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- “We like to be problem solvers”
October 16, 2023
“We like to be problem solvers”
IU Health Tipton Hospital
Alex Plumer first joined the IU Health Tipton team as an intern in high school. Now, he’s officially a pharmacist.
By Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health's Indianapolis Suburban Region
Growing up in Tipton, Alex Plumer always looked up to his older brother. Plumer watched as his brother went through pharmacy school and started his career as a pharmacist at IU Health.
For the last five-and-a-half years, Plumer has been working to do the same. Now he’s officially a pharmacist at IU Health Tipton.
“I loved science and math in school, and he was a role model for me, so it got me interested,” Plumer says.
Plumer’s first experience at IU Health Tipton started back in high school when he took advantage of an internship opportunity where he was able to work in the hospital’s Pharmacy for a semester.
It was Plumer’s first exposure to healthcare as he worked alongside pharmacists and technicians.
There, he learned that a hospital’s inpatient pharmacy works differently than a typical retail pharmacy. He thought it would mostly be counting pills, but it was much more.
“The internship opened my eyes to the complexity of the healthcare system and the many moving parts and contributions that pharmacists can make to the team,” he says.
While attending pharmacy school, Plumer continued to work at IU Health Tipton as a pharmacy technician. He graduated this May and is now a pharmacist at the hospital.
He decided to stay at IU Health Tipton because of his fellow team members.
“It's definitely a fun work environment. It doesn't feel like work, even on the tough days that are a little crazy,” Plumer says. “It's nice to have a supportive team that's easy to get along with.”
Within his role, Plumer feels connected to patients as he works to see what conditions they have and how he can help better their care. While filling prescriptions, he looks for potential drug interactions, allergies, proper dosing and more. He also ensures that the medications, whether they be intravenous (IV) or oral, are safe for the patient.
Because Plumer and his team are right in the hospital, they can discuss medication histories, begin education and answer any questions that patients or team members may have.
Since joining the Tipton team, Plumer has been a big help through many milestones. This winter, he took the lead in implementing a large project that involved critical thinking to determine stocking levels of medication throughout the hospital as the pharmacy switched to a new inventory system.
And as the inpatient pharmacy switched to a weekday-only schedule, he’s helped ensure that nurses and patients have all the necessary medications for the whole weekend.
The third week of October is National Pharmacy Week, a time to acknowledge the contributions pharmacists and technicians make to patient care in hospitals, outpatient clinics and more.
He wants to give a shoutout to his fellow Tipton pharmacists and technicians as they continue to work hard and adapt to changes.
“We like to be problem solvers. I think we always lend a listening ear and are always willing to help find a solution, if we can,” Plumer says.