KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR - Shopping Guide News of Fulton County,

Wednesday February 17, 2021

The next time you stop into Webb’s Family Pharmacy in Rochester, you’re likely to see a new pharmacist behind the counter, ready and able to fill your needed prescription. Not only is Scott Harrod happy to do so, he’s also more than willing to give you further information about your medications but also talk to you about other questions related to your health and overall wellbeing.

Some might call it youthful exuberance, but Harrod’s conviction to help others is genuine in its nature.

 A 2020 graduate of the Purdue University College of Pharmacy in West Lafayette, this is actually Harrod’s second job in the area since he earned his PharmD less than a year ago. He started his professional career at CVS in Winamac, but knew he preferred to work in an independent pharmacy setting rather than in the corporate world of a major chain organization. It wasn’t that he disliked his former job, but he knew his passion was in an environment that allowed him to develop more personal relationships with his patients. When the opportunity to join Harry Webb’s operation, he knew he had to make the change despite his relatively short time in Pulaski County.

 “It was hard to find a job after graduation with the pandemic going on,” Harrod said. “There weren’t a lot of options.”

A 2014 graduate of Plainfield High School just outside of Indianapolis, Harrod did his undergraduate work at Purdue as well, making him a Boilermaker through and through. He did have some ties to Fulton County, however, as his grandparents, the late Bob and Jennifer Collins, did live here in the ‘80s and ’90s. Harrod’s mother was familiar with the area and was happy when he was offered his first job last summer in a neighboring county. Little did she know that position would only last a few months before everything would change.

“I got a call from Harry in late November telling me about the job opening,” Harrod recalled. “It was a really good opportunity and I started here the week before Christmas. I was never married to CVS and was open to other opportunities. I just didn’t think it would happen quite so quickly. I wanted to get to a store that was independently owned. I knew I wanted to get to that environment. From my experience with a chain, they are very metric driven, such as the number of (prescriptions) sent out the door in a certain time.”

Harrod said he wanted to have the opportunity to develop individual connections with the people coming in the door.

“I wanted to have the chance to help them improve upon their health and to get to know them as people,” he said. “The customers here are great. The team has welcomed me here. They are all very experienced and willing to help out when I need it. It would take a conscious effort to mess it up!” He added the experience of Webb, and the more senior pharmacists is a blessing to him. “I can call Harry anytime and ask for his advice,” Harrod said. “He’s seen it all and his experience is invaluable. He’s a great mentor.”

One thing Harrod noted is that working in a pharmacy is very different than learning about it in class. “Every patient’s situation is different,” he noted. “What is right for them can be very different than what you learn in a textbook. As a pharmacist, it comes down to my judgement.” Harrod emphasized that his quick departure from his first job wasn’t a harbinger of things to come. “I’m here as long as they want to keep me here,” he concluded. “It’s a great situation and I definitely want to stick around!”