Cameron Foote
Foote's Pharmacy
When did you first know that you wanted to work in pharmacy?
To me going into pharmacy was the obvious choice. My father was a pharmacist and owned a pharmacy in Ipswich, where I worked part time in high school and during university.
I'm now married to a pharmacist. My business partner is a pharmacist, his brother and his mother are both pharmacists. So I guess you could say pharmacy tends to run in families.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a pharmacy business owner?
When I first finished my university degree, I was working part time at my father's pharmacy during the day and managed a day and night pharmacy after hours. The next step for me after gaining management experience was always to buy into a pharmacy. About 12 months later an opportunity came up and I bought into Raceview Pharmacy with my father.
It's always nice to be involved in business with someone you can trust. When you're young, it's very hard to do it on your own. It's just that unknown and having someone with that lived experience that you can rely on is invaluable.
The best advice I could give to someone looking to become a pharmacy business owner is to get involved with people that you know and trust. I was blessed to be able to have that.
When and why did you become a member of The Guild?
My father was a big advocate of The Guild. I must admit, when I was younger, I didn't really understand what The Guild offered or what they're able to offer. But over time I understood that it is essential, as a business owner, to be a member of The Guild. The way we practice and what we do is changing at such a rapid pace. It's hard to think back five years to what pharmacy looks like now - you look forward and you go, wow, I can't believe how much has changed.
What has been the most beneficial part for you being a member of The Guild?
Managing staff is one of the hardest things we do as owners, and you don't get a lot of training on that at university as a pharmacy student. Managing people is very dynamic and it changes every day. And so, Human Resources support is essential. The business support staff have been amazing with so many changes to legislation and practice. Both Tina (Industrial Relations and Human Resources) and Jill (Business Support), we contact them a lot. The amount of advocacy that The Guild has done particularly in the last five years or so has just been so beneficial to the practice of pharmacy. You see the changes for example, with scope of practice. The way that pharmacists’ scope is being recognised now significantly due to the advocacy of The Guild. Queensland, in particular, is leading the charge with changes to the way that we practice and it being recognised by both government and the community.
Would you have any advice for someone looking to become a member?
If you don't know what The Guild offers, ask.
Speak with someone from The Guild or a colleague. The reality is that 80 odd percent of pharmacies in Queensland are members of The Guild. You're always going to know someone who is a member. So, give them a call, have a chat and see what they utilise The Guild for. Because we utilise them a lot, even the communications that we get, I make sure that when I get the communications, I go through them and then I'll follow them up with the managers at store level to make sure that they've read them and if there's any actions that come out of it that I make sure they're following up on it.
I believe for our business, it's essential.