26/09/2025
When I was a kid, I decided to be a pharmacist since my early childhood so I thought that I should dedicate a post to our beautiful young minds in town who aspire to become pharmacists in the future, and maybe one of them will be my successor as the pharmacist of Trangie one day taking care of our people, and I would like to call it: "letters to our future pharmacists" :
Here are the 20 pearls of wisdom that I acquired over 10 years starting as a junior pharmacist in a low socioeconomic area in a third world country before I made my way to the top of Mount Everest as a pharmacy manager in one of the best countries in the world, after this long journey, and from someone who has seen it all; here are the traits that make a remarkable pharmacist:
1- Don't worry about the money, focus on your patient and only on your patient, and the money will follow, this is what makes the business sustainable, that is called: "the golden rule".🥇🏅🎖️
2- An average pharmacist focuses on the symptoms, A great pharmacist focuses on the causes.
3- Always think about the holistic healthcare solution, this is how you can deliver a value.
4- Don't take shortcuts, fast dispensing is a bad dispensing, pharmacy is not a game, it is a very serious business.
5- (Dispensing so quickly, having a lot of free time, thinking that this job is easy); these are the signs that you are still not doing the job properly.
6- Precision is an obligation not an option, it takes only one mistake, and it can turn into a crisis so always double check your work.
7- Dive deeply into details, don't leave anything to chance, think of every possible scenario, adopt the concept of "deep work".
8- Don't assume that your patients know, that's your job to make sure that they know, in pharmacy: don't assume anything.
9- Don't trust anyone, that includes the other healthcare professionals, they are human beings, and making mistakes is a part of the human nature, always investigate yourself, you are the last shield.
10- Use your time wisely, take it seriously from the beginning of the day, the tasks at the pharmacy never end, urgent& important: they are 2 different words.
11- Never get distracted, stay in your bubble, retain a sharp mind, and always have a laser focus.
12- Watch& listen to everything happening around you, this is how you catch up on mistakes.
13- Don't judge anyone, Never take it personally, always be humble, healthcare is not for arrogant people.
14- Be very patient, this is how you can take a good care of your patients.
15- Work on developing your own thought process, it doesn't have to be ideal in the beginning but you must end up having your own way of getting things done or what I call: "the finger print".
16- Your patient will be practically your "life partner" so be ready to devote your whole time to them.
17- The shelf will be your life so as much as you care about life, make sure that you don't run out of stock.
18- Ingest first then digest, and that is why pharmacy is not for everyone.
19- Don't be like a robot, some rules were made to be broken for the greater good, listen to your intuition as it can beat the playbook(sometimes).
20- Breathe pharmacy, and never forget the golden rule.🥇🏅🎖️
With my best wishes,,
Marwan
