write an interesting news story profiling the awardee from Pasadena, Dr. Jan Salcido, and her accomplishments as a pharmacist, and including some of her direct quotes from the interview that are most relevant to the story: Dr. Jan Marie Salcido, Pharm.D., embarked on a unique journey to pharmacy, initially pursuing a career in biotech as a bench chemist. Her life took a turn when her husband shared an article highlighting "pharmacist" as a top career for women, blending science with a people-centric approach. Inspired, she enrolled in the University of Southern California's pharmacy program and found her true calling. Today, as a pharmacy manager at Ralphs #96 in Pasadena, California, she and her dedicated team provide personalized care, often going the extra mile. Dr. Salcido's excellence led her to advise Hollywood, and she cherishes her role, knowing her work impacts lives, earning her the 2023 Best of the Best Pharmacy Award.

Notable achievements
Member of Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society
Ralphs Rising Star Award recipient (2015 )
Ralphs Pharmacy Award recipient (2014)

From article on SingleCare

Jan Marie Salcido, Pharm.D., had a path to pharmacy that began with an unexpected twist. 

She initially pursued a biotech career, working as a bench chemist. The moment that altered the course of her life was when Dr. Salcido’s husband shared an article that ranked “pharmacist” as the top career choice for women. The opportunity to blend her scientific acumen with a people-centered career struck a chord. Inspired by the article, Dr. Salcido entered the University of Southern California’s pharmacy program and soon realized she had found her calling. “Immediately, I knew this is what I was meant to do,” she says.

Today, as a pharmacy manager at Ralphs #96 in Pasadena, California, Dr. Salcido’s typical days involve long but fulfilling shifts. Alongside her dedicated team, she ensures that each patient receives personalized care, often going the extra mile to meet their unique needs. 

Thanks to her outstanding performance, Dr. Salcido has even found herself immersed in the world of Hollywood. She recently served as a commercial consultant for Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs. In this role, she advised an actress portraying a pharmacist on real-life details like the proper location for an immunization. “It was such a fun and special moment,” she says.

Dr. Salcido’s enjoyment of her profession even extends to her own name badge, which boasts, “I love my job.” She acknowledges the challenges that come with a pharmacy career, including navigating the tumultuous waters of the pandemic, but her unwavering commitment to her role remains unshaken. “I’m proud of the relationships I’ve built in my community,” she says.



Interview with Dr. Jan Marie Salcido

Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Yeah. So my name is <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>, and I am a pharmacy manager for Ralph's Pharmacy here in Pasadena, California.
Therese:
Thank you so much, Dr. Salcido. So for our first question, can you share with us what this recognition means to you personally and professionally?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Personally, I just feel very touched and excited to be recognized in my community for great customer service. It also means so much more to me to have been nominated from our patients directly. And overall, I really enjoy my job on a daily basis, and I just feel lucky that I get to help people, which is kind of something I really enjoy. And then professionally, it's just kind of a milestone in my career, and I really hope that it brings attention to how hard pharmacy teams work together just to make sure that our patients are well taken care of and safe.
Therese:
And an additional question, Dr. Salcido, how many years have you been working as a pharmacist?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
I've been working as a pharmacist for nine years, and I've been a manager that whole time at two different locations. I've been five years here in Pasadena, and I spent four years in Burbank. And then prior to that, while I was in pharmacy school, I was an intern pharmacist for four years. So I would say I've been in the community pharmacy field for about 13 years now.
Therese:
Oh, okay. And Dr. Salcido, your dedication to personalized care and going the extra mile for the patients is commendable. Can you tell us about a particularly memorable experience where you felt your role as a pharmacist made a significant difference or impact in a patient's life?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Yeah, definitely. It's hard to choose kind of one example of that when I feel like all pharmacy teams kind of help their patients daily in little ways. But just to kind of put one example into context, I've been having, or I've been helping one of our patients over the last five years, he has COPD and high blood pressure. When I first met him in our pharmacy, he had been on a blood pressure medication for quite a while, and then he went onto the internet, which is helpful, but sometimes a little scary. And he realized that the medication he was taking, he felt was no longer safe. He had read that it was basically snake phnom where some medications in that category were derived originally from that. But the medication he was on is clearly not phnom and it's safe for him to take, and he basically decided he didn't want it anymore, even though it was controlling his blood pressure fairly well.
So I tried to reassure him, no, it's safe. You don't need to worry about that. It's working well for you. And he basically told me he didn't trust it anymore. So at that point, I called his doctor and I was able to kind of explain the situation to them and switch him to another agent. There's so many different medications that he could be on to control his blood pressure, and kind of in that simple moment, instead of just dismissing his concern, we took the time and we called the doctor, switched it to something that we agreed we would restart on, and kind of took care of him in that way. And then later he also revealed to me as our relationship grew and he began to trust our team more and more, that he wasn't using his inhalers. He had forgotten the way that we showed them how to use it.
And so he revealed he hadn't been taking it and he was having a lot of wheezing. So at that point, we had to bring in his inhalers and kind of verbally instructed him so that he could use it himself. And then he started taking them again, and he'd visit the pharmacy almost on a daily basis to let me know that his breathing had improved and that he was really thankful for our extra care. Then even beyond that, I was able to vaccinate him against pneumonia recently, which was a huge surprise because again, he didn't really trust vaccines, all of that stuff, but just by building that relationship, it allowed him to trust us and we can kind of help take care of his health a little bit better.
Therese:
And beyond your role at the pharmacy, you also volunteer in your local community. How has this community involvement shaped your perspective on healthcare and the wellbeing of your patients?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
So volunteering has definitely brought me closer to my community, and it really helped me connect to a population that would not be in my immediate reach at the pharmacy. Some of the guests that I've met through volunteering are also now my patients. So it was nice to kind of be able to help them on a more casual level and personal level while volunteering. And again, just kind of instilled that trust and healthcare providers and also reinforced our pharmacy team to really treat all patients on the same or level playing field regardless of the background that they come from. It's really just been a very enjoyable and humbling experience for me to have done that.
Therese:
And I hope you don't mind me asking Dr. Salcido, which organizations or where do you usually volunteer if you do have the opportunity to do that? Where do you usually volunteer?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
So it's also in Pasadena. I'm pretty close to the pharmacy. I work at the organization that's called Spend. Indeed, indeed. And it's a food bank for the community. And then the area that I volunteer at is called the Women's Room, and they just kind of give women a safe place to come during the day. We feed them, there's showers, laundry, facilities, toiletries and activities with them. So it's kind of just a way to connect in that realm.
Therese:
Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong, friends. Indeed. They're actually the ones who created the women's room or women's facility just recently,
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Yes.
Therese:
Yes I remember. And can you share with us how you maintain such a high level of persistence and commitment to patient care, even in challenging situations?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Yeah. Well, I really believe that just as a community pharmacist, it's just our responsibility to take care of our patients. I would say a challenging situation of my career was definitely the pandemic and the stay at home orders and all of that. That kind of instilled the beginning of it was a lot of unknown and a lot of fear, and I definitely felt the effects of isolation among our patients. And it was nice that we were an essential service being at a grocery store and a pharmacy. So it kind of allowed our patients that even have some conversation with people face to face at a safe distance upon picking up their medication or calling us with questions. I would say also during that, there were lots of supply chain issues, which led to many drug shortages. It really challenged our team to find alternative medications that would still be safe and effective. And then last, just working in a pharmacy alone is challenging with all of your daily tasks you're expected to do and more. So when people come to you often they're very sick and it's not like their favorite place to visit. We're not like a Starbucks or a coffee shop where people want to come and visit. It's more just they're not always in the best. So for us to make it more of an enjoyable experience is just our goal in any way we can do so.
Therese:
And perhaps a follow-up question that I have. Has your role as a pharmacist, is it now more challenging and more stressful after or during and after covid compared to pre pandemic?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
Oh, that's such a good question. I would say yes, it's definitely more challenging and stressful just from the higher amounts of immunizations we've performed over the last two years, I guess. And then also our volume has grown a little bit, so I feel like that's definitely added an extra layer onto the job. But it's almost like I can't even remember what it was like pre pandemic. It's hard for me to even remember three years ago. So I don't know if I can answer it unbiased, but I would say that yeah, we've definitely just gotten busier with the amount of immunizations we give and people we serve.
Therese:
And the field of pharmacy is continuously evolving. What recent developments or changes in the pharmaceutical industry do you find particularly exciting, and how do you see them impacting overall patient care?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
So I would say that's absolutely right. The role of the pharmacist is constantly expanding. We're going to need to expand even more in our duties just to serve our aging population. Automation is starting to evolve, and that should free up more time from simply preparing prescriptions and give us more time as a pharmacist out from behind the counter where we can perform direct patient care and more clinical services. We have protocols in place already for immunizations, and we do a ton of those. And then we also, at my pharmacy, at least in California, we prescribe oral contraceptives and naloxone to our patients, which is pretty exciting. As a pharmacist, we're constantly sending medication recommendations to doctors for approval. So hopefully our protocols will expand and allow us to have more prescribing authority just on maintenance medications, travel meds, things like that at the community level. But yeah, I think just with the population increasing, we're going to have to rely on fill machines and fix this and all of that stuff and give us more time to provide patient care.
Therese:
And Dr. Salcido, what advice would you give to other healthcare professionals who aspired to deliver the same level of care and compassion to their patients?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
So my advice would be really to just take the time and connect with your patients. Kindness is underrated. A few simple acts could really change the scope of your career, your practice. Also as a pharmacist, have confidence in yourself as part of the healthcare team. Take opportunities to collaborate with doctors when you see something more appropriate, like a more appropriate drug regimen for your patient, or simply a way to help them save money. Our patients instill a really high level of trust among pharmacists, mostly because we're still accessible when we're right there to answer all their questions and just continue to grow that relationship.
Therese:
And our last question, Dr. Salcido. As someone who has been recognized for their exceptional contributions to the community, what message or call to action would you like to share with the broader community to promote better health and wellbeing?
Dr. Jan Marie Salcido:
So I think we're at a time where we need to empower our patients into being their own health advocates. Many patients feel like they're kind of rushed through their physician office visits. They might not ask the questions or voice concerns that they have, and maybe they don't understand the future consequences of neglecting their health. Communities should utilize their pharmacists to help get all their questions and concerns answered and taken care of. Medications are often essential to treating disease states, but even lifestyle changes really go hand in hand. So it would just be something that we can do. We can educate our patients even just beyond the medications and really just take the time to provide them an overall care for their health.