Stan Dyjur will become the first President of the Alberta College of Pharmacy.
Not only is that the day he officially assumes that role, it’s also the day ACP adopts its new name.
Stan, a pharmacist in Red Deer who is a Clinical Pharmacy Practice Leader in Mental Health with Alberta Health Services, was elected president by his Council peers and will succeed outgoing president Brad Couldwell. Stan was installed as president at ACP’s Celebration of Leadership in Calgary on June 12.
In preparing for his speech, Stan sought the help of his seven-year-old daughter for some inspiring words. She didn’t let him down. The themes she suggested for his speech were the following:
- Never give up!
- Believe in yourself!
- Keep trying until you get it right.
- Dream.
- Believe.
- Focus on what’s important.
It was the last point, focus on what’s important, that resonated with Stan. It reminded him of why he became a pharmacist in the first place. He referenced Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle. The Golden Circle, explained Stan, has three parts: the outer ring is the what; the next ring is the how; and the centre of the circle is the why.
“Everyone can tell you WHAT they do and some even have the insight to HOW they do it, but it is that WHY that is key in leading and inspiring others,” said Stan. “Having a clear and genuine ‘why’ will inspire you and others; it will keep you focused and motivated to do what is right, no matter what obstacles and challenges come your way. Having that clear ‘why’ will drive you, motivate you, make you look for solutions rather than look to excuses, and will push you to not quit, to get up when you fall down.”
Stan’s ‘why’ for being a pharmacist is simple.
“For me, it has always been about being able to provide the same level of care that I would want and expect from a pharmacist and pharmacy technician for my mom, my children, or any of my loved ones, if they were ever in need,” said Stan.
He told the gathering at the celebration that even when the pressures of business and life distract you and make your ‘why’ less clear, to never lose sight of that ‘why.’
“Life is going to throw us challenges, it’s busy, it’s hard. This is not easy work providing care to patients, but this is what patients need from us, patients are our WHY and we need to be resilient, we need to be professional, we need to see the opportunities every day, in every patient interaction, seize and own these opportunities to live up to the code of ethics and the standards of practice, because that is what Albertans trust and need us to do.”
“And know that you are not alone, let’s look for opportunities to support one another along the way, no matter your practice setting, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, to ensure that we, as a profession of pharmacy are able to live up to the care that Albertans trust us to provide, together.”
Stan said becoming an ACP Council member is one of the greatest honours he has experienced and looks forward to working with the new Council starting in July. He will preside over his first Council meeting in October.
