Guest Post: What Went Right - My Experience on the College Board Sep. 27, 2018 Guest Post

Guest Post: What Went Right - My Experience on the College Board

It seems surreal that after 6 years, my tenure as a member of the Board of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia is coming to an end. I hope that my contributions to the Board were able to advance public safety as we navigated the ever evolving nature of pharmacy practice.  

Being a Board member, as well as holding both Chair and Vice-Chair positions has been a great ride and an even greater learning experience. Before joining the Board in 2012, I had been a practicing hospital pharmacist for over 25 years, watching as both pharmacy practice and BC’s public health landscape evolved and adapted. As a young pharmacist, I was always looking for ways to grow and expand my practice. And while the scope of my practice as a pharmacist has grown considerably over the years, it wasn’t until I joined the College Board that I started to see my role as a public health professional grow. Being on the College Board provided me with a new perspective on public health and the vital role that pharmacy regulation plays in protecting the public and providing the best possible care.

Sitting at the Board table was certainly never dull. Not only was it an incredible privilege and one of my greatest professional achievements, it also provided me with an environment to develop as a leader and to focus my practice on providing safe and effective care to BC’s patients.

One of the most rewarding things about being a College Board member is having the opportunity to hear from other pharmacists, who bring their unique regional perspectives on pharmacy regulation, as well as public members, who help ensure that every decision we make reflects the interests of the public. Working with public representatives enabled me to take a more holistic view of pharmacy practice and to consider how it fits into the broader health system. These lessons were invaluable and have fundamentally changed the way I practice pharmacy.

I am thankful that my fellow board members were all open to constructive and respectful dialogue. While we may not always have agreed with one another’s ideas or points of view, we never denied each other the opportunity to express them. It is exactly this spirit of active participation that makes me proud of the work we accomplished and the strides we made toward improving public safety in BC.

With six years and 30 meetings under my belt, I can honestly say that despite the changing nature of an elected Board, we never lost sight of our role as a regulatory body and always upheld our duty to protect the public through excellence in pharmacy. I am more encouraged now than I’ve ever been before, to continue to uphold this duty and bring the lessons I’ve learned into my own practice so that I may continue to grow and expand as a health professional.

I would recommend running for a Board position to any experienced pharmacy professional who believes in constantly shaping and improving patient care in BC and is looking to grow as a leader within the healthcare system. It’s not a responsibility to take lightly, but I can promise you that it will be more rewarding than you ever imagined.

And please don’t forget to vote in this year’s election if you are eligible! The College is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the public and you play an important role in making sure that we are able to do that to the best of abilities.