Laura Morrison is a pharmacist at Two Rivers Family Health Team in Cambridge, Ontario. After graduating from Dalhousie University in 2015 she worked as a provincial relief pharmacist in Nova Scotia, moved to Bermuda to work in a community pharmacy for a year then returned to Nova Scotia and managed a small-town community pharmacy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Laura’s perspective on what role a pharmacist could play shifted and brought her to the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy Ambulatory Care Residency Program which she completed in 2022.
The Residency Experience
Practicing in a small town, Laura was fortunate to develop close relationships with patients and the local medical community. She enjoyed the opportunity to follow through with patient care over a longer period and to understand and manage chronic conditions. It was these experiences that brought Laura to the Ambulatory Care Residency Program.
“I envisioned a new pharmacy path for myself, and the residency program gave me the opportunity to learn in a variety of different settings and helped me grow personally and professionally,” Laura says. “It was everything I hoped it would be and then some!”
During her residency, Laura further developed clinical, interprofessional and leadership skills – skills that proved to be transferrable to many different pharmacist roles.
She conducted research on the quality of pharmacist-led community warfarin management with settings including Ontario Family Health Teams and community pharmacies across Nova Scotia and published her research in the Canadian Pharmacists Journal, The quality of pharmacist-led community warfarin management across 2 provinces in Canada: A cross-sectional observational study.
The residency program is such an incredible experience for those looking to further their clinical skills. It was an intense and busy year full of challenges, but it’s those challenges that helped me grow. I wouldn’t have been able to get this experience elsewhere.
Q&A with Laura
UW: How did the residency program prepare you for your career?
LM: The skillset and confidence I gained transitioned me to become an integral multidisciplinary team member. I was well-prepared to take on the clinical pharmacist role at Two Rivers.
UW: What did you find innovative about the program?
LM: The opportunity to experience many different areas of ambulatory pharmacy practice allows residents the ability to access and explore different specialties and career paths they may or may not have found interest in otherwise. The program offered both structure and flexibility. I had many opportunities to discuss my goals and interests, even as my interests shifted during my time in the program.
UW: What was your biggest challenge?
LM: The transition from a practicing pharmacist to a learner again had its challenges. The program is fast paced and there is pressure to maximize the learning opportunities in the year time frame. As such, I knew I needed to mindfully dedicate the whole year to career growth. It helped me work on my prioritization skills and develop a systematic approach to effectively manage all my responsibilities.
UW: What advice do you have for future residents?
LM: Don’t forget to enjoy the process and recognize the potential for learning and growth in every opportunity that comes along.
Future Plans
After completing the residency program, Laura joined the Two Rivers Family Health Team in Cambridge where she sees herself growing as a pharmacist for years to come with the great team.
“Without completing this program, I wouldn’t have had such a seamless transition into the role I’m in now,” Laura says. “The reason is the clinical experience I gained in the program.”
Laura took on her first Waterloo Pharmacy student for a clinical rotation and is looking forward to taking more students on in the future.