Hello there! Sorry for the long wait. So, here you go.
Here come an urgent story after a reflection made few weeks ago. I just felt the urge and the need for me to write and share this.
As you know, I have been working in a pharmacy for quite sometimes now. It has been around 4 months I guess. Though definitely, I am extremely tired and I got no time to pamper myself, it gave me priceless experience. It’s a place that taught me to appreciate people, trust (this one I’ve got some issue with it too. Trust is basically not easy. It’s build over time so work hard to gain it) and respect people no matter who they are and their social status or educational background.
Initially, it feels like there’s nothing I can gain from working there. Not that I believe in all those supplements can help with diseases. These days, when I felt like I was doing a thing without having a benefit, I would start to do my own reflection. It was like a homework to me. Thank you to that one friend who taught me to do reflection in life. Trust me, it helps a lot. You'll realize that your life turns out better.
Interesting about human judgement that, when you are at a place where you got nothing to offer, no one will trust or respect you. When I first worked there, those customers and patients only knew me as the pharmacist assistant, nothing more than that. I never expose or tell people that I’m a medical graduates. I like it very much and I’m glad I did that. To be able to stand at a place where you can see how people treat and judge you when you have nothing to offer them. I need to see the judgement of people from this point of view. Those patients thought that I can only help dispense medications and take things from the shelves blindly without having any knowledge to offer.
I get things like, “ Oh no, I don’t want to talk to you, I need to talk to a pharmacist cause I want to know whether my blood pressure results are normal or not. You wouldn’t know it. ” or things like, "Can you really check my blood glucose. I'm afraid that you are not reliable. Please call for someone else."
Maybe it’s just Malaysian or maybe it’s human norm that when they saw people working as shop assistant, cashier, working in food and beverages store, those are the people who failed in school, the school dropout and they have got no future. Furthermore, these are the people that those from higher educational background and social status would look down on and treat them without respect. But people, please, they have feelings too. Please respect people the way you always want people to respect you.
I guess Malaysian education system need to stop emphasizing so much on being the number one or the genius but start working on the attitude, manners and respect because if you noticed most of us are lack of that no matter how smart and genius we are.
Getting back to my topic, if you were asked as above questions, will you be offended? Now, imagine if someone did that to your family members. I was quite pissed off. Nevertheless, it changed me and my way of thinking in a good way and along with that I believe I made improvement in life. That’s why I always believe that every person that we met, whether or not we like it, have something to teach us. We just need to observe a lot. Life is trying to teach you something.
Thus, one of the ways that I used to approach them was offering my knowledge and skills at my best. So, each time after I came back from work (that's if I still have the energy to revise) or before I go to work I will read back on my notes, journal or find reading materials that can help. I do learn a lot from the pharmacists too and I'm glad that it has always been a two way learning process all these while. Besides, practicing on what you read through will make your knowledge last longer. These patients wouldn’t trust you when you are talking or offering facts for the first time as they know you got nothing. Like, “ Dude, do you even owned a degree to tell me something like this?” But these patients are regular patients who will come back monthly to get their hypertension or diabetes medications supply as they don’t want to come back and see their doctors. When I asked why? Reason being, doctors don’t understand them and they won’t listen. And I guess it’s true sometimes. Maybe because of time constraint. And I always heard that doctors nag and scold them when they are doing something not right. (Example: not compliance on their medications)
Be it the cleaner, the officer, the clerk, doctor, lawyer, engineer, we should respect them without the need to judge their educational background, their social status, the car they used, the shoes and clothes that they wore or the language that they spoke. Poor or rich, everybody has the right to be respected. You will never know or understand how sad someone who's the breadwinner of the family, working hard to earn money, doing what you defined as filthy job yet a permissible one being treated like a trash, not respected and looked down onto. No one ever want that to happen in their life but that's a journey written for them. Have a little respect for people around you and be kind as you don't know the battle that they are going through. Learn to appreciate people the way you always wanted to be appreciated. Don't ever make someone cry and think that their life are useless.
On the side note; Dear patients, if any of you are reading these, please do know that doctors don't get angry at you without purpose. We have always wanted the best for you. It's because we saw our parents eyes, our family each time we look through your eyes. Everything we do or decide, you will be our main concern and priority. Know that we have pledged to give our best and it has always been one of our responsibilities to keep you safe all the time.
I get things like, “ Oh no, I don’t want to talk to you, I need to talk to a pharmacist cause I want to know whether my blood pressure results are normal or not. You wouldn’t know it. ” or things like, "Can you really check my blood glucose. I'm afraid that you are not reliable. Please call for someone else."
Maybe it’s just Malaysian or maybe it’s human norm that when they saw people working as shop assistant, cashier, working in food and beverages store, those are the people who failed in school, the school dropout and they have got no future. Furthermore, these are the people that those from higher educational background and social status would look down on and treat them without respect. But people, please, they have feelings too. Please respect people the way you always want people to respect you.
I guess Malaysian education system need to stop emphasizing so much on being the number one or the genius but start working on the attitude, manners and respect because if you noticed most of us are lack of that no matter how smart and genius we are.
Getting back to my topic, if you were asked as above questions, will you be offended? Now, imagine if someone did that to your family members. I was quite pissed off. Nevertheless, it changed me and my way of thinking in a good way and along with that I believe I made improvement in life. That’s why I always believe that every person that we met, whether or not we like it, have something to teach us. We just need to observe a lot. Life is trying to teach you something.
Thus, one of the ways that I used to approach them was offering my knowledge and skills at my best. So, each time after I came back from work (that's if I still have the energy to revise) or before I go to work I will read back on my notes, journal or find reading materials that can help. I do learn a lot from the pharmacists too and I'm glad that it has always been a two way learning process all these while. Besides, practicing on what you read through will make your knowledge last longer. These patients wouldn’t trust you when you are talking or offering facts for the first time as they know you got nothing. Like, “ Dude, do you even owned a degree to tell me something like this?” But these patients are regular patients who will come back monthly to get their hypertension or diabetes medications supply as they don’t want to come back and see their doctors. When I asked why? Reason being, doctors don’t understand them and they won’t listen. And I guess it’s true sometimes. Maybe because of time constraint. And I always heard that doctors nag and scold them when they are doing something not right. (Example: not compliance on their medications)
Be it the cleaner, the officer, the clerk, doctor, lawyer, engineer, we should respect them without the need to judge their educational background, their social status, the car they used, the shoes and clothes that they wore or the language that they spoke. Poor or rich, everybody has the right to be respected. You will never know or understand how sad someone who's the breadwinner of the family, working hard to earn money, doing what you defined as filthy job yet a permissible one being treated like a trash, not respected and looked down onto. No one ever want that to happen in their life but that's a journey written for them. Have a little respect for people around you and be kind as you don't know the battle that they are going through. Learn to appreciate people the way you always wanted to be appreciated. Don't ever make someone cry and think that their life are useless.
On the side note; Dear patients, if any of you are reading these, please do know that doctors don't get angry at you without purpose. We have always wanted the best for you. It's because we saw our parents eyes, our family each time we look through your eyes. Everything we do or decide, you will be our main concern and priority. Know that we have pledged to give our best and it has always been one of our responsibilities to keep you safe all the time.
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