In April, we had a wonderful experience attending the 34^th Annual NAPNAP Conference on Pediatric Health Care in Orlando. We came away from the event very excited about our new and emerging partnerships with nurse practitioners from around the country. We had been looking for just the right audience of health professionals that were interested in increasing medicinal compliance within the pediatric population and I believe we found them! Our mission at FLAVORx is to help kids take their medicine, whether it be liquids or pills, so they can feel better and get better. Pediatric nurse practitioners seem to share the same mission. They play such an important role in managing children’s health, we could think of no better audience to supply with materials to help make a positive impact on compliance and the medication-time experience.

Cold and flu season is here! Refer to this handy guide for flavoring and re-flavoring popular cold and flu medications. Pictures of the best-tasting flavors are listed next to each corresponding drug.

“We're asking pharmacists to not only dispense medication, but to be a social worker, computer geek and probably a magician.” ~Robert Hayes

That pretty much sums it up! Not only are our days filled with the constant assembly line of dispensing; we are expected to listen to peoples health problems, personal problems, financial problems, and all the while resolve insurance issues, computer glitches, printer jams, and magically do this error-free in under 15 minutes!!

We truly are magical!!

Sure the life of a pharmacist is often stressful, requiring long hours standing on our feet, working weekends and nights, and having to deal with some unpleasant customers. Not to mention the nature of our repetitive work can make our long days often seem monotonous and never-ending. But since its American Pharmacists Month, we should take a moment to take pride in our work and reflect on many of the positive things that have come out of our selected profession.

Let us not forget about the flexibility of our schedules, our great salaries, our clean working environments, and our job security. Let us remember that we are respected and trusted resources in the health care community that are always approachable and accessible to patients who would otherwise be afraid to ask their important questions. After all, we are educating patients every day and helping people live healthier lives, recover from illness, and manage their chronic diseases. That is definitely something to be proud of.

So the next time you are running around your pharmacy, short on technician help, on hold with an insurance company, troubleshooting with your computer, and have a line at your pharmacy counter that backs up to the center of the store, try to focus on the positive. Recall a gracious customer; remember a helpful tech; think about your next big bonus or your next day off!

If all else fails, wave your magic wand- stop time- take a breath- catch up- then get back to work with a smile on your face!

Finally, I thought it might be beneficial and encouraging for all of us to hear what some of our favorite “pharmacist/social worker/computer geek/magicians” have to say about their personal experiences in the world of pharmacy. Here are the encouraging stories, inspirational thoughts, and comments they have shared:

• “In just a few words, what makes pharmacy, particularly community pharmacy, such a great career choice, is the people we come to know on a daily basis. They are like family to us when they walk through our doors! Our motto: "Committed to Caring for our Community" holds true not just with pharmacy, but every day life. We were recently affected by the Derecho Storm that devastated West Virginia and this team stepped up by passing out water and using our store as a cooling station for the community. We have used the FlavorRx to increase compliance in a very socioeconomically depressed area, by offering free flavoring for all pediatric patients, along with a follow up call to the parents to check on Compliance. I truly believe my team here at Best Care Pharmacy of Weston is fully committed to Excellence!” ~Matthew, Best Care Pharmacy

• “Meeting a diverse group of people each and every day.” ~Steve, Walgreens

• “Best thing is being surrounded by a network of strong people” ~Mike, Pfizer

• “The best part about being a compounding pharmacist is helping patients who have special needs. We have patients who suffer from diseases for which there is not a lot of awareness, and we are able to address their needs. Even more satisfying is being able to help a patient with a medication recommendation for a particular condition, and then seeing him or her out in public months or years later only to find out that the medication worked well and they did not need to come back to us.” ~ Adam, Catasauqua Compounding Pharmacy

• “Talking and communicating with people. Having a personality to talk to people…Being a people person.” ~Bob, Pharmacy at North Shore Health

• “I love being able to get to know my customers on a personal basis and not them just being another face in the crowd. I like being able to relate or them being able to relate to me and know maybe I've been there too like with my migraines. I like all the aka things I've learned for my daughters sake for keeping us both out of the doctors office too.” ~Jim,South Oaks Pharmacy

Kid-friendly medication flavoring system is now part of the curriculum in majority of schools of pharmacy in the United States.

FLAVORx, the company behind the pediatric medication flavoring service found in most U.S. retail pharmacies, recently donated it's 100th pediatric medication flavoring system to a pharmacy school in the United States. Pharmacy schools that now incorporate a flavoring lab into their curriculum include the likes of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Harding University College of Pharmacy, Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy.

Fillmaster PLUS digital reconstitution and flavoring device uses bar code scanning technology to save pharmacists time and give United’s pharmacy patients the choice of how their medicine will taste.

United Supermarkets, LLC, the Texas-based operator of 43 pharmacies under the United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos United banners, and FLAVORx, makers of medication flavor choice and taste improvement systems, have agreed to terms on a chainwide rollout of the new Fillmaster Plus dispensing technology.