Practice Tips

We're compiling a story with the “micro-moments” of joy you have during the day, from a patient's thank-you note to a favourite coffee in the morning or an after-work walk in nature.

Are you on a medical team that also plays together on a sports team, has a band or participates in another off-work team activity?

Dr. John Crosby spoke with an anonymous doctor about a choice to stop about 300 patients on long-term opioid therapy cold turkey after taking over an existing practice.

Ryan Mesheau said he was taken aback by the premier’s recent vow to shield healthcare workers from legal action in response to a lawsuit filed by the Mesheau family alleging their father died because he received inadequate care.

Full disclosure: I am not now, nor was I ever, a pharmacist. But as they say: ‘some of my best friends are pharmacists’ and I sure got to know hundreds—thousands?—of pharmacists and their teams over my 27 years in pharmacy. I was proud and privileged to be entrusted with the leadership of an independent community retail pharmacy brand.

Being a striker, regardless of how good, gave me an identity and I quickly realized how important it is for people to have jobs. When pharmacists try to do everything themselves, they take someone else’s job. When we fail at delegating, we accidentally take purpose and importance away from others. Not only does this mitigate the impact the multi-tasking pharmacist can make, but also blunts what others have to offer on the team.

By developing our charisma as a learned skill, we can have a greater impact on the people we encounter. Given so many of the headwinds that pharmacists face, developing this skill can pay huge dividends. Here are a few ways we can develop our charisma.

Time to dole out some laughter as medicine. Share your funny caption idea for a chance to win.