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Joel Ray, Doctor of Pharmacy student

Joel Ray, a third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) student at the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø, is eager to return to his rural roots and make a difference in both patient care and his community.

Originally from Innisfail, Ray was inspired by a local pharmacist. He completed the required two years of prerequisite post-secondary education before being accepted into the highly competitive PharmD program — a four-year professional clinical doctorate that combines intensive coursework with hands-on experience. 

Every Wednesday, Ray and his classmates train in the university’s pharmacy skills lab. The space provides a learning environment complete with counselling rooms to create simulated patient care experiences. Students are presented with realistic patient scenarios, often played by actors, and must come up with a complete care plan.

“You have to react — you don’t get a heads-up beforehand what’s going to happen,” Ray explained. “They give you one minute to get ready, and then you’re right into it. It’s just like a patient would be coming to any pharmacy counter.”

The sessions are recorded and instructors provide immediate feedback to students.

“I’m sure anyone who’s been in a classroom knows that you definitely need that baseline knowledge to learn what you’re doing,” Ray said. “But there’s nothing like working in a pharmacy through a patient interaction with the knowledge that you just learned.”

That real-world experience is invaluable, and “very indicative of what real practice would be like,” Ray said.

He and his classmates also participate in collaborative small-group sessions to explore complex clinical scenarios and ethical challenges.

“It’s not something that you can get out of a textbook or with a professor giving a lecture,” Ray said. “It’s discovery learning. It is so vital to any health clinician's development.”

Ray is the recipient of an undergraduate academic entrance award and the Gene Harty Memorial Scholarship — an award generously supported by alumnus and current U of A senator Bob Sprague, ‘85 BSc(Pharm). Awarded annually to a third-year student who demonstrates superior academic achievement and outstanding contributions to student life, the scholarship reflects Ray’s pride in attending the U of A, renowned for its pharmacy school. The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences consistently ranks in the top three in Canada and Top 50 globally. 

Part of that is because the faculty’s experiential education is integrated into the entire program. Supported by donors, the Pharmacy Experiential Education Endowment Fund helps students gain experience in placements at settings province-wide to ensure graduates are ready to meet the health care needs of Albertans.

Preparing students for real-world practice goes beyond textbooks. It includes working as part of interdisciplinary health-care teams and developing clinical skills under the mentorship of preceptors — practicing pharmacists — in community pharmacies, ambulatory clinics and health institutions.

In addition to clinical placements, students have access to practice-based learning rooms (PBLs) in the .

“PBLs are great spaces for a small group of students to collaborate in,” said Ray, highlighting advanced technology – TVs, streaming capabilities and video conferencing tools – that make it easier to reach out to community partners who serve as mentors.

Pharmacists are some of the most accessible health-care professionals. In Alberta, they have the , which allows them to provide vaccines and injections, prescribe certain medications, change dosage or drug formulations, and order and interpret lab results.

For Ray, this wide-ranging role was what drew him to the profession.

“I think the biggest thing that had an impact on me was just seeing what the pharmacists did in my community, [and] the impact they were able to have on people’s lives, not just on their health care,” said Ray.

“Getting to know folks by name when they come in and hopefully see them improving” is what he sees as one of the most rewarding aspects of his career choice.

Ray is grateful for the alumni and friends who help students through their gifts to the Shape the Future campaign, which supports scholarships, training opportunities, resources, and learning spaces. 

“Because of the generosity of donors, when I start my rotations and eventually enter practice, I will have a solid foundation of textbook and real-life baseline knowledge.”