Canada Safeway in Thompson has hired on a new pharmacy manager who has been working with the company since the beginning of July. Nicole Mauthe says her experience living and working in Thompson has made her a great fit for the job.
Mauthe grew up in Thompson and went to school for seven years at the University of Manitoba, where she took three years of science and four of pharmacy studies. She also worked at the Canada Safeway pharmacy in Thompson while she was home for her summer breaks.
"I'm from Thompson, and so I wanted to come home, and Safeway is just a really good company. They gave me a summer job right off my first year, and they were just a good company so I decided to stick with them," she explains. "I'm a pharmacist and then I'm also the pharmacy manager, so as a pharmacist I check prescriptions and give medication advice and stuff like that and then as a manager it's more inventory control and scheduling."
Mauthe says she feels she is especially qualified to do her job because she understands how health care works in the North and the difficulties that face some people who live in remote communities.
"I understand when somebody maybe isn't from town and they're driving in. I understand the challenges of the North and I've dealt with the health care system in the North, so I think I'm more in a position to understand and know where people are coming from."
Mauthe says she encourages anyone who is interested in a career in pharmacy, claiming it is a job she has found a lot of enjoyment in.
"It's hard work and it's hard to get into, but it's definitely worth it when you're done. It's interesting, it's always changing, and I think everybody kind of likes their pharmacist, so it's a good career to be in for sure, really rewarding," she attests. "Pharmacy is a great career, and if people are interested or want to know more information they can always come by and pick my brain."
Mauthe says that there's plenty of opportunities and resources for pharmacists looking for work in Thompson. She says the best part of her job is knowing she made a difference and helped someone out, and also adds that she's very happy she chose to work at Safeway.
