Humans of Healthcare: Danielle Anderson

Danielle Anderson is a pharmacy technician in Roseburg and has been for over 20 years. She's lived in Douglas County for over 40 years. She loves her job as a pharmacy tech and is invested in her patients well being, despite the workload almost doubling in recent months. “Having 4 kids, 3 of which are still at home, and being a single parent -- I've been so exhausted from long hours,” Anderson said. “My youngest is in sports, so she's needing my attention and taken to and from practices, to trying to get them fed and ready for school... It's a lot. “My job has drastically changed recently. In the last month since the Bi-mart stores have closed our volume has increased significantly and the days are getting busier and busier. Normally on a typical Monday we would do around 400 prescriptions. Now a normal Monday is 600 or more. It's like that the rest of the week. Prescriptions for the week were around 1600 now it's 2400+ “I have noticed that in general people are very understanding or really trying to be. Sure no one wants to wait in a line but it's encouraging to see patients being pleasant, sticking up for you, being understanding, bringing cookies etc., just the little things. We had a patient just today who was very upset and she went out of her way to come back and apologize. That shows me that people are really trying to be understanding when I know it's a difficult and frustrating time for a lot of people. “I just think it's very important for people to understand that we are genuinely there to help you. I would also want people to know that in order to not make mistakes, certain things have to be done and sometimes those things take longer than anticipated. Mistakes in medicine can be deadly and it's our job to protect you whether that's calling the doctor to verify a dose, double counting medication, or counseling patients on medication they have never used. It's all for the safety of the patient. I will also add that we love our patients. We become attached to some degree and when we get phone calls from a loved one that their family member has passed, we cry as well. I guess I just really want people to know how much we care. “COVID booster shots have been approved for all adults making a bad situation worse for pharmacies. We are already slammed with covid and flu shots daily and the wait is usually an hour just for a shot. Pharmacists are trying to get people their medicine on top of trying to inoculate patients. It's inevitable there will be longer than usual wait times. “I feel like the best way the community can help is to be understanding. I know things are tough right now and we are doing everything we can. We will go out of our way to help you but know there are hundreds of other people that need help as well. This is an amazing community and with everyone's help and understanding, this too shall pass.” *** Humans of Healthcare is a series of stories introducing people who work in the healthcare profession to the community at large, to see past "healthcare" as an institution and to see the humans at work inside.