Pharmacy Check-in: Paraag Trivedi

Paraag Trivedi, BSP 2016 (he/him)
Pharmacist Owner & Manager
The Medicine Shoppe #431
Regina, SK

Paraag Trivedi graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy in 2016. From a young age, he has been active in his community, volunteering with a variety of local and national organizations, including the Saskatchewan Elocution and Debate Association and Kids Help Phone. While at the University of Saskatchewan, Paraag served as the national Finance Officer on the board of the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns. A personal highlight from this time was being able to participate in research projects with the Saskatchewan Transplant Program, both as a provider and as a patient, where, having received a kidney transplant as a teenager from his father, he was able to share his unique perspectives. Upon graduation Paraag continued to exercise his commitment to advocacy, immediately advocating for all of his patients in a variety of areas. He is passionate about educating seniors on aging healthily, acts as a preceptor for the next generation of pharmacists and has served as a member of Board of Directors with the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan. He is proud to continue his commitment to his community, returning to practice after graduation to his hometown of Regina where he has held a variety of roles, from pharmacy intern, to pharmacist, pharmacy manager, health educator to preceptor. Paraag is now a pharmacy owner, and his new practice is a community-focused pharmacy.

As a pharmacist, Paraag quickly established himself as a trusted source of information for his patients, fellow health-care providers and community, often being asked to speak on a variety of panels locally, provincially and nationally. He is a firm believer in the saying “we do better when we all do better,” and uses this as a guiding principle every day. For his dedication to his profession, Paraag was awarded the New Horizon Award by the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan in 2021.

When away from the pharmacy, Paraag is an avid hockey fan, loves to travel and can often be found in the kitchen enjoying his passion for cooking (and eating!).

Q&A with Paraag

We caught up with Paraag in advance of Pharmacy Appreciation Month 2024 to talk about his career so far, what it’s like to take on a new role as a pharmacy owner and what the power of pharmacy means to him.

This year’s Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM) theme is “The power of pharmacy.” What does that mean to you?

The Power of Pharmacy is in its constituents—from the newly minted pharmacists to the seasoned veterans and everything in between, across fields of practice and the communities they serve. It is in a variety of settings, community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and so many more places. It is in our cities, towns and in our remote communities. The Power of Pharmacy is in our flexibility, our knowledge and our unending desire to better our communities. I’ll put it another way: Pharmacy does and can do a lot for the health care of Canadians.

Can you share any examples or stories that demonstrate the power of pharmacy?

If you look coast to coast, pharmacists are providing more care to their patients, and providing it in exciting and innovative ways. For example, in many areas, pharmacists are being empowered to assess and prescribe for common ailments that patients may be experiencing. Often these visits are completed within minutes, the patient has medication in hand, and we are able to decrease the workload on our health-care systems—everything from the hard-to-find walk in appointment to emergency room space. We can assess, triage, treat and importantly, follow-up with patients. This process uses existing infrastructure, namely the legendary accessibility of pharmacy teams, to provide even more care for patients in ways that are convenient and helpful to them and to the entire system. Everybody wins.

What is the most rewarding element of your pharmacy practice?

Everything! From the small victories like reducing pill burdens, creating patient friendly compounds or improving a patient’s day with a simple smile, to major wins such as mentoring students and contributing to better health literacy and community outreach… I am just so fortunate to be able to give back. I’ve “only” been in practice for about 8 years and can say without hesitation that its flown by. I love what I do, and wouldn’t trade any of it, the rewards OR the challenges, for anything.

What specific clinical practice areas or advocacy issues are of interest to you and why?

Clinically, I’ve been fortunate enough to find passion in a few things. Vaccination and preventable illness are such overlooked facets of health care, but can pay off tremendously. Patients are more empowered to protect their health and well-being, there is less strain on the health-care system, and pharmacists are playing an even more important primary care role in their patients’ lives. I’m also obviously very personally invested in transplantation and nephrology. This is the cause of my life for my life—I simply wouldn't be here without it. I made it through and want to help others do the same. While I am not the only person to have gone through this journey, I do believe that it has made me a much more empathetic provider. On the advocacy front, we have been through so much over the past few years, we’ve shown the value we provide on the frontline. Now it is time to cement that role and take the next step. I see pharmacy teams more and more becoming the primary access point into the health-care system for many Canadians. We have so much to offer… We have the ability, knowledge, and passion—we need to capitalize on this!

What is one practice area where you feel pharmacists could increase their role that would lead to better patient outcomes? 

I think the biggest thing is embracing our role, especially providing primary care services. We all have it within ourselves to do this, our education and training, combined with reference materials and algorithms are a winning combination for pharmacists and patients.

You’ve recently joined the ranks of pharmacy owners, opening a new pharmacy in Regina. What was that process like, and do you have any advice for other pharmacists who might be considering a similar move?

I’d still say I am in my infancy of ownership. There is a lot of learning involved, but the reward of starting something at its base and watching it grow is worth it (and this is only a few months in!). It is a lot of work, requiring a lot of patience, but I know it will pay off. I get to spend time with my patients and really can see the difference a good interaction can make. I have the luxury of being part of a great team, with access to a lot of great mentors and support. This is just the beginning!

Can you talk about the value of advocacy and why pharmacists should get involved in their provincial and national pharmacy advocacy associations?

This is the most paramount thing I’d recommend to any pharmacist. No contribution is too small, and every voice is welcomed. My experiences will be different than somebody else in my city, or in a different area of the province, or country…  I think that the more information and input that we have, the better equipped we are to learn about the challenges our profession faces, the successes we can all celebrate in and prospects the future holds. By using that same passion that we bring to work, we can do great things for the profession. Any contribution helps and every step, no matter how small, is still forward movement and progress to a better future.