The NBPA honoured Fredericton pharmacist Kylie Fowler with the Scott Knowles Memorial New Practitioner Service Award. This award is presented to a new pharmacist (five years or less since graduation) for exceptional service through innovation or contributions to his/her community.
A graduate of the Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy in 2018, Kylie is an exceptional young pharmacist whose passion for pharmacy and dedication to her patients have never been more evident than during COVID. From the outset of the pandemic, Kylie was a leader at the pharmacies where she works to establish safe and effective practices to help prevent the spread of the virus. She went out of her way to personally deliver medications to high risk individuals and administer vaccines and medications – a vital service when access to other health care providers was restricted.
She has gained experience working in long-term care, with electronic MAR systems as well as individual packaging of medications for ease of administration at facilities and care homes. She began working at Shoppers in Woodstock in February 2019 and began sharing her time between two stores. Working at two different stores in two different cities less than a year after graduation is no easy task but Kylie has excelled. In Woodstock, she gained experience caring for patients with addictions by daily dispensing of methadone and suboxone and led vaccination clinics outside the pharmacy in the community. The clinic she held in the fall of 2019 helped ensure staff who worked at high risk businesses and organizations got vaccinated.
“Kylie is driven in her passion for pharmacy and excellence in patient care. In her short career, she has worked in many areas of pharmacy and continues to learn and approach new challenges with optimism and ambition,” says Christine Boudreau, President of the NBPA.
Pharmacists from across the province attended the virtual event after the on-going COVID pandemic forced the postponement of their in-person NB Pharmacy Conference. The virtual AGM served as a much-needed event to celebrate the remarkable work done by not only the award winners but all pharmacy professionals over the past several months.
“I can’t say it strongly enough: I am so proud of New Brunswick’s pharmacy profession. Thank you – pharmacists, pharmacy techs and their teams – for how you continue to navigate through this COVID-19 global pandemic,” said Boudreau. “New Brunswick pharmacists and their teams responded and adapted so quickly to the ever-changing pandemic, especially in the initial stages. Pharmacies remained open, and pharmacy teams continued to care for patients while the situation evolved. It’s such a testament to our profession. New Brunswick’s pharmacy profession stepped up.”
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association is the voice of pharmacists in the province and is committed to providing leadership for the profession and improving the health of New Brunswickers.