Biljana Dordevic worked as a retail pharmacy manager for 20 years before her retirement. Mrs. Dordevic has four children currently attending Bronxville School, Emma (10),  Nicholas (8), Ava (7) and Max (5). She worked at a hospital pharmacy and retail pharmacy and is qualified to give advice and was willing to talk about her experience working in her field.

Biljana Dordevic was inspired by her aunt, she was a pharmacist and when Mrs. Dordevic was a kid she would spend time in the pharmacy and was very interested in everything that went into the career. She explained that her typical day as a pharmacist was a 12-hour shift where she consulted with patients and their doctors as well as follow-ups with insurance companies. There is a lot of human interaction required to be a pharmacist. Mrs. Dordevic said that some of the most important qualities that a pharmacist must possess are attention to detail, strong communication skills but most importantly, empathy.

Mrs. Dordevic noted that the most challenging/stressful part of the job is dealing with insurance companies, so getting reimbursements was often difficult. This aspect of the job did not outweigh the many benefits of working as a pharmacist for Mrs. Dordevic. She expressed that she loved working with patients. From medical therapy management to consulting with customers and patients, she enjoyed her work. Working in pharmaceuticals is important because you need to tailor the specific medications/therapies/treatments to the needs of each individual patient, there is not a one solution fits all, meaning critical thinking is also an important skill.

Mrs. Dordevic received her education at the University of Florida School of Pharmacy and stated that her first year was the most challenging of her education.

When I asked Mrs. Dordevic if she enjoyed working as a pharmacist she said that it is a very rewarding career that is very versatile especially because it is very versatile “you can work in a retail setting or in a hospital environment or research”.  This statement provides insight to the multitude of possibilities for someone who wants to work in pharmaceuticals.

Advice Mrs. Dordevic would give to students that are interested in this career would be to get a job working as a pharmacy technician first, that way you can see if the field is the right fit for you and it will also give you some experience.