A Day in the Life of a men's health pharmacist

Brad Butt completed his studies back in 2007 and since then has been a passionate men’s urological health advocate. Today, Brad splits his time between being that busy ‘chemist’ checking prescriptions and an eclectic assortment of other tasks, and working within his passion project, Mens Health Downunder. While he finds the life and times of a community pharmacist at his Fyshwick Pharmacy vaguely interesting, it’s his involvement with the men of the ACT and, more broadly, his network of like-minded pharmacists in the Mens Health Downunder network across Australia, New Zealand and (soon to launched in) Ireland that sets him apart as truly unique.

05:20 With a super busy work schedule (between the pharmacy and Mens Health) and home life (we have four primary-school-aged kids), finding time for exercise and mindfulness is vital for me. Five days a week it’s a 60-minute run as scheduled by Gavin, my running coach, complemented with two reformer pilates sessions at home in our garage. Canberra really turns it on in winter, so the mornings are not only dark but often subzero. A great time to get some physical activity but also to clear the mind, problem-solve and prepare for the day ahead.

07:30 The pharmacy needs to be opened. Fyshwick is an industrial area and the place is aflush with tradies looking to get a jump on the day ahead; getting supplies, opening their shops, looking for coffee and a brekky roll and, in our case, needing some pharmacy supplies to get through the day. It could be a box of Panadol for the headache, some bandaids for the first-aid kit or a certificate for sick leave. The early-morning requests are mixed and varied and the guys and girls we see early are always great value. We always start the day right.

09:00 The Mens Health Downunder clinic here in Deakin in Canberra opens. Not me today, but it’ll be one of the other Mens Health pharmacists — Tim, Rob or Josh. Patients are booked in like they would be with the GP and we spend around an hour with each patient addressing their needs. This could relate to their prostate cancer recovery, urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction. Much of what we do is about helping the patient get the best medication, understand how to use it, and get the right medical device (we do a lot of penis pumps, penile clamps and traction devices). All of this takes a lot of time to do well and it’s critical our patients understand what they need to do and what the plan and road ahead looks like.

Video diary: Brad shares a message from Ireland.

10:30 Our pharmacy courier arrives and collects the deliveries we have for the morning. These are then delivered to patients primarily at their workplaces. It’s a handy service because everyone is so busy, getting to the pharmacy to put a script in, getting some other items and returning to work can at times be too hard and often adds to the mental load — getting a delivery during business hours really simplifies life for many working folk.

11:00 The vaccinations are now coming in thick and fast. Currently it’s cold, flu, COVID and RSV season, so there is lots of this to do. It’s great to be able to offer this service, and again, I think it’s really convenient for our patients to be able to get a quick and efficient service. Sometimes we will do the vaccinations within the workplace, which is also great as it means staff within these businesses are not inconvenienced in having to get it done outside hours, but also it means they’re vaccinated and are therefore less likely to be taking sick leave as a result of contracting the flu, COVID, etc. Everyone wins.

12:00 The dreaded lunchtime rush! It’s all hands on deck as everyone is coming in to get their medications but also to speak to the pharmacist about their minor ailments. These days, pharmacists are well educated and positioned to help with a range of minor ailments, from urinary tract infections and leave certificates to wound dressings and checking blood pressure or cholesterol.

The new Fyshwick Pharmacy team welcomed by outgoing pharmacist Peter Kong, who has served at the Fyshwick Pharmacy for over 33 years. Left–right: Danielle Peel, Brad Butt, Peter Kong, Robert Smith.

13:30 We often have patients seeing their urologists who are referred straight to us. This could be at our Deakin clinic or even at the pharmacy. These patients are always great to see as they help us fill the day and are often needing things pretty quickly. Being able to work alongside their urologists to improve their health and wellbeing is a true honour and something we take a real pride and responsibility in.

15:00 Quick presentation to the staff at a local building site on the importance of erectile health and what it can indicate, hence why it’s important to talk about it sooner rather than later. These sorts of chats are always well received, even if some of the participants are not quite sure what they’ll learn before we kick off. Interestingly, I think everyone takes something away from these chats and, not surprisingly, these chats are often the beginning of a meaningful chat with the GP. Life-changing stuff.

16:00 Off to the Mens Health clinic to see how the day was; chase up doctors, book in patients and check messages that need follow-up. We also review the web orders and see if any of the other Mens Health pharmacists need anything from the head office.

19:00 Bedtime — reading books, reflecting on the day and saying goodnight.