Clinical Infusion Pharmacist Whitney Unterwagner considers herself an educator on a mission to spread positive encouragement. During her tenure on the faculty of the University of Georgia’s College of Pharmacy, she did just that educating students about all the various aspects of the discipline—everything from immunization training to pharmacy law.
When her husband was transferred to Texas in 2016, it didn’t take Unterwagner long to find an outlet to channel her knowledge and enthusiasm. Her neighbor happened to work for AOM Infusion and suggested she consider an open part-time position with the growing company. “I was a pharmacist, but I didn’t have experience with home infusion,” she says. “That didn’t scare me, though. Academia set me up with good communication and time management skills. Those skills transitioned well to AOM and prepared me to manage the different aspects of the role: working closely with patients, physicians, and nurses — along with all the interdisciplinary work we do. While there were some aspects of the role that were challenging at first, I had such a wide background in pharmacy that I was able to adapt quickly. And because I came in from such a different side of the profession, I was able to bring some good ideas here, as well.”
Most importantly, Unterwagner’s passion for encouraging others shifted seamlessly from encouraging students to individuals coping with complex chronic health conditions.
Taking Patient Wins to Heart
“One patient in particular sticks out in my mind,” she reveals. “Every time I talk to her husband, he always tells me that we saved his wife’s life. When you first meet a newly diagnosed patient who’s bedridden, but then regains their ability to walk and have some sense of their normal life back because of the infusion therapy we provide, it’s such a wonderful feeling. Knowing you helped make a difference in that person’s life is so rewarding.”
Those patient bonds are the hallmark of AOM Infusion’s personalized approach to care. Unterwagner says it’s what drew her to the company nearly a decade ago.
“I saw the level of detail and attention to patients was very evident in everyone who worked at AOM,” she recalls. “The patients were of the utmost importance. I quickly saw the pharmacists were encouraged to really get to know their patients on a different level. It’s still that way.
“Even though AOM is growing, we still offer a boutique infusion experience,” Unterwager explains. “We talk with patients daily. We follow their labs to make sure everything is okay. We fill their prescriptions. If a prescription needs a renewal, we work with the doctor to take care of that. When it’s time for an infusion — whether a patient infuses weekly, monthly, every eight weeks, or once every six months — we call to set up their treatment and schedule home delivery of their infusion medicine. Most importantly, if patients have any questions or concerns, we talk to them. Patients are welcome to call us anytime. In a lot of ways, they become part of us because we talk to them so frequently.”
Building Deep Bonds
A caring voice and expert advice can go a long way toward easing concerns that pop up unexpectedly — whether it’s the middle of the night or middle of Sunday afternoon. That’s why AOM Infusion offers a 24/7 on-call service. Patients are encouraged to reach out whenever they have a question or health concern. An on-call infusion pharmacist and infusion nurse are always available after hours and on weekends.
“I remember one night when one of my patients had an allergic reaction in the middle of the night. It was about 2 or 3 in the morning and I stayed on the phone with his wife for over an hour. He’s one of those patients who asks for me because we’ve developed that bond. He was so appreciative and ended up being fine, thank goodness.”
With some patient relationships going back nearly nine years, it’s easy to understand why Unterwagner and her fellow AOM pharmacists are so invested in their patient’s well-being. “You hurt for them when they’re hurting and going through something difficult,” she explains. “And then you celebrate their wins when they’re doing well and able to get pieces of their life back.”
Keeping Pace with Medicine
While Unterwagner has been a pharmacist for 26 years, the self-professed lifelong learner knows medicine is always advancing. She feels fortunate that AOM helps its team stay abreast of new developments and supports their professional development.
“We have in-services several times a year from different drug reps and manufacturers on the medicines we dispense,” she says. “Those are incredibly helpful because we get one-on-one time with somebody in the field. Right now, the company is working toward becoming a Center of Excellence. Part of that involves ensuring all AOM staff members are trained to the highest level — including board certification in home infusion for all clinical pharmacists. The company has made it very clear that they’ll provide the resources to help us be successful in that pursuit. They’re very supportive.”
Encouraging Next-Gen Infusion Pharmacists
For individuals considering a pharmacy career path, Unterwagner cites several positive aspects of infusion pharmacy. “One of the things that’s nice is infusion pharmacy is closed door, rather than open door with patients coming in to pick up medications in person. We connect with our patients via phone, which gives us the opportunity to really connect with them and be able to focus on our conversations with them.”
“Sometimes retail pharmacies get a bad rap because patients may view pharmacists as their first line of health care. In that environment, it can be hard to give patients the time they need with the volume of scripts that come in every day.”
There’s another differentiator.
“As infusion pharmacists, we focus on a smaller number of drugs,” Unterwagner admits. “So we’re able to really know those drugs, know our patients who are on those drugs, know their diagnosis and know the prescribers. So knowledge of those products is going to be greater. That’s very rewarding.”
Ready to infuse your pharmacy career with more passion, purpose and opportunities?
AOM Infusion is growing and looking for compassionate, talented pharmacists to join our team. We have rewarding positions open across the U.S, visit our careers page.