Each Friday in June 2022, I’m publishing an interview with a pharmacist dad in honor of Father’s Day, which is Sunday, June 19. This episode is an interview with Tony Guerra, PharmD.  During the first half of our conversation, we discuss how Tony uses his voice as a pharmacist.  In the second half, we focus on Tony’s role as a Dad.  

Thank you for listening to episode 156 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!

To read the full show notes, visit https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com.  Click on the podcast tab, and search for episode 156.  

Tony Guerra, M.HCI., Pharm.D., is a pharmacist who helps students write their way into a residency by helping them with their interviews, CVs, and letters of intent.  He lives in Ankeny, Iowa with his wife and triplet daughters. 

You can find The Pharmacy Residency Podcast on iTunes or at  https://pharmacyresidencypodcast.com/ 

You can find his courses at https://residency.teachable.com/  

You can find his audiobooks on Audible from career to pharmacology and pharmacotherapy here https://www.audible.com/author/Tony-Guerra/B00AECS0ZG 

He welcomes you to join and subscribe to his TonyPharmD YouTube channel has 35,000 subscribers https://www.youtube.com/c/tonypharmd 

Highlights from our conversation

Tony uses his voice as a pharmacist in a number of ways. He has experience in retail pharmacy.  Now, he’s a college professor, podcaster, online course creator, author, husband, father of 3, youth sports coach, and more.  

Some pharmacists have learned that traditional, clinical pharmacist hours are fundamentally incompatible with being a good parent.  

Tony reveled the #1 reason someone does not get a residency.  He also gave advice about writing a residency letter of intent.

Tony is an entrepreneur.  He finds a need and fills the gap.  Many pharmacists feel guilty about getting paid to do something outside traditional, clinical practice.  Tony pointed out that providing free resources as well as paid resources is a good way to overcome that guilt.  

As an experienced author, Tony talked about how long it takes to go from idea to published and described how long it takes for a normal book compared to a book that he recently published with Brandon Dyson, PharmD at an accelerated pace.  Tony also shared tips on writing a book. 

How can women get men to read books, like Tony Guerra’s Without Being Asked: How Can Dads and Kids Help Organize and Declutter To Reduce Family Burnout?  Tony suggested putting it in, “Fix-it language” or, “Guy speak.”  

Tony shares individual drug name pronunciations on his YouTube channel.  To learn more, visit https://www.youtube.com/c/tonypharmd.  

Visit https://residency.teachable.com to learn more about Tony’s online courses.  Topics include pharmacology and pharmacy residencies.  

Tony has been married since 2007, and has triplet daughters, age 10.  We discussed a range of “Dad” topics, including: 

• Apologizing
• “Dad time-outs”
• Being present and not letting career get in the way of being present
• Fertility issues
• Praise for his wife during her long hospital bedrest
• His daughters’ 3 month stay in the NICU
• Advice to pharmacist dads on when to have a child/children
• Biggest challenges of fatherhood
• Favorite things about fatherhood
• Kids and sports/extracurricular activities
• Raising kids is expensive.  We discussed an expense that surprised Tony.
• General advice for current or prospective pharmacist dads.

Mentioned in this episode

Tony Guerra, Pharmacist LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonypharmd/ 

Tony’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/tonypharmd  

Audiobooks https://www.audible.com/author/Tony-Guerra/B00AECS0ZG 

Tony Guerra author profile on amazon.com 

Books mentioned in this episode

1. Without Being Asked: How Can Dads and Kids Help Organize and Declutter To Reduce Family Burnout? by Tony Guerra 
2. Finding Your Unicorn Job for Pharmacists:  Financial Freedom, Flexible Hours, and Personal Fulfillment Beyond the Pharmacy Counter (Pharmacist Residency and Career Series Book 6) by Tony Guerra
3. How to Pronounce Drug Names:  A Visual Approach to Preventing Medication Errors by Tony Guerra 
4. 100 Strong Residency Interview Questions, Answers, and Rationales by Tony Guerra and Brandon Dyson, et al.
5. Pharmfluencers:  The Inspiring Stories of Pharmacy Entrepreneurs by Kimber Boothe
6. How Not to Hate your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn 
7. How Pharmacists Lead:  Answers from Women Who Are Leading, Succeeding, and Impacting Pharmacy by Hillary Blackburn, PharmD
8. If You’re in My Office, It’s Already Too Late:  A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to Staying Together by James J. Sexton
9. The Five Love Languages:  The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman

The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy https://www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy/ 

Online courses (Pharmacy Residency Podcast Courses) https://residency.teachable.com 

Todd Eury LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddeury/ 

Pharmacy Podcast Network https://pharmacypodcast.com 

Check out Tony’s podcasts: 

1. Pharmacy Future Leaders Podcast
2. Pharmacy Residency Podcast

Thank you for listening to episode 156 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!

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