Interview with Charles “Micky” Whitehead

Charles “Micky” Whitehead

Interview By Lindsay Cooper

Each year NCAP honors and recognizes 50+ members to highlight their dedication to the state association as well as to the profession of pharmacy. As a 4th year pharmacy student, I was given the honor of speaking with Micky Whitehead, a recently retired 50+ member. Little did I know, Micky and I share more than just a love for pharmacy and involvement in our state association. Although he currently lives in Asheboro, NC, he grew up and practiced in Ramseur, NC—the same small town in which my grandmother has lived since she was young. I found out that the two actually knew each other very well and that many of my family members have gone to Micky to receive their prescriptions and for medical advice.

Charles “Micky” Whitehead is a lifetime member of NCAP and recently retired after working as a pharmacist for 50 years. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1967 after completing one year of pre-pharmacy courses, four years of the pharmacy curriculum, and a one-year internship program. From there, he returned to his hometown of Ramseur to practice with his father, Raymond Whitehead (UNC ’24), who was also a pharmacist and owned Ramseur Pharmacy Inc.

Micky grew up helping out at the pharmacy and officially started working at the store at 14 years old. He immediately fell in love with compounding and the patient interaction. He knew that community pharmacy was what he wanted to do. As he moved into the pharmacist role nearly 10 years later, he worked alongside his father and eventually took over ownership of the store. In 1989, he sold Ramseur Pharmacy to Rite Aid. Though Micky retired in June of 2017, the pharmacy currently still stands and operates as a Walgreens. Although he enjoyed his 50 years as a pharmacist, Micky admits that he is enjoying retirement so far and enjoys being able to travel with his wife, Pat, and spending more time with his children and grandchildren.

As a strong advocate for the profession and patients, Mr. Whitehead chose to remain highly involved during his career. As a student, he was an active member of the NC Pharmaceutical Association (NCPhA), Student Senate, and Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity. As a pharmacist, he served as an executive committee member for the NCPhA, a member of the Board of Directors for the UNC School of Pharmacy Foundation, NC Mutual Drug, and for the now inactive NC Association of Professions. Micky also enjoyed serving those in his community as Vice Chairman of the Randolph County Mental Health Board and as Chairman of the Randolph County Board of Health. Some of his other positions include Chairman of the Ramseur Public Library, President of the Ramseur Lions Club (on the Board of Directors for the NC Lions Association for the Blind), Corporate Board member of Randolph Hospital, and member of the Pharmacy Education Advisory Board for Glaxo-Smith Kline. In 1973, Micky was recognized with the Don Blanton Award for his work and dedication to the advancement of pharmacy.

He says a lot has changed during his time as a pharmacist. One important aspect in the advancement of the profession was the incorporation of computers into pharmacy practice settings. Prior to computer accessibility, Mr. Whitehead had actually copyrighted a “Prescription Drug Information Form” that was a manual of appropriate auxiliary labels and was used at Ramseur Pharmacy to improve workflow. However, he decided not to take this idea further when computers became more and more common in pharmacies.

Other than technological advances, he has also observed the advancement of direct patient care provided by pharmacists. Throughout much of his career, pharmacists were only expected to dispense medications and recommend OTC products. Generally, all other questions were directed to the patient’s doctor. Now, pharmacists can perform Medication Therapy Management, Comprehensive Medication Reviews, immunizations, blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, detailed patient education, and much more. He also noted significant development of the pharmacist-doctor relationship, resulting in improved patient care. He found this to be particularly exciting progression and did not experience any push back from doctors in Ramseur. Mr. Whitehead has also been impressed with advancing practitioner knowledge and better education of health professionals overall including pharmacists, doctors, nurses, etc. However, he did say that the one thing that has not changed during his career and that will not change over time is that patients still deserve our quality time to consult with them about their health needs.

Regarding the future of the profession of pharmacy, Mr. Whitehead is most excited about the prospect of pharmacists being paid for full services offered, provider status, enhanced collaborative practice, and proving pharmacist value to patient care.

As a lifetime NCAP member, Micky has contributed much to the organization. He values the annual convention and continuing education opportunities supplied by NCAP, but most of all, he is grateful for the networking and connections he has gained through the association. One of his most rewarding opportunities has been to serve as a preceptor for both UNC and Campbell pharmacy students and to assist with their learning over the last 15 years. He has enjoyed passing on his knowledge and insight to the next generation of pharmacists.

Micky’s advice to new pharmacy graduates would be to 1) be people-oriented and patient-focused, 2) collaborate well with coworkers and other health professionals, 3) try to affect change, and 4) view people’s health as a priority and purpose for practice.

As a 4th year pharmacy student interested in pursuing a career in community-based pharmacy practice, I am inspired by Micky’s advice. Pharmacy has changed tremendously over the years and will continue to progress thanks to innovators and advocates such as Micky.

Interview by Lindsay Cooper. She is a PharmD student at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. This interview was conducted on September 25, 2017.