Pharmacy Check-in: Meet Alyssa Bouman
Alyssa Bouman, BSc, PharmD Candidate (she/her)
Dalhousie College of Pharmacy, Year 4
Cleveland, NS
Alyssa Bouman grew up in Cleveland, NS, a small community in Cape Breton. Prior to pharmacy school, Alyssa finished a Bachelor of Science degree focusing on chemistry and biology from St Francis Xavier University, where she received the Presidents Circle of Young Alumni Award. Throughout her PharmD program, Alyssa has practiced in both community and hospital pharmacy, however, her passion lies in community practice. She has a particular interest in pharmacist-led primary care, as she has seen firsthand how Nova Scotians struggle without proper access to a primary care provider. Alyssa hopes to begin her pharmacy career in a rural community to provide better access to health-care services for patients. Outside of the pharmacy Alyssa enjoys spending time with family and coaching her son’s soccer team.
Q&A with Alyssa
This spring we checked in with some of the pharmacy students on placements and rotations with CPhA. Alyssa Bouman is a 4th year student at Dalhousie University and is completing an internship in our Public & Professional Affairs department.
Why did you choose pharmacy?
In 2019 I graduated from St Francis Xavier University with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduating I honestly didn’t have a clear picture of what career path I wanted to pursue. However, I did know that in whatever career I chose, I wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives. This is when I started to look at pursuing pharmacy school. Since being accepted to the Dalhousie School of Pharmacy in 2020, I have been lucky enough able to fulfill my goals in making a difference in patients’ lives through both direct and indirect pharmacy roles.
How do you see the role of the pharmacist evolving as the health-care system changes?
The pharmacy profession is an exciting place to start a career! In the 4 years of my pharmacy experience so far, I have seen the pharmacist’s role and responsibilities expand to fill in the gaps in the health-care system. I see the role of pharmacists continuing to shift towards more clinical duties. I believe the dispensing role of a pharmacy will become more centralized, allowing pharmacists and other pharmacy professionals to be able to practice full scope.
What are you most looking forward to as you think about your future career in pharmacy?
I’m looking forward to the changes and advances in what services pharmacists can offer to their patients. With a larger scope of practice, pharmacists will be able to help their patients reach and maintain their personal and health-related goals.
Are there any specific clinical areas or advocacy issues that you’re planning to focus on when you start your career?
Coming from Nova Scotia, I am particularly interested in pharmacist-led primary care clinics. There are so many Nova Scotians without a primary care provider and pharmacists have the knowledge and skills to help fill this gap. I’m excited to see the scope of practice for pharmacists expand further to meet these challenges Nova Scotians face.
What are you excited about working on during your work term at CPhA?
I’m excited to be a part of the CPhA’s Wellness Taskforce team. Pharmacist burnout is an issue I would say most pharmacies are experiencing. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to compile and create resources that will benefit those in the larger pharmacy community.