A wrap on Pharmacy U Vancouver 2024

A capacity crowd enjoyed a day of education, inspiration, conversation and new product updates at Pharmacy U Vancouver 2024.This year’s conference, held Nov. 2 at the JW Marriott Parq in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood, was jam-packed with learning and networking opportunities, kicking off with a 7 a.m. educational seminar on the latest ADHD guidelines and wrapping up with a cocktail hour and a last chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones or check out the products and services on display throughout an exhibit hall which had been buzzing with activity all day.Attendees at Pharmacy U Vancouver could choose up to six sessions from among the five streams of five consecutive educational presentations as well as the standalone breakfast session. All talks are presented by pharmacist experts in a range of clinical and operational areas. Among this year’s popular subject areas: RSV prevention in infants; treating cough and cold in children; the new obesity medications; the pharmacist’s role in menopause care; acute migraine treatment and the ever-popular OTC Mastermind audience participation session. A number of sessions were sold out ahead of the event.Pharmacy primary care done rightIn this year’s morning plenary session, Glenn Rodrigues from the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) and Nova Scotia pharmacy owner Pam Kennedy described lessons learned from PANS’ extensive deep dive into how pharmacists can embrace and excel at practicing to their fullest possible ability (including in pharmacist-led primary care clinics) and profitability while maintaining a healthy, balanced environment for pharmacy staff and owners. Among the key elements of a healthy pharmacy primary care practice: encouraging as many patients as possible to book appointments and participate in medication syncing; taking the time and resources to develop a healthy team where everyone feels valued and connected to each other, and maximizing the role—and number—of technicians to untether pharmacists from the dispensary.The lunchtime keynote was a fireside chat between pharmacist and Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada’s Shelita Dattani and pharmacist Ramon Goomber, who works in pharmacy relations for GSK Canada. Goomber was invited to Pharmacy U to share his stunning real-life story of how (with the help of a physician and his new police academy graduate friend) he used long-dormant but key medical knowledge, physical exertion and grit to save the life of a fellow air traveler who suffered a severe heart attack and had stopped breathing. The massive Marriott ballroom was silent as Goomber relived the experience of performing hours’ of CPR, injecting dozens of vials of epinephrine and taking shouted instructions from the physician who was receiving advice via the airplane’s phone from aviation emergency experts. In the end, the plane, which was bound for Hong Kong from Toronto, was diverted to Beijing where the Taiwanese patient was taken by ambulance to hospital. He miraculously survived with no brain damage.Although Goomber’s movie-worthy story is probably not something many pharmacists will experience, it did, said Dattani, show that pharmacists are much more highly-qualified as healthcare providers that they generally admit to being, and should feel confident to step into their new role as primary care providers. The Pharmacy U team is already deep into preparation for upcoming events in Toronto (April 5 2025) and Montreal (May 2 2025). Watch this page for more details about the agendas and how to register. The wait list for Pharmacy U Toronto is now open.Read more about Ramon Goomber’s story.

A wrap on Pharmacy U Vancouver 2024

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