Six tips for creating your dream job

Sure, you started your career with the intention of having a fulfilling job in pharmacy, but if you find yourself feeling stuck in a role you no longer enjoy, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re among the 60% of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians feeling unfulfilled by their work, according to a 2023 national survey commissioned by the Canadian Pharmacists Association. The same survey showed that one in three pharmacists were considering leaving the profession entirely.But settling for an uninspired pharmacy career does not need to be your reality. Broad new scope of practice opportunities have created exciting new options that have never before existed for pharmacists. This could be the time to make a positive change that sticks. We spoke to several pharmacists who love their jobs—whether they’re running the show or a key part of it—for advice on how to land your career sweet spot. Here are some key takeaways.Take time to reflect on what’s nextWith a never-ending daily to-do list, the work day leaves no time or mental energy to focus on what you really want out of your job. Instead, dedicate time to step away and dream, and keep a pen handy for when the ideas start to flow, says Ontario pharmacist Stacey D’Angelo. “I like to do my reflection during walks on the beach where I live because being in nature helps me get outside of my to-do list,” she says.As a former pharmacy owner, D’Angelo says taking time to reflect on what her ideal practice setting would be helped her in deciding to become a pharmacy consultant specializing in deprescribing. “It is the culmination of my knowledge in medication management, experience deprescribing in long-term care and specialty compounding, together with my passion for lifestyle and preventative medicine,” she says.D’Angelo advises thinking about the skills, knowledge, education and experience that make you unique and then focusing on what you’re passionate about. “The culmination of these two will create a niche area for you to practise.”Look for “pain points” and opportunitiesPharmacists are uniquely positioned to find new opportunities in the workplace every day. “We interact with nearly every stakeholder (payers, prescribers, etc.) and own the most frequent and one of the most trusted touchpoints with a patient,” says Saskatchewan-based pharmacist Jeff Wandzura, CEO of KEEP Labs. “Listening to each interaction with an empathetic ear will lead to that ‘aha’ moment in identifying a key pain point/opportunity before you know it.”Wandzura’s passion for technology and heart for improving patient care led him to a career heading the company that manufactures the Modern Medicine Cabinet, which keeps medications safe in the home setting while connecting with a digital platform to capture a patient’s daily dosing to improve adherence. “The initial concept doesn’t have to be perfect, scalable or fully polished,” he says. “Even visionaries in their field needed to iterate, test and refine their initial concepts over time.”Trish Molberg, a diabetes educator and pharmacist manager at Sandstone Neighbourly Pharmacy in Calgary says it’s also about looking at pain points within your own workspace to figure out how to make things better.She cites an example from her time as a new grad working at a busy Walmart Pharmacy. “We had a drawer of placebo inhalers, and not knowing who smoked and who was using what, I thought we could make bags with inhalers for each employee with their names on them.” She found a company to donate the placebo inhalers to distribute to her staff. She also became a certified respiratory educator to further her skills and proposed a successful plan to distribute these placebo inhaler packs to other Walmart pharmacies in the region on her clinic day, while also ensuring staff were up to date on the latest asthma and COPD guidelines. “I took the initiative because I felt this was something I could use too,” says Molberg.Her initiatives continued with an idea to help staff across several local Walmart locations quit smoking by running group smoking cessation classes at their stores. “I not only had support from Walmart to work a day a week in this clinical role executing ideas that I came up with, but they also supported their employees with the time off to attend my classes. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quoInnovation requires thinking outside the box and pushing the boundaries of traditional practice, says John Papastergiou, owner of four Shoppers Drugs Marts in Toronto. To that end, he says managers and pharmacy staff alike can encourage creativity by questioning established norms and seeking novel solutions to common problems. “By adopting a curious mindset pharmacists can identify opportunities for improvement and innovation,” he says. nderstand that not every idea will be successful, but they view failures as valuable learning opportunities.Implementing various innovative—and award-winning—clinical programs at his pharmacies over the years has significantly improved not only his own enjoyment, but also his employees’ satisfaction, says Papastergiou, while enhancing patient care and attracting more business.Ask for what you wantDon’t assume that employers won’t accommodate changes that would make your job more fulfilling—but make it worth their while. As pharmacy manager at Sandstone Pharmacy, Molberg now works three days a week seeing patients on an appointment basis, and one day a week at an endocrinology clinic as a diabetes educator. (Her fifth day is spread out over Friday-Sunday working remotely for the pharmacy.)“Four years ago, when I came up with the idea of working at the endocrinology clinic, I told [my employers] this will be great, because we’ll get referrals from the clinic for prescriptions and diabetes supplies—and I’ll come back happier and more centred,” says Molberg. “It worked.”Seek out mentors and alliesThere is good reason many people credit mentors for playing a part in their professional success. Alberta pharmacist Brooke Thai had become a Certified Diabetes Educator in the hopes of creating a diabetes consultation service in her workplace, but when she couldn’t get her employer on board, she found a mentor who helped make it happen. Thai heard Molberg speak at an awards ceremony where they were both being honoured and decided to approach her. “She seemed like a great pharmacist and so well-liked—and working in a diabetes clinic once a week—so I wanted her advice on how to make diabetes a part of my work-life too,” says Thai.Impressed by her enthusiasm, Molberg told her about a three-day internship at a diabetes clinic in Calgary and found a sponsor to cover the fee. Thai enjoyed the experience so much she went on to shadow Molberg at her own pharmacy and was hired to provide clinical diabetes services one day a week. That experience led Thai to make a permanent career change. She resigned from her job and a month later, was able to increase her hours to two days a week providing diabetes care at Molberg’s pharmacy, while working the other three days at another Neighbourly Pharmacy providing community pharmacy services.She says Molberg continues to be her biggest advocate and has started her on the process to becoming a Certified Pump Trainer. “It feels like a dream come true,” says. Thai. “On top of asking for what you want, I say don’t be afraid to take the plunge and introduce yourself to people doing what you want to do.” Cultivate a team to support youBuilding strong networks and leveraging each other’s skills and perspectives to find the right path forward is key for creating an innovative practice and fulfilling career, says James Morrison, director of Pharmacy Excellence at Whole Health Pharmacy Partners and co-owner of three pharmacies in Toronto.To properly address healthcare gaps in the community, Morrison partnered with pharmacists with expertise in mental health and addiction, as well as holistic health and wellness. His pharmacies offer services that include medical abortions, HIV self-testing and minor ailments. To better support and extend his patient reach, he and his co-owners have also developed a network that includes other clinicians and healthcare organizations across the province. These team-supported initiatives helped earn the pharmacy not one but two Pharmacy Practice + Business Awards (read about them in the January 2024 issue).“Most great ideas cannot be brought to life alone,” says Morrison.Rosalind Stefanac is a Toronto writer specializing in pharmacy and retail journalism.

Six tips for creating your dream job

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