Pharmacist focus

Xin Yi BLOOMS THE CHEMIST GLENELG

How long have you been a Pharmacist and how long have you been with the Blooms The Chemist network?

I’ve been a Pharmacist for ten years now, and just joined Blooms in September 2021. But I only recently opened my own store, just at the end of March.

What made you want to become a Pharmacist?

I’d always wanted to work with the health industry, but I didn’t want to be stuck in research – I wanted to be talking to patients. I wanted to be in the community, and thought medicine wouldn’t give me enough of that. I decided this in high school, when figuring out what to do in uni. But at the time I was working parttime in a pharmacy and I thought to myself, this isn’t too bad!

What is the most important thing you’ve learnt as a Pharmacist?

There’s no perfect solution for everything. Everyone is an individual, so everyone needs a different approach to solving a problem. Plus, it’s always good to have a little chat. You can learn so much from someone through a talk about day-to-day life!

How do you like to relax or spend your free time?

I relax by spending time with my family. I’ve got a little one – he’s only just over one year old so he’s fun to play with. It was a big adjustment having him, but I love him and spending time with my family helps me feel in touch with them, even when I’m still heavily involved in my work. We love to go outdoors – I find getting him to run around outside at the park means he sleeps much better at night!

What’s the best thing about your community?

Everyone knows this place as a nice beach area, and it’s a beautiful environment. We have a lot of people who come here to see the view. We’re located at the main shopping centre so when I first moved, I thought there would be more one-off customers just stopping by, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of regular customers we had! Plus, everyone here is very relaxed – which must be because they’re so close to the beach. What community initiatives are you looking forward to getting involved in?

We love the work of Gidget Foundation Australia – as a new parent myself, I really respect the work that they do and I hope to make my pharmacy a safe space for parents. I can share my experiences, too. Hopefully we’ll be able to get our own Gidget

Angel! We also love the work done with Make-A-Wish at Blooms Chemists so far – we’re looking to see what we can do to get involved in some great programs.

How do you best support your team and customers?

One of the most important things is to work like a family – and as they say, “teamwork makes the dream work”. We spend so much time with each other, we need to make sure our work environment is a positive space, which means making it comfortable for me, my team and our customers. At the moment it feels like that, which is lovely.

What are five things you couldn’t live without?

Family and friends are the easy top two. I think most Pharmacists would also agree coffee is important – I need some every day! Two more things… music, or whatever I’m listening to at the time. I also love being active – I love yoga to help me relax and be healthy. The last one is tough… I’d say a food but I love it too much to pick! Any nice food will do.

What’s the number-one health tip you’ve learnt over the years?

Relax. You need to be able to sleep, and be able to have time off, which has become so important especially after the

Do you have a quote to live by?

'Teamwork makes the dream work', of course!

What are you excited about for the future of your store?

I’m really looking forward to knowing all my customers! If I want them to feel part of our Blooms family, we need to be comfortable talking and sharing our day-to-day lives. I talk to everyone now, but I want to skip ahead to when I know everyone! I'd also love if my store was used for any kind of helpnot just meditation, but possibly personal things too.

If you could give a shout-out to any of your regular customers, who would it be and why?

I have one customer who's followed me from a few places I've worked, and now visits my new store. I've only know her a few years, but she drives up to eight kilometres to fill her script! It's a lovely bond, and those connections are a great part of my job.