Author: spokanepharmacyassociation

Message from the Board
By: SPA Executive Vice President Steven Webbenhurst

November is here and it seems like the days go by even faster than ever. I read an interesting story online today about a woman and her kids that ran in to a Target store to grab a few things. They were in a hurry, something I think we can all relate to. The woman was happy to find a check-out lane that only had one customer ahead of her, and that customer was already being rung out. But soon the mother realized that the customer was paying for each of her items separately and with cash and coins. The clerk was being very kind and helping the customer find the correct change for each purchase. The mother was like many of us, wondering how she had picked a slow check-out lane. But the mother then realized her kids were watching the kindness of the clerk. Suddenly the mother realized that this was one of those “teachable moments” with her kids. After the customer was finished, the mother paid for her things and commented to the cashier how patient he had been with the previous customer.

As the hours of daylight shorten this time of year, and we all start to feel the added pressures of the upcoming holidays, I think that for most of us, we become more hurried in everything we do. Do we know what’s going on in the personal lives of those we work with? Do we REALLY know? And how about with our friends and family? Do we REALLY know what is going on with them? Do we know what stresses they might be feeling? Students feel the pressure of deadlines and finals. I think we all know what that is/was like.

I’ve decided that I’m going to concentrate on avoiding some of the stresses that come this time of year. I’m going to be more patient with all those around me. That includes my family of course, but also those I work with and those I interact with each day. So for me, that includes my fellow pharmacists, technicians and interns, doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and especially patients. I try to be compassionate to all those people, but I know there are times when I’m rushed, and don’t give them the time they deserve. I hope that this year, I’ll take a deep breath when interacting with others, and try to better understand their needs. I urge you to do the same thing, for your sake as well as those around you!

Message from the Board
By: SPA Executive Vice President Steven Webbenhurst

As many parents sigh with relief that summer vacation is over, all of us return to a sense of normalcy. For students, they are back in class. For pharmacists and technicians, work changes slightly as fewer employees take vacation, prescription volume returns to a steady flow, and there are fewer phone calls to insurance companies for vacation overrides at retail sites.

As we all return to our routines, it’s a great time to make efforts to fix issues in the work or home environment and make our lives less stressful.

Have you heard of the 21/90 rule? It’s simple enough. If we commit to a goal or change for 21 days, it becomes a habit. If you continue for another 90 days, it will be a permanent lifestyle change.

So I challenge all of you to pick one or two things that you want to change. It can be something like workflow, your interactions with patients, your attitude toward others, or something personal.

Focus on the change until October 1st, and you stand a good chance of making that change a new habit.

Something that I did was to alter my morning routine. I am scheduled to start work at 7:45 and have about a 30 minute commute. But I leave home almost an hour early, so I feel relaxed in case there are traffic issues or if I want to run an errand prior to work. I find that doing this, creates a less stressful morning for me. I get a jump start on work and it makes for a good start to my work day.

So, what one or two habits do you want to alter? Get others around you to commit to making the change too if it’s a work related change. Remember, just 21 days and you’re on your way to making a new and better habit.

Good luck!

Message from the Board
By: SPA Executive Vice President Steven Webbenhurst

Time is flying and the longest day of the year (sunrise to sunset) is just around the corner on June 21st!

Did you know that on that day, we have 15 hours, 59 minutes and 33 seconds between sunrise and sunset in Spokane? We miss having 16 hours of sunlight by a mere 27 seconds! That is more than 7.5 more hours of sunlight than our shortest day in December.

Think of those people that live further north in the world. The difference is even more dramatic. A few years ago I was fortunate to travel to Alaska for work twice during that summer. Daylight lasted forever it seemed. I was in Anchorage for a total of about 5 weeks and loved that it was still dusk at midnight, but the long days really messed up my mind’s perception of when I should go to bed. We would be out eating dinner and enjoying the city and suddenly realize it was 11pm!

Of course the opposite is true in the winter when they have less than 5.5 hours of sunlight in Anchorage. Residents there told me that people force themselves to be active in the winter so that they don’t go crazy. There are lots of evening activities planned so that people don’t hibernate for the winter.

Our summer days are shorter here in Spokane than they are in Anchorage, but we still enjoy the late sunsets. It seems easy here to be active during those evenings. Summer can be a busy time with trips planned and active kids to watch over, but summer for most of us is an enjoyable time. For those in the education world, it is a break from the stresses of school.

The Spokane Pharmacy Association also takes a bit of a break during the summer. We typically don’t have continuing education programs or promote drug-company sponsored dinners during July and August. Social/networking events don’t start again until fall.

The board hopes that all of our members enjoy their summer, but hope you also look forward to those events starting again in the fall. We will be in touch again before summer is over, alerting you to what great things we have planned for the fall.

Have a great summer!