More than just a job

As she was finishing high school, Aileen Jang had no idea what kind of career she wanted. A chance encounter with a pharmacist sold her mother on pharmacy as a great profession for a woman, so that’s what she suggested to her daughter. Jang decided it sounded alright, and sent in her application to the U of A.

At first, it seemed like a disastrous choice. “Every year of school I went through, I thought, this isn’t for me,” Jang says. During her third year, she figured she was close enough to the finish line that she may as well complete the degree. When she actually began working in the field, though, everything changed.

“I just fell in love with it because it was the people that mattered to me, not the book learning.”

Persistence, passion, and a people-first approach have been the guiding principles throughout her entire 40+ year career.

When Jang graduated in 1983, there weren’t many job openings for pharmacists, and she was determined to be one of the lucky few. After an interview for a pharmacy that was opening soon, she called the owner every day to ask if she’d gotten the job. Three days later, she had her answer.

“He probably got tired of me phoning and said, ‘OK, you have the job, just stop calling,’” Jang says with a laugh.

That pharmacy was the first Medi-Drugs location in Alberta. At 22 years old, fresh out of school, Jang took on the manager role, working from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. “The first year was no picnic,” Jang says. “There were a lot of learning curves, I made mistakes, but I figured it out along the way.”

After two years, she bought into the pharmacy as a partner. Medi-Drugs expanded over the following decades, with four locations at its peak, and today the Clareview and Millcreek branches remain.

Though they serve diverse populations in different parts of the city, Jang approaches both locations with the same perspective and vision. In her pharmacies, it has been and always will be about people over profit. Pharmacists are never instructed to rush through consultations, but rather to ensure each patient is carefully assessed and leaves with no queries unanswered.

“I get really close to the people that come in. And that’s the type of people I want working with me, too — I don’t want somebody for whom this profession isn’t their passion.”

“Even though we’re in Edmonton, I think our patients feel like we’re in a small town,” she adds. “We know everybody who comes in, we celebrate their milestones.”

Jang has always been a tireless advocate for independent pharmacy, working hard to cultivate a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere in her pharmacies for both clients and staff.

“I want people to be treated the way I would want to be treated.”

When she noticed large chain pharmacies would put on events to wine and dine students, offering signing bonuses, she started an Independent Pharmacy Night where future pharmacists could learn more about independent pharmacy. The annual event has now been running for over 20 years. She has also been a preceptor for the faculty’s Experiential Education program since 1985, bringing students under her wing and showing them how she runs her pharmacies.

“I just get such joy out of working with the students because they have lots of great ideas, lots of passion.”

Dylan Moulton, now a pharmacist and assistant clinical professor with the faculty, was one of those students. When doing a rotation at Medi-Drugs Clareview with Jang as his preceptor, he proposed a project that he hoped would help address the subpar pharmacy care 2SLGBTQ+ patients received, implementing changes that would make the pharmacy a more inclusive space for all patients. Jang was impressed with the proposal, and hired him to facilitate the program at the Millcreek location after he graduated.

“Her belief in me, and more importantly, her willingness to do absolutely everything possible when faced with a patient care problem, has led to real change in patient well-being,” Moulton says.

“I am able to work and thrive in a clinical setting that supports queer patients because of Aileen. I am able to educate in a globally renowned pharmacy program and share my knowledge and experiences about authentic patient care with pharmacy students because of Aileen. I believe that courage and perseverance are required to make meaningful change and that patient well-being trumps personal gain because it was tirelessly modelled by Aileen.”

Jang’s commitment to creating an inclusive space for her patients extends to even the smallest details, like pharmacists wearing pronoun pins during their shift, or learning a few phrases in a patient’s native tongue to better communicate with them.

“No matter who walks into either location, we want them to be welcomed and feel safe,” Jang says. 

Even as she prepares to wind down a long and successful career, Jang is still focused on nurturing the next generation of pharmacists. She’s currently working with the Alberta Pharmacy Student Association to hold a monthly breakfast where students can connect and build a support system of fellow professionals. And, she still serves as a director for the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association.

“I think the reason I’ve lasted as long as I have is because what I do gives me a lot of satisfaction,” says Jang.

“To me, it’s more than just a job.”