Sanders now a pharmacist
McMinnville has a new pharmacist in town. Nestor Stewart is proud to announce that Jeremy Sanders has taken a position as a full-time pharmacist at Stewart Plaza Pharmacy.
Sanders, a Warren County native, has been working for Stewart’s for some time, and credits his employment there as an influence on his choice of career.
‘I started when I was 19 as a pharmacy tech,’ Sanders said. ‘I was going to Motlow at the time with a major in pre-med. Then I started working here and liked the work, so I decided I might as well go on and get a degree for it.’
After Motlow, Sanders continued his education at Cumberland University in Lebanon where he got his Bachelor of Science. He then moved on to Campbell University in North Carolina where he spent four years earning his Doctorate of Pharmacy.
Sanders said he has maintained his connection with Stewart’s through most of his years in college and pharmacy school
‘I was working here off and on,’ Sanders said. ‘Part time some of the time, full time some of the time. When I was in North Carolina I would come back and work during the summer. Stewart’s has sort of been my home away from home,’ Sanders added with a grin.
Sanders says the Stewarts, particularly Nestor, have always supported and encouraged him to continue his education.
‘I’ve worked for him a long time,’ Sanders said. ‘They seem like family to me. He’s a really good pharmacist to work for. I hope I can be half the pharmacist he is. I really enjoy working for him.’
According to Sanders, the job appealed to him from the beginning.
‘The interaction with the people,’ Sanders said. ‘Being able to make a difference. The pharmaceutical care that we provide to the patients, being a step between the doctor and the patient. Being able to give them some more information, because sometimes the doctors are so busy. Hopefully I’ll be able to make my mark by being able to help the patients when they need it.’
Like most businesses, particularly in the medical industry, Sanders says pharmacy has seen some major changes over the years.
‘It’s changed quite a bit,’ Sanders said. ‘Pharmacy has become more clinical now than it used to be. We don’t do as much compounding as we used to do. Today it’s more patient oriented, instead of just putting a label on a bottle, putting it in a bag and sending it out.’
In fact, Stewart’s has Sanders working on an innovative program that is geared toward that goal.
‘They want me to do some more medication therapy management (MTM),’ Sanders said, ‘where we look at a patient’s profile, look at a patient’s drug list. Mostly for patients who have multiple disease states. We look over those and make sure they’re taking what they should be taking and there aren’t any interactions with what they’re taking.’
Sanders says he is looking forward to serving the customers at Stewart Plaza Pharmacy.
‘I’d like everyone to know that I’m here to help,’ Sanders said. ‘If they have any questions about their medication, I just want them to know I’m more than happy to help in any way I can.’