Taking care of community
By Holly Hollenbeck

Dana Koll set out to the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1987 with an MFA scholarship and the hope of becoming a pharmacist. Six years later, she returned to her rural community to take care of its medical need--and become the residents' trusted friend.

Dana Koll enjoys making people feel better. It's a good quality to have when you're a pharmacist in a small, rural community. She enjoys helping the rural residents in her hometown of Lincoln and neighboring Warsaw--and it shows.

Koll's quick to point out that the medicine she dispenses at Boring Rexall Drug in Warsaw, Mo., isn't the only thing that helps people get better. "If people are sick, they often feel better talking to someone about it," said Koll. "Visiting with people when they come in helps them get better, too."

Going the extra mile has always been something Koll has gone after, and she continues to strive for it every day as she juggles her career, family and the ups and downs of living on a farm.

Accomplishments
Koll has worked in the pharmacy profession full time since she graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1993 with a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy. She started working at Boring Rexall Drug in Warsaw, Mo., this past April, and before that she worked at Scott's Family Pharmacy in Lincoln, Mo.

In addition to listening to the customers who come in the drugstore, Koll fills prescriptions, works with the doctors prescribing the medication, and fills out insurance forms and other paperwork. Koll has to stay on top of things because in her profession there is no room for mistakes.

"You have to know your basics," said Koll. "You have to know the strengths and correct doses for each drug. If I question anything on the prescription, I make sure and give the doctor a call. And I have to continually keep up on state and federal laws. I have to complete 15 hours of continuing education every year to keep my license current."

It was this attention to detail, along with her compassion for the customers, that led her former boss at Scott's Family Pharmacy to nominate Koll for the Missouri Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award. The award is given to a pharmacist who has graduated in the past seven years, is involved in the community and handles the day-to-day part of the job professionally.

To her surprise, the award committee of her own peers selected Koll as their recipient in June 1999. "It was quite an honor," said Koll. "I was quite shocked and happy when I found out. I knew he had entered my name, but I never in a million years thought it would happen. Lots of people were just as deserving of that award as me."

But the Missouri Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award wasn't the first time Koll has been honored for her professionalism. In 1993, she received an award for superior achievement in patient care when her externship directors nominated her for the award. She was selected from all of the students in her class at UMKC.

Hard work
All of this achievement hasn't come easy. A lot of hard work and dedication had to come first.

Koll grew up on a grain, cattle and hog farm with her parents, Howard and Kay Schenewark, and younger sister, Jill, just outside of Lincoln, Mo. She had had high hopes of becoming a pharmacist since her sophomore year in high school when she found out more about the profession at a high school job fair. "I always wanted to work in the medical field," said Koll, "but I wasn't interested in being a doctor or nurse, so I picked the next best thing."

She graduated from the Lincoln school district in 1987. She was the class salutatorian. She decided to attend UMKC to get her degree in pharmacy. She took with her a $1,000 MFA scholarship and a big dream for a small-town girl. "I received other scholarships, but all were needed because it costs a lot to go to school," said Koll. "I appreciated everything I got." A pharmacy degree takes six years to finish, and the money helped pay tuition for the first year.

She worked hard in all her classes, realizing quickly that if she wanted to do well she would have to study harder than a lot of her big-city classmates who were exposed to a lot more than she was in high school. One of the classes she particularly worked hard in and enjoyed was manufacturing lab. "We got to make pills and things like shaving cream in that class," said Koll. "It was a lot of fun." And she joined two pharmacy student groups--Kappa Psi and Kappa Epsilon--to help her through.

She also excelled at her three externships she had to complete before entering the workforce. "The externships enable you to build your confidence before you start working," said Koll. "It's scary to have that much responsibility at first. But now I'm OK. It feels good knowing you're helping your community members."

Focus on family
Koll approaches her family life similarly to how she handles customers when they come into the drugstore--with compassion, care and understanding. She and her husband, Rob, and their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Bayley, live in the country about 3.5 miles from where she grew up.

Rob farms 1,600 acres with his father, Dick Koll. In addition, Dana and Rob run a 140 cow/calf operation on their farm. Koll said bottle-feeding calves used to be one of her main chores around the farm, but since Bayley arrived she has had to cut back a lot on the farm chores. "She keeps me really busy," said Koll.

She respects how hard Rob works to keep the farm running. "I have all the respect in the world for farmers," said Koll. "They are some of the hardest-working people I know."

It runs in the family
Koll isn't the only member of her family to work hard to get to where they are now. Her sister, Jill Schenewark, received an MFA scholarship in 1991. She attended Central Missouri State University to study aviation. She currently has both her bachelor's and master's degrees in the field and is a professor at CMSU.

"She flies single- and twin-engine airplanes," said Koll, "and she has taught quite a few students how to fly. She has done well in her field, too."

The key to their success may lie somewhere on their small-town farm. Koll hopes so. She's glad her daughter is growing up on a farm, too. Koll doesn't plan on becoming a big-city pharmacist anytime soon.

"I would love to stay in the small community pharmacy setting," said Koll. "I like seeing and knowing who I'm talking to and working one on one with them. People tend to trust you more that way."