Corporate Governance

‘I didn’t study pharmacy to be pressured into sales.’

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, said that while the country needed to recover from decades of war, half of its potential doctors, scientists, journalists and politicians were ‘shut away in their homes, their dreams crushed and their talents confiscated.

When services are essential to the healthy functioning of society, which levers should the government pull to try to ensure they’re available?

I am preparing to precept my next fourth-year University of Alberta PharmD student for their non-patient care rotation. I highly recommend becoming a preceptor for students. I learn from each of them and I get energized by their enthusiasm for the profession. My rotation is an elective with a leadership/management focus, and I often match with students who express an interest in becoming a pharmacy owner down the line.

Raphael, is a great clinician and an extremely hard worker, capable of grinding through the heavy lifting the profession requires. But the demands of pharmacy life with higher expectations, rude customers, diminishing support staff and head office policies forced down his throat have all taken their toll.

In recent weeks, I have come to realize that I have done a poor job as a historian to document certain events throughout my career. This fact has been emphasized by our smartphone-rich world where many people document numerous aspects of their lives with photographs. I am still learning that skill.

Hospitals are reminding folks with open wounds to avoid showers.

Dr. Ainslie Mihalchuk is a family doctor working in Northeast Winnipeg.