Reflections of a Pharmacy Tech
So while at work today, I was contemplating the nature of my job. And I decided that it's a near-perfect fulfillment of my childhood obsessions.
When I was a small tot, I had a Lite Brite. With it came hundreds of tiny little pegs of various colors. The idea was you got one of the patterns, put it on the Lite Brite, and stuck the proper colored peg in each marked spot. Then when you finished, you turned it on and looked at the pretty picture it formed.
I liked my Lite Brite. And I especially liked making sure all the different colors were carefully sorted into separate cups before I started. They had to be organized, you know.
Compare this to filling prescriptions. All the pills are already organized, so I don't get to do that part. But I carefully stick the proper pill in the right spot (except this time it's a plastic bubble thingy), and when I'm done, I stick it in the cooker to seal it, then look at the pretty pill package to make sure I did it right. There are some striking similarities here.
Second point. When I was young, I was obsessed with stickers. I had a rather impressive sticker collection, in fact. And a sticker album, which I carefully and thoroughly coated with stickers.
At work, we have to put labels on all our prescriptions we fill so we know who they are for, and we also have to put things called license plates on them so we know what they are. Both of these are... you guessed it... stickers. So once again it comes full circle - I spend my days sticking stickers on things! And I like them to be straight, thank you very much. It bothers me (not much, since once it's stuck I can't fix it, but a little) when they get put on crooked.
So there you have it. My job is perfect for the 7-year-old version of me. (Too bad the 21-year-old me finds it a bit tedious at times...)
Also, I find it highly ironic that I work in the health industry, and every night as I leave there are at least 3 people (whom I work with) smoking outside. Uh... hello? I thought you were in the business of saving lives...
When I was a small tot, I had a Lite Brite. With it came hundreds of tiny little pegs of various colors. The idea was you got one of the patterns, put it on the Lite Brite, and stuck the proper colored peg in each marked spot. Then when you finished, you turned it on and looked at the pretty picture it formed.
I liked my Lite Brite. And I especially liked making sure all the different colors were carefully sorted into separate cups before I started. They had to be organized, you know.
Compare this to filling prescriptions. All the pills are already organized, so I don't get to do that part. But I carefully stick the proper pill in the right spot (except this time it's a plastic bubble thingy), and when I'm done, I stick it in the cooker to seal it, then look at the pretty pill package to make sure I did it right. There are some striking similarities here.
Second point. When I was young, I was obsessed with stickers. I had a rather impressive sticker collection, in fact. And a sticker album, which I carefully and thoroughly coated with stickers.
At work, we have to put labels on all our prescriptions we fill so we know who they are for, and we also have to put things called license plates on them so we know what they are. Both of these are... you guessed it... stickers. So once again it comes full circle - I spend my days sticking stickers on things! And I like them to be straight, thank you very much. It bothers me (not much, since once it's stuck I can't fix it, but a little) when they get put on crooked.
So there you have it. My job is perfect for the 7-year-old version of me. (Too bad the 21-year-old me finds it a bit tedious at times...)
Also, I find it highly ironic that I work in the health industry, and every night as I leave there are at least 3 people (whom I work with) smoking outside. Uh... hello? I thought you were in the business of saving lives...