto the system, which then notifies our patients that their medication order is ready to be scheduled for delivery.
Starting out at Phlo as a dispenser has been amazing. Phlo has also given me the opportunity to progress my career to the next level by putting me through the Level 3 – Pharmacy Technician course. This is a 2-year course which allows me to gain a further understanding of how each drug works and reacts in the body. Once I complete this course, I will be able to council and give detailed information to patients about different drugs that they are taking and their different effects.
I work very closely with the pharmacists to check and ensure all prescriptions are dispatched on time. Most of my time is spent inputting prescription data into the system so the pharmacist can clinically check it and ensure that all data is inputted accurately.
I then work with the dispatch team to ensure that all packages are correct ensure that the patient receives the correct medication - this is a crucial part of the dispensing process and must be done with 100% concentration as any distractions can lead to a dispensing error.
As well as the pharmacy team, we work very closely with our patient care team to ensure that all patient enquires are answered quickly and efficiently.
The most important aspect of my role is to provide patients with an easy to use and safe pharmacy service. We all strive to go above and beyond to ensure that patients receive the best service when using Phlo. We’ll often speak to patients on the phone, via live-chat or email to ensure that they are happy and know exactly what to expect. It’s great to see such great feedback on our Trustpilot reviews as well.
The thing I love most about my role is that no two days are the same. One day I could be helping a patient order their medication and the next I could be dispensing hundreds of prescriptions. We’re a very busy pharmacy team at Phlo and there is always something to do! If you are considering joining an online pharmacy as a dispenser, Phlo is 100% the place to be. There is so much to learn about in pharmacy and how technology and medicines go hand in hand to provide the patient with a seamless service.
In the future I see digital pharmacy being the sole way of getting your medication. There has been an increase in the number of people using an online pharmacy, however in the future I think digital pharmacy will be a lot more popular with patients. If you get the technology right and focus on providing excellent patient care, patients will come back time and time again.
In my spare time I like to explore unfamiliar places, although this has been hard in lockdown, but I try my best to explore a new place at least once a month. On top of this I like to play golf and go fishing with my friends as this is a way for me to relax. As we grow at Phlo, sometimes the pharmacy team can have very busy days so it is vital to enjoy my relaxation and switch off time.
There’s no better time to become part of the Phlo community. Take control of your medication management and join the 1,000s of patients we’ve helped safely manage their medication.
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