Avita pharmacist Kimberly Taylor notes that her professional journey began when she was 13 years old. The daughter of a pharmacist, she remembers working at her father’s drugstore as a teen, dusting shelves and walking to the post office to pick up the mail.
Fast forward four decades, and Kimberly is not only a fourth-generation pharmacy leader (both her paternal grandparents and her paternal great-grandfather practiced) but is also celebrating her 30-year service anniversary as a pharmacist with Avita and its legacy brands.
“From the moment I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a pharmacist,” says Kimberly, who serves patients with the Avita Pharmacy team in Lexington, South Carolina. “It’s just amazing how fast 30 years go by.”
From the moment I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a pharmacist. It’s just amazing how fast 30 years go by.
Advances in pharmacy are abundant, but heart of practice remains the same
How much has a pharmacist’s role changed in the last 30 years? Both dramatically and not at all, Kimberly says. “Thirty years ago, pharmacists were not as proactive in patients’ health,” she says. “We waited for patients to call in their refills or come in with a hard-copy prescription. There was no such thing as a patient coordinator or a coordinated care center.”
Innovation in HIV treatment also has increased exponentially in three decades, says Kimberly, who specializes in HIV pharmacy care and is AAHIVP-certified with the American Academy of HIV Medicine. “When I graduated from pharmacy school, there were three HIV medications on the market, and they were all nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors,” she says. “Now we have eight different classes of HIV medications.”
But if you’re looking at the role of a pharmacist through the lens of their care philosophy, Kimberly says it’s changed very little. “It’s all about compassionate care and being there for the patient,” she says. “That hasn’t changed at all in 30 years.”
It's all about compassionate care and being there for the patient. That hasn't changed at all in 30 years.
Compassionate care and relationship-building core to pharmacist trust
Consumers consistently list pharmacists in the top five of the most trusted and ethical professions, and Kimberly points out that pharmacists are increasingly recognized for their clinical expertise and impact on the patient journey. Her favorite part of the role? “That’s an easy question for me,” she says. “It’s the relationships I’ve built with people over the years. It’s the connections and the friendships I’ve made along this journey.”
Kimberly says the core values inherent to being a successful pharmacist align with her own due to her religious faith and dedication to compassionate care. “The quality of healthcare and empathy shown to others are declining in this country, but not for me,” she says. “Compassion and empathy go hand in hand. After 30 years, I haven’t lost them, and I pray I never do.”
She cites helping patients during times of distress as crucial to improving their experiences and her professional satisfaction and says that going the extra mile—like helping a patient find financial assistance to cover a copay, checking in by phone in the evening after a patient seemed confused at the pharmacy, or even hand-delivering insulin to someone’s home on a holiday to make sure they don’t miss a dose—solidifies the human connection.
Kimberly looks back over her career and ahead to what’s next with a sense of warmth, fulfillment, and excitement. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished,” she says. “I’m grateful for the opportunities that have shaped me. And I’m humbled to have led some of the smartest pharmacists and technicians in this industry.”
I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I'm grateful for the opportunities that have shaped me. And I'm humbled to have led some of the smartest pharmacists and technicians in this industry.
TEAM MEMBER SNAPSHOT
Name: Kimberly Taylor, RPh, AAHIVP
Title: Pharmacist
Location: Avita Pharmacy in Lexington, South Carolina
Favorites:
- Wellness app: Nike Training Club, Peloton
- Book: “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
- Music: “I grew up in the 80s, so I can’t not say 80s music.”
- Food: Sushi
- Destination: Kiawah Island, South Carolina
