Dear Intern: 20 Things your lecturer won’t tell you about being a young Professional.

The 1st of February will go down in history as one of the most important days of my life,and no,there is no sand in any hour glass. The reason why this day is so important to me is because it marked the end of my year as a Pharmacist Intern.

It was a tough year to say the very least; a year in which my character went under triple bypass and then plastic surgery . The year had its fair share of battles that had to be fought and with them came many victories that were won.I thought I was prepared for the year that has just passed and in certain instances I was. However, It would have  helped if I had been told a little more about the School of Life,before I had enrolled.

Here are a few pointers and lessons that I learnt along the way my dear intern friend:

1) Work is work so leave it at work.

Why carry the weight of the day back home with you? As soon as you clock out forget about the day that has just passed,go home,prepare a hearty meal and relax. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

2) Don’t take things personally!

Just before my sister dropped me off at the airport  in February 2014,she gave me this little pearl of wisdom and she was right. Some of my unhappiest moments were when I had taken things to heart. If you know that something isn’t true,why let it fester?

3)Ask if you are not sure.

Our profession is a serious one in that we are dealing with people’s lives. You always have to have a double check. My one colleague once said that it’s better to ask and be sure than to harm a patient . Don’t get it twisted, there is no such thing as YOLO when you are picking medication for a patient.

4) Go in with an attitude of wanting to learn.

When you feel like you know everything,ask what else you can learn.Once you feel like you’ve arrived,brush up on what you already know. In essence,learning is a continuous process and you actually never really arrive.

5) Order your day.

Mama was right,to-do lists are amazing . You will more than likely be bombarded with tasks and it’s easy to forget a thing or two during the course of the day. My advice to you is this,write your to do list in the morning,check it at midday and again at  the end of the day.

WARNING:DO NOT FORGET TO ASSESS THE FRIDGE TEMPERATURE!!!

6) Celebrate the small victories.

Such as passing your preregistration exam and being found competent in all your Competence Standards. Also celebrate things like delivering scheduled medication to the wards on time and ticking everything off your to do list.

7) Learn to laugh.

At yourself and with your workmates. I quite enjoyed putting on a British accent and my best Indian accent,owing to the fact that I worked in Chatsworth. I used to struggle with pronouncing some names and surnames when handling doctor queries. Naturally this resulted in laughter.

Me:”Good day doctor,it’s Tinashe calling from the Pharmacy at ABC Hospital.Patient X has a Penicillin allergy and I see you have prescribed Adco-ceftriaxone.”

Doctor: “I’m sorry,but do you mind repeating that name.”

Me: “Ummm…Patient X.”

(Long pause then laughter is heard from the other end of  the telephone).

8) Stay humble.

Okay so we know that you went to University and  obtained a Degree with honours,we also know that you have all this book knowledge. Congrats my friend,that’s awesome but in many instances you may not have that much work experience and you may find that you won’t use much of what you were taught in lectures. This is when humility should step in,as everyone will be your teacher. From the finance clerk,to the student,to the assistant right through to the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Manager.

9)Think things through logically.

This will help when you are put under the spotlight or called into THE OFFICE to explain how you ordered “Two Bazillion Rands” worth of stock..or delivered drugs to the incorrect ward..gasp!

10) Build a safety net.

This should be a network of close friends and family, with whom you can share your frustrations with. These are the friends that will be there to pick you up when you fall. They will also help you see opportunities for growth,when you yourself can’t see them. They will rebuke you from a place of love if you keep dropping the ball and laugh at your pain, but thankfully not in a mocking way.

11) Shake it off Like Taylor Swift.

Truth be told,

“The haters are gonna hate,HATE, HATE!”

If people say that “You are lightning on your feet,” then you will definitely need to shake it off. Oh my word, I just understood what that phrase means..ha ha!

To everyone who isn’t a Taylor fan,you are forgiven but at least remember the legend of  Edwardo the Spanish Donkey who got stuck in a well.The villagers didn’t know how to get him out so they decided to fill the well up with sand. As more dirt was thrown at him,he shook it off and took a step up until he eventually climbed up out of the well.

12) Do not, in fact never disqualify yourself!

It’s unhealthy and hinders growth and development. Rather ask for pointers on how you can improve. Instead of agreeing with negative feedback use it as a stepping stone for growth. When you keep being told the same thing over and over,it’s perhaps time for a little introspection. Ask yourself,why do my supervisors keep saying the same thing?

13) Use your leave to do something epic.

Staying at home is lame,visit a new Province,go wine tasting or hiking . N.B:Remember to hand your responsibilities over to someone else when you go on leave.If you don’t,no one will do the work for you. #Justsaying.

14) Weekends are sacred.

Use them not only to rest but to also explore and get lost in the City.I found that this gave me perspective and sharpened my desire to work harder. Resting will give you a fresh outlook on the week that lies ahead.

15) You only have two hands.

It’s okay to say I can’t right now or I’ll get to it once I’m finished with the  task I’m currently completing. Unfortunately,not everyone has super human strength like Chuck Norris or Idris Elba.

16) Keep it professional.

Although some of your colleagues may end up being good friends. Just remember that work is work. You are not at work to have a good time but to add value and to ensure that the work gets done.

17) Double check your work and pay attention to detail.

Pharmacists are meant to be meticulous . Every single step must be double checked.

18)Set goals at the beginning of each month.

Monitor your progress against a monthly year planner. This will highlight areas of growth and show you any gaps that need to be addressed.By the end of the year,you will be surprised by how much you’ve learnt.

“He who adds to something,little by little makes it grow.”

19)When it wasn’t you,say it wasn’t you.

Why should you take the fall for things you didn’t do? When you do make a mistake, own up. You might get hung out to dry,excuse me for being crude,but a solution will be found. Small mistakes that are dealt with at grass roots level,will not escalate into veld fires.

20) Never give up!!!

When you think about quitting or don’t feel like going to work,think of the bigger picture. Why did you take this internship on in the first place? What were you hoping to achieve by the end of it? Also remember what Sir Winston Churchill said:

“Never give in. Never give in. Never,never,never,never-in nothing great or small,large or petty – never give in,except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

In hindsight, I had a fantastic year. The exposure that I gained opened my eyes to what Pharmacy has to offer as a career. The lessons learnt will be of great use in the seasons to come and I’m indebted to my workmates and friends who supported me along the way. All the best for the year,you will do well!I’m routing for you!

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