Living Well In the Life of a Pharmacist

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When elementary teachers ask their pupils what they want to be when they grow up, they expect to get answers such as: astronaut, firefighter, or teacher. I was obviously not your typical ten year old. I wanted to become someone who helped sick people feel better. I was stuck between a doctor and a pharmacist. Because I do not do well with blood, I chose to become a pharmacist. Sure a pharmacist was not as “cool” as an astronaut, but I had a great reason on why I wanted to become a pill pusher. When I was eight years old my mother passed away from a liver disease. No one knew she had this disease, no one except for her. She had gone to the doctor and they told her everything was fine. Clearly everything was not fine. Maybe, just maybe, if the doctor had given her some medicine she would have still been here today.

Fast forward five years down the road, I remember watching the Discovery Channel with my grandparents. We were watching a documentary on how drugs worked in the body. I remember seeing commercials all the time about how drugs go to the site of pain and stop it at the source. According to the documentary, this was definitely not the case. Most pain relievers affect the central nervous system, causing the pain to not reach the brain. One way you can look at it is a passing play in football. Pretend the football is the “pain,” the receiver is the “brain,” and a defensive player is the “drug.” The ball is being thrown to the receiver but, out of nowhere comes a defensive player. The defensive player leaps and intercepts the ball. The pain never made it to the brain, so you never get that terrible sensation. Everything about that documentary just made me want to learn more about drugs and their effects on the human body.
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...sociation, American Pharmacists. Pharmacy Professionalism Toolkit for Students and Faculty. 11 March 1991. 12 February 2012 .

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Hibma, Taylor. Characteristics of a Pharmacist. 2 June 2011. 12 February 2012 .

Hill, Rod. "Pharmacy." Pharmacist. Chicago, IL: Rod Hill, 17 March 2009. 1-3.

Merriam-Webster. Pharmacy. 8 February 2012. 8 February 2012 .

University, Auburn. Important Academic Policies. 15 February 2012. 15 February 2012 .

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