As someone who has spent a significant portion of my life both in the world of specialty pharmacy and tinkering with hands-on trades like carpentry and restoration, I’ve come to realize that there’s more overlap between these two fields than one might initially think. At first glance, the precise world of specialty pharmacy and the tangible, tactile world of trades might seem worlds apart. But the problem-solving skills I’ve honed in the workshop have directly influenced my approach to challenges in the specialty pharmacy space. This connection is something I find both fascinating and deeply rewarding.
The Art of Problem-Solving: Lessons from the Workshop
In carpentry and restoration, every project starts with a blueprint—a plan that outlines the steps needed to bring an idea to life. However, anyone who has ever worked on a construction or restoration project knows that things rarely go exactly as planned. There are always unexpected challenges: a piece of wood that doesn’t quite fit, a structural issue that wasn’t apparent at the start, or a design flaw that only becomes evident halfway through the build. The ability to think on your feet, adapt, and come up with creative solutions is essential.
This mindset of flexible problem-solving has been invaluable in my work in specialty pharmacy. In healthcare, particularly in a field as complex as specialty pharmacy, we are often faced with situations that require us to think outside the box. Whether it’s optimizing workflows, improving patient outcomes, or finding ways to make high-cost medications more accessible, the ability to approach problems from multiple angles is crucial. The trade skills I’ve developed over the years have taught me to see challenges not as roadblocks, but as opportunities to innovate and improve.
Blueprint Thinking in Specialty Pharmacy
One of the key parallels between trades like carpentry and the specialty pharmacy field is the importance of a strong foundation—a blueprint, if you will. In carpentry, the blueprint is the starting point for any project. It provides the structure and guidance needed to bring a vision to life. In specialty pharmacy, our “blueprint” might be a strategic plan, a workflow design, or a treatment protocol. But just like in carpentry, it’s rare that everything goes exactly according to plan.
For example, when designing a new workflow to streamline medication processing, it’s easy to draw up the perfect process on paper. But when you start implementing it, you often encounter unforeseen issues—perhaps a step that takes longer than anticipated or a bottleneck that wasn’t evident in the planning stages. Just as in carpentry, where you might need to adjust a blueprint on the fly, in specialty pharmacy, we need to be agile and ready to adapt our plans to better meet the needs of the real world.
The Value of Hands-On Experience
There’s something uniquely valuable about getting your hands dirty—literally and figuratively. In trades like carpentry, the tactile experience of working with materials, tools, and structures gives you a deeper understanding of the work at hand. You develop a feel for the materials, an intuition for how things will come together, and a practical understanding of how to solve problems as they arise.
In the specialty pharmacy field, while we may not be dealing with wood or nails, the principle is the same. Hands-on experience—whether it’s working directly with patients, managing a pharmacy, or navigating the complexities of the healthcare system—gives you a practical understanding that you simply can’t get from books or theory alone. This hands-on experience is what allows us to be effective problem-solvers, to make informed decisions, and to truly understand the impact of our work on the patients we serve.
Innovation Through Trade Skills
One of the most rewarding aspects of applying trade skills to specialty pharmacy is the potential for innovation. In trades like carpentry, you often have to come up with creative solutions to unique problems—whether it’s finding a way to restore an antique piece of furniture or designing a custom solution for a client’s specific needs. This creative problem-solving is directly applicable to the specialty pharmacy field.
For instance, when faced with the challenge of improving patient adherence to medication, it’s not always about following a standard protocol. Sometimes, it requires thinking creatively—designing a new patient engagement strategy, developing a customized communication plan, or even creating new educational materials tailored to a specific patient population. The ability to innovate, to see beyond the obvious solutions, and to create something new is a skill that has been nurtured in the workshop and has proven invaluable in the pharmacy.
Bridging Two Worlds
Reflecting on my journey, I see that the skills I’ve developed through my passion for trades have enriched my professional life in ways I never anticipated. The hands-on problem-solving, the ability to adapt and innovate, and the importance of a strong foundation—these are lessons that have served me well in the specialty pharmacy space.
As I continue to navigate the challenges and opportunities within healthcare, I’m reminded of the value of looking beyond traditional boundaries. By drawing on diverse experiences, whether from a workshop or a pharmacy, we can find new ways to solve problems, improve processes, and ultimately, better serve our patients. The world of specialty pharmacy may be complex, but with the right tools and mindset, it’s possible to build something truly impactful.