Becoming Familiar with the Pharmacy

This past Wednesday was my first day volunteering at the San Jose Clinic. I entered the pharmacy and met the rest of the staff that was working behind the counter. There was a technician who worked in the front and received the prescriptions that needed to be filled. This technician would then hand the prescriptions to another volunteer from RICE University, who entered the prescriptions into the computer system. The technician also printed the labels for me and the pharmacist, so we could start filling the medications. There was also another volunteer who handled everything that had to do with the Prescription Assistance Program, a program through which the pharmacy receives most of its medications for free. After I learned the work flow of the pharmacy and became familiar with where everything is located, I helped the pharmacist by counting pills and filling them into the bottles. At one point, things became really busy and we had several prescriptions to fill, and I realized how much the pharmacy is in need of help. I also realized that everyone plays an important role in making things run smoothly in the pharmacy, so that patients are able to get their medications in a timely manner.