Breaking Down Barriers

In his final rotation, Dylan Moulton, ’19 PharmD, didn’t expect to be launched into a unique clinical pharmacy practice in less than a year, or that it would transform Medi-Drugs Millcreek into a welcoming place for LGBTQ2S+ folks. Encouraged by his preceptor, Aileen Jang, ’83, BSc(Pharm), Moulton created a business plan to implement policy-based changes that would support a more inclusive space for all patients. By the end of his rotation, Jang was so enthusiastic about the prospect that she hired him to facilitate the program upon his graduation.

Today, Moulton is manager of Medi-Drugs Millcreek. He has also been hired by the University of British Columbia as a pharmacy practice consultant, to which he brings his skills, knowledge and diversity training into the classroom for pharmacy students.

“Pharmacy sta should respect a patient’s identity, but also take it one step further and communicate in a way that shows appreciation and celebration of patients’ diversity,” says Moulton. One of his favourite professional tasks is injection training with trans and non-binary patients. He says administering a first hormone injection — a long-anticipated moment for some trans patients — is a gi .

“I get to practise in a community that is amazingly diverse," says Moulton. "Having such a broad scope of practice in Alberta makes it easier to improve access to care and break down health-care barriers for our patients.” –

KALYNA HENNIG EPP

Our pharmacy students and our communities simply wouldn’t be the same without our preceptors. By opening your practices to aspiring pharmacists, you not only give them hands-on experience, you demonstrate the importance of empathy, communication and professionalism. It’s a legacy of excellence that will continue for generations.