Katie Krell
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
Christie Bradfield, a Pinetta native, has been in the healthcare profession for 18 years, spending over half of that time at North Florida Pharmacy.
Bradfield attended North Florida Community College, now North Florida College, before starting at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in 2006. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) in 2010 from that same school. She is currently the Pharmacist in Charge at North Florida Pharmacy, in Madison, where she has been working since 2012.
“I was inspired to go into healthcare after I lost my grandma to cancer,” Bradfield commented. “Her relationship with her doctors, nurses and other members of her healthcare team made a huge impression on me, and I hoped to one day make a difference in the lives of others, too.” Later on, she narrowed her healthcare career options down to pharmacy, as she enjoyed learning about how different medications worked.
For Bradfield, the best part of the job is making sure people feel comfortable with any medications that they take. She commented, “My favorite part of my job is helping people understand their medications, so they can feel confident and empowered to take an active role in the management of their health. I love when I help someone who struggles with some aspect of their medication therapy identify and overcome a hurdle, or decide that they need to make a change.”
To those who are considering picking any type of healthcare for a profession, Bradfield suggests finding something that fits you and you enjoy doing. “I would say it's a very rewarding field to practice in,” she remarked. “There are hundreds of jobs in healthcare, so work hard to find the one that you will be happy with, and then work harder to become the best you can at that job.” Bradfield also advised against getting too comfortable with any healthcare position. “Healthcare is ever-changing, so you have to be ready to adapt and be flexible. The job you decide you want today may look very different 10 years from now.”
Christie Bradfield is the daughter of Lynne Sapp, of Madison. She has two sisters, Stephanie and Kayla. She has been married to Troy Bradfield since 2009, and they have three children, Bailie, Clayton and Ada Jane. The family lives in Lee, Fla., and has four dogs. They attend First Baptist Church of Madison