INSPIRATION FROM DOWN U N D E R
You know that nagging voice you hear when you ’ ve got an idea but you haven ’ t quite committed to it ? I had two of those voices . One was in my head telling me that there were opportunities in opening my pharmacy and the other was from my future business partner who for the better part of five years tried to convince me that we should open up what is now Live Oak Pharmacy .
I had all the typical excuses as to why I didn ’ t want to own an independent pharmacy ; it was too much work , I wasn ’ t seasoned enough as a pharmacist for the job , it was cost prohibitive , it was too much inventory . The list just continued to trail on and on as to why I couldn ’ t . Ironically it was a trip down under to Brisbane , Australia that turned my thoughts upside down on the subject of pharmacy ownership .
In anticipation of the trip , I decided to visit Australian pharmacies to see how community pharmacy is run there and blog about my experience for my students at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy . Each day , I visited at least one pharmacy , took pictures ( if given permission ) and spoke with many pharmacists . The pharmacies were smaller and had a more pleasant aesthetic than what I was used to . There were lots of natural and herbal products lining the shelves and signage stated : “ Pharmacist Advice ” instead of the term “ Counseling ” which we are used to in the US .
All the pharmacists were so welcoming and friendly ! It ’ s the Aussie way ! Since the pharmacies only bill the state or federal government for prescription reimbursement , there are not as many obstacles to complete a patient ’ s prescription order . This gave the pharmacists more ability to give advice to their patients and have time to speak with me .
On a recent trip to Sydney , I spoke with quite a few pharmacists , or chemists as they call themselves , and I was the flattered by the high esteem that Australian pharmacists hold for American pharmacists . There I was sitting in awe of Australian pharmacy practice while Australian pharmacist returned the feeling . I was inspired ! Who knew that what started out as a learning experience for pharmacy school students turned out to be a learning experience for me .
When I returned from Australia , we hit the ground running . There was a lot of work to do to create a pharmacy practice that would continue to raise the Aussie ’ s esteem of the way pharmacy is practiced in the US . My long list of why I shouldn ’ t have gone into pharmacy ownership was outweighed by the ability to operate a pharmacy the way I want to , to practice pharmacy the way I want to , and to be my boss . One year from my visit down under , our doors were open . If we could do it , you can too .
So if you find yourself at a pharmacy conference either in your state or across the country or are on vacation in a foreign land , pop into the local pharmacy . Find YOUR inspiration .