The end to advocating for pharmacy? Never...

Yesterday concludes the Stop Cuts Student Tour. Day 15 brought us to Collingwood, a worthy location for the end of the tour. Although the last day was previously reserved for London, we went to Collingwood in a last minute decision because there was a Liberal meeting in Blue Mountain that was attended by many important politicians, including McGuinty and Deb Matthews. Because of this, we had decided to do a peaceful protest in front of the conference centre, where the meeting was held. We had also organized ourselves to stand united with a single, consistent media message, as we had expected the media to come and produce a messy scene. However, because the media never showed up, the politicians did not have any incentive to enter and we, as the students, did not have a chance to speak with McGuinty himself about these funding issues to pharmacies.

After acquiring rather hoarse voices from hollering for an hour straight, we went back to the bus to grab some lunch before heading back home. Today was probably one of the most uneventful days of the tour. However, given the fact that most people were quite tired from being on the bus and travelling to a different community every day, I was relieved that it was not as crazy and energy-consuming as other days.

Upon looking back at this tour, I have truly learned much more about the realities in the pharmacy profession, including the non-transparencies in the government and the pharmaceutical company. I have also learned more about myself and my capabilities. More importantly, I have matured in aspects that I otherwise would not have without this tour, both as a pharmacy student and as a relatively sheltered person. Given how much I value knowledge, I am forever grateful that I had this opportunity to be on this tour to advocate for the pharmacy profession in this period of turmoil and instability.

Thanks to the media who forced me to be careful with my words and understand the importance of self-image to the public. (You would think that it would be enough listening to my parents; it's quite a different story being on camera or on the newspaper having everyone see you and your words being twisted!) Thanks to our driver who took us to each and every destination in a safe and timely manner, and made sure that everyone was fed properly before proceeding to our jobs. Thanks to the PR and canvassing staff who trained us to be media-ready and organized us into our tasks. Thanks to the students of our tour for being so inspiring for me to do my job everyday, even on a rainy day. Most of all, thanks to the entire pharmacy profession and the Ontario patients who understand the importance of pharmacists in our healthcare system. Without all of your support, sharing of knowledge and inspiration, we would have not had the motivation or resources to continue to fight for the profession.

Pharmacy cannot succeed by itself, but can only be successful with the support of the public that it serves. Please help us help your health!