Pharmacy Corner
RESOURCES FOR PHARMACY

As part of our ongoing support of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Partners of Canada Inc. is proud to bring you a special feature interview with Major Douglas Doucette and Captain Sarah Van Heukelom.

Recently we had the opportunity — and the privilege — to speak with two members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are also practicing pharmacists. Major Douglas Doucette and Captain Sarah Van Heukelom took time out from their duties to tell us about the challenges and adventure of being a working pharmacist in today’s Forces.

We spoke with Major Doucette first.

Major Douglas Doucette, CD, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, FCSHP was born and raised in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. After completing three years towards a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Dalhousie University in Halifax, he was accepted into Dalhousie’s College of Pharmacy, and then enrolled in the Canadian Forces’ Regular Officer Training Program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1989 and was posted to Canadian Forces Hospital (CFH) Halifax as a staff pharmacist with the rank of Lieutenant.

In 2001, Major Doucette was promoted to the rank of Major and posted to Central Medical Equipment Depot (CMED) Petawawa as Deputy Commanding Officer, then, in 2002, as Commanding Officer. In June 2006 he retired from the Regular Force and transferred to the Health Services Primary Reserve, where he serves as a senior pharmacy officer and mentor of Regular Force junior military pharmacists. In September 2006, Major Doucette joined the Pharmacy Services of the Moncton Hospital as Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator and Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Cardiology, and in 2009 he was appointed Regional Pharmacy Clinical Practice Manager for Pharmacy Services of Horizon Health Network in New Brunswick, which operates 12 hospitals and 31 clinics.

Throughout his military career Major Doucette has received numerous honours, including the Major-General J.W.B. Barr Award of Excellence in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the betterment of health services within the Canadian Forces.

Q: Major Doucette, thank you for spending this time with us today. Please tell us a bit about yourself, and what led to your; interest in being a pharmacist in the military.

My original goal was to become a surgeon, and although I eventually changed my mind, I still wanted to be involved in the health field. After my third year in biology I was accepted into the Dalhousie College of Pharmacy, and in 1985 I enrolled in the Canadian military.

Why the military? Growing up in Plaster Rock, I hadn’t seen much of the world. The armed forces seemed like a great way to see Canada and other countries. I had recently married the daughter of an air force pilot from CFB Greenwood and we would occasionally take a military bus from Halifax to visit her parents. One day I went to talk with the Director of Pharmacy at CFH Halifax into the pharmacy and asked about working in the armed forces. He helped me get an interview with recruiters and I joined up soon after. What struck me was the variety of the life, and the chance to have new experiences. For me, the rest was history.

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