When customers get their prescriptions filled with Sue Ojageer, Pharm.D., at Walgreens #16031 in McKinney, Texas, they’re more than a number. Despite the stressful days and hectic pace (Dr. Ojageer and her pharmacy associates fill some 400-500 prescriptions a day), she makes it her business to get to know her customers. Developing those kinds of personal relationships is the whole reason she got into retail pharmacy, she says. 

Despite being great in the pharmacy, Dr. Ojageer takes her time outside the pharmacy just as seriously. Dr. Ojageer is also a functional medicine specialist who runs the holistic healthcare website PharmaSue, which is why she was named this year’s Best Pharmacist Influencer. 

Functional medicine involves getting to the root cause of a disease. While she realizes that medicine is the raison d’etre of her career, Dr. Ojageer understands that sometimes a smile, a listening ear, and a ginger ale can do as much for a person’s health as any drug dispensed behind her counter. (Dr. Ojageer’s staff jokes about how often she recommends ginger ale.) 

As PharmaSue, Dr. Ojageer helps patients with things like medication therapy management, which involves reviewing medications and creating an action plan, and precision medicine tools such as pharmacogenomic and nutrigenomic testing, which helps determine how DNA impacts a person’s response to medication and their diet. She’s certified in pharmacogenomics to better understand how her patients’ genes impact how they respond to medications. And yes, sometimes all of this is accompanied with a recommendation to take a swig of ginger ale!

As our Best Pharmacist Influencer, Dr. Ojageer explains what drives her to use her pharmacy platform and serve her patients—both in person and online.

Why did you decide to get into pharmacy?

I knew I wanted a job in health care where I was accessible to people. Growing up, I would always see the pharmacists at my local stores interacting with the patients. They knew their names and had relationships with their customers. I always admired that connection and wanted a job where I could build that kind of camaraderie. 

Let’s face it—getting a doctor’s appointment when you need it, getting your insurance to pay for those visits, it’s all tricky. But being able to walk into a store and have a healthcare professional answer your question, that’s impactful. I wanted to be someone who people could get to know. I wanted to build a relationship with them and gain their trust. I have a passion for retail even though some days are really stressful. I love the busyness, the fast pace, but I don’t want to ever cut back on the service I provide. 

I wanted to be someone who people could get to know. I wanted to build a relationship with them and gain their trust.

That’s something I love: building those connections. I love having patients come back to me and tell me how their follow-ups went, or just how their day is going. 

What’s the purpose of your PharmaSue platform?

The mission behind PharmaSue is to provide a holistic outcome by working with patients and their healthcare providers to optimize medications utilizing personalized and functional medicine. 

Throughout my years of working, I’ve noticed a change in my profession, especially in the retail setting. I chose to become a pharmacist because I wanted to be the most accessible healthcare professional for my patients. But many brick-and-mortar locations are scaling back, and patients are still looking for that relationship with their pharmacist. They want that dedicated time to review their medications, and they’re very appreciative of my passion in retaining this pharmacist-patient relationship.

Everyone’s definition of health is different, and I work with my patients to define what they consider to be ideal health and what steps are realistic in achieving it. Oftentimes, I work with my patients to foster a positive mindset so they can work to achieve their goals. I encourage my patients to read self-development books and positive affirmations and to have an overall positive attitude so they can enjoy the journey to better health.

How do you provide holistic care for your patients?

Being a holistic pharmacist, I never forbid my patients from taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, but instead, I spend the time to educate them and help them find the root cause of their ailment. Medicine is definitely useful in pharmacy (it’s the entirety of our profession!)—but I also take the route of not always prescribing through medicine. Taking medications isn’t the last stop in managing a patient’s health. Many factors, such as diet, exercise, and the environment contribute to overall wellness. It’s not a one-pill-fix-it-all. I work with my patients to manage their diagnosis with their medications, vitamins, and supplements so they can enjoy their lives. Building trust with my patients is my priority in both my retail setting and my PharmaSue work. 

Everyone’s definition of health is different, and I work with my patients to define what they consider to be ideal health and what steps are realistic in achieving it.

I encourage my patients to ask questions if they don’t understand something. I work together with practitioners, such as physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and medical assistants to help my patients understand and manage their diagnoses.

Tell us a little more about using your social media platforms as a pharmacist.

I use my platforms to introduce and bring awareness to pharmacy topics, network, and offer general info, like self-development and motivational topics. People are already connected on various platforms, so social media is a fun way to introduce topics that most people aren’t aware of: I post about vitamins, supplements, and general pharmacy info (pharmacogenomics as well).

Social media isn’t my only venue of education or outreach to the public, though. I also host educational sessions at my local church and local businesses that are interested in learning about pharmacy, health, and wellness, and I also host career days at local schools.

How do you put yourself in your patient’s shoes?

I try to treat people like I would like to be treated or how I would want my loved ones to be treated. There was a sweet, retired couple who used to come into my store, and I got to know them. The woman called me one time to tell me her husband had had a stroke.  

Turns out the doctors had put the husband on a blood thinner that was going to interact with a blood pressure medication he was on. I took it upon myself to call his cardiologist and get the medications changed. I treated them the same way I would treat my own mom and dad. 

I stop and think about how I would want to be treated if I were in their situation. They may be getting bad news, or have high copay amounts, or they may not understand what the doctor is telling them. You have to literally take yourself out of what you’re doing and imagine what they’re going through.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I would say it’s hearing the follow-up from my patients and knowing that something I’ve recommended or suggested to them is working. I encourage them to come back and tell me what’s worked. I always encourage them to ask questions and to have full autonomy over their health and to not just listen to everything everyone tells them.

You have to literally take yourself out of what you’re doing and imagine what [the patient is] going through.

Tell us how you are helping the next generation of pharmacy staff.

I’m on the advisory board at Collin College. The Advisory Committee Board is responsible for various things, such as approving the course’s curriculum, giving feedback, and voting for new changes to the program. 

I’m also a preceptor for technicians from Collin College as well as students from Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy and local high schools in the area that have a pharmacy extern program. I love seeing the new faces come in. It’s a whole new generation and I’m always passionate about learning what they’re learning in school. I want to know what their take is and what they’re being taught because times change and there are different things that I could learn as well. 

I always tell pharmacy students you have to love what you do or else you’ll be just miserable. Don’t do something for the money. When something becomes repetitive and bland, it’s not going to drive you, so you have to find your passion.

I would tell anyone considering a career in pharmacy to go for it. The sky’s the limit. There are always opportunities. You just have to find the sector you love and you can shine at it. It’s like anything else, you get out of it what you put in.