With just 14 months in pharmacy, newcomer Naomi Rettig proves it’s never too late to find a career you love

There is no disputing Naomi Rettig’s devotion to her work. As the dispensing assistant at Rosser’s Chemist in Monmouth, South Wales, says: “My heart belongs to pharmacy”. And she was rewarded for her ability to learn quickly and improve herself when she was Highly Commended in this year’s Rising Star category, which was sponsored by Infirst Healthcare.

A relative newcomer to pharmacy, Naomi has wasted no time in getting to grips with it all, completing her medicines counter assistant course and qualifying as a dispensing assistant within her first year of employment. Her commitment to learning is absolute, but does not come at the expense of her customers, to whom she makes sure she provides an impeccable level of service.

Naomi treats everyone as an individual, establishing what they need – from a product or signposting to help with their shopping or just a friendly ear – and making herself indispensable to her colleagues and the community at large. Fellow staff members are encouraged to make the most of every opportunity offered to them. For example, Naomi motivated a teammate to complete the MCA course she had been struggling with. Her own ambitions are not neglected, however, and she has her eyes firmly fixed on becoming a pharmacy technician. “I love pharmacy and want to learn more, so becoming a technician is the natural next thing to do,” she states.

Naomi says that she has spent all of her working life in retail, but describes her move into pharmacy as “an epiphany”. The judges clearly felt the same way, with APTUK secretary Joanne Taylor commenting: “Naomi has proved that it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still be a rising star and make a difference.”