She’s practised across the country, including in places with some of the widest pharmacist scope of practice available, but it is here in British Columbia’s downtown Vancouver where 2023 Doctor of Pharmacy graduate Thao Dao has chosen to call home.

Today, Dao serves as Store Operator at Pharmasave #010 in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Her pharmacy is positioned directly across the street from St. Paul’s Hospital, and a large portion of the work involves partnering with Providence Health Care’s Transitional Care Unit, a program that helps vulnerable patients who use substances transition towards healthy living.

It’s the latest chapter in her journey, a career that has been marked by a willingness to go where there is the most need. Even while in pharmacy school at the University of Waterloo, Dao chose several rural communities as the locations for her practicums.

As a younger pharmacist, I hope that more experienced pharmacists can see how new practitioners are well seasoned and have the knowledge to take on a clinical lens when it comes to counselling patients, recommending products, providing medication reviews and minor ailment assessments.

— Thao Dao

One location was Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, a place that’s home to six Indigenous communities, and where limited access to health care is the reality for its population of 12,000 people. During her visit there, she was given a spirit name, “Aamoos,” which means little bee.

“It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me,” Dao said. “I remember seeing a patient who brought in a plethora of natural health products. The patient had diabetes and hypertension, but did not want to take additional ‘North American’ or ‘western’ medications. Together, we came up with a medication plan that included the natural health products that did not interact with his western medications, and he was able to take care of his body the way he wanted to.”

Her practicum experience also took her to Peace River, Alberta. And her experience in rural communities only grew after graduation, when she accepted a role at Neighbourly Pharmacy, where she served as a relief pharmacist in other rural communities across Alberta and B.C., including Haida Gwaii.

“I really got to see the importance of pharmacists. Of course in Alberta, pharmacists can initiate therapy and have a full assessment role, especially if patients don’t have family physicians. We bridge that gap,” Dao said. “Being able to take on that clinical approach, to assess them and to start them on their medications, is key in small communities that are struggling to find health-care providers.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dao had a chance to visit Vancouver for several months. Following graduation, when her initial plans to move to Peace River shifted, Vancouver seemed to be the obvious choice, especially when the opportunity for a pharmacy manager position became available. While the city is the opposite of a rural community, its need for health care seemed just as urgent, particularly due to the ongoing toxic drug crisis.

“B.C. really leads the way in substance use care. This area of care is always somewhere that B.C. has started new initiatives on, and it’s so cool to be part of that push forward and part of that influence for the whole country,” Dao said.

“But there’s not enough resources for it. We’re helping to serve such a large population that is extremely vulnerable, and these people want the help. Being the light for them is important, because everyone deserves a chance.”

It has been a rewarding change. Due to her pharmacy’s location and partnership with the local hospital, Dao gets to work directly with the population impacted by the toxic drug crisis, providing care that spans clinical support, collaboration and compassion.

Dao worked with the patient to provide her opioid agonist treatment, monitored medications throughout her pregnancy, while working with other health providers to ensure the patient would be successful when she leaves hospital.

“She worked extremely hard in her recovery journey, consistently staying on medications and building relationships back with her family. She has a healthy baby now and is reunited with her family,” Dao said. “That kind of success is very rewarding to see.”