Bathurst pharmacist Sarah Smith was presented with the Scott Knowles Memorial New Practitioner Service Award recently during the NB Pharmacy Awards in Fredericton. 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.
“Sarah began her pharmacy career in the middle of the pandemic and quickly made a huge impact in her community. She was instrumental to her pharmacy’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic and has been an outstanding advocate for educating patients on the benefits of vaccination,” said Drover.
Sarah began her career as a pharmacist during the COVID 19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.
Little did she know her first two years of practice would turn out to be the hardest two years in the careers of most pharmacy professionals. Sarah remained positive and was an excellent team player during a time of great uncertainty. In her short time as a pharmacist, she has already made a huge impact on her community and within her team at Shoppers Drug Mart in Bathurst. Sarah persevered through a delay of the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada examinations, and subsequent full licensure. After becoming fully licensed, Sarah was able to dive right into a busy practice and keep pace with a demanding healthcare setting. She has remained patient and kind with all clients and staff despite some challenging workloads during the pandemic.
Sarah was instrumental to her pharmacy’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Over the last 12 months, the team at her pharmacy administered over 10,000 COVID-19 immunizations. She has been an outstanding advocate for educating patients on the benefits of vaccination. Sarah is an excellent representative of the pharmacy profession and a deserving recipient of the Scott Knowles New Practitioner Service Award.
New Brunswick pharmacists gathered in Fredericton recently for PharmaNB 2022, a hybrid pharmacy conference that included continuing education sessions as well as the NB Pharmacy Awards in conjunction with the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists. The NBPA also marked its 40th anniversary.
“As the NBPA celebrates this milestone, the pharmacy profession is in the midst of significant transformation,” said Drover. “With the recent expansion in our scope and the public coverage for new pharmacy services, pharmacists are doing more than ever to help patients and to improve access to primary care. I’m extremely proud of how pharmacy professionals stepped up during the pandemic to care for patients and to administer close to one million COVID vaccinations. We look forward to continuing to help reshape our healthcare system to the benefit of patients.”