US Pharm.
2006;5(Student suppl):5.
Retail, consulting, or
clinical pharmacy--oh my! In the months leading up to graduation, the
decisions for your future career in pharmacy abound. Career fairs feature
retail pharmacies with their promises of attractive 401K plans and flexible
hours, while residency showcases tempt you with more experience before you
begin your pharmacy career. The real question that haunts every student who is
about to graduate is, "Can I do this?" Can I pass the boards, will technicians
listen to me, can I answer all of a patient's questions, and am I ready to be
in charge? Will haggling with insurance companies, dealing with physicians who
are not receptive to pharmacist input or patients who cannot be pleased leave
me tired and unhappy? For the last four years, life has been multiple choice--what
will happen when my choices are not clearly delineated as "A, B, C, D,
or E"?
Luckily, we are graduating
into a profession that causes anxiety over the many choices we must make,
while graduates in other fields are agonizing over whether they will be able
to find a job. We are entering a profession that has many exciting
possibilities. From retail, to consulting, to pharmaceutical sales, there is
an option for every personality. Variety abounds even in the retail sector,
where you can choose between chain stores, grocery stores, independent
pharmacy, and compounding, to name a few. If you enjoy giving immunizations,
you have ample opportunity. If you love wearing a suit and making a sales
pitch, you may choose a job as a medical liaison with a pharmaceutical
company.
For the last four years, when
some asked to speak to "the pharmacist," I told them to hold on for one second
while I found him or her. Soon, I will be the pharmacist and will have to look
to myself for answers. This will be true not only of my time on the job, but
at home as well. While the career choices I make today will influence my
future, they do not have to be the final word. Pharmacy offers flexibility in
the type of jobs available. You can choose to be a pharmacist who only works
part-time and dedicates a large portion of energy to your home life. You can
work nights if you are a night owl, or you can work all the time if student
loans weigh heavy. Pharmacy can accommodate the pace of lifestyle that makes
you happiest; as your life outside of work evolves, so can your career. Not
many professional careers offer such flexibility. Of the life choices I have
made, deciding to go to pharmacy school was one of the best.
I am excited to graduate into
this field. I am also hopeful that regardless of the choices I make in the
near future, I will be able to maintain the idealism I am graduating with. I
know that over time and without an effort to keep it lively, what was once a
career blossoming with possibilities can stagnate and become just another job.
Developing relationships with patients and other health care providers is one
way to invest yourself. Over the last four years, getting to know patients by
name and working closely with doctors and other pharmacists has been most
satisfying. It has also been the best way to keep learning and growing
professionally. Patients are constantly offering new insight into their drug
therapy, and experienced physicians and nurses are always ready to offer
helpful input. Interacting with these individuals gives them the opportunity
to know and trust a pharmacist. So often, pharmacists are thought of as hiding
behind a computer or a tall counter. This is not the type of pharmacist I hope
to be. However, the question remains, "Can I do this?"
In six months time, many of
the decisions that plague us now will have been made. We will have taken the
boards and our scores will be known. We will have accepted a position
somewhere and started training. The hassles of everyday work will have begun
to creep in. Confidence will grow and we will all develop a level of comfort.
While we will answer many questions that do not come with multiple answers
from which to choose, our future careers will always be multiple choice. The
choice is ours to select from many areas of expertise. Most importantly, we
can choose between making pharmacy just a job or truly developing a career. I
hope to select the latter.
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