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When Betty Golightly decided to add travel health services to her Calgary practice, she committed to offering the highest quality of care. “My goal when I started this program was to deliver the best possible pre-travel consultation provided by any healthcare professional.”

Although when I started my journey in pharmacy, I had a pretty extensive health background, I knew nothing about pharmacy. The lack of knowledge about pharmacy and what pharmacists do remains one of the biggest challenges that we’re constantly working to overcome.

Success as a migraine pharmacist means I am able to enhance patients’ lives through effective symptom management, empowering them with knowledge, and fostering strong relationships. It's about making a positive impact, gaining respect in the healthcare community, and finding personal fulfillment in improving lives.

Noha ElSayed credits her time as a locum pharmacist in rural Alberta for inspiring her to start her own pharmacy and compounding lab.

Toby Branscombe says it was certainly worth the wait to find her perfect pharmacy fit.

First, pharmacists need expansion of their scope so they can run the clinic portion and leave the dispensing to the RPhT. I believe we need to ensure the public is aware of the abilities of both pharmacy professionals, allowing the changes to be accomplished.

In my experience with advocacy, I have found that often policy makers have a limited understanding of how the intended and unintended consequences will impact patient care. Concepts, rules, policies, and procedures developed in a theoretical sense, without practical input, can be ineffective at best and more often detrimental.

I think we are already seeing a clear vision of where pharmacy practice is going. With Canadians visiting their pharmacists up to 10 times more frequently than any other healthcare provider, and with a growing shortage of primary care practitioners due to retirements and fewer new practitioners entering the field, we can expect to see pharmacies continue to own their place as community health hubs.