'It's really rewarding' - Pharmacy team speak about their roles
An incredibly supportive team and plentiful development opportunities are among some of the reasons members of Royal Derby Hospital’s Pharmacy Team believe it is such a great place to work.
Our Pharmacy Team are heavily involved in the care of patients within the hospital, working closely with a wide range of team to ensure UHDB delivers Exceptional Care Together.
This comes as the team is looking for a caring, compassionate and enthusiastic Pharmacy Technician in Medicines Management (MMT) to join their ranks.
A day in the life of a MMT is a varied one, with the team supporting colleagues in several departments and specialist areas at Royal Derby Hospital.
Typical tasks include liaising with the ward Pharmacist to manage the ward medication orders, completing the newly admitted patients' medication histories and prioritising patient discharges, including arranging their medications and constructing accurate discharge letters.
Chandra Golay, who is currently working as an MMT in the team, said:
“Our main role is to provide a pharmacy service on the wards we are assigned to, which can be from a wide range of specialities. We’re also responsible for carrying out medicine reconciliations and processing medications that patients need when they are discharged home.
“Although the nature of the job can be challenging at times, with good communication, joyful effort and enthusiasm we achieve a lot.”
Andy Day is a Senior Pharmacy Technician who is predominantly based in the Discharge Assessment Unit. He says that patient contact is one of the things he enjoys most about the role:
“I enjoy the clinical side of the job, being on a ward and working with all the different staff, meeting new people and being involved in frontline patient care. It’s really rewarding.”
As well as building good relationships with patients and other teams across the hospital, there is a real sense of teamwork which makes working within Pharmacy so enjoyable.
Current MMT Phoebe Purser says this has also been extremely useful to her since she joined the team last year:
“I know that if I ever have a question, my team will listen and give me constructive advice, as well as giving me emotional support and sharing ideas which motivates me to become a better MMT.
“We have some big personalities in the team, but we can always laugh together and we all get along really well. I look back to when I joined the team about a year ago and I was really nervous, but my colleagues supported me throughout.
“They had the willingness to explain things to me and were always willing to help me improve. It is this endless support from the people I interact with and how I can continue to learn from them that I love most about this role and it’s so nice to get the appreciation when someone comes up to me and thanks you for doing a good job.”
Andy has been part of the team in Derby for 13 years and has seen the team grow during his time with the Trust and has been given many chances to progress, both personally and professionally.
He said: “When I joined the team, it was relatively small but as the Trust has grown, so has the team. The team has always been great and everyone who has joined us has fit in really well.
“There are a number of development opportunities within this role. I personally have been involved in numerous audits and trials over the years. There are also different courses for the team to develop different skills. For example, I recently completed a team leadership course.”
Chandra has also benefitted from the culture of continuous development and improvement in the team, and has also been passing this onto her colleagues.
She said: “When I was settling into the job, the managers were always there to give advice and suggestions which meant a lot to me. Having the support and mutual understanding with colleagues makes the job fulfilling.
“During my time here I have been involved in training new members of the team which has helped to build on my skills and experience as a MMT.
“If you are someone who finds joy in making a difference by putting other people first then this promising job will be a great step forward in your career.”
Applications are now being accepted for the role of Pharmacy Technician in Medicines Management. The closing date for applications is Thursday 16 September.
Find out more about the role and apply via NHS Jobs (opens in new window) >