Nikki Domanski, Rx2017 alumnus, completes first offering of ambulatory care residency program

Barb Coulston, Nikki Domanski and Jeff Nagge. Coulston and Nagge are coordinate the ambulatory care residency program.

In September, Nikki Domanski became the first resident to complete the ambulatory care residency program developed by the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and delivered in partnership with the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team (CFFM FHT).

Launched in 2017, the new residency program received many highly qualified applicants from across the country. Nikki’s diverse co-op experiences and passion for family health team practice made her a standout candidate. At the end of the year, she will continue her work in primary care by joining the Jim Pattinson Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey BC.

Over the last year, the residency program provided Nikki with diverse and challenging experiences in various sites. At the CFFM FHT, she participated in several specialty clinics and was an integral member of the team.

“I have had the great pleasure of working closely with Nikki when she rotated through the CFFM Escalation of Care Diabetes Clinic,” said Dawn Copeland, a physician assistant at CFFM.  “Her knowledge and her ability to communicate in a patient-centered approach really made her stand out as a well-rounded pharmacist.  She never hesitated to search for appropriate answers through multiple resources to ensure any strategy or answer she provided was the best for the patient in front of her.”

Nikki also completed rotations with Health Canada and taught at both Waterloo Pharmacy and Grand River Hospital, where she also worked with patients as they transitioned through the hospital.

“Nikki’s expertise was an asset in the clinical teaching unit (CTU) at Grand River Hospital,” said Shelley Parker, clinical pharmacist at Grand River. “Her proficiency in primary care was evident in our daily clinical rounds as well as her patient-focused care at all transition points including admission, transfer, and discharge.  She was a pleasure to work with and was able to put evidence-based concepts into practice with common sense!”

Program Directors Jeff Nagge and Barbara Coulston designed the residency to provide more advanced clinical training for pharmacists, but it is obvious from the impact Nikki had in all her practice sites that the program benefits not just the student, but also the sites where they are placed. As Dawn Copeland of CFFM said:

The program is now entering its second year. After another highly competitive application process, Rx2018 alumnus Khrystine Waked was chosen as the second resident and will no doubt be successful in living up to the high standards Nikki has established for the program.