Our practice educators are pharmacists who volunteer their time and expertise to host UBC Pharm Sci students in pharmacies across British Columbia. With one quarter of the undergraduate curriculum experientially-based, practice educators are esteemed members of our UBC Pharm Sci community.
Each year students nominate those practice educators who they felt went above and beyond for a Practice Educator of the Year Award. The Faculty’s Office of Experiential Education (OEE) then selects final award recipients from each of the undergraduate level practicum courses, and the Canadian Pharmacy Practice program’s Structured Practical Training rotation.
It is an honour to be selected and recognized for this award. It is a reinforcement for me that I am on the right track as a pharmacist. - Victor Chu, Structured Practical Training
This year, we presented awards to 22 practice educators at the Office of Experiential Education’s annual Celebrate the Pharmacy Practice Educator, Facilitator and Community Partner evening event held at the Museum of Vancouver in February.
All our life and career, we try to touch upon a soul or two to pass on what we think could help them in their career. You don’t always know the positive impact of what you’ve said or done. I feel so honoured to have been nominated among my peers. - Dr. Anita Lo, PHRM 272
Celebrate the Pharmacy Practice Educator, Facilitator and Community Partner event held at the Museum of Vancouver on February 7, 2018. All photos by Justin Lee Ohata, UBC Pharm Sci.
Learning goes both ways
We spoke with the 2018 award recipients to learn more about their experiences, and what advice they would share with prospective practice educators, and students about to commence their rotations.
Students will be our peers and the future of our profession. We are not there to just teach them, we can learn from them as well. So actively listen to them as you do with your patients in pharmacy practice. – Victor Chu
Frankly, being a preceptor presents me with the opportunity to learn from my students as well, sometimes even more than what I have to offer them. I think the opportunity for students to apply their academic knowledge in practice during their practicums is the most important aspect of the curriculum. As much time as I have invested in studying and attending lectures when I was a student, a big part of what I know now as a pharmacist I learned from experience and continued education. – Simon Ting
Patience is key
You are helping to shape a new generation of pharmacists, an important and defining task in molding the direction of our profession. Be mindful that students arrive with varying levels of experience and knowledge – this is, after all, their opportunity to learn. Be patient, be kind, and become a trusted advisor. – Ricky Wu
Take pride in your contributions to the future of pharmacy
Your student’s confidence in their performance will reflect your own confidence as a practice educator. – Eddy Kim
We can contribute to the futures of our students, who are the pharmacy leaders of tomorrow. – Mohamed Kayed
Take on the student rotations. It may look like work, but it’s valuable work. Share your inner thoughts - things you wished someone had told you or guidance you wish you had received when you were a student. Work with the student as a team. It’s very rewarding. – Dr. Anita Lo
And most importantly, enjoy the process
Have fun and enjoy the experience. The students will have a wide variety of skills and strengths. Every student will need different things from the practicum and as a practice educator you can help them transform book knowledge into real-life interactions. It is the students time for learning and our role is to expose them to as many experiences as we can. – Sanja Sunnus
(L-R) Jamie Yuen, UBC Pharm Sci Office of Experiential Education, Kyle Collins BSc(Pharm)’14, PharmD’17 (PHRM 272), and Larry Leung, UBC Pharmacists Clinic.
Practice educators also shared advice for students commencing their rotations.
Learn from your mistakes
The profession of pharmacy revolves around continuous professional progression. Focus on learning from your mistakes and developing your soft skills. Your clinical rotations will be challenging but please don’t forget to have fun! – Eddy Kim
This is truly one of the few occasions you are afforded the opportunity to make mistakes – so make the most out of your time. Explore, and push the boundaries of your knowledge. Be creative – think of unique ways you want to shape your future practice, and work with your preceptor to utilize your rotation as trial ground. It is always worthwhile to go above and beyond the contents of your portfolio assignment. – Ricky Wu
Have realistic learning expectations and don’t expect to know the answer to everything all the time. Develop trust with your patients so they know you will always act in their best interest. As I was told as a student, pharmacy is a practice you will never perfect and you will spend the rest of your career learning. – Jonathan L. Cox
Be organized and prepared
Be prepared! Go through the binder and know exactly what you will need to get done while you are on rotation. Also, read up on the areas that you feel very comfortable with, OTC sections and Rx drug classes, so that you can jump right in during your first week. Then the rest of the practicum can be focused on where you need to strengthen your skills. – Sanja Sunnus
Ask questions, and choose realistic learning goals. Spend some time watching and learning from your preceptor for strategies on what to do when you’re not sure what to do. Visit your patients regularly if you can, they are the ones you care for after all. – Sophie Sanfaçon
Approach your rotations with a curious mind
Be prepared, be curious, be empathetic. There is a lot out there that we don’t know, but don’t be afraid, and start by being curious. It will help shape your learning. – Dr. Anita Lo
Soak up as much information as you can. By the end of your rotation you will be prepared to handle all sorts of questions and know how to find the answers. You won’t have an answer for everything but you should have the tools and resources to find out. – Victor Chu
Take the opportunity to see as many different things as you can, and always think about how any given experience can advance your skills as a health care provider, your knowledge base, or even just your empathy for patients. – Kyle Collins
Your practicum is what you make of it. – Simon Ting
Images (L-R): Ricky Wu, BSc(Pharm)’15 (PHRM 171) and Gilly Lau, UBC Pharm Sci OEE; Jonathan L. Cox (PHRM 171) and Gilly Lau, UBC Pharm Sci OEE; Eddy Kim (PHRM 271) and Kayla Fang, UBC Pharm Sci OEE.
Images (L-R): Aileen Mira, UBC Pharm Sci OEE and Kyle Collins, BSc(Pharm)’14, PharmD’17 (PHRM 272); Sophie Sanfaçon (PHRM 272) and Aileen Mira, UBC Pharm Sci OEE; Dr. Anita Lo, BSc(Pharm)’81 (PHRM 272) and Aileen Mira, UBC Pharm Sci OEE.
Images (L-R): Neelam Dhaliwal, UBC Pharm Sci OEE and Simon Ting (PHAR 469); Neelam Dhaliwal, UBC Pharm Sci OEE, Mariam Siddiqui, fourth-year UBC Pharm Sci student, Mohamed Kayed (PHAR 469); Award Plaques arranged on a white table.
2018 Practice Educator of the Year Award Recipients
Pharmacy Practice Educator of the Year Award - Summer Practicums and Structured Practical Training Cohorts of 2017 Ricky Wu, BSc(Pharm)‘15 Jonathan Cox John Cameron, BSc(Pharm)‘98 Sanja Sunnus Craig Johnson Eddy Kim Dr. Anita Lo, BSc(Pharm)‘81 Kyle Collins, BSc(Pharm)‘14 Jessica Power, BSc(Pharm)‘12 Sophie Sanfaçon Campbell Gentles Simon Ting Mohamed Kayed Victor Chu, BSc(Pharm)‘04
Pharmacy Practice Educator of the Year Award - Winter Session 2016/2017 Michael Lam, BSc(Pharm)‘01 Billy Cheung, BSc(Pharm)‘12 Cristina Alarcon Man Hon (Mark) Ho, BSc(Pharm)‘13 Dr. Anna Evans
Pharmacy Practice Educator of the Year Award - Summer Session 2016 Peter Hutt, BSc(Pharm)‘75 Jina Sarkis-Dina Dr. Mona Kwong, BSc(Pharm)‘97 MSc(Pharm)‘02