Vicki O’Connor, R.Ph., has worked as a pharmacist at Osco #3394 in Huntley, Illinois, for 34 years. Unsurprisingly, she’s a huge hit with customers, as they know they can count on her to look after them. And because of her unwavering dedication to saving her customers money, O’Connor has been named this year’s Best Pharmacist for Savings. 

After studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, O’Connor quickly found her place at Osco, where she’s an integral part of the community and is recognized for her personalized approach to patient care. “She rises to the occasion every time we need special service,” one patient explains. “I’ve never had a pharmacist like her before.”

O’Connor “was blown away” when she found out a customer nominated her for an award, but it’s clear that she makes a difference in a lot of people’s lives. One customer called the pharmacist “amazingly friendly despite being very busy” and celebrated her for “caring about our prescriptions and costs, and coming up with ideas to solve problems.”

Discussing her commitment to saving her customers money, O’Connor explains that meeting patient needs also means making sure their medications are affordable. She regularly goes the extra mile by liaising with insurance companies and doctors to find affordable ways for her patients to access their healthcare. 

Below, she speaks more about how she helps her customers save and why she goes above and beyond for her customers.

How do you help your patients save money?

Savings programs haven’t always been as popular. Before, either your insurance covered your medication or it didn’t. A lot of the help we would give to customers before would be in answering their questions, such as, “Well, what plan or what company do you think is the better company to deal with?” That was as far as it went. 

Now, besides insurance, there are different options for how to pay, and what’s available out there. When we’re able to offer SingleCare cards, for example, so that customers can save, it’s wonderful. It’s a great resource.

We definitely help our patients in finding discounts and promotions, and I think the general public has become more familiar with the options available. In fact, our community does a really good job of being informed that there are other solutions to save money.

Why is helping your customers save so important?  

The healthcare system is difficult to navigate. Insurance doesn’t always cover what a patient needs. Doctors prescribe medication that is absolutely necessary and some patients don’t have the luxury of waiting for an insurance company to decide if they are going to cover the medication. Sometimes it can be the difference between being home or staying in the hospital.

Can you share a memorable savings story? 

A woman was trying to get a prescription for her husband who was being discharged from the hospital. The medication was not covered by insurance, and there was no time before his next dose to get through to the insurance for an appeal for coverage. That is when we go to work in the pharmacy to search for discount cards or manufacturer coupons to help customers afford their medications. We were fortunate enough to help her enroll with the manufacturer for a free starting dose to hold her husband over until the insurance process could be completed.

In addition to helping with medication costs, how do you go above and beyond for your customers?

I don’t know if it’s above and beyond as much as just listening. Patients want somebody to listen to what’s going on and pay attention. I remind myself that if you’re sick, you’re not feeling good, and you’ve just waited at the doctor’s office, so the last thing you want to do is wait again at the pharmacy. You just want to go home. It makes me happy when customers feel listened to and walk away with a smile on their face. Having trust with patients is important, too: They know they can call any time. I think that’s just the way I’m wired: to always give 110%. 

What attributes does someone need to be a good pharmacist?

Patience. Compassion. A willingness to help, and a really positive, happy outlook on life. Because at the end of the day, we are trying to make everybody’s quality of life better.

It makes me happy when customers feel listened to and walk away with a smile on their face.

Do you have a favorite moment as a pharmacist so far?

It’s all the little moments, such as when I had a customer brings me flowers because of a situation that I helped with or when a customer makes me Christmas cookies just to say thank you. It’s all those little moments that matter.

Has anything surprised you about being a pharmacist? Was there anything unexpected?

This is unexpected. Never ever in my lifetime would I have thought I’d be nominated for anything like this. This is so outside my comfort zone. It’s a good thing, and it’s nice to hear. It’s a lot of hard work some days, but it’s very rewarding. People ask me how I’ve done it for 34 years and I say, “I don’t even think about the 34 years. To me, it just flew by.” I really enjoy what I do.