Consumer Engagement

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.

The days of ‘Command and Control’ – ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ – are long gone, and thankfully so. You don’t have to be the CEO to influence the culture of your organization or store. Everyone plays a part in the establishment of the work culture; the CEO simply sets the tone and encourages similar behaviours from every team member.

We are pharmacists. We are not lawyers. We are not real estate agents. However, that does not mean we are void of negotiating. Whether we are explaining a co-pay to a patient, signing an agreement with an employer, buying a pharmacy or making a staff schedule, there are parts of the pharmacist’s day where we just have to pull up our pants and negotiate.

Earlier in my career, I served on a team that was to develop new revenue streams for our pharmacies. Anything that was not traditional dispensing was labelled “clinical” and given to our team to work through. In those days, we set out to participate in as many of these projects as possible.

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.

After years of lamenting (okay, let’s be honest­—complaining about) any changes our local government makes that I don’t like, I recently went to my first community planning meeting.

Girls as young as 8 are turning up at dermatologists’ offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children’s sensitive skin.

When I realized that patients want and expect their medication experts to guide many of their choices, I began putting effort into developing workflow that would reduce the number of times patients visited or called for interactions that did not require the pharmacist.