Supercenter pharmacy manager brings a personal touch to patient care.
Although Store 7129 is a Walmart Supercenter, the town where it’s located—Ogallala, Nebraska—has a population of just 5,000. And with the next closest Walmart an hour away, the store and its pharmacy serve a vital role in the community, pharmacy manager DyAnne Smith explains.
“I truly feel like I get to know my patients, and it's easier for me to know not only what they want but what they need out of their pharmacist.”
That personal connection means that when a patient doesn’t show up for their regular medications, the pharmacy staff takes notice and sends a reminder. “My techs and I really try to keep an eye on people, especially our regulars,” she says.
Going the Extra Mile
DyAnne went even further recently, going out to check on two regulars who hadn’t been to the store in a while.
“They're an older couple who always visited in the mornings,” DyAnne shares. “They'd always buy some canned soup and things like that for their meals and bring it back to the pharmacy to pay. And we hadn't seen them for a few days, which I thought was weird. But then some of their scripts went to day 10, which was when I'm like, ‘Okay, that is absolutely unheard of for them.’”
After trying to reach out by phone, first by calling the couple’s home and then by calling their kids, DyAnne drove to their house. A car was in the driveway, but no one answered her knock at the door.
Fearing the worst, DyAnne was on the phone with the police when a neighbor appeared.
It turned out that the wife was in the hospital. The husband was frail and confused, the neighbor explained. He had been visiting the neighbor when DyAnne was knocking on his door. She and the neighbor helped him get home, where DyAnne asked about his medications.
“I tried to check what medications he had left and happened to see a little thing under the couch that I knew was one of our [pill bottle] lids,” DyAnne says. She helped him get his medications back in order and made sure he knew what to take and when.
A Close-Knit Team
DyAnne, who has been with Walmart for five years, started at the store as a pharmacy manager after becoming licensed.
Starting as a manager had its challenges but, DyAnne says, “I started with a really good staff pharmacist who had been in management at prior companies. She helped teach me the ropes.”
Associates at the store are a close-knit group. “We know what each other needs. We know what each other wants. If one of us isn't very good with handling something, we turn to the person who is.”
For DyAnne and her pharmacy family, teamwork truly makes the dream work.
Sam’s Club and Walmart pharmacists play an important role in helping our communities stay healthy. We’re celebrating each and every one of them for Pharmacy Appreciation Month 2022. Check out more stories from the pharmacy on WalmartWorld.com.
