By Lindsey Hohmann, PharmD
The field of pharmacy is advancing and changing, with many new career paths and education for pharmacists beyond the traditional roles. As a PharmD graduate pursuing postgraduate education in the health outcomes field in preparation for a career in academia, I understand how challenging it can be for today’s student pharmacists to decide which career path is right for them.
I will share a bit about my experiences navigating the changing pharmacy landscape, including my journey to date, where I hope to go from here, and how to prepare for a similar career path.
Career exploration
I graduated with my PharmD degree from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2012. During my time at UCSD, I explored multiple areas of pharmacy practice by working as an intern in a community pharmacy and at an inpatient hospital pharmacy. In addition, I volunteered at community outreach events through pharmacy organizations’ student chapters, including APhA–ASP, and published a student research project. APPEs presented an opportunity for further exploration; I attended a rotation at FDA, which first piqued my interest in alternative pharmacy careers.
The challenge throughout these activities was time management. Maintaining a detailed calendar and having a close study partner helped to balance school, work, and volunteer activities. Ultimately, due to the connections I made while working as an intern pharmacist, I was offered a position as a staff pharmacist in a community pharmacy in my hometown, and I began my career as a community pharmacist.
Working as a community pharmacist, I experienced a mix of patient care activities on a daily basis. In addition to dispensing prescriptions, I became involved in medication therapy management (MTM), educational health fairs, and immunization outreach activities. However, over the course of 3 years, I observed unaffordability of medications and medical care, fragmented health care systems resulting in barriers to addressing potentially inappropriate medications, and inefficiencies in the system for addressing substance abuse problems. I realized that I wanted to address these issues on a broader scale through research and teaching, so I began to consider alternative pharmacy career paths.
Recognizing my need to learn valuable new skills and theoretical knowledge, and with much advice and encouragement from professors at UCSD, I chose to pursue postgraduate studies in health services research. In 2015, I enrolled in the Health Outcomes Research and Policy PhD program at the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, where I am currently a fourth-year PhD candidate.
Prepping for my future role
Upon graduation from the PhD program, my goal is to work in academia as a health services researcher and pharmacy educator. The PhD program, which consists of 2 years of class study followed by 2 years of dissertation work, is excellent preparation for this role.
Throughout the program, I have gained experience in grant proposal development, study design, data collection and analysis, and manuscript writing and publication, as well as attending conferences to present research findings. I also gained experience with university teaching by delivering lectures and facilitating small group activities.
Given that service and outreach are important parts of a graduate program, I volunteered on the university’s graduate student council and held positions in student organizations, including the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research and the APhA–APRS Postgraduate Advisory Committee. My major advisor was invaluable in helping me to balance my workload by learning to block time on my schedule for research, teaching, and service activities.
Build a strong foundation now
For students thinking about pursuing postgraduate studies, a PhD degree will open doors to many alternative pharmacy careers. Opportunities include FDA, the National Institutes of Health, MTM or insurance companies, university professorships and research appointments, contract research organizations, and industry, to name a few. The challenge is to identify your own strengths and career goals to find the best fit. Resources like the APhA–APRS Postgraduate Initiative (www.pharmacist.com/apha-aprs-postgraduate-initiative) may help PharmD students gain advice from current postgraduate students before deciding on a career path.
My experiences point out several key lessons: make connections with your professors and mentors; become involved in a broad array of research, teaching, and service activities; and schedule blocks of time to complete important tasks. With these tips, you will have the foundation on which to build your career.