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I interviewed my Uncle Tom Titkemeier in November 2019, in Toledo, OH.\xa0 This is THE FIRST PODCAST I ever recorded.\xa0 The show notes include insights from the interview, Uncle Tom\u2019s contact info, and organizations and websites mentioned. \xa0

There were street sweepers, dump trucks, and other heavy machines collecting leaves in the street right outside the window where we recorded this episode.\xa0 I can\u2019t hear the machines on the recording, but now you know the behind-the-scenes story!\xa0 Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

Tom Titkemeier, Registered Pharmacist

Toledo, OH

1977 University of Toledo BS Pharmacy Graduate\xa0

E-mail\xa0 titkemeier@ameritech.net\xa0

LinkedIn\xa0 linkedin.com/in/thomas-titkemeier-0887926a\xa0

Q:\xa0 Why did you become a pharmacist?

A:\xa0 Started in science classes before choosing pharmacy as a major.\xa0 Needed a degree that would lead to a job.\xa0 His older brother was in the pharmacy program 2 years ahead of him and set a good example. \xa0

Q:\xa0 Why did you pick UT?\xa0

A:\xa0 Wanted to get away from home, live on campus, and have \u201cthe college experience.\u201d\xa0 Didn\u2019t want to go to nearby BGSU (Bowling Green State University).\xa0 To learn more about the University of Toledo (UT) visit https://www.utoledo.edu.\xa0 To learn more about BGSU, visit https://www.bgsu.edu.\xa0

Q:\xa0 When you first graduated [pharmacy school], where did you work?

A:\xa0 After interning at St. Vincent\u2019s Medical Center (St. V\u2019s) during pharmacy school, no job was available upon graduation.\xa0 He worked at Toledo Hospital briefly instead.\xa0 To learn more about Toledo Hospital, visit https://www.promedica.org/toledo-hospital/pages/default.aspx.\xa0 When a job opened up at St. V\u2019s, he went back to St. V\u2019s for 40+ years.\xa0 To learn more about St. V\u2019s, visit https://www.mercy.com/locations/hospitals/toledo/mercy-health-st-vincent-medical-center.\xa0

Uncle Tom inspired me to become a pharmacist.\xa0 I tell my Pharmacy Campers (11 graders) about him each summer at UT\u2019s Pharmacy Summer Camp.\xa0 Uncle Tom worked in the Surgery Pharmacy at St. V\u2019s for decades.\xa0 He was a team player and worked well with others.\xa0 He knew how to do his job well, and I admired him.\xa0 I went to work with him one day when I was in the 8th grade, ~13 years old, around 1991.\xa0 I \u201cshadowed him\u201d at his job for a school assignment.\xa0 I got to wear surgical scrubs, which looked and felt like pajamas!\xa0 I watched my uncle make surgical solutions and deliver them to operating rooms.\xa0 The operating room staff let me watch surgeries, and I witnessed them function as a team.\xa0 I like math and science, and I love to help people.\xa0 Pharmacy was a natural choice after seeing Uncle Tom at work.\xa0 My students love this story.\xa0 To learn more about the camp, visit https://www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy/camp/

Because Uncle Tom and I went to the same pharmacy school, we had some of the same professors.\xa0 We worked as pharmacists in the same city knew many of the same people. \xa0

Uncle Tom retired after 40 years with the same hospital, at the age of 64.\xa0 It was a personal choice.\xa0 \u201cYou don\u2019t know how much time you have.\u201d\xa0 Uncle Tom and his wife (my Aunt Janet)\xa0 decided to retire and focus on mission work and do things that they didn\u2019t have time to do while working.\xa0 Aunt Janet retired 1 year after Uncle Tom retired.\xa0 Health insurance was a consideration.\xa0 He was able-bodied and at the top of his game professionally.\xa0

\u201cPharmacists never retire.\xa0 They just die.\u201d\xa0 Uncle Tom used to tease me about this when I was in college.\xa0 He did retire, however, which spoiled the myth he joked with me about for 20 years!

Q:\xa0 What are you doing with your license now that you retired?\xa0 Are you giving up being a pharmacist?\xa0 \xa0

A:\xa0 He is still licensed as a pharmacist.\xa0 So is Aunt Janet.\xa0 They volunteer as pharmacists and also spread the word of God to other parts of the world on Mission Trips with Christian Medical and Dental Association. To learn more about Christian Medical and Dental Association, visit https://cmda.org.\xa0 He has been to Central America, The Gambia in Africa, and Beirut.\xa0 Language barriers are a challenge. \xa0

Q:\xa0 When will you give up your license?

A:\xa0 No date in mind.\xa0 Keeping up is more of a challenge in retirement, but not difficult.\xa0

Mentoring young people is important.\xa0 You never know when time spent with a young person will have an impact.\xa0 Be a positive influence. \xa0

Being able to focus and listen is important to being a pharmacist.

Q:\xa0 What words of advice would you give to a young person considering a career in pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences?

A:\xa0 Have perseverance.\xa0 Competition is a big barrier to getting into pharmacy school.\xa0 Persevere, focus, and stay on the path. \xa0

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