Training Up Pharmacists in Blount County
Residency program offers the right prescription for preparing the next generation of health care professionals.
A dynamic and growing pharmaceutical training opportunity at Blount Memorial Hospital – a 300-plus bed, independent community hospital – is dispensing the right prescription written for its participants’ success.
The Blount Memorial Pharmacy Residency Program is a full-time postgraduate, first-year residency, providing intensive hands-on training following completion of pharmacy school.
Training New Pharmacists in Blount County
A challenging program with multiple rotations, it is uniquely designed to suit each resident’s interests and has attracted individuals from the surrounding region and beyond since the program began in 2006 with only two people.
These days, 44 residents have finished the rigorous undertaking and are competent, clinical practitioners working in a variety of key health care positions, with many employed by Blount Memorial.
Georgia native Morgan T. White, who completed her residency in June 2023, was drawn to the Blount Memorial program because it was the ideal size and offered the learning experiences she wanted. Plus, the personable and supportive people there created an environment where White knew she could thrive. The 25-year-old loved the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and during her free time enjoyed exploring local coffee shops and farmers markets.
‘Amazing and Intelligent’
“My time there was very challenging, as expected, but a wonderful learning opportunity,” White says. “It truly was an experience that developed my growth professionally and personally. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met everyone at Blount Memorial, especially in the pharmacy department – they are an amazing group of people.”
The program for training pharmacists in Blount County also is like a strong health care magnet, attracting outstanding professionals to Blount County.
“I moved to East Tennessee to pursue my current role as the pharmacy clinical and residency coordinator at Blount Memorial Hospital and feel truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful team with such intelligent practitioners,” says Jessica Brinkley, residency coordinator of the postgraduate year one Pharmacy Residency Program at Blount Memorial. “My hope is to continue progressing the pharmacy profession and training future residents and students.”
Previously, Brinkley practiced as a licensed clinical pharmacist in cardiology and critical care at a hospital in Nashville, where she also trained student pharmacists and residents.
Hometown Pharmacies in Blount County
The city of Maryville and nearby counties are well-served by two locally owned, hometown pharmacies that, between them, have been caring for the area’s health needs for nearly 80 years. The leadership of both Blount Discount Pharmacy and Mac’s Pharmacy have built their success on a foundation of offering the highest quality care and supplies, while developing strong relationships with their customers.
Walk through the door of any Blount Discount Pharmacy and expect a cheerful greeting. The pharmacy offers delivery services, medication packaging, diabetes and smoking cessation education, compounding, immunizations, medication therapy management, hospice service, home visits and point-of-care testing, which involves administering a rapid results test for strep, flu and COVID and clinical services.
“When my business partner, Phil LaFoy, and I open the doors to the drugstore every day, we feel like our work is our mission field,” says Aaron Clark, co-owner. “Our heart is to show as much compassion as we can to folks that are sick or have a loved one that is sick in order to make a positive impact on their lives.”
More than just medicine, relationships are at the core of Mac’s Pharmacies. Dedicated to improving the overall well-being of the community, Mac’s provides free medication management packaging known as MacPacks to help with medication compliance, free kids vitamins, durable medical equipment, compounding and community education, among other services. Free delivery is available in Knox, Anderson and Blount counties, a welcomed service for those unable to leave their homes.
“This is our community. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, to provide solutions that improve the lives of those we serve,” says Mike Wilhoit, president.
Get to Know Blount County
Want to learn more about living and working in Blount County, TN? Check out the latest edition of Livability Blount County, Tennessee.