Being a Nomad

The last 6 months have been an incredible journey for me. My work life has changed drastically, but for the most part it has changed for the better. I previously tried to keep my work life out of this blog. I can't do this this time because the change in work status has greatly affected my home life, again mostly for the better.

I was, for 12 years, the supervising pharmacist in a single store of a large chain. I worked up the business over these 12 years. When I got the store it was literally on the chopping block about to be closed. I worked it up to a sizable clientele over the years despite some of the partners of questionable temperaments I was given. I hear by the way, they are still doing well.

I was given a lot of song and dance about 6 months ago about performance and company markers not being where they were expected to be and was given options as to my placement in the company. A side note here; I have since pulled everything apart that was said and do have it on paper. This exercise was more for my piece of mind than regaining my position. The way things were handled it would be impossible for me to return to my old store now or in the future. Which brings me to the options given to me. The 2 stores offered were not options on many levels. The last option was to "float" which is what I chose. (A "floating" pharmacist fills in when staff pharmacists go on vacations/call in sick etc. I have always hated the term, but I have to admit in some cases it is appropriate, and read anything into that statement you want it's probably what I really did mean.)

I won't lie to you, when the store thing fell apart I was devastated. Words cannot describe my feelings, unless I wanted to be typing them out for days and even then I'm sure I'd miss some. Then I started doing the floating gig and it was like a whole new me emerged. I was no longer tied down to the responsibilities of anything other than doing my job. I am responsible for implementing corporate policy and procedures but since I'm only in a store for a day or two at most in any given week, I am not responsible for store figures. I no longer have to be on conference calls or go to home office meetings on my days off. I do not have to go into my store any longer to make sure people are doing what they are supposed to or wondering what problem I am going to walk into on my next day that someone has deemed an "SP" problem. I am free! Free to be my happy cheerful self. Free of the stress that this project or that project is not going as fast as it should and that I may have to go in on my day off to complete it. I don't go into work knowing who is working with me and knowing ahead of time what the problems will be completing the day with these people. What tasks will lag due to the particular staff issues. I have found that the only thing I miss about my store are my patients and helping them. In 12 years I made many friends along the way. I do occasionally see some of them. I work in many area stores near my old one and some of my closest patrons have left on their own seeking pharmacists "more like me". One of them told me she looked for me on facebook recently, unfortunately I'm not there anymore. I may need to update that situation I really do miss the people I served over the years.

I have never been a fan of Machiavelli. I have never believed that the end justifies the means...ever! In this case though I have to admit the man had a point in limited scenarios and I will make this one exception. I have met a whole world full of people and shared experiences with them and had a grand time doing it. My name was new to the Nomadic roster (refusing to use the term floater to categorize my status) so many techs didn't know what to expect from me when I showed up. As SP for 12 years most of the SP's of the stores I went to recognized my name and at least new of me. There were many questions as to what happened that I tap danced around at first, mainly because at first I wasn't even sure what had happened. Now I just tell them I needed less stress and decided to do Nomad work for a while till I got my bearings straight again. I have to say I will never get tired of hearing, "oh thank god they sent you today, we like working with you." or "we saw you were coming and got excited." Nope, it never gets old.

I know at some point I will want to set some roots down and have a store of my own to call home but today is not that day. I like the fact that the most stressful part of my day is figuring out where the store I'm going to is located. Let's here it for online mapping sites! It also probably helps that I love to drive. Although, I have to admit my scheduler is wonderful and she keeps me pretty local most of the time.

So, for the people who read this blog on occasion that have been wondering what has happened to me I am alive, free, happy, and doing fine (and my family likes me a whole lot better these days too).