This time last year, pharmacist Emily Wong was working in a busy Toronto hospital and fighting traffic anytime she wanted to ride a horse, go hunting, or simply enjoy the great outdoors. Then she made the move to Rimbey Guardian Drug Mart, and it’s safe to say she’s loving the change of pace.
“The six months have flown by!” she says, and time is not the only thing that’s been flying.
Wong bought her Rimbey home sight-unseen (an old friend in Bentley sent her pictures) and it came with a chicken coop, so she decided to fill it with five laying hens. When the first cold snap hit, she moved the chickens to her garage so they’d stay warm.
“It didn’t occur to me that they could fly out of the little enclosure I made them! They were free-ranging in my garage and pooping everywhere,” she laughs.
Wong has embraced all aspects of the Alberta lifestyle. She’s filled her freezer with meat from her first Alberta doe, ducks and geese, and she’s taking weekly horse riding lessons at McKendrick Stable.
“It’s been a great way to get to know people in the horse community, which is huge in Alberta. I do English riding, which I call snobby riding, but Western looks a lot more fun and a lot flashier!”
Prescribing pharmacists help Albertans, without the wait
Wong is also settling into her work at Rimbey Guardian Drug Mart, and says she loves getting to know the regulars (even if she admits to be horrible with names). Working at a community pharmacy is a big change from the Toronto hospital, but she says the staff at the store are fantastic, and have graciously answered her frequent questions. She’s also working on earning her Alberta prescribing pharmacist certification, accreditation that wasn’t available to her in Ontario.
“There’s a huge benefit to being a prescribing pharmacist. There’s never enough doctors, and pharmacists are much more accessible than physicians in most communities. It’s really nice to be able to help people out,” she says.
While working on accreditation, Wong is able to prescribe in emergency situations where it would be unreasonable for a patient to wait at a walk-in clinic or emergency room. She can also assess patients and consult with head pharmacist and managing partner William Poggemiller, who already has prescribing authority.
“Alongside the typical prescribing we do for minor ailments, skin conditions, urinary tract infections and chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, our prescribing authority has been really useful this flu season,” Poggemiller says.
“With the shortage of cough medicines and the increase in RSV, COVID-19 and flu, I’ve been prescribing more asthma inhalers than ever before. If someone’s had a persistent cough for more than two weeks and doesn’t have access to over-the-counter cough medicine, a puffer can help them get back to normal.”
Rimbey Guardian Drug Mart has been serving the community for over 100 years! Find the dedicated staff at 4917-50 Ave., open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Free delivery is available to many surrounding communities on a weekly basis.
previous owners had built chicken coop - since it was there, i just got more chickens