THOMSON, Ga. — Meghan Key has been interested in the health care field since she was a little girl. “My dad was a chemical engineer, and I loved chemistry. Also, my mom was a nurse, and I knew I wanted work in the health care field. My uncle was a pharmacist who owned his own pharmacy, and I found it very interesting. When I was 19 years old, I decided to work in a pharmacy to ensure I liked it, since I was on that path in college. I started working at CVS Pharmacy as a technician, loved it and became an intern a few years later after I was accepted into the University of Georgia pharmacy program. I graduated with my doctorate in pharmacy in 2011. I continued at CVS Pharmacy in Augusta, Ga., as a staff pharmacist and was then promoted to pharmacy manager in 2013. I’m now working at the CVS Pharmacy in Thomson, Ga.”

Meghan Key, CVS Pharmacy #4556, 109 West Hill St. Thomson, Ga., 30824, CVS.com

She notes that the pandemic has changed the pharmacy profession and the way patients view it in so many ways. “We provided COVID-19 testing in our drive-thru during the pandemic, giving many patients access to free or low-cost COVID-19 testing when they could not find an appointment with a doctor. We also provided access to at-home COVID-19 tests through insurance, helping many more gain access to testing. In addition, they we were a highly accessible resource for patients with questions about COVID-19, providing the latest guidance on the virus itself, testing, vaccines and antivirals. We’ve continually provided access to authorized vaccines, including the updated COVID-19 vaccine. I’m really excited about our ability as pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid, the COVID-19 antiviral treatment for symptomatic patients. I feel like we have given many patients easier access to a health care professional for questions when they don’t have access to a doctor,” she points out.

Key notes that CVS Pharmacy has been integrating new and innovative technology into its pharmacy workflow, which has created more time for patient care. “It makes our job much easier and allows us to spend more time at drop-off, pickup, and drive-thru since and provides more time face to face with patients to answer questions they may have.”

She says she loves working in a small town that also provides services to many other small towns in the area. “And I love getting to know my patients and their families. They trust me as a health care professional, and it’s satisfying when I can help explain their medications or help them with their disease states when sometimes their doctors may be a little too busy to take time with them. I also appreciate being able to keep my patients up to date with all their vaccinations.”

“Adding the ability for pharmacists to prescribe medication like Paxlovid has the potential to open a lot of doors for the profession and our patients. My patients have a great deal of trust in me and, because I speak with them so often, I know they are supportive of me as a pharmacist providing them additional care.”

Key says the pharmacy works with other health care professionals as an integral part of a patient’s health care team. “We work closely with the primary care doctors, urgent care doctors and nurses in our area to help provide the best care for our patients. They call us with questions about patient’s medications, and we call when we have any questions about dosing or interactions with medications. We also work with other pharmacies in the area to make sure our patients get their medications as soon as possible in case we or they don’t have a medication in stock.”

She points out that her favorite part of the job is getting to know her patients. “I am very much a people person, and I love getting to know people and their families. I love being able to provide the best care possible to my patients and being there for them if they have any questions. I also change my hair color every few months — my patients love that I have different hair colors, which is amazing! They are always asking me what I will do next with my hair.”

Key recalls that there was once a patient who came and asked her a question about his swollen lip. He wanted to know what he could take to make the swelling go down. “I started asking him questions about how he got the swollen lip. He said he wasn’t sure. He just woke up and it was like that. After looking at his profile, I found out that the patient was taking lisinopril and said that could be the reason why his lip was swelling. He had been taking it for years, but I explained that the type of reaction that he was having can happen at any time. I told him he needed to contact his doctor immediately about stopping the medication and getting on a different medication for his blood pressure. I left a message for his doctor as well. The doctor verified that it was the lisinopril causing angioedema in his lips and changed his medication to amlodipine. The patient was very appreciative that I found out that his medication was causing his problem,” she explains.

Key credits her first pharmacy manager as a mentor during her career. “My very first pharmacy manager, Wayne Reddish , was most influential in my pharmacy life. I started at his store as a pharmacy technician, and I feel like he taught me very important life lessons in managing people and patients. He often bought us lunch on the weekends, and I remember being very grateful that he did. I now buy my technicians lunch every weekend I work as well. He always praised us when we had a hard day at work, and it helped keep our spirits up. I try to show my technicians that I appreciate them every day we work. If you have employees that feel appreciated, they are much more likely to work hard for you. He also provided excellent patient care, and I try to lead by his example every day that I work,” she ­concludes.