Building a Thriving Pharmacy Career: 5 Roles, 3 Lessons, Infinite Possibilities

'I will not sign you off to attend your registration exam,' he said.

'I can still see specks in your cream mixture, this isn't good enough,' he further added. My blood pressure must have been so low as I started blacking out!

These were the.... ehem.. "encouraging" comments directed to me by my preceptor the week before I was due to attend my registration exam.

But that wasn't all, to be honest.

I had endured a hell of an internship year.

It was horrible enough that never in my wildest dreams did I think I was to stay a pharmacist to this day.

And not just have one role in pharmacy and healthcare, but multiple!

I was thrown at the deepest end as a trainee pharmacist, even though it was my pre-reg year.

I cried almost every day and wanted to quit so badly!

I was adamant that even if I registered, pharmacy would not be my final destination.

.

.

.

Fast forward 15 years... I'm still a pharmacist with more experience under my belt than I would have wished for.

Because I didn't listen to one man's opinion of me.

I didn't let his judgement ruin my fate.

He did help me become a better pharmacist, no denial there. As the saying goes 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

What came after registration for me was not planned, my actions stemmed from a mindset of 'I will not be defeated' and 'I will embrace every opportunity to grow.'

Role #1: My governance journey...

What is Governance in a pharmacy context, some of you may ask?

Governance refers to all the processes of governing, by which pharmacy regulatory bodies/boards, regulate and decide upon issues of common concern to the profession, set competence standards and ensure patient safety.

(That's the nutshell definition!)

I was never satisfied with the status quo.

From the first day, I stood behind that dispensing bench, I knew that surely more could come out of a pharmacist beyond counting pills.

The tough time I went through as an intern pushed me to excel at pharmacy practice, and I was commended to become a professional conduct committee member on the Pharmacy Council. This is the committee that investigates complaints against pharmacists. Not exactly something that many would enjoy, and it goes without saying 'you can't get the splinter out of another pharmacist's eye, without removing it from your own first'. So, I had to continually reflect on my practice before I judge that of others.

I believed in pharmacy and the power and value of pharmacists in healthcare, my passion was palpable in pharmacy forums.

This led to me gaining sponsorships to attend overseas pharmacy conferences in my first year of registration and becoming a member of an Early Career Pharmacists Steering Group that shapes the future of early career pharmacists.

In April 2019, I saw the call for appointments by the Ministry of Health for board members of the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand, the day before it closed.

I was encouraged to apply by colleagues but didn't have the slightest hope I would be appointed by the minister, after all, this was a high-level policy role, and I was only 9 years into registration.

But I wanted change for pharmacists, I want pharmacists to practice at the top of their scope and offer so much beyond the counter, and I believed I could be a catalyst for that change. This was my driving force.

Five months later, that call came that I had been appointed .... and the rest is history.

Being in this role for 4 years now has taught me the following:

• There is more to change in pharmacy than simply 'wanting' it to happen because governance is very complex.

• Changing the narrative is painful because it requires a concerted effort from all organizations in the profession - you only need to attend one sector meeting to know what it means to get them all to agree!

• Pharmacists are their own best advocates.

• Stop creating rules for the reasons why you can't provide a certain service and blame it on 'regulation'. If you can't find anywhere where it says you can't do it, then do it. Put your patient's needs first!

• Regulation is not here to punish the professionals, regulation protects the patient because imagine what would happen if it didn't?!

Role #2: Into the realm of Telehealth..

In April 2020, I won double awards at the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards for implementing successful projects in primary care (but that's for another edition).

That success led me to think about innovative ways to deliver pharmacist services beyond the bench.

Covid catalyzed the adoption of virtual healthcare and telemedicine, but pharmacists were left behind. If doctors can deliver virtual healthcare, what stops a pharmacist from doing so?

Long story short I pitched my idea of a pharmacist delivering telepharmacy services to a virtual healthcare startup. This was my first time to:

• Know what a pitch deck is and put one together

• Be the most uncomfortable I've ever been in my life

• Present to billionaire venture capitalists

The result:

• I established virtual collaborative agreements with multiple general practices

• I was part of a medicines app design team with doctors and product designers

• I learned so much about start-ups, entrepreneurship and product design

• I was the first telepharmacist nationwide, to work from home

And just for reference, I came across this startup through networking and nurturing relationships on Linkedin - shows the power of social media & networking!

Role #3: Advocate for inequity..

Out of a real tumultuous disaster in the city I live in, I realized how much inequity faces our minority groups and indigenous populations when it comes to healthcare access.

The March 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, took many innocent lives and left behind so much psychological harm beyond what our healthcare could heal.

I worked with the families of the victims to help wherever I could, but it didn't help when healthcare resources did not even understand the needs of these populations.

I was appointed in 2020 to a ministerial advisory group within cabinet along with others to provide insight into the recommendations that arose out of this disaster, to make NZ more inclusive in all aspects, including in healthcare - a role that I cherish as I speak for those who are less capable.

Bringing healthcare into the big picture, and embedding it into the policy of all government departments is very challenging, but is imperative. Health underpins the well-being of all societies, if health is broken, then all else will be!

And being front-line health professionals, who are the first port-of-call for patients, pharmacists, as I always say, are the best patient advocates. We are a great fit for these roles.

Role #4: Turning a hobby into income..

I published my first article here on LinkedIn 2 years ago..

Little did I know that it would be noticed by a publisher who would ask me to write for pharmacy publications.

Writing is the foundational skill of this decade - I can't emphasize this enough. It enables you to communicate and express your ideas in all situations and across platforms and mediums. And if you have a powerful way to express your ideas, teach others, to bring people along in your journey - you can achieve anything!

If it wasn't for my confidence and ability to write, I wouldn't have been able to achieve any of the above.

I wouldn't have been able to:

• Write compelling CVs to present who I am and my expertise

• Pitch ideas to judges in the awards

• Pitch ideas to start-ups

• Be writing this blog to you now!

• Be an effective communicator

I owe 100% of my success to writing.

If you aren't writing, you have no idea what you're missing out on!

Role #5: My consulting business side gig...

My vast experience culminated in building a consulting business that is transforming healthcare by:

• providing private pharmacogenomics and medication management consulting services

• coaching pharmacists into fulfilling careers

• using my governance and policy expertise to help other healthcare providers implement healthcare projects bringing in a clinician's perspective

When you have a skill, it would be stupid to not use it to build your dreams, why work 24/7 building someone else's dream?

Unless of course you're happy with that - and that's ok too!

Bringing in my expertise to help patients get the right medicine at the right dose for their genes is the epitome of any pharmacist's practice. Those who follow me, will see me talk about pharmacogenomics to great lengths. I would encourage others to follow me and explore this field that provides so much value to patients.

And naturally, of course, it would be remiss to not use my experience, pitfalls and successes to help other pharmacists reach the same career heights. This is why I coach other pharmacists to:

• Provide #telepharmacy and virtual care services (from the comfort of their home)

• Form collaborative agreements with specialists and MD offices

• Use pharmacogenomics to elevate their pharmacy practice and help their patients

• Build their online presence and their personal brand to bring value to healthcare and fulfill their career aspirations

Lessons Learned from 5 Careers

• It's ok to not have it all figured out, just start and figure it out as you go

• Accept any opportunities that come your way, some opportunities like mine can change your entire career trajectory. (You can decline later out of abundance like I do!)

• Rejection is Redirection - I talked about my successes, and I would be embarrassed to disclose to you how many times I was rejected (think inbox full of emails!).

• Embrace tough times - my internship year was so tough I didn't think I would live through it, but I did, and I am invincible now because of it.

• Failure is your step-ladder to success - the best way to know if something is a good idea or not is to just go ahead and start working on it. It could succeed. Or it could fail and you learn from it. You win either way!

• Look at your career as your #mission to improve the world, rather than just a 'job' that makes you a living. If this isn't how you feel about it, then something is wrong and you need to correct it. Life is too short to be miserable 24/7!

We live in a world of infinite possibilities and opportunities - live on high alert to explore and embrace these opportunities.

There is absolutely nothing that stops you from achieving anything you want apart from the imaginary limitations you create in your head - so don't be your own worst enemy.

To your unlimited success,

Katrina

P.S. Whenever you're up to it, here is how I can help you:

• Join my newsletter community to get ONE career tip, or pharmacy industry insight & priority access to my content straight to your inbox here

• DM me to book a call to grow your pharmacy career, discuss how to implement telepharmacy or pharmacogenomics or discuss a healthcare project