RX Musings Begins

Welcome to RX Musings!

I created this blog because there are so many facets of pharmacy life that the public doesn’t even know about. Unless one is a pharmacist or a pharmacy student, the general perception of pharmacy is a product-oriented, “lick and stick” profession. Ask around, and most people still think that pharmacy is a two-year degree, an adjunct to the healthcare services that we normally perceive as required for our health.

Let’s face it: Our healthcare model revolves around medication. Without it, going to see a physician does little to assuage our fear of illness and death. We expect to receive a prescription or some sort of product every time we go, because that, in many minds, is value. What we often forget is that medications themselves, are delicate tools. They have been carefully crafted to work precisely in our bodies; just like we rely on car mechanics to service our Chevys and Toyotas, we should rely on a medication expert to help ensure the product works the way it should.

That’s where pharmacy and pharmacists come in. The pharmacy profession now requires a four-year doctorate degree (PharmD). Students are trained to become medication experts, able to understand not only what you are taking, but how it affects you and how to optimize its safety and efficacy in your body. In future posts, I will often comment on healthcare issues, current news items of interest, and experiences that I have witnessed as I progress through the pharmacy profession. By reading, I hope that you will come to understand better your own health as well as the responsibilities of the pharmacy profession that exists to serve you.