Running a pharmacy can be extremely complicated and time-consuming. On top of the usual pressures from running a business, pharmacy owners are responsible for ensuring the modernization and longevity of their businesses. Reading is a useful practice that can help you grow as a pharmacist, keep up with all the changes in the industry, and take some of the pressure off your shoulders.
Pharmacists may choose to read a book themselves or have an audiobook read for them. Regardless, the books written by pharmacists and for pharmacists, along with books that help anyone succeed in life, can be valuable resources for pharmacy owners.
Refreshers for Running a Pharmacy
Whether you’re just getting started as a pharmacist or you’re a seasoned pharmacy owner, a refresher is always useful. You could always learn something new from these books, or they may even remind you of something you’ve forgotten. Either way, these books serve as practical reference guides for any pharmacist.
- Memorizing Pharmacology: A Relaxed Approach – Tony Guerra, Pharm.D, gives simple and concise instructions about how to memorize important pharmacology-related information in his book. Guerra writes with an easy-to-read style that is helpful to pharmacy owners who need to read quickly or listen closely.
- Medical Terminology: Learn to Pronounce, Understand and Memorize Over 2000 Medical Terms – Medical terminology is constantly expanding and pharmacists can struggle to keep up with so many terms. This information-packed book was just published in February 2019, so it contains the most up-to-date info that pharmacists can use to stay current with thousands of medical terms.
- Dosage Calculations: A Workbook with 120 Questions and Full Solutions For Nurses, Pharmacy Technicians and Other Medical Practitioners – Using a workbook to practice calculating dosages may bring you back to your days as a student. Whether the process is nostalgic for you or not, a little practice calculating dosages can go a long way to refresh your memory and strengthen your skills.
Tips From Pharmacists
Running a pharmacy, like any other kind of work, can be lonely and isolating. Sure, you have coworkers or employees that work with you and provide advice, but you need another perspective sometimes.Pharmacists have written countless books for other pharmacists about their field that can help you see your work from a different angle. Here are some books that were written by people who have walked in your shoes.
Letters by Pharmacists, for Pharmacists
Many pharmacists have written firsthand accounts about their jobs. Stories from other pharmacists’ provide valuable insight for anyone in the pharmacy business.
- Letters to a Young Pharmacist: Sage Advice on Life & Career from Extraordinary Pharmacists – You may or may not be a young pharmacist, but the stories that each writer tells in this book may teach you something new.
- Letters from Rising Pharmacy Stars: Advice on Creating and Advancing Your Career in a Changing Profession – Letters from Rising Pharmacy Stars is the perfect companion to Letters to a Young Pharmacist. The writers in this book focus on how to manage your career as a pharmacist.
- Letters from Pharmacy Residents: Navigating Your Career -33 young pharmacists tell stories about their pharmacy residencies, which allows for many different perspectives on the subject. The stories in Letters from Pharmacy Residents are intended to resonate with pharmacists in all stages of their careers.
Life Advice From Pharmacists
Aside from writing letters providing firsthand accounts of their careers, pharmacists have other ways to discuss their field through writing.
- Indispensable: The Prescription for a Fulfilling Pharmacy Career – Alex Barker reminds individuals in the pharmacy industry why their jobs are rewarding and how to work to the best of their ability. One of Barker’s intentions for the novel is to help pharmacists unleash their “secret strengths” to their full potential. The book also helps pharmacists deal with work-related stress and burnout.
- Pharmacotherapy: Improving Medical Education Through Clinical Pharmacy Pearls, Case Studies, & Common Sense – Eric Christianson shares wisdom he gained from his years of work as a clinical pharmacist. Christianson says “this is a book full of clinical pearls, case studies, and medication mistakes that every healthcare professional should know.”
- First Time Pharmacist: Everything You Didn’t Learn In School Or On-the-Job Training – Every job has its unwritten rules and lessons that mentors expect you to learn on your own. Richard Waithe shares some of these lessons with his readers that could benefit pharmacy veterans, as well.
Growth-Minded Books for Running a Pharmacy
While books written by pharmacists and for pharmacists are extremely useful, people outside of the field have written books that are helpful to pretty much anyone. Here are some books that aren’t necessarily about running a pharmacy, but would be helpful for pharmacists nonetheless.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie describes ways to make people like you and to persuade people to see your perspective. Carnegie’s book not only helps you to become a better pharmacist and business owner but also to become the best version of yourself.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen R. Covey explains how to improve yourself and solve the problems in your life. The book’s description says “Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity.”
What other insightful books have you read recently that provide information for pharmacists? Share your favorites in the comments below.