Danielle Englund is about to graduate from the Bachelor of Pharmacy at the Cradle Coast campus, and walk right into a job as an Intern Pharmacist at Dixons Pharmacy in Wynyard, helping fill a need that is felt across the community in the North West Coast.
Choosing to study in Burnie, close to home, wasn’t just about convenience for Danielle, it was about creating opportunity and staying connected to her community.
“I knew there was a real need for pharmacists on the North West Coast, living and working in the area, I had seen firsthand the workforce shortages and gaps in healthcare access."
“That awareness gave me even more confidence in the decision, not just because I could see strong job security, but because I felt there was a real opportunity for me to build a meaningful career in my community.”
Her journey into healthcare began at the age of 16, when she started a casual after-school job in a local pharmacy. That role sparked a passion that would shape the next seven years of her life.
“I’d always had a strong interest in healthcare but wasn’t sure which path I’d take. That early experience opened the door to the pharmacy world for me.”
Over time, Danielle completed her Certificate III and IV in Community Pharmacy and built a career as a dispensary technician. She gained hands-on experience in everything from dispensing and patient communication to PBS and workflow management.
But more than that, she learned by observing, watching pharmacists solve problems, support patients, and make complex clinical decisions in real time.
Now, years later, with a family of her own and experience behind her, Danielle felt it was time to take the next step and become a pharmacist herself.
“I truly believe that coming into this degree with life experience, especially as a parent and someone who’s worked in pharmacy for many years, gives me insight, empathy, and maturity that will help make me a better pharmacist than if I’d studied straight from school.”
She confidently embraced the challenge of managing full-time studies alongside part-time employment and parenting responsibilities.
"My biggest motivator is showing my children, and myself, what’s possible when you set a goal and commit to it,” said Danielle.
“It hasn’t been easy – juggling a fast-tracked, full-time degree, part-time work, and being a mum – but I’m doing it. And one day I hope my children look back and see that women can pursue big goals and still be deeply devoted mums. That choosing to grow, learn, and work hard doesn’t make you any less of a mother, it just shows them what strength, love, and determination can look like.”
Danielle has always admired the way pharmacists think, how they process information, solve problems, and make clinical decisions. So, learning the “why” behind those decisions has been one of the most rewarding parts of her studies.
She especially enjoyed the therapeutic units, where she explored disease states, treatment options, and how to approach a patient holistically, not just as a set of symptoms.
“It made so many moments in practice click. Everything started to feel more purposeful.”
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