March is Pharmacist Appreciation Month, and StrathmoreNow has teamed up with the crew at Strathmore Value Drug Mart (SVD) to highlight a different dedicated pharmacist each week. 

To kick off the month, the first SVD pharmacist whose story we are sharing is Mike Field. 

Field started his journey with SVD back in 1985 as a high school student. He knew he wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy and wanted to be exposed to the industry. 

“I started working after school; I mopped the floor, slugged diapers up and down the stairs, and dealt with shipping and receiving deliveries. When I went to university, I still came back and worked at Value Drug Mart in the summers,” Field said. 

Field received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Alberta. 

Once he graduated, he became a full-time pharmacist at SVD in 1997, working his way up to now being a co-owner. 

Field chose the pharmacist career path after being diagnosed with a medical condition. 

“I was born with a heart defect. My cardiologist at the time said to me, to make sure that you pick a career where you use your brain and not your body because, with heart problems, you want to avoid stress on the body.” 

When Field was in grade 10, he attended a career fair at his high school. This is when he became intrigued by pharmaceutical science. 

“All the career choices I was drawn to were in the medical profession. And pharmacy stood out to me, and once I got the job at SVD after school, I just kind of stuck with it.” 

Field offered some advice to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy. 

“As soon as you figure out that you want to be a pharmacist, it's probably best to get a job at a pharmacy. Even if it's not behind the counter, working anywhere in the pharmacy will help you get familiar with the lifestyle. Then you can really determine if this is something you want to pursue moving forward.” 

Field thanks his team at SVD and the community for their continual support.

“I work with the greatest team. Without them, there is no me. The customers are also amazing too. It is nice to have interactions with people, and I do my best to help them out with their medical concerns.” 

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