If you’re a first-time patient of ProxsysRx’s pharmacy at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, and you want to get Mariana Elia talking, really talking, it helps to know key trigger words. Key words and phrases like “Hello,” “How are you?” and “Tell me about yourself.” All highly effective for starting a lively conversation, to be sure.
But if you want Mariana’s laser-focused attention, nothing does it like “Can you help me?” Because as much as Mariana enjoys talking — with patients, customers, co-workers, etc. — she never forgets that her job starts with listening. “Besides,” she points-out, “a lot of patients who come to us are in no mood to talk, and it’s important for us to be sensitive to that.” And that, in short, is why Mariana is a pharmacist: To connect with, and serve, patients the way they want to be served.
It’s an approach that’s forged countless close relationships between the Egyptian-born Pharmacist In Charge and her patients, since she first earned her Florida license to practice in 2016. “Last year,” she says, “when I started telling patients I’d taken a new job, the response was overwhelming at times.” It goes without saying, plenty of patients (and co-workers) implored her to stay — but more than a few took their show of appreciation and gratitude a step further. “Several people sent me handwritten notes. Some gave me gift cards, one for $100!” Needless to say, on Mariana’s last day, there were tears-aplenty.
A tough but necessary decision
“I loved my last job. I loved the pharmacy, the location, the patients, and the organization I worked-for.” That last part, about loving the organization, is the first time we’ve ever heard that from a ProxsysRx pharmacist about a large chain — in this case, a grocer known for making shopping a pleasure. Which, of course, begs the question: Why did Mariana come to ProxsysRx? One word. “Family.” Much as Mariana loved her last job, the hours were not compatible with her role as a mother of three.
“I worked 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM weekdays, and most weekends — including Sundays. I really needed to be somewhere I could leave work in the afternoons and watch my children [two daughters and a son] pursuing their passions, whether it’s ballet, piano, volleyball or soccer. When they were younger, I didn’t even make it home, most days, in time to say Good Night.
“That’s another thing I love about ProxsysRx: The flexibility they give me to adjust my hours for my family. Drew [Holleman, ProxsysRx’s Director of Pharmacy Operations] is so kind, and so easy to deal with.” No surprise, she then goes-on to mention several other ProxsysRx colleagues she loves — including Corporate Trainers Becky Clark and CJ King, COO Billy Calhoun and Operations VP Heather Brooks. “Becky and CJ were absolutely great helping our entire staff get trained and acclimated to working with ProxsysRx and TMH. And Billy and Heather? They’re the reason I accepted the PIC position here. I actually joined ProxsysRx to be a staff pharmacist, and if they hadn’t felt so strongly about my management skills, I’d still be a staff pharmacist today.”
Making a difference in short order
Today, Mariana manages a staff of 11. And while the pharmacy’s initial daily prescription volume was a fraction of the number she’d typically filled at her old job, that number has tripled since she and her staff began introducing the pharmacy to TMH’s providers and clinical teams, floor-by-floor. That effort caught the immediate attention of TMH executives, who — in short order — asked Mariana if she’d be willing to take-on additional responsibilities with the hospital’s inpatient services. “When I told Drew I’d be doing that, the first thing he told me was, ‘Don’t let yourself get burned-out!’
“I really appreciated that, because that’s the way I used to feel after most days working nine to nine. Now, when 5:00 rolls around, I’m still excited and energized! I’m experiencing, and enjoying, so many new ways to serve patients — particularly with ProxsysRx’s Meds To Beds program.”
Mariana admits she still misses her former co-workers, who are always happy to see her when she’s in the store shopping for groceries (despite the fact, she says apologetically, that quite a few of her patients followed her to TMH). At the same time, it’s clear she’s found a home with ProxsysRx. “My husband likes to tease me that I had a steady job for ten years at one place, and never even considered going anywhere else. And then I apply for a single job opening, and here I am.”
If you know Mariana, that sounds like a good conversation starter.
Unlock your career potential in pharmacy with ProxsysRx
At ProxsysRx, we’re intent on preserving the reputation we’ve earned as an employer of choice. It’s why our company culture is centered around guiding principles we call “ProxsysRx Cares.”
We understand that our employees are people with lives and needs outside of work. From our generous paid-time off, to no evening hours at most locations, it’s our goal to be a place where you’ll feel valued and supported. A place where you’ll genuinely enjoy working. It’s an approach that’s good for our people, and in turn, for the patients and health systems we serve.
Here’s hoping that, someday soon, we’ll unlock your potential together!
