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As a fourth-year pharmacy student at the University of Minnesota College of
Pharmacy, I have been trying to decide where to begin my career. Professors
have encouraged me to start a pharmaceutical care practice, a very rewarding
occupation, but one that doesn't seem quite right for me.
My friends and colleagues are also asking themselves the same question: What
type of pharmacist do I want to be? Most of my classmates are hoping that one
of their rotations will provide insight into a career route. The problem with
this idea is that students like almost all their rotations and begin to see
career possibilities in several areas. How can a student possibly choose one
particular path?
I have always enjoyed teaching but, after eight years in higher education,
hadn't considered it to be a career option. As I thought about it, however, I
realized I would enjoy interacting with leading research scientists and
educating future pharmacists about the many opportunities in pharmacy. In
time, becoming a pharmacy educator began to sound like a good direction for
me. I figured, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of pharmacy students what
they need to know in order to become great practitioners?
Well, there's more to it than I thought. I had no idea about the range of
opportunities available within academic pharmacy, including the ability to
continue my research interests and connect with health professionals and
researchers across various disciplines. I discovered just how much this branch
of pharmacy had to offer when I attended last year's annual meeting of the
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) in San Diego.
With help from a faculty mentor, I applied for the 2006 Wal-Mart
Student/Faculty Conference Scholarship, which helped pay for my registration,
part of my mentor's registration, and part of my flight cost.
More than 1,200 pharmacy educators, researchers, and scientists from nearly
100 colleges and schools of pharmacy attended the conference, held from July 8
to 12. Sessions explored the changing role of pharmaceutical sciences in
curriculum, ethics, curricular revision, and drug discovery. In the opening
session, David W. Bates, MD, and Janet M. Corrigan, PhD, from the Institute of
Medicine, led a provocative dialogue on the current health care landscape, the
quality and safety of health care, and the promise of health information
technology in preventing medication errors.
Throughout the meeting, attendees were given ample time to meet and discuss
issues within their individual institutions, as well as within the profession.
Speakers discussed their specialties. People shared thoughts and ideas on how
they handle matters home." Educators were particularly interested in students'
opinions. (I was frequently asked how I felt about pharmacy curriculum,
experiential education, and assessment.)
A special session on education provided a workshop designed for graduate
students, residents, and new faculty, which focused on teaching strategies,
course and lecture design, and assessment. I learned about lecture styles,
techniques for promoting class discussion and presenting cases, and tips for
writing exam questions.
I also learned this: For most professors, preparing exams takes a lot of work.
Educators must consider precisely what they want to test. When writing
multiple-choice questions, queries should be phrased clearly and cover
information presented in class or in assigned readings. Answers need to be
considered carefully.
One of my favorite AACP sessions explored professionalism. At my school, we
struggle with developing professionalism in our students. Currently, there is
no professionalism code, but we have an honor code that addresses academic
issues like cheating and plagiarism. We also have a professional dress code in
the pharmaceutical care learning center where we see patients.
Having served on a committee devoted to promoting professionalism, I helped
organize practitioner development workshops to show that it takes more than
what the curriculum provides to become a professional. Hoping to get some
other ideas from the AACP session, I learned that many schools have
professional codes and struggle with dress code enforcement and similar
concerns. It was intriguing to hear about students who are dropped from
pharmacy programs due to behavior problems and about the schools' court
rulings on these issues. Each college needs to have policies set up to handle
unprofessional issues.
As we all head back to classes or rotations this fall, let's keep in mind that
our educators have spent the summer preparing for classes, making improvements
on last year's lessons, and implementing ideas that may have come from
attending the AACP meeting.
This spring I will have the opportunity to practice some of the tips I learned
about education during the academic rotation at my college of pharmacy. I urge
students to look into rotations offering teaching experience. As health care
providers, we will all be in a position of educating people eventually. For
example, pharmacists need to be able to share information with consumers about
medications and show people how to use devices such as inhalers and
glucometers. Some pharmacists may have to give an in-service to physicians and
pharmacy staff about issues facing their institutions. Having the skills to
teach others is vital.
The best way to make a difference in pharmacy is to be active and involved in
the profession. After graduating, you can participate in state and national
organizations, start a new practice, research and develop new medications or
devices, or teach and motivate future pharmacists. Those in academic pharmacy
may perform research or work part-time in a clinic or hospital, as well as
teach. Pharmacy education offers flexibility.
If you have an interest in academic pharmacy, talk to your professors about
your career goals and consider attending an AACP meeting. AACP has
scholarships available for students through the Wal-Mart scholarship program.
For more information about the program and the 2007 AACP Annual Meeting in
Florida, visit the AACP Web site at www.aacp.org.
It is never too early or too late to start thinking about where you want your
career to take you. Explore the different areas that academia has to offer.
You might be surprised at what you find.
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