We asked three of Canada’s leading pharmacists about what the public needs to know, where pharmacy’s headed, and the role they play in Canadian health care.
Nese Yuksel, BScPharm, PharmD, FCSHP, NCMP
Canadian Pharmacist of the Year 2016
What does the Canadian public need to know about pharmacists and pharmacy practice?
Many people are not always aware of all the services that pharmacists can provide for them. We work in many different health care settings including community, hospitals, long term care facilities, primary care settings, and others. Services that pharmacists provide go beyond dis- pensing of medications and include administering vaccinations, renewing prescriptions, providing medication reviews, managing chronic diseases, and prescribing medications depending on the province they work in.
Jaris Swidrovich, BSP, PharmD
Canada’s first self-identified First Nations Doctor of Pharmacy
From your perspective, what does the future of pharmacy hold?
The future is both female and diverse and I hope this applies to pharmacy practice, too. The profession of pharmacy has been a female-dominated profession for a few decades; however, the majority of people in the most influential and powerful positions are males. I am excited to see the pharmacy profession not only grow in its diversity of service delivery, but also in human resources.
Dragana Skokovic-Sunjic, RPh, BScPhm, NCMP
Clinical Pharmacist & Author
What excites you most about pharmacy practice in Canada?
The role of pharmacists in Canada is expanding and evolving. We seem to be world leaders when it comes to developing new roles for pharmacists. We are going beyond the dispensing medications in traditional way, we are now part of primary care teams in hospitals and part of home care teams. There are many ways pharmacists are contributing and bridging gaps in Canadian health care.
