It’s never too late

I’m far from your typical Pharmacy Technician. I used to get into trouble on a regular basis. I’ve made some very bad decisions, including when I was 16 and pregnant, long before MTV encouraged teen pregnancy as a road to infamy. I’ve experienced and overcome more challenges in my life than most people will in their entire existence. My journey to becoming a Registered Pharmacy Technician wasn’t an easy one but thankfully shaped me into who I am today and changed my life in so many ways. Ten years ago, I was an unemployed single mom. I was freshly out of an abusive relationship and I was battling mental and physical health issues that were at the point of being life-threatening. I only had a high school education and was thousands of dollars in debt from a failed attempt at attending university. My ex had negatively affected every aspect of my life. He had torn me down and destroyed by ability to function as a person. I no longer knew who I was or what I wanted in life and I was left wandering aimlessly with no direction or purpose, and no desire to achieve more. This lasted for years and after struggling to get my life under control, I finally decided to go back to school. I chose the Pharmacy Assistant program at Sheridan College, solely based on the fact that it was the shortest program that was offered. I began my first semester full of self-doubt at my ability to understand the concepts being taught. Before the end of the first week, I was having panic attacks on a regular basis. In my mind there was no way that I’d ever be able to comprehend any of the math or science. Both were foreign languages to my academic strengths in literature and written communication. After 2 long semesters utilizing a work ethic that I never imagined I was capable of, and many, many, phone calls to my mom, I finished number one in my entire program. I received the Governor General’s Academic Award of Excellence and Sheridan’s Silver Medal Award for Academic Excellence. After graduating, I began working in a retail pharmacy and to this day credit a lot of my success to the Pharmacy Technician I worked with. She inspired me (and let’s be honest, terrified me) and instilled in me a desire to excel in all areas of pharmacy. I learned the importance of accuracy and accountability. I developed the skills to manage every aspect of the pharmacy and became an indispensable member of the team. This was something I had never been before. It was an incredible feeling, almost like a super power. Discovering this world, hidden in plain sight, where I felt like I had finally found my place, was a revelation. I had spent so many years lost and drowning in uncertainty. This felt like my last chance at escaping the riptide in which I had allowed myself to become entangled. I knew that if I could succeed to this degree as an assistant, pursuing a more integral position in pharmacy was within my reach. I kept my position as an assistant while continuing with the Pharmacy Technician Program at Sheridan, and again graduated number one in my program with a 4.0 GPA, and again receiving the Silver Medal Award for Academic Excellence. Until that point in my life, I had never worked so hard to achieve anything. It had taken several years, and more than a few tears, from start to finish but it was worth every second of it. Immediately after graduating I took a job in a long-term care pharmacy. I knew after the first week that it was not the job for me but my newfound work ethic had me persist, despite that. After 8 months I decided that I had worked far too hard to be so unhappy with my job, so I moved on to work for an independent pharmacy. I was there for two years before taking an opportunity with a major national banner. I joined a team of part time assistants, three weeks before Christmas, at the busiest pharmacy I have ever stepped foot in. Adding in software that made hieroglyphics seem like child’s play was almost enough to send me running. Since I had already committed to the position it was too late to do anything other than persevere and work my way through the chaos and panic. It was certainly an eye-opening experience! I knew that whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, so I kept my fingers crossed that my demise wouldn’t come with a complimentary headstone, courtesy of my employer. Months later my manager told me that the technician she hired prior to me came in, worked one shift and never returned. No phone call, no explanation, no response to attempts at communication. Needless to say, I wasn’t really surprised. I had felt the fight or flight response almost instantly as well, but being someone who had to climb mountains (literally, at one point) to get to where I was, immediately ruled out the flight option for me. I stayed with this pharmacy for two years before moving on to a position that offered more opportunities and the potential to fully utilize my scope of practice. I found my place in the world of pharmacy six years ago and now I may have found my pharmacy within that world. My path to pharmacy certainly was not a traditional one. Being a single mom while working and attending school was not necessarily the ideal route, but it was nothing compared to the obstacle course I faced just to be able to make it to that point. It may not matter which road I had to travel, but I will always take pride in knowing that it was a road I found, navigated and conquered all on my own. Alicia’s story is the fourth we’ve published so far from entries to our Write to Win reader writing contest! Thank you to everyone who has submitted stories, blogs and poems. Each week we'll publish one reader’s entry and in March, the editorial staff of CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca will choose three winners for a grand prize of a $500 gift card and two honourable mentions for $250. Thank you to all who entered!

It’s never too late

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