Preceptor of the Year (2024-2025)

“I had the best chance to practice...I found this to be an amazing learning opportunity.” - Afnan Arshad, PHAR 185 Student

Please join us in celebrating Kathleen Neudorf-Chrusch and Justine Larson as two of the selected 2024-2025 Preceptors of the Year. Both are pharmacists at the Co-op Pharmacy in Stonebridge. Kathleen refers to it as a “small town pharmacy in a big city”. She has been a pharmacist with Saskatoon Co-op since her graduation in 2018 and is currently the pharmacy manager at the Stonebridge location. Justine, a graduate of USask’s final BSP Class of 2020, has been working and precepting at this site since 2022.

Both pharmacists say that their interest in precepting comes from a motivation to “carry forward” the positive experiences they had as students. Kathleen says they strive to ensure “that every student who comes here also has a really good experience”. She says she tells students, “You’re welcome here. This is your learning experience, in a safe learning environment. Ask as many questions as you want.”. Dixon Smith, Kathleen’s nominator from the Class of 2025, recognizes that she extends the same degree of care and concern to her colleagues too, saying she “believes that a supportive environment encourages her colleagues to learn and improve, ultimately leading to better patient care.”.

Justine’s approach is to put herself in the students’ shoes. She says she asks herself, “If I was the student, how would I want my preceptor to be?”. Both pharmacists take pride in crafting learning experiences that are tailored to the individual learner. Afnan Arshad, Justine’s nominator from the Class of 2027, wrote about how Justine engaged with his SMART goals and crafted learning opportunities centered around his personal aspirations and interests. He says Justine also gave him “chances to learn by letting me fix my own mistakes and learn from them”.

Both pharmacists prioritize meaningful and authentic practice opportunities to help students grow, saying they are motivated by past students’ feedback on their experience at the Co-op Pharmacy in Stonebridge. Kathleen says it is rewarding to see that “what we’re teaching them in the rotation is helping”. She adds that she is appreciative of students expressing gratitude for the “real-world experience” that the team at the Co-op provides.

Dixon underscores the impact that preceptors have on students’ professional practice when, like Kathleen, they “demonstrate a commitment to accuracy, safety, and ethical decision-making, as evidenced by the policies/procedures in place, and the adaptability of altering these measures when new challenges arise”.

Preceptors like Kathleen and Justine make a lasting impact in the education of future pharmacists and are so valued by our program.

Congratulations to both pharmacists on this well-deserved accomplishment!