Walmart home pharmacist Alicia Hurst recently won SingleCare’s 5th Annual Best of the Best Pharmacy Award. (Photo courtesy of SingleCare/Special to the Daily Record)
Your local Walmart pharmacy is more than just a place to get important medications, receive various immunizations, and learn about current medical trends.
It’s also a place to share life experiences and bond with other Fremont County residents, said Alicia Hurst, Ph.D., Pharmacology.
Hurst has been a Walmart pharmacy manager since 2010, and her long history in pharmacy (starting at age 16) and close relationships with customers have earned her a spot in SingleCare magazine’s fifth Annual Best of the Year award. Selected as the Best of the Best. Pharmacy Award. A highly prestigious award, it commemorates Ms. Hurst’s 30 years of service to Walmart Pharmacy and her continued desire to provide excellence in serving her customers. She is one of only 10 recipients nationwide.
“Dr. Hearst has cultivated deep connections in her small town of Canon City, nestled in the Colorado Mountains, where her steady presence is a lifeline,” SingleCare’s press release reads. There is.
Hurst is a true local girl who grew up dancing at Anita McCoy’s dance studio, participating in Girl Scouts, and graduating from Cañon City High School in 1997. She worked at her KOA near the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park and also took portraits at the Waldorf. mart.
“I was shy and kind of a wallflower,” she says with a smile. “I was in a band, and it’s funny because my husband played soccer. [growing up]”
At age 16, she started her first job as a cashier at a Walmart pharmacy and was immediately hooked.
“I always felt like I was someone who just watched and didn’t really interact with other people, and I couldn’t avoid it[in the pharmacy],” Hurst said. Told. “It was a way for me to connect with people.”
After high school, she attended CSU Pueblo (then USC) and went on to the University of Denver to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
During this time, she met her future husband, Chris, while visiting Washington with her sister. She fondly remembers their meeting, as she mistakenly assumed that Chris was interested in her sister.
“When we left the building, she burst out laughing and said, ‘He’s been flirting with you so hard and you just don’t notice,'” she said.
Thankfully, Ms. Hearst’s indifference wore off, and the two were married two weeks after she graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the First United Methodist Church in Canon City. The couple briefly moved to Florida after their marriage, but returned to Colorado, where she spent a year as a traveling pharmacist in 2004-2005.
“I knew I wanted to do retail. I love patient care, so being cut off from people is not for me,” she said. “I’m still shy, but I fit in there and feel at home.”
By 2005, she became co-manager of Walmart Pharmacy and by 2010 took the helm as pharmacy manager. She is proud of her title to this day.
She not only watched her grow, but also married and had three children, Caspian, Riker, and Kennedy, and gave a special gift to her patients who shared with her the little things that make their lives special. I hold love in my heart.
“[She] SingleCare’s press release says they are literally doing the best they can for their patients by delivering their medications personally, eliminating the need for them to drive an hour to a pharmacy. “Additionally, Dr. Hurst exhibits exceptional customer care and attentiveness, including when he called to make sure the patient was okay since he hadn’t seen her at the pharmacy in a while.”
“She has a tremendous amount of knowledge about her job. You can talk to her about any concerns you have and she’s happy to help. Alicia is top notch. I don’t take advantage of others.” the anonymous patient added.
This award was given to Hurst because of the outstanding love and care she gave to her patients, as they were the ones who nominated her in the first place.
“It’s very strange because I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do,” Hearst said of the nomination.
Because of her strong work ethic and drive, colleagues and executives alike regularly look to her to fill the role when the market opens. But Hurst said she could never give up the daily interaction with patients she loves, as she runs 10 pharmacies in different parts of the state.
“It’s not just about medicine,” she said. “I’m glad to be here at home. Many of my patients have watched me grow from an awkward 16-year-old to a trusted person.”