Dr. Travis Schule, PharmD, BCPP runs his family-owned community pharmacy in Kalispell, Montana. In addition to his duties at the pharmacy, he consults for two local community mental health centers (CMHCs), precepts students, is a board member of the Montana Pharmacy Association and teaches whitewater kayaking to kids and veterans throughout the year.
Travis started consulting for the CMHCs in 2003 after graduating and beginning to work with his father at the pharmacy. The mental health providers have been consulting his pharmacy since the late 1990s for assistance with medication questions and since taking over, he has also been able to get various primary care providers on board with his recommendations after reaching out to them regarding prescriptions being filled at his pharmacy. His services include providing abbreviated chart reviews once per week in person at the CMHCs, providing daily recommendations for the providers when they contact him via phone, text, or email, and speaking with patients daily when they fill prescriptions at his pharmacy. He is also an advocate for his customers as they do not often know where to seek out help in his community and he is able to help direct them to appropriate resources. Travis strongly believes in providing the best possible care for his patients and demonstrates this by running his pharmacy with 8 pharmacists and 2 technicians. He feels that patient care is more important than the bottom line and that pharmacists should be doing whatever they can to help their patients and provide the necessary education about their medications and conditions. Travis is a board member of the Montana Pharmacy Association. He is known for his fighting spirit advocating for patient care, pharmacist and technician scope expansion, and pharmacy personnel work environment improvements.
Travis also precepts students from the University of Montana and while his site is considered a community rotation, he does a lot of education on psychiatric medications. Travis educates his students on the intricate uses of psychiatric medications; enabling students to provide better patient counseling and suicide prevention when they become pharmacists. He is passionate about teaching his students to really connect with patients and how to get patients to want to talk to them.
Travis first got into whitewater kayaking in college at the encouragement of some friends when he was experiencing depression after he sustained a soccer injury requiring ACL surgery. Kayaking continues to be a large part of his life. During the warming Montana months, Travis teaches Flathead Valley youth how to kayak; seeing them gain confidence, get over their fears, and persevere at a new skill. This summer he is combining his passion for mental wellness with kayaking in a program that will teach veterans and their family members how to whitewater kayak. This program will promote healing and regain bonds with their families as the sport is a team event and really requires everyone to look out for one another.