My boss has taught me some of the most important things that I know. When I turned 16, I started working as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens. It was a complicated job that required a lot of knowledge that I did not know yet. Even after weeks of watching training videos and reading about information, I still felt like I was lost. 

One of the pharmacists though, Suzi, was always willing to help me.

“How was school today?” she asked every time that I arrived for my shift.

She didn’t make me feel bad or stupid for not knowing how to do something. When there was an insurance rejection, she walked me through the steps to try to solve it. When there was an angry customer, she set an example for how to act. When there were vaccination appointments, she taught me how to enter them into the system. I saw how she communicated with patients, I knew that she really cared about them.

“Suzi, can you look at this insurance reject?” I asked her.

“Of course. Come look, I’ll show you how to solve it.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief, jotting the solution down in my notes.

If I made a mistake, Suzi didn’t get mad. She explained to me how to correct it so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. When there was a rush, she would come help. When I was getting overwhelmed, she would be there to ground me. 

There were quiet moments in the pharmacy, when there were no patients and we could talk about whatever we wanted. She asked me about my family, my dogs, and how my classes were going. When I was sending in my college applications, she asked me where I applied, what my dream school was, and what I wanted to major in. She was so excited for me when I told her I got into UW-Madison. She actually cared about my personal life, and being able to joke around with her made work even better, and it made me more comfortable.

That is why Suzi is a big part of why I decided I wanted to be a pharmacist. She helped develop my love for medicine, always telling me details about specific drugs. Not only that, but I could see the impact she had on our customers and how thankful they were for her. She has been helping a lot of these people for years, she was familiar with their medical history, and she always recognized people when they came up to the counter. 

What she has taught me, not only information but also emotional skills, will stick with me for a lifetime.