Young Leader in Pharmacy Mayur Tailor: "I am most excited about the expanding role of the pharmacist."
Snapshot
Education:
PharmD Candidate at the University of Waterloo
Current role:
I am currently on my community pharmacy co-operative education placement in Vancouver, BC. During my time here so far, I have come to realize the importance of effective communication in building trust. As many patients are distressed and confused when approaching the pharmacy, a simple greeting sets the tone that resonates throughout the rest of the patient’s experience. As a key player in the delivery of good health care, learning to prioritize the needs of the patient by actively listening to their concerns and developing a long-lasting pharmacy-patient relationship.
What excites you about being a pharmacist?
I am most excited about the expanding role of the pharmacist, as many non-traditional roles allow one to seek out new opportunities in wide-reaching public health involvement, among other topics in pharmacy. Pharmacists have become increasingly involved in disease prevention, patient health management, and immunizations, and the knowledge that is gained in pharmacy school equips us to excel in this ever-changing and adapting profession.
How would you describe a great day at work?
A great day at work for me is learning something new! As someone who strives to have diverse experiences through my rotations and extracurriculars, I enjoy taking on new tasks and challenges. I believe that this has allowed me to explore many unique roles in pharmacy, ranging from a pharmacy tech start-up to drug approvals with Health Canada.
How important is mentoring in your career?
I believe mentorship is very important, especially as a student! Mentorship allows one to cultivate many leadership skills and attain their goals. I have had and currently do have many mentors throughout my journey so far, who have empowered me to gain confidence and attain my goals and hope to give back one day by taking on mentees of my own!
If you can accomplish just one thing in your career, what would it be?
As a young pharmacy student, I am well aware that I still have much to learn—in technical skills as well as conceptual ability in the pharmacy world. For this reason, I am very open to various opportunities both through the pharmacy curriculum and extracurriculars that improve the health of fellow Canadians. Although still open to trying new roles, I hope to pursue a career that dually feeds my passion for empowering others as well as developing innovative practices.
What advice would you give to new pharmacy graduates?
My advice to current pharmacy students would be to not be afraid to reach out to pharmacists in the community and learn about the vast variation in the roles they can have. The pharmacy profession is currently one of the most rapidly changing professions out there, and by attending pharmacy school you can not only see these changes happen but can have a say in what and how things happen in your community. Canadian pharmacy schools provide unique opportunities by utilizing experiential learning synergistically with inspirational learning to provide future pharmacists with the tools they need to address problems in an innovative yet effective manner. Being at the forefront of innovation, the Canadian pharmacy curriculum helps further individual ambitions, which can range from developing positive patient relationships to non-traditional roles in the industry. In parallel with this, the interprofessional relationships in a practical real-world setting, as well as help, identify the type of pharmacist that best suits each student.