Q&A: An Independent Pharmacy Owner’s Perspective on Pharmacists in Health Care

Many health care experts in recent history have strived to support and praise the efforts of pharmacists across the country. As the most accessible and frontward-facing providers in the US health care system, pharmacists take pride in their ability to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of patients on a daily basis.

“The reward comes when you are servicing those patients in the whole aspect, not just on the health aspect. When we look at wellness, it's mind, body, and spirit,” said TaQuina Warren, PharmD, owner of Focus Pharmacy in Smyrna, Delaware.

To celebrate American Pharmacists Month in October, we sat down with Warren to rehash her time in pharmacy. We explored how she became a pharmacist, the areas within the profession that excite her the most, and the overall challenges and rewards that pharmacists are so familiar with.

"When we look at wellness, it's mind, body, and spirit,” said Warren. | image credit: bernardbodo / stock.adobe.com

Drug Topics: What initially drew you to the pharmacy profession and how has your career path unfolded?

TaQuina Warren: Honestly, pharmacy was not on my radar. In school, I wanted to be an OBGYN and quickly I realized I wasn't really going to do too good with blood and that kind of stuff. So, my chemistry teacher in 11th grade mentioned pharmacy and I did a little bit of research. I still have a relationship with my 2nd grade teacher, even then and now. She got me connected with a VP that was for a small hometown chain in Delaware at the time called Happy Harry's. I was able to intern with Happy Harry's even before starting college, and quickly realized that this is something that I could do. I was connected with the community and felt as though I can help folks in the community. I will say, working at Happy Harry's catapulted things.

Once I attended pharmacy school [at] Howard, I realized I had a passion for diabetes education. When I graduated from pharmacy school in 2004, I mentioned to my husband, “Maybe one day, I'll own my own pharmacy.” Of course, 16 years later is when it actually came to fruition. But I am so proud and so happy to now be the owner of an independent pharmacy.

Drug Topics: Can you talk about some of the rewards and challenges that you face in your practice setting?

TaQuina Warren: With opening a pharmacy in this day in time, we have to deal with declining reimbursements. We had to deal with DIR fees. We have to deal with the costs of medications, but we also have to deal with shortages of medications and assisting our patients. Not to say that these aren't challenges that we can overcome, but they are challenges that we face. [The] population that I do deal with is mainly the underserved, so we have to deal with those social determinants of health as well when we're looking at servicing our patients.

But the reward comes when you are able to assist those patients with whatever need that they have. What I'm excited about and what I am passionate about with independent pharmacy is not only am I giving you medication, but it's more than that. I'm not just their pharmacist; sometimes I'm just the lending ear, or I am the social worker trying to navigate their challenges on the outside. The reward comes when you are servicing those patients in the whole aspect, not just on the health aspect. When we look at wellness, it's mind, body, and spirit. I've received many awards and accolades not just in pharmacy in general, but at the end of the day, when your patient says, “Thank you,” or your patient says, “I love you,” that is the biggest reward you could get.

Drug Topics: Can you share something unique about your practice setting or your patient population that exemplifies the value of pharmacists within patient care?

TaQuina Warren: [At] Focus [Pharmacy], as of this year, we did a little bit of renovating where I wanted to have a space that was really inviting. When I first opened Focus and things were just starting to build up—actually, I opened 8 months before the pandemic, so that was a challenge in itself—I would have folks come and hang out, almost like they were here to support me, even though they may have already gotten their prescription. They knew I wasn't that busy, so they would come and they would chat. Or as business started to pick up, patients that would be waiting for a prescription, they're chatting amongst each other, and they just sit down. So, I'm looking at this, and I'm saying to myself, “Wow, this is almost like a safe space, maybe a sanctuary,” where folks can just hang out. Not only will they connect with other members of the community, but they're connecting with me, and in the process, they're getting [an] education while they're here.

In March of this year, we actually changed the front area where there was medication there, but it now looks like more of a lounge and cafe. We offer education services right there in the front of the pharmacy, whether it's on diabetes—which is my specialty—or nutrition. For example, we had [an] activity where it was called “Salad in a Jar.” We taught [patients] how to layer salad in a mason jar, which can last a couple days [and] we put in our little Tupperware containers. [It’s] just to empower them on [how] it's fun to be able to eat healthy, [and] you can have a really good meal. It's [these] kind of activities that we do. I've told people, “The way that it looks when they come in, they don't think it's a pharmacy.” But they also feel different too when they come in. I said, “Hey, don't be surprised if we have a live band in here on a Friday night,” just to tap into that wellness piece of self-care and all those things that come around mind, body, and spirit.

Drug Topics: What are the biggest opportunities for pharmacists to expand their role within patient care today's health care landscape?

TaQuina Warren: It's exciting to see how pharmacy as a profession is flourishing. [For] folks that were behind the counter, you may have saw our eyeballs and nothing else because we were behind the counter and on the line preparing the patient. We are more clinical. The opportunities are basically endless for us as pharmacists. We are able to be a huge part of a patient’s health care team, and that's the thing that I'm most excited about. You are able to connect and collaborate with physicians [that] specialize in different areas.

It's amazing and I am excited for us pharmacists because you can get real creative as well. I see, especially with the independent landscape, the things that we do in our communities and servicing the community, whether it's in long-term care. It's just so many opportunities that you can set yourself apart from any other pharmacist and get just a different feel of what's going on. Being able to educate our communities and be that pillar in the community when it comes to health and wellness is what's paramount.

Drug Topics: After garnering so much success throughout your career, what does it feel like to be such a useful resource in the community, and how does that motivate you to continue your work as a pharmacist?

TaQuina Warren: I have to tell you, it's very humbling. I look at myself as just little old TaQuina being kind to people. When patients, or even folks that I don't even know, when I come into contact with, they say, “Oh, I heard about you. You're Dr. T from Focus Pharmacy,” and I'm like, “You did?” I had a lady come last week she said, “You're famous!” I didn't think I made that status yet.

But to be able to impact lives that you don't even know that you're impacting is so humbling, it really is. Like I said, just being kind to people, or when I'm in the community and doing education at churches or at schools, them saying, “Thank you,” or “I didn't even know a pharmacist did this.” Just being able to do that, it does my heart really, really good. Again, I'm little old TaQuina who went to pharmacy school and wanted to help people in a way that I knew was fulfilling for me. I will have to say it's humbling and fulfilling to be able to impact my community in a way that I never thought possible. It's amazing; that’s the only word I can come up with.

To read more from this series, visit our American Pharmacists Month resource center.

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