For some people—including students who declare a prepharmacy track—pharmacy is simply a rewarding career to pursue. There is limited knowledge about the profession beyond media portrayal, and they simply expect pharmacy school to be a harder version of their current coursework. That’s why it is our job as student pharmacists to intentionally engage these students and show them how our incredible profession runs so much deeper than what society sees. It’s our responsibility to expose them to the tight-knit community, the professional development, and the endless opportunities that pharmacy fosters so that when the days get long and classes get tough, they are encouraged to keep working diligently.

As part of many pharmacy school curricula, student pharmacists are trained on the proper injection technique to give patients safe and effective immunizations. Many students grow to become very confident immunizing adult patients at the end of their pharmacy school journey. However, less training is given to students on vaccinating pediatric patients.

The opioid crisis has been a trending topic in the United States for the last decade, fueled lately by the prevalence of street substances laced with fentanyl and skyrocketing overdoses. Pharmacists remain on the front line as educators and the most accessible health care professionals. APhA stands as an ally.