I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kyle, the owner and one of the pharmacists at the Lumby IDA to learn a little bit more about him
Kyle grew up in South Surrey and one of his favourite places to visit as a child was his cousin’s condo in Sicamous. It was a great treat to go boating on the lake and learn to kneeboard. This piqued his interest in making the Okanagan area his home.
Kyle is a self-proclaimed sports nut and a person that likes to be moving around. He enjoys playing volley ball, slow-pitch and working out when he can fit it into his busy schedule. His love of sports continues as a coach of youth volleyball for 20 years and coaching his children’s youth sports.
When I asked, Kyle said that his path to becoming a pharmacist is a funny story. His love interest, who later became his wife, was applying to become a pharmacist. He thought that sounded like an interesting profession that had not been on his radar before. The funny part is that he was accepted into the program and she was not. Not to worry, she has found another spot in the healthcare field that is well suited to her. Interacting with people and helping them solve their medical problems are a few of the things that Kyle enjoys about his job.
The road that led Kyle to becoming the owner of the pharmacy is due to his 10-year plan to be part of an ownership group or owner of a pharmacy. The previous place he was at didn’t have that opportunity; so, he looked elsewhere and found the opportunity in Lumby. The past owner felt that he would be a good fit to take over the business and provide the service the community was accustomed to.
Kyle learned his strong customer service skills from his Dad and sports coaches. His Dad was a dedicated long-term employee at Safeway. When Kyle would go see his Dad at work, he would perceive the importance of being helpful and personable. Mentors and coaches in sports demonstrated kindness in many situations which instilled this trait in Kyle.
Pharmacists are not just about dispensing medications and consulting about drug reactions. Recently BC pharmacists have been educated on 21 minor ailments which give them the ability to prescribe medications for those ailments. They can also help with vitamin suggestions, blister packs of medications, and compression socks. In the future, pharmacists could possibly order lab tests.
There are also challenges in this job which include: not being able to find staff, inventory management and keeping up with paper work. Growth of his pharmacy has also been a challenge; as they recently moved to a larger location after out growing the past one.
Kyle has been blown away by the kindness, patience, appreciation and love that he has received from the people of Lumby. He feels like a part of the Lumby family and working in this community is very rewarding.
Whitevalley Resource Center would like to thank our sponsors, The United Way, and Interior Health.
