Pharmacist Feature: Lauren Skilton (Retail Pharmacist)

Pharmacy School: Northeastern University

Current Position: I have been a retail pharmacist at Osco Pharmacy for a bit over a year now! Osco is a relatively small chain retail pharmacy. We have just over 30 in Massachusetts. After graduation, I was a floater pharmacist (moving between stores) for almost a year, and recently was placed in my own store inside the TD garden in Boston.

Typical Day: My day starts at 8 AM, when I get to work and open up the pharmacy to help serve our patients! Since we are a new store and building business, I do not have technician help, and therefore spend my day working alone. I move between all the different windows — the drop-off window, where I receive scripts and process them through insurance; the fill station, where I count out and prepare the medication vial for dispensing; the data verification and product verification stations, where I ensure all the information entered matches the original script and the correct medication has been filled; and the out-window, where patients pick-up and are counseled on their prescriptions.

Favorite Part: I truly love being able to build a relationship with my patients. Community pharmacists are multi purposeful — we serve as an invaluable resource for patients seeking advice on their medications or OTC products; we are a link between doctors, patients, and insurance; and we become a trusted medical provider in the eyes of patients. I feel lucky to help the people living in my community and don’t take for granted their trust in me as a professional.

Least Favorite: As with most retail and healthcare-related positions, the hours worked reflect the needs of the patients. As a result, I work weekends, holidays, and evenings on a regular basis. It is not a drawback in my eyes, but is something to consider when choosing your career path.

Prior Experience: I have several connections to Osco Pharmacy, all of them made during my time at Northeastern University. My first co-op (or paid internship) was at an Osco Pharmacy in Doylestown, PA. I spent four months learning the ins and outs of community pharmacy from a dedicated and kind pharmacy staff. Several years later, I was fortunate enough to be placed at an Osco Pharmacy in Cambridge, MA for my second rotation during my sixth year of pharmacy school. It was there that my connection with Osco was rekindled, and it is what prompted me to apply for the pharmacist position post-grad.