So, I've been finding myself working late night shifts and sleeping in until 11ish in the morning.  Tiredness from work has got me putting in about 10-11 hours of sleep a day.  This, of course, is a definite change for me who has been used to getting only 4-5 hours due to some homework and lots of hanging out back in Carolina...heh!  But besides the change in sleeping patterns, working in a 24-hour pharmacy at one of the busiest locations of town has definitely taught me several things about the field of pharmacy retail and about myself even if I have only been working there for a week and a couple of days.

1.  Pharmacy retail is no joke.  Even if it is the easiest path to take after earning a pharmacy degree, the ins and outs of pharmacy retail is no walk in the park.  The experience has been definitely a challenge as I'm finding out the true inner workings of how the people behind the counter work. 

2.  Late night shifts at a pharmacy spells C-R-A-Z-Y.  First of all, if you're willing to go ahead and stay up to put in hours for any job at night, YOU, yourself, have to be pretty nutty.  Secondly, the rest of your co-workers will be just as nutty if not nuttier as you.  Lastly, people who are willing to go out at midnight or so to pick up prescriptions definitely have to be NUTTY!  I can't believe how people can get addicted to prescription drugs...It's really actually sad when you see a person come in for drugs that they probably don't need but have become addicted to and dependent on, especially some of those controlled substances.  Yikes!

3.  You'll never know how a job really is like until you get dirt on your hands as well!  I practiced filling prescriptions last night, and let me tell you..."Counting pills" is no easy task!  Even if counting from 1-1000 may not prove to be such a hard task for any 5th grader and anyone else older, when the responsibility of counting a precise and accurate number of pills (especially those narcotic drugs) is in your hands, it makes counting from 1-10 a definite challenge.  It seems so scary to have such an important task!

4.  P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-E-S.  Learning what tasks are most important and which ones must be taken care of first is a definite skill needed by all especially in the pharmacy.  More importantly, knowing when to execute such a skill without the direction of anyone else is a must!  Sometimes I have coworkers who aren't able to prioritize and it does not only affect their jobs but mine and all the other workers and also the patients we are serving.

and lastly...

5.  Still have fun...I'm slowly finding out that some aspects of pharmacy retail may not necessarily be my cup of tea, but at the same time, I'm still trying to find the positive aspects of the field that cater to my tastes to really see if the field is for me.  I'm still trying to have fun...I mean, what kind of life would you live if you didn't like what you were doing, right?  I really don't want to end up after six years of schooling not liking what I'm doing...that would just be tragic!

Well, for all of you other summer workers out there, I hope your job experiences are teaching you lots about anything and everything.  Pharmacy retail is really testing me, and as difficult as some days may be, I think it's making me be a better person!  Make sure to still put in some down time since it is the summer.  Don't work too hard!

Catch y'all later on the flipside, future Gamecocks!