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Women Find Pharmacy Interesting, Expanding Profession
By LEONARD BERLOW
CHAPEL HILL Women’s
lib is old hat to the pharm
acy profession. Ladies repre
sent about 9 per cent of all
pharmacists and close to 20
per cent of all pharmacy stu
dents. And the figures are
rising in their favor all the
time.
There are lots of good rea
sons, too. Newly registered
pharmacists receive one of the
highest starting salaries—in
the five figure bracket—avail
able to college graduates to
day. But it’s not only the
money. They can usually
count on a 40-hour or less
week and endless opportuni
ties exist for part-time work.
But even more important, it’s
a respected profession offer
ing recognition, challenge and
away to relieve human suf
fering as a member of ’ the
health team.
Traditionally, female high
school graduates head for ca
reers as nurses, secretaries
and teachers. Today young
ladies are giving serious con
sideration to a career in phar
macy because of the numer
ous advantages it offers.
First, they are finding that
the “welcome mat” is out.
Once skeptical, inflexible male
pharmacy owners have not
come to realize the potential
of this “new breed” who have
proven to be extremely capa
ble and interested in the pro
fession. They have a sincere
desire to help people, and
that’s what customers are
looking for. It's not bad for
business either.
There’s a place-and-every
thing-in-its-place atmosphere
necessary in pharmacies and
their prescription depart
ments. This is a natural for
the inbred feminine house
keeping talents.
Pharmacists have many op
portunities to work on a part-
Merry Hill News
By Mrs. Ethel Win borne
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Bissette
and daughter, Jane of Wil-
Senator Ervin
Plans Address
Sam J. Ervin, Jr., will ad
dress the N. C. Society for
the Preservation of Antiqui
ties during the 1970 session
of N. C. “Culture Week” to
be held in Greensboro De
cember 1-5.
Dr. H. G. Jones, director of
the State Department of Ar
chives and History, will speak
to the morning meeting of
the organization on December
3 concerning current preser
vation projects in North Ca
rolina, and Sen. Ervin at the
luncheon session will discuss
the historical development of
Guilford County.
“Culture Week” is N. C.’s
unique annual gathering of
13 independent cultural and
is traditionally held in Ra
leigh. It moves to Greens
boro this year in conjunction
with the beginning of the
historical organizations and
Guilford County Bicentennial
celebration.
Participating organizations,
while retaining their separ
ate identities, have been
meeting at one time and place
since 1913. In addition to
business meetings, addresses
by several speakers of na
tional prominence, and vari
ous side activities of mutual
interest to the participants,
awards will be presented to
outstanding North Carolinians
for literary, artistic, historical,
and musical excellence.
FOR SALE
Valuable Farm Land
WILL BE SOLD AT
AUCTION
ON PREMISES
Saturday, Dec. 12th
J. C. LANE ESTATE
Located. Near Earl Smith’s Store
• 14 ACRES CLEARED
• 8 ACRES WOODLAND
to those with children rit
time basis. This is a help
home who want to supple
ment family income at a sub
stantial hourly rate. There
is no question that fitting in
available time is a great deal
easier for the professional
pharmacist than for the usual
female occupations.
But it’s not just the corner
drug store where registered
pharmacists may now be
found. Hospitals are employ
ing many more than in the
past their pharmacies to com
pound and dispense.
Another innovation which
is quickly catching on around
the country is the clinical
pharmacist. This places phar
macists directly on the patient
health care team which once
was restricted to the physician
and nurse. This plan has
many advantages. Nurses can
devote more of their time
to other purely bedside nurs
ing functions. The physician
can consult with the pharma
cist, who is truly an expert in
drugs, about the proper choice
of medication and possible ad
verse reactions.
.Pharmaceutical research and
development are important
facets of this profession which
women are entering in in
creasing numbers. Their nat
ural attributes of care and
exactness fit well into labora
tory routine.
What kind of girl chooses
pharmacy as her college ma
jor? At the School of Phar
macy of the University of
North Carolina at Chapel
Hill she is pretty, smart and
has an eye on making certain
that she always can count of
a secure future (just in case).
Gail Henry comes from
Charlotte. She is in her last
year of the five-year phar
macy course and is looking
forward to a career in retail
pharmacy.
“Becoming a pharmacist
was not a sudden decision for
son were the Sunday guests
of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Smith
wick.
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Adams
and Mrs. E. J. Pruden, Sr.,
and Mrs. Josephine Pierce
visited S. B. Adams at Nor
folk General Hospital in Nor
folk Friday. He has been a
patient there for a week.
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Turner
of Wilson were the weekend
guests of Mr. and Mrs. Wil
liam White.
Mrs. Ken Hopkins of New
port News spent the weekend
with her mother, Mrs. J. W.
White.
Mrs. Virgie Baker and Mrs.
Frances Taylor spent Satur
day at Williamston.
Mrs. E. J. Pruden, Jr.,
visited Mrs. Ada Greene in
Harrellsville Sunday after
noon.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Smith
wick spent from Friday un
til Monday night at Hampton
with Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie
Bailey and daughter Stacey.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Lay
ton were the guests of Mr.
and Mrs. Donnie Smithwick
and children of Yorktown
and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
White and family of New
port News.
First Lieut, and Mrs. Britt
Smithwick of Hampton spent
the weekend with Mr. and
Mrs. J. B. Smithwick.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Baker,
Mrs. Virgie Baker and B. L.
Smithwick made a trip to
Nags Head Sunday.
Mrs. Ethel Winborne spent
from Thursday until Saturday
afternoon with her brother,
A. E. Bowen, Sr., of Windsor.
me,” recalls Gail. “I had
made up my mind about that
before graduatioh from high
school.”
Would she advise other
young ladies to go pharmacy?
"Well, that depends,” she
says. “The individual must
have a strong science back
ground and interest in chem
istry. And the big thing is
that anyone—male or female
—must be determined to
study. There’s no partying
every night when you’re a
pharmacy student.”
Gail has gotten some first
hand experience in communi
ty pharmacies around the
Ralcigh-Durham area. She
enjoys meeting the public and
feels that her contribution to
health care can be important
through pharmacy.
What about minority fe
males in pharmacy? Mrs.
Mona Reddick is living testi
mony that this is a profession
open to all. She was a 1964
graduate of the School of
Pharmacy of the University of
North Carolina. Today Mrs.
Reddick is on the staff of the
School in the important work
of drug abuse education for
i//////// w////////
THE CHOWAN HERALD
secondary school students.
She is also telling the story
of opportunities in pharmacy
and other health careers to
high schoolers throughout the
state.
“Pharmacy,” says Mrs. Red
dick, “is a profession that ac
cepts you for what you can
offer it. I believe that there
is a general lack of knowl
edge about what a pharmacist
is and does. It’s my opinion
that more black and minority
group individuals would en
ter the professional field if
the - information were made
available to them. This is
what I hope to do.”
Mrs. Reddick is a graduate
of the E. E. Smith Senior
High School in Fayetteville.
She then attended Hampton
Institute in Virginia where
her major interests were
chemistry and mathematics.
The decision to change to
pharmacy came when Mrs.
Reddick “decided to enjoy
chemistry in a more practical
way than as a teacher.”
Robert Reddick, Mona’s hus
band, is keeping medicine in
the family. He’s in his first
year at the School of Medi-
cine of the University of
North Carolina. Reddick has
a master’s degree in pathology
from UNC.
Robert and Mona Reddick
are debating whether it will
be medicine or pharmacy for
their 4V4-month-old daughter,
Ramona Jeanell. Right now
they’re both worried because
of her gurgling. Dentistry?
Success stories of female
pharmacists are many. As
each day passes, their respon
sibilities and possibilities in
crease. In expanding num
bers they are being appointed
to “in-charge” and supervis
ory positions in every phase
of pharmacy operations
whether it’s a community
pharmacy, hospital pharmacy
or research post. And it isn’t
unusual to find lady pharma
cists who are pharmacy own
ers.
The image of the balding,
white-jacketed gentleman be
hind the drug store counter is
in for a pleasant change as
more and more pretty mini
skirted ladies join the ranks
of professional pharmacists.
Maybe that’s just what the
doctor ordered.
WEEKEND WITH FA THER—F reshman Father’s Weekend at Converse College
proves to be an unforgettable experience to each new crop of fathers and daughters
who make the scene in Spartanburg, S. C. Participating in this unique program re
cently were Bruce F. Jones, Blount Street, and his daughter, Ginna. The fathers
actually moved into their daughters rooms, bunked in with the father of his daugh-
ter’s roommate. There were varied activities scheduled for the weekend.