Local pharmacists play a significant role in chronic disease management through several key functions, as we learned from Food City pharmacist Kourtni Fuller.

Medication Review: They assess patients’ medication regimens to ensure safety, efficacy, and adherence, identifying potential drug interactions or side effects.

Patient Education: Pharmacists educate patients about their conditions and the importance of medication adherence, helping them understand how to manage their health effectively.

Care Coordination: Pharmacists collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive care, facilitating communication and referrals when necessary

By integrating these roles, Kourtni significantly contributes to better health outcomes for patients visiting her pharmacy.

Kourtni doesn’t remember what exactly made her want to be a pharmacist, but she has known her career path since middle school.  She continued on the path straight from high school to undergraduate school, finishing graduate school without breaking her journey.

Food City entered Kourtni’s journey when she was 19 and entering college, starting in an uncertified pharmacy technician position.

Once she graduated, Food City hired Kourtni as a pharmacist, allowing her to develop necessary leadership skills by floating between pharmacies, from Crossville and Sevierville to North Knoxville locations.

Then, when covering for maternity leave at the Fountain City Food City Pharmacy, she was asked to stay. She says, “This is my third year at this store. And it’s been great. It’s great.”

Kourtni lives in the StrawPlains area with her husband, Jared, and their three-year-old daughter. Her parents live over in Broad Acres in Powell. So, she says, “This location’s great for me. I mean, I love it.”

Her favorite thing about her position is, “I have the ability to give someone a very positive impact. I mean, even if it’s just something small, we have a lot of patients who come in who need help finding cheaper medication. Sometimes, they need help opening prescription models, reading packages, or setting up apps on their phone.”

Kourtni has a lot of regular customers, whose names she knows and knows their families.

Kourtni is now the pharmacy manager, which involves overseeing five pharmacy staff members with scheduling, ordering, and problem-solving. She also ensures the pharmacy is following the local rules as well as the government guidelines.

Patience and friendliness are the most significant skills she has demonstrated, which are essential for this profession.

Her biggest challenges come from outside sources when medicines are backordered, and she has to explain that to a customer who needs the medication. That’s where the problem-solving skills come in as she works to figure out a different but similar medication with someone who’s been on it for years and years.  She says that those challenges are also the most rewarding, as they allow her to solve a customer’s issues.

Kourtni also enjoys mentoring the other staff in the pharmacy, encouraging those who would excel in the position to pursue pharmacy school.

What would Kourtni want others to realize about the pharmacy: “There’s a whole side back there that many people realize. Most people come in thinking they are just there to get a prescription, but sometimes there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. It’s not just the doctor calls, and we fill it up because if the insurance may not cover. Now you’ve got to work out the issue with the insurance company, and then you’re left with the copays, which are still too high for some. We work on all those issues.”

Meet Kourtni Fuller at the Fountain City Food City.

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