My first COVID vaccine clinic
Smiling behind the mask – I received my first dose of the vaccine.
Unprecedented times and a new career:
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to rage and universities began to close in the spring of 2020, I began a new chapter of my life and was hired as a Pharmacy Technician by CVS. At a time where the term “frontline worker” was brought into the limelight I was experiencing just what that was first hand. It was immediately clear how the pandemic really had affected every aspect of life – from extreme back orders on medications, patients struggling to receive care from their doctors for urgent problems, and a substantial increase in the financial burden that many encounter when trying to take care of their health, COVID hit everyone, everywhere.
The Historic Part:
After scrambling for almost a year to develop an effective vaccine to protect against COVID19, history was made and administration of the first approved vaccine rolled out as the year came to an end…and I got to take part in it! During winter break, I was one of the technicians assigned to assist with Coronavirus Vaccine Clinics throughout the state. During phase I, I travelled to nursing homes from Carrollton to Wadsworth and more, some clinics taking over 8 hours to complete, followed by over an hour-long drive home. Being able to potentially be a part of bringing about the end of this historic pandemic was an incredible feeling, one that I’m sure I will never forget.
Continues Personal Growth:
In addition to the strain that the pandemic put on the supply chain and industry, I came to realize the importance of relationships and mere socialization in forming a person’s feelings of self-worth and fulfillment. With patients cut off from family and other normal activities, for many, their trips to the pharmacy were the only way that they could have a conversation with someone face-to-face. Noticing this, I made it my prerogative to spend as much time talking with a customer as they wanted or needed – even if it was keeping me from getting ahead on other work. Though not every interaction ended with my time clearly making a difference to someone, the times where a person left saying, “thanks for the chat” with a wave or “I know this isn’t your problem, but thank you for listening to me” gave me more than enough reason to strive to put the person first at all times in my work.
Though I could go on about the technical skills and pharmaceutical knowledge that I have been gaining in this line of work, I would rather leave it here, focusing on that which I learned which would not appear in a simple job description of this work. Working at CVS, I have gained valuable insight into the functioning of a pharmacy; the need for improved communication between pharmacies, doctors, insurance companies and patients, and above all else the value of interpersonal relationships skills when providing direct service to patients.