The J & J Pharmacy Podcast

After a short break, the guys are back and they’re diving straight into one of the hottest and most contentious topics in Alberta pharmacy today: clinical pharmacy services. In this episode, we unpack the current billing model, share our concerns about how it’s working (and where it’s falling short), and explore what meaningful improvements could look like. We also talk candidly about the potential impact of funding cuts and what that could mean for pharmacists and patient care across the province. This is a conversation every Alberta pharmacist should be part of, and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it.    

After a one-week break, the boys are back with Part 2 of our conversation on mental health. In this episode, we focus on the realities of managing mental health as a practicing pharmacist. We reflect on the challenges we faced as new grads entering the workforce, the pressures that come with life behind the counter, and the lessons we learned along the way. From imposter syndrome and workload stress to finding balance early in your career, we share honest experiences from our transition into practice. We also dive into practical advice for 4th-year pharmacy students; what to expect when you start working, how to prepare mentally for the demands of the profession, and strategies to protect your well-being while building confidence as a pharmacist. If you’re a pharmacy student, new grad, or practicing pharmacist trying to navigate the mental side of the profession, this episode is for you.

Board exams. Long study nights. Clinical rotations. Constant pressure. Pharmacy school pushes students to their limits and mental health often takes the hit. In Part 1 of this miniseries, Jared and Jordan share raw insights into their own journeys through pharmacy school. They discuss managing stress during board prep, lessons learned the hard way, and practical tools to protect your well-being. This isn’t just for students; it’s for anyone in pharmacy who understands the pressure of the profession. In part 2 we will focus on navigating mental health as a practicing pharmacist so stay tuned for that next week!

In Part 2 of our APA series, we go beyond the application itself and examine what happens behind the scenes at the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP). How is the Additional Prescribing Authorization (APA) application actually reviewed? What standards are assessors applying and how consistent is the process? In this episode of the J and J Pharmacy Podcast, we break down ACP’s review framework, discuss where we see gaps and inconsistencies in the evaluation process, and explore the unintended consequences those shortcomings may have on pharmacist confidence and practice development. Most importantly, we share our perspective on what meaningful improvements could look like; from clearer expectations and more transparent feedback to a review model that better reflects real-world clinical practice. Our goal isn’t just critique; it’s to spark conversation about how the APA process could better support pharmacists in delivering safe, effective, and patient-centered care. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, where we unpacked the full APA application requirements, be sure to start there for context before diving into this follow-up discussion.  

You asked for it so we’re finally talking APA. In this episode of the J and J Pharmacy Podcast, we break down the Additional Prescribing Authorization (APA) application process step by step. We cover what’s required, what makes the process challenging, and which parts of the application we strongly disagree with. This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Next episode, the guys take a hard look at how ACP reviews the APA applications and the problems we see with that process.

In this episode of the J and J Pharmacy Podcast, Jared breaks down his experience in a hospital residency program; what it’s really like, what he learned, and the honest reasons he chose to leave. The guys also dive into fourth-year rotations, how to make the most of them, and share practical tips to help pharmacy students prepare for the board exams. A must-listen for anyone considering hospital pharmacy or navigating their final year of pharmacy school.

Ozempic is dominating headlines, and pharmacy counters. This week on the J & J Pharmacy Podcast, we unpack the reality behind generic Ozempic, share a revealing erectile dysfunction case, and discuss how pharmacists can manage expectations when patient wants collide with clinical judgment.

After a three-year hiatus, The J & J Pharmacy Podcast is officially back, and better than ever. Season 2 kicks off with a fresh look, a renewed vision, and an exciting addition to the team as Jordan joins the podcast as the newest “J.” In this premiere episode, the hosts reflect on the journey that brought the podcast back to life and give a heartfelt thank you to John for the time, effort, and dedication he poured into the original J & J Pharmacy Podcast, without which this reboot wouldn’t be possible. With gratitude for the past and excitement for the future, the guys dive into what this next chapter holds. While pharmacy topics remain at the core of the show, Season 2 promises lighter, more relatable conversations with the addition of humor and everyday topics to keep things fun and engaging. In today’s episode, the guys catch up on what life has been like since graduating university, discuss the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program, and even share some important (and practical) workout recommendations. A new season, a new J, and the same passion for pharmacy. Welcome back to The J & J Pharmacy Podcast!   Link to the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness page: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/education/student-aid/grants-loans/repay/assistance/student-loan-forgiveness.html  

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    To help round out our Pharmasave Miniseries, we had the fantastic opportunity to interview Mehul Patel, the owner of the Clive location.   It’s almost a recurring theme at this point, but Mehul also had an interesting career journey, actually working as a scientist before deciding to switch to pharmacy as he was eager to seek connection with patients. From there, he worked in the corporate world for almost 10 years before partnering with one of his best buddies to open 2 pharmacies, something that he wishes that he would have done earlier.   A fun fact about Mehul is that despite being a vegetarian and having never tasted liquor in his life, he actually owns a Steakhouse restaurant!   This was a fantastic last episode and Mehul was able to share some amazing wisdom about why rural pharmacy is so awesome and the reasons why you should consider doing it yourself.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    Joining us on the next installment of the Pharmasave Miniseries is another tandem, Merv and Lauri-Ell, owners of the Pharmasave location in Jasper.   For 28 years and counting, Merv has been a community pharmacist and business owner, and not one year has his love for it waned. Starting off strong following graduation from pharmacy school, Merv actually directly partnered with a long-standing community pharmacy in Hinton. It wasn’t until 16 years later did he open his Jasper location under the Pharmasave banner. Although the space was small and old school, the locals loved it and he was still able to provide exceptional pharmacy services.   Of course, Merv would not have been able to accomplish this without his partner Lauri-Ell. Lauri-Ell plays an integral role in making sure the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy keep moving forward smoothly, and also heads HR, so be sure to make a good impression if you’re interested in working at this location!   Speaking of location, due to COVID and the aforementioned small space, both Merv and Lauri-Ell actually made the decision recently to expand from the original location, but still bringing the best, friendly, “how can we help” customer service, for which they’ve actually been awarded a few times now from the Chamber of Commerce.   This was undoubtedly a fantastic episode, and hey, you never know, maybe you’ll find yourself working at this pharmacy and also joining Merv in his Heli Skiing that he’s been doing for 10 years now!   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    Continuing with our Pharmasave Miniseries, we next interview Heather Brown, another exceptional pharmacist and owner of the Hanna Pharmasave location.   Graduating with her Bachelor of Pharmacy in 1988, Heather had actually worked right out of the gates at the same pharmacy for 33 years! Then, she finally decided to open her own store, and as she puts in her own words - not because I really wanted to, but because there was a need for it in our community. Since then, her emphasis for her pharmacy location has always been towards providing learning opportunities for students and collaborating with other healthcare professionals, thus establishing a sense of belonging and togetherness when working to help care for the community. A fun fact about Heather is that not only does she sell drugs (legally), but she also sings in a band and encourages entrepreneurial spirit in the community by also carrying homemade jams and pickles in her pharmacy.   As you can tell, Heather is a fantastic individual and hopefully her wise words will motivate you to consider working in rural pharmacy as she is eager to find the right pharmacist who is willing to explore their inner entrepreneur.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    In the next installment of the Pharmasave Miniseries, Jared and I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Jim Kitagawa, the owner of the Brooks Pharmasave Location.   With 40 years of practice under his belt, having graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy in 1983, Jim is no stranger to professional and career achievements, having received his PCCA compounding certification, Metagenics Lifestyle Coach certification, injection certification, and of course his APA certification. During the course of this episode, we learned a lot from Jim, particularly his approach to healthcare “Prevention Therapy”, as opposed to the conventional Western medicine perspective. Although probably not part of his lifestyle recommendations, or perhaps it is, Jim spends his free time in the lifelong pursuit of being a Karaoke King.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    Keeping it rolling with our Pharmasave Miniseries, we next interview Jessica Hadfield, who is the proud owner of Pharmasave locations, with an emphasis on plural!   As an APA certified pharmacist with additional training in specialty compounding, Jessica actually owns four pharmacies in Northern Alberta, all with potential job opportunities, so pay special attention to this episode! As well, we explore more of Jessica’s interest in compounding hormone replacement therapy products, which are gaining particular traction in rural areas. When she’s not busy managing all these pharmacies, Jessica loves hiking up mountains, which are never in short supply in the province of Alberta.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Please email your resume and cover letters to: [email protected]    Helping us kick-off our first Pharmasave owner’s interviews are Georgina and Eric Gaudet, who are the lovely owners of the Bashaw location.   Georgina’s journey to where she is now is certainly an interesting one, as she completed a Bachelor’s of Arts at the University of Alberta. From there, she was a former Communications Advisor for AHS Pharmacy Services, before finally landing in Bashaw and owning a pharmacy with Eric.   Not to be outdone by Georgina, Eric has also pursued a unique career path, wherein he first completed his Bachelor’s in Commerce with Honours before making the decision to pivot and make a pharmacist of himself at the University of Alberta. Since then, his passion for the profession has manifested itself with getting his APA, being a preceptor, and of course owning his own pharmacy.   Together, this one-two punch are also the proud parents of three little girls, with apparently their middlest daughter announcing that she wants to be a ballerina pharmacist!   Tune into this fantastic episode and we hope any pharmacists out there listening will consider applying to this location.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

Hello everyone, welcome to our Pharmasave sponsored Miniseries! When Pharmasave first approached us to hopefully put together some episodes highlighting some of their amazing independently owned rural pharmacies who were interested in hiring new pharmacists, we would have never imagined the fun and innovative practices we would encounter, not to mention the amazing owners behind them. So please, tune in to find out more about these locations and you never know, you just might find your future fulfilling pharmacy career!   Before getting into our interviews with the owners, we wanted to start things off with a conversation with a couple of Pharmasave representatives, Dwain Nottebrock, who is the Regional Pharmacy Manager of Pharmacy West, and Steve Wood, who is the Region Director of Retail and Business Development.   Dwain first began his journey in pharmacy when he received his degree in 2002 after already having a Bachelors of Psychology with Honours in 1995. Since then, he has been a former Pharmacy Manager with London Drugs and Costco, and also a former Compliance Officer with the College of Pharmacists of BC. It was after all that, that he finally moved onto his current position as Regional Pharmacy Manager with Pharmasave West. A fun fact about Dwain is that he moved from Vancouver Island to Calgary around 3 and a half years ago, and surprisingly, still loves it? As well, he has two French Bulldogs named Edison and Newton, as well as a Poodle/Terrier cross named Tilly, with all three I’m sure being very cute.   With an equally fascinating pharmacy journey, Steve actually joined a large retail organization right out of high school in their management development program. This experience granted him the opportunity to build his career with a mix of classroom and on the job learning, eventually leading to many certifications and awards! It was after 20 years that he finally felt like it was the right time to move on and joined Pharmasave in 2010. Using all the skills he had developed and refined over the years, his passion has now evolved into helping pharmacists realize their dreams of owning a Pharmasave pharmacy. Working with a team of professionals to support Pharmasave members, Steve is involved with the entire process, including store planning, operational support, merchandising, and much more! He now strongly believes that his career achievements and professional satisfaction goes hand-in-hand with every successful Pharmasave store that opens. A fun fact about Steve is that he is currently renovating his home…all by himself, which has certainly been a tough but enjoyable challenge where he is forced to learn a completely different set of skills. He revels in taking his time and seeing the fruits of his literal labour!   Now you know a little more about Dwain and Steve, strap-in and tune into our scintillating conversation with them about what Pharmasave stands for, what it means to be an “Independent” pharmacy, and then committing the last half of the episode to discussing what it takes to own your own pharmacy and how Pharmasave can help support you in that process.   Disclaimer: These episodes are sponsored by Pharmasave. However, the content and opinions expressed by the owners are explicitly their own and were not influenced in any way by Pharmasave.

When we first created this podcast, we would have never imagined making it to our 100th episode! From recording audio with our phones to eventually interviewing amazing guests in the pharmacy world, we have certainly grown in the past three years. However, none of this would have been possible without the support of our friends and family, the faculty, various pharmacy organizations, and of course you guys, our loyal audience. As such, take a listen as we reminisce on the past 99 episodes and discuss what is coming up on the horizon!

Lucky number 100! To help celebrate our special milestone of a hundred episodes, we had the amazing privilege of interviewing Dr. May Choi, a Rheumatologist and prominent researcher working in Calgary, Alberta.   Dr. Choi received her MD at the University of Alberta before completing an Internal Medicine residency at the U of C. From there, she completed her Rheumatology Fellowship at the University of Calgary. Still not satisfied, she also has an additional Lupus Fellowship from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital as well as an MPH from the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard.   On top of being a practicing clinician, Dr. Choi also holds a position of Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. Furthermore, she runs her own research lab, studying novel biomarkers for autoimmune diseases. Her passion for research shows through her nearly 7.3 million dollars in grant funding, 64 published journal papers and 4 book chapters. Finally, I’m not sure how she finds the time to do this, but when she’s not actively practicing or conducting research, she also fits in a monthly education program in conjunction with pharmacy and other disciplines.   A fun fact about Dr. Choi is that she’s actually my older sister, and it was incredibly fun and interesting to hear her talk about her practice and also gain insight into how we as pharmacists can help improve interdisciplinary collaboration with our medicine colleagues.

In this episode Jared reviews a case study from his time at the Calgary remand center. In it he discusses what ADHD is and some novel ways to approach the treatment of ADHD. Sit back and enjoy this penultimate episode before our 100th which will be released 3 years to the date of our first episode! 

Taking a step away from our regular programming, we wanted to try something different and invite some of our classmates onto the podcast to talk about something exciting that is happening in the pharmacy world: Pharmacist-Led Health Clinics! Of course, what was discussed during this episode is strictly our own opinions, but hopefully this (sometimes heated) conversation between peers and future pharmacists will spark some more debate regarding this fascinating topic, enjoy!

It’s safe to say that everyone has likely heard that grapefruit can interfere with how your medications work. But do you really know what that means? For healthcare professionals, how would you explain this “interaction” to your patients? And for patients, should you be avoiding grapefruit at all costs? Find the answer to these questions and more in this episode.

What really is the difference between tablets vs. gel capsules? Is it just a big ploy by Big Pharma to make you pay for medications? Well, Jared and I aim to answer this age old question to see if there is in fact a difference between these two common medication formulations. Pay close attention as the answer may surprise you!

How often have you seen prescriptions for statins qhs? And patients swearing they take it in the evening because they were told it would work better? Well, in this next episode of the Truth or Placebo miniseries, we will discuss what statins are, how they came to be, and try to debunk some myths surrounding this medication by digging deep into the research.

To eat or not to eat that is the question? We have all heard that medications are best absorbed on an empty stomach, but is this always true? In this episode we dive into the complex topic that is “bioavailability” and how food can affect the bioavailability of certain medications as well as other factors prescribers and patients alike should consider before avoiding food at all costs.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a placebo is defined as a pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient of being given a prescription than for any physiological effect.. As such, in this next miniseries titled “Truth or Placebo”, Jared and I will attempt to uncover “Pharmacy Placebo’s”, that is to say, potentially false facts and fictions about medications that both practitioners and patients alike may not realize are simply not true. Tune in, have fun, and you never know, you might just learn something you didn’t know before!

Effective from January 31st, 2023 to January 31, 2026, Health Canada officially granted an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to the Province of B.C., wherein adults are no longer going to be arrested or charged for possessing small amounts of certain illegal drugs for personal use. Take a listen as we discuss the specifics around this new exemption and what this means for the practice of healthcare moving forward.

Happy holidays everyone! We just wanted to make a quick episode to check-in and talk about how we’ve been celebrating the winter break. As well, keeping things light-hearted, we also engaged in a quick discussion about what drugs we’ve encountered that have either a completely abhorrent smell or a rather pleasant one.

Joining us in this episode is a very special guest we’ve interviewed before, Frances Folkman! For those of you who don’t know, Frances is an amazing oncology pharmacist, residency coordinator, and Clinical Practice Leader. Focusing more on her practice this time, we first took a moment to catch up and see what she’s been up to since we last chatted and her experience implementing Connect Care. Next, we had Frances put in her own words her clinical practice and walk us through her typical day in the clinic. Not only that, but we also had the chance to listen to some unique cases she's encountered, and finally ended things with a look ahead to the future of cancer pharmacy.

In this episode we interview two very special guests, Nils Moser and Leah Feltham, both wonderful individuals we are lucky enough to call friends. Even luckier, the conversation we had revolved around hospital pharmacy residency, with Nils finishing his just this past year, and Leah currently going through hers. Together, they share some tips and tricks about their experience with the residency application process, in their opinion the best and most challenging aspects of their respective residency programs, and what they look forward to as their careers progress. Many thanks to Nils and Leah for doing this, and hope you listeners out there are able to glean some helpful information from this episode!

 It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these! Following the end of our first mini-series, we just wanted to take an opportunity to sit back and just casually chat about what we’ve been up to now that our 4th year of pharmacy school is in full swing. Also, this episode is officially our first one where we’re recording together in the same room, this was something we were hoping to do for a long time now. Although not technically a new format, we still nonetheless hope you enjoy listening to this fun one!

Now that we’ve finished covering all the sections of the Jurisprudence Study Guide, what better way to finish this inaugural Mini-Series than to interview the very two people who were responsible for creating the Jurisprudence Online Module. That’s right, in today’s episode, we were able to interview both Ravina Sanghera and Stephanie Morton, both exceptionally talented individuals in the pharmacy world!

We finally made it! In this last section of the jurisprudence module, we review all the rules associated with Pharmacy Operations. This included covering the various different kinds of licenses a pharmacy can have, what a “lock-and-leave” pharmacy is, the differences between compounding and manufacturing, what it means to be a licensee vs. proprietor, and much more. Stay tuned as this is a dense one, make sure to take breaks, you’re in the home stretch now, enjoy!

In this second to last section of the Jurisprudence study guide, we cover Pharmacist Prescribing in Alberta. This was a fun one to record as we covered what the fundamentals of prescribing are, which include individual competence, informed consent, and many others. Next, we breezed through what the requirements are for how a pharmacist gets their additional prescribing authority, before switching over to the more heavy discussion revolving around the different situations that are considered appropriate for a pharmacist to prescribe. Don’t miss out on all the important details as this was a very packed episode, make sure to listen closely!

We’re nearing the end of our Jurisprudence Mini-Series! In this episode, we cover the section of Drug and Health Care Products. As the name suggests, we really cover the basics of what the different Drug schedules are and where you might find them, in the pharmacy or otherwise. Then we switch gears to go over the new updated Prescription Regulation Chart by the Alberta College of Pharmacy. Finally, we end the episode with a quick review of the TPP Medication List and some specific medications you should be aware of. This was a shorter episode but we hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

And we keep moving! Here is part 2 of our Dispensing section in the Jurisprudence Mini-Series. We finish things off by talking about the steps to take in cases of fraudulent prescriptions, the standards surrounding providing drug information to patients, what it takes to actually properly label and prepare medications, and finally define what repackaging really is.

In the next part of our Jurisprudence Mini-Series, we talk about Dispensing. It’s a lengthy section, so we’ve turned it into two parts for you guys, making it a little easier to listen to. As such, in this first part we talk about general dispensing procedures, what transfers-in and transfers-out require, how to recognize valid prescriptions (including those tricky ones from vets), and the different prescribing authorities of the various other health disciplines we should be aware of. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to tune into part 2!

Continuing with the next part of our Jurisprudence Mini-Series, we kick things off with the study guide and review the first section, titled: Ethics and Professionalism. As its name entails, we discuss the statutes and legislations that apply to pharmacy practice, the role of Alberta College of Pharmacy, what it means to be a pharmacy professional, and a lot more! This is a bit of a longer episode, but we hope the side stories and opinions we bring forward make it for interesting listening, enjoy!

In this first part of our Jurisprudence Mini-Series, we cover the basics of what the ACP Ethics & Jurisprudence Exam actually is. Notably, we talk about what the exam covers and the specific format in which it is tested. Also discussed was the process in which you need to follow in order to register for the exam, and finally what to expect on the day of the exam itself. We hope this episode serves as a solid foundation for the material dense episodes to come!

Hey! We have a quick one for you today as Jared and I explain the ins-and-outs of our Mini-Series format. Inspired by our earlier Placement Spotlight Series, this new format will allow us to take more time to dive deeper into topics. Don’t worry though, we will still have our stand-alone episodes when a current or interesting topic comes up. Thanks for tuning in!

In today’s episode we cover a virus that has been circulating both in the world and the news. Called Monkeypox, this virus has literally gone viral as cases of it have been reported in countries such as the United States and Canada. Take a listen to learn more about what Monkeypox is, how it spreads, what are some signs and symptoms, how to diagnose and treat it, and finally listen to a first hand account of what it’s like to be infected.  

In today’s episode, we are joined by Rhonda Roedler, a Pharmacist, Clinical Practice Leader, Residency Coordinator, aspiring music teacher, and everything in between!   Graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelors in Pharmacy degree in 1999, Rhonda then went on to complete a hospital residency with Calgary Regional Health Authority in 2000. Not long after, she began her career at the Peter Lougheed Hospital, where she worked in Cardiology and helped the team expand their services to Critical Care in 2003. It was not until 2007 that Rhonda went back to school to obtain her PharmD degree from the University of Washington. With her additional education, it was a seamless transition into her next role as Clinical Practice Leader within Medicine at Foothills Medical Center in 2008. Fast forward several years, and along the way Rhonda began a clinical practice at Diabetes Center Calgary, became Residency Coordinator with Calgary Zone, and helped open South Health Campus in 2012, where she now serves as Clinical Practice Leader. Despite her ever-changing roles, one thing that remains constant for Rhonda is her passion for Diabetes practice, wherein she has been working with the Diabetes, Obesity and Nutrition Strategic Clinical Network on Inpatient Glycemic Management. From her work has sprung various policies and publications on topics ranging from Basal-Bolus insulin therapy, to determining risk factors for patients developing hyperglycemia perioperatively. If that wasn’t enough, Rhonda also is an Education Coordinator, where she is mainly responsible for maintaining clinical orientation and discerning new and alternative methods of delivering education.   Continuing with the education theme, a fun fact about Rhonda that was mentioned earlier is that she is working towards becoming a music teacher through the Royal Conservatory of Music. She currently has 7 piano students and one student on flute!   Well, we had a lot of fun chatting with Rhonda about everything you need to know about the Calgary Pharmacy Residency Program, and we hope it’s also music to your ears!

And we’re back!    In this episode of the J & J Pharmacy Podcast, we welcome ourselves back after a prolonged hiatus from recording. Listen in as we talk about why we were on a break and what we are up to now. As well, find out more about some exciting new formats that the podcast will be introducing. Finally, we both wanted to give our sincerest congratulation to the Class of 2022!

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Melanie Danilak.    Melanie began her pharmacy training at the University of Alberta, where she graduated in 2004. She then went on to receive her ACPR designation in 2009 with a focus in oncology. With her education, she practiced to full scope in a breast cancer clinic for several years alongside a nurse practitioner, utilizing her prescribing authority to manage endocrine therapy for patients. In addition to practicing clinically, Melanie became the residency coordinator for the cancer program in Alberta, and more recently, the Edmonton Zone. She is also the current chair of the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board, is a Clinical Practice Leader, and shifted her clinical focus towards osteoporosis and rheumatology/immuno-oncology.   When Melanie is not busy being an amazing individual, she is a self-proclaimed workout class junkie, having always loved doing group fitness classes, and even shifted to online programs due to the pandemic, talk about dedication! In her own words, she said that “movement really is what keeps me healthy and happy”.   Interestingly, at the time of the conversation, she was actually in a transition between roles, switching from Residency Coordinator in Edmonton Zone to Assessment Developer at the Alberta College of Pharmacy. Nevertheless, it was an awesome conversation about her experience as Residency Coordinator, and we hope you guys are able to take something away from it.

In today’s episode, Jared and I had the chance to chat with one of pharmacy’s best in Joshua Torrance. Joshua is the current CSHP Alberta Branch President, so the focus of the podcast was to find out a little more about who Joshua is and what are some of his roles and responsibilities.   Joshua graduated from the University of Alberta in 2009 with a BSc Honours in Immunology and Infections before going into pharmacy and getting his BSc Pharm in 2014. He then went on to complete his residency in 2015, officially getting his ACPR designation. He started his professional career at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, where he re-developed how the outpatient stroke prevention clinic functioned, making pharmacists responsible for the management of stroke risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Not stopping there, Joshua then became a Clinical Practice Leader, during which he collaborated with General Internal Medicine (GIM) to create the first Infectious Diseases consult service in Central Zone AHS. Presently, he works with the AHS Pharmacy Services Connect Care team to develop innovative solutions to implement a seamless clinical information system that will connect all patients and providers with their health information across Alberta.   On the side, he created his own company with a former Pharmacy Manager, QlinicalRx, which provides tools to support community pharmacists in delivering and documenting clinical patient care services.   For “fun”, Joshua is a hobbyist programmer and is always looking for ways to leverage technology to solve health care problems. One notable achievement was the creation of the Alberta Blue Cross Drug Price Calculator (https://studybuffalo.com/tools/drug-price-calculator/), which was designed to help hospital pharmacists determine how much medications will cost a patient to allow better discharge planning decisions.   It was mind blowing to talk with Joshua about his journey through pharmacy, and we hope you guys, the listeners, share our enthusiasm!

In our last and final installment of the placement spotlight series, Jared and I had the absolute pleasure of talking with Nicole Casavant about her practice as a Clinical Thoracic Pharmacist at the Southern Alberta Transplant Clinic at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Since completing her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Nicole has been practicing in nephrology and solid organ transplant for the past 25 years! In her free time, Nicole is also a piano teacher and yoga instructor, as well as part-time staff to Sam the teenager and Lily the dog. This episode was a perfect way to end this special series, and we hope you all enjoy listening to  it!

Up next in the placement spotlight series, we interviewed Lindsay Meyer-Smith, who’s area of practice is an interesting one, where she works as part of the Medication Quality and Safety Team at Alberta Health Services. Lindsay completed her Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of British Columbia in 2005, and followed it up with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan in 2009. Not satisfied, she then went on to complete her Pharmacy residency with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in 2010, and most recently actually, received her Master of Health Studies from Athabasca University in 2021. With such a vast amount of education, Lindsay was able to utilize it as a clinical pharmacist working in Pediatric General Medicine and Pediatric Intensive Care. After doing this for five years, she then moved on to her current role as a medication safety pharmacist with the AHS Provincial Pharmacy Services Medication Quality and Safety Team. A notable achievement in this position, which is pertinent to this podcast, is that she is responsible for developing the fourth year PharmD rotation in this area. A fun fact about Lindsay is that she's a marathon runner, having completed two previous marathons and will be traveling to Chicago in October for the Chicago Marathon. This is an area of practice that not everyone is aware of, but Jared and I hope that our conversation with Lindsay provides a little insight to what other areas of pharmacy exist!

Next up in the series, we had one of the faculties very best, Dr. Rene Breault, come onto the podcast to discuss the exciting opportunities provided by an academic rotation. Dr. Breault received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta in 1998. Following graduation, he worked with AHS at the University of Alberta Hospital for just over a decade. It was not until 2010 that he decided to pursue further education by getting his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. As a pharmacist, Dr. Breault achieved a variety of honors, one of which was being one of the first 15 pharmacists in Alberta to be granted Additional Prescribing Authorization in 2007. He’s also been the President of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists Alberta Branch, serving from 2019 to 2020. Apart from his teaching duties, he currently works in a hypertension and dyslipidemia clinic operating out of the University of Alberta Hospital. When he’s not busy influencing the next generation of great pharmacists, Dr. Breault enjoys making a great gin martini! It’s always a pleasure to talk with Dr. Breault and this episode was no exception. We hope you guys enjoy listening to our conversation!

 In this episode, we had a fascinating conversation with Pam Nickel and her practice at the Northern Alberta HIV Clinic. Pam graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Alberta in 1992. Her additional certifications include Additional Prescribing Authorization, as well as interestingly completed the pilot course for certification in asthma management. In terms of her professional achievements, she worked as a pharmacist and pharmacy manager at Safeway Pharmacy from 1992 to 2002. It was at this point that she made the transition to hospital pharmacy, where she began working at the outpatient pharmacy in the UofA Hospital. It wasn’t until 2007 that she jumped at the opportunity to work with the Northern Alberta HIV program, where she continues to work today. On the fun side of things, Pam enjoys spending downtime at a family home in Canmore. As well, she enjoys trying different types of dance classes for fun, with notable ones including belly dancing, bollywood fusion, and scottish highland dancing. Jared and I wouldn’t say that this episode was possibly near the amount of fun that the dancing sounds, but we enjoyed talking to Pam nonetheless, so listen closely as she has a lot of advice to share!

Keeping it going with our Placement Spotlight Series, we had the absolute fortune of interviewing Jenny Wichart. Jenny is a graduate of the University of Alberta, getting her Bachelor of Pharmacy in 1998. Not wasting any time, she then went on to complete her pharmacy residency in Calgary in 1999, wherein she developed a passion and love for everything transplant. Even outside of work, she has continued to develop this passion, spending a lot of time enjoying and learning from many opportunities, such being Chair of the CSHP Transplant Pharmacy Speciality Network and also holding various Committee, Executive, and Board positions with the Canadian Society of Transplantation and International Pediatric Transplant Association. In 2019, she was awarded the CSHP Preceptor of the Year Award from the Alberta Pharmacy Residency Program, and followed it up in 2020 with the ACP and RxA APEX M.J. Huston Pharmacist of Distinction Award. In her free time, Jenny enjoys walking and exploring the City of Calgary and surrounding areas. Although, she makes a note that the locations have to be safe from bears, as she admits to having a disproportionate fear of them. All this exercise is to prepare her for the annual September Kidney March, which is a 100km walk through Kananaskis to raise funds and awareness for kidney disease and organ dysfunction. Last but not least, she enjoys cooking for her friends and family, and goes as far to boast a crazy large autographed cookbook collection. Well, Jared and I definitely had a meal of a conversation in this episode with Jenny, so we hope you all can take some time out of your day to listen to it!

Continuing our Placement Series Special, we next interviewed Phil Wong. Phil has both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Pharmacy. Following the completion of his pharmacy education, Phil went on to work as a community pharmacist for 3.5 years, eventually making his way up to being a Manager of a Safeway Pharmacy. From there, Phil transitioned into working as a clinical pharmacist with Corrections Pharmacy, where he’s been at for the past 7 years and earned a nomination for Preceptor of the Year. Pushing the boundaries of pharmacy practice, Phil is also the owner and founder of Arlo Medical Injections, which is a botulinum toxin and dermal filler injection clinic in Calgary. In addition to pharmacy, Phil is incredibly passionate about real estate investing, having written a book titled “Real Estate Side Hustle for Investors”, which is available on Amazon, as well as hosts a podcast called “Commonwealth Home Ownership Real Estate Investing”, which has over 4000 downloads to date. In his freetime, Phil loves traveling and has been to over 30 countries!  Both Jared and I had a blast interviewing Phil, and we hope you all also enjoy listening to this episode!

Hello everyone! Welcome to our Placement Spotlight Series. In these episodes we’ll be interviewing preceptors and students at unique placements. Whether it be a leadership rotation, a specialized clinical experience, or anything in between, be sure to listen in as we dive deep into what these placements offer and how you can best prepare yourself as students for success. In this episode, we had the opportunity to interview both preceptor and student! On the preceptor side of things, we’d like to introduce Bruce Winston, a pharmacy grad from the University of Alberta. Following just 1 year after pharmacy school, Bruce purchased his first community pharmacy, before co-founding APEX Pharmacies, which operated 20 Alberta pharmacies under the Sandstone Pharmacies brand. Recently, he sold Sandstone Pharmacies to Neighbourly Pharmacy and is now employed by them as Head of Alberta Pharmacy Strategy and Professional Affairs. He is also a member of the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association Board of Directors where he served as past president. In his free time, Bruce is a real fan of watching Major League Baseball, and has even visited all but 8 of the Major League ballparks. He hopes to visit the rest in the next few years. Not to be left out, we’d like to introduce next Sabrina Sunderji, a fourth year pharmacy student currently on rotation with Bruce. Prior to pharmacy, she actually completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Furthermore, she worked as a kinesiologist and a Client Services Director at a private health care clinic for a few years before entering into the pharmacy program.