1 Min In Practice
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After an enjoyable bout of work experience at a LloydsPharmacy when she was 17, Samantha started imagining a career in the profession. “I really enjoyed it. It was an eye opener to see what it was actually like to work in a pharmacy,” she says. After sixth form, Samantha joined her first pharmacy, an independent, and has been working in pharmacy ever since. As she worked her way through various positions; counter assistant to pharmacy advisor to dispenser, Samantha realised the ever-changing nature of pharmacy and the abundance of opportunities it presents.
Creating a safe space
Samantha worked at her local Boots for five years before re-joining her current pharmacy, where she learnt what she describes as one of her most crucial skills. “When I worked at Boots, we used to do a lot for Pride [month], and I did a lot of work with them organising events,” Samantha says. “I just try and help with making the pharmacy a safe space for people – for customers and people at work. Even just with staff, I like to be that person that people can talk to, and be friendly for anyone who wants to come in and speak about something,” she says. “[My team] are quite open like that and we are like a family at work.” Through doing one-to-one training with LGBTQ+ educators, Samantha has worked hard at becoming someone people feel they are able to talk to, as she says, “to try and help make it easier for people to talk to me, and for me to understand how I can help better”.
When asked how she goes about creating this safe space in the pharmacy, Samantha says it comes down to the little things. “You can do anything, from wearing a badge at work, or a wristband. It really depends,” she says. While she is no longer involved in organising and being a part of Pride events at her new pharmacy, Samantha continues to put into use everything she learned. “I am just taking all of that with me and carrying it on, educating people further. It’s not just working in a pharmacy, it’s more a community.”
“I just try and help with making the pharmacy a safe space for people”
Services, services and more services!
At Park Lane, Samantha is extremely busy, being involved in the dispensary, flu vaccinations, the blood pressure service, product advising, NHS 111 urgent supplies and the stop smoking service. “I push services within our area to help patients get the best NHS services without having to see a GP,” she says. One of the services she is especially involved in is the smoking cessation service, which she drives from the beginning to end. “Many of our customers for the service come to us from the Walsall Manor Hospital, and from there we start them on the 12-week program, getting the ball rolling from week one,” she says. “We ring them up and they come into the practice. I just love it, especially when you get to the end of the 12 weeks, and you know that they have not smoked – you’ve achieved something with that person. It’s so rewarding.”
Of course, there are also customers who do not make the full 12 weeks, but this is to be expected. It doesn’t mean, however, that they should be given up on. “We just have a natural conversation with them over the phone and go through what we can do on our end to help them,” she says. “You can’t force someone to stop, it has to be up to them. So, we leave it open for a week and let them see how they feel. If they still want to quit, they’re more than welcome to ring us back. Or we will ring them in a week’s time and see if they’re still interested. Nine times out of 10, they’re still interested.”
“I push services within our area to help patients get the best NHS services without having to see a GP”
Not taking no for an answer
Samantha’s perseverance not only comes in handy with the stop smoking service, but with tracking down products and medication that her customers desperately need, too. “My friend recently got diagnosed with skin cancer and was unable to get a hold of a specific cream with her NHS prescription,” says Samantha. “She had tried over 30 pharmacies and hadn’t been able to get anything since December 2024! So, I phoned every wholesaler we work with and managed to get the cream in stock for her. The cream burns away the cancer cells on your skin to get rid of the cancer underneath... She has now started the treatment and is very grateful that I was able to help her.”
Going the extra mile like this has become second nature to Samantha, and she plans on building on her already impressive resume by hopefully doing her pharmacy technician course in the near future. “I know I can do a lot more services with it, so it is definitely the route I want to go down.”
In Practice