My name is Eric Alden and I’m a Walgreens pharmacy manager at store #6872 in western Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve been at the same store for 13 years. I really enjoy the people I work with and the patient population we support. I’ve had opportunities to move to other stores, but I just really like my team and didn’t want to leave them.
Growing up, I was always interested in science. My family lived in Charles City, Iowa, which is near a large chemical plant where a lot of our town worked. When I was in middle school, the mom of one of my classmates came and talked to us about her job as a pharmacist. That put pharmacy on my radar.
Early on I worked as a pharmacy technician for a local pharmacy in town, and then later in college I worked as a pharmacy tech at a big-box chain. I attended college at the University of Iowa, and toward the end of my college career, I visited a job fair and had the opportunity to interview with Walgreens. After I got the job, I told them I was interested in moving someplace warm and urban. I also mentioned that I minored in Spanish, so they sent me to work at a store in western Phoenix to support its Spanish-speaking patients.
I’ve worked at the same Phoenix store for 13 years, since December 2011. Walgreens is a great company, and the reason I’ve stayed so long is because of the people. I’ve established great relationships with my coworkers and my patients.
What a day in my life looks like
I always like to start my workday early. I like prepping things and getting ready for the day. We have a smaller store, so when it does get busy, it can get overwhelming quickly. It helps to have pharmacists and techs who are good at multitasking. And once we get going, we just hum right along.
I’m fortunate that all our pharmacy techs are certified to give vaccines. I usually do a lot of them myself, but when I’m on the phone doing transfers or having a lengthy patient council, they jump in and do them. I think our techs are key in offering flu shots to people and signing them up, especially this month as immunization season starts to ramp up.
I also have a very good pharmacy operations manager, Cindy Sandoval. She is great at making sure everyone understands who is eligible for vaccines and how to check their immunization history, and she even prints it out for patients who want to go over it with their doctor to see what vaccines they might need. She is critical for organizational accountability, too.
I would go as far as to say that the pharmacy operations manager is just as important as the pharmacy manager or pharmacist—our staff pharmacist Peter Noh is fantastic, too. I mean, you really need everyone—a good pharmacy operations manager, good technicians—to make it all happen. It’s like if you get to have Michael Jordan and you put him on an average team, he’ll still be great but he’s not going to get six rings, you know? Everyone working together is what makes this team all-stars.
Supporting Spanish-speaking patients
Everyone on my team speaks at least some Spanish, which is essential, since at least half of our patients are Spanish speaking. Some of our patients are lower income, and don’t have health insurance or access to a doctor. Sometimes a patient will come in with a minor injury and ask how to treat the symptoms, and we’re able to suggest an over-the-counter pain reliever or elastic bandage right there. It is rewarding to overcome communication barriers and give our patients access to the health information they need.
We use Walgreens Rx Savings Finder so we can help people find coupons and discounts for qualifying prescriptions, and they are very grateful for that. Some of our patients have transportation issues, and Phoenix is very hot so they’re walking through the heat to get to us. So we have to make sure we have their medicine ready when they come in. We’ve all brought prescriptions to a patient’s house if they couldn’t come in and really needed it. We also offer shipping if that’s better for getting the patient their prescription.
Just for fun
Outside of work, I like getting outside in nature. I enjoy mountain biking, although it’s a bit hot for it right now. Sometimes I go for rides at night. I like playing fantasy football, and just recently I really got into the WNBA. I followed Caitlin Clark from women’s college basketball since she played for my alma mater, Iowa. I went to a couple of games in Phoenix to watch her play.
My family is important to me. My wife, Adrienne, and I don’t have children, but we do have two cats. I like reading science fiction and fantasy books, and right now I’m reading something by Joe Abercrombie. My favorite author is Gene Wolfe who unfortunately has passed away, but he’s written a lot of good books.
When I think about why I’m proud to be a pharmacist, I can’t point to one specific moment. It’s a million small moments—being able to use Spanish to get to know my patients better, for example. Our main goal is to keep our community healthy, and we’ll do whatever we can to make that happen.
Walgreens flu shot appointments are now available nationwide for everyone ages 3 and up. To make your appointment, visit Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine or call 1-800-Walgreens, both available in Spanish and English.
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