You have probably heard of the “Dear Abby” advice column. Now meet the “Dear New Practitioner” section of Student Pharmacist. As we continue to “Embrace Your Calling” throughout the year, your APhA–ASP National Executive Committee and APhA staff want you to know that you are not alone. You have numerous questions swirling around your head, both on the professional and personal sides of your life. Today’s new practitioners know your concerns are real because they have been there and they want to provide support.
So if you have any fears or hesitations about school, your future career, mental health, new practitioner life, and more, we want to hear about it. A new practitioner will provide guidance in future issues of the magazine.
E-mail your questions, using the Subject: Dear New Practitioner, to npn@aphanet.org. We hope you enjoy this new feature and continue to “Embrace Your Calling”!
“Do you feel like you are losing knowledge after you graduate? If so, how do you combat this? — James in Austin
If I said I retained everything I learned in pharmacy school, I would be lying! I have found that the most effective pharmacists maintain a solid knowledge base while further expanding that knowledge to tailor to their specific area of practice. As a community pharmacist, I consistently keep up on the most recent OTC, immunization, cardiology, and diabetes guidelines by reading journal articles, looking for news updates, and by attending conferences with CE opportunities. Additionally, I’m always looking to expand my knowledge on management and patient communication—two key talents valued in my practice.
I may not be as savvy on inpatient therapy as I was in school, but my ability to communicate with patients has only grown. Lastly, always ensure you can effectively use drug resources in any practice setting because remembering the right information is just as, if not more, important than knowing how to find the right information. — Marie D’Angelo, PharmD
“I’ve seen a lot of pharmacists graduate from pharmacy school and within a few years just lose their excitement for the field and what they are doing. How do you keep up that passion for your career and keep from becoming jaded and burnt out?” — An enthusiastic student in Salt Lake City
I keep my passion for the profession by doing two things: continuing to work with student pharmacists and staying involved. As an APhA New Practitioner Mentor, I get to precept student pharmacists at patient care events and provide guidance to them whenever they need, so I am constantly influenced by their love and excitement for pharmacy. My favorite activity is when I precept an event where it’s someone’s first time out in the community and I can see how happy they are about the impact they are making on patients. That reminds me of when pharmacy was shiny and new for me too, and always grounds me.
Next, I attend conferences whenever I can. Whether it is MRM, Annual Meeting, or the APhA Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependencies, if I can get time off from work, I’m there. Conferences enrich my career and allow me to spend time with my friends that I met when we were student pharmacists. I always leave feeling excited, empowered and ready to tackle anything. When you graduate, make sure you position yourself to always be under the positive influence of student pharmacists and continue to stay engaged, and this will help to reduce the chance of becoming jaded and burnt out! — Brianna Luft, PharmD
“I am about to start my advanced rotations, so I would like to know what would be the best advice in order to take advantage of each of them to the fullest and be ready for new practitioner life?” — Eduardo in Puerto Rico
Eduardo, I absolutely love this question. First, make sure you pick as differing experiences as possible. You will only be a student once and you will never be exposed to so many different pharmacy environments in such a condensed time again in your career. Besides that, I would recommend constantly setting the expectation for yourself that you are rotating through your site as if YOU are the pharmacist and this is YOUR practice site.
Once you finish your rotations and pass your boards, there’s no more “playing” pharmacist. You ARE the pharmacist and the buck stops with you. So develop the skills you need to be the best pharmacist you can be while you have the safety net of your preceptor. I wish you the best of luck! —Jon Lee, PharmD
As a student pharmacist, how were you able to determine which career path to take, especially with the numerous amount of options in the pharmacy profession? — Casual in California
Hi Casual in California, that’s a fantastic question! Only thing is, it assumes I determined my career path as a student … and I didn’t.
Let me explain. There’s a rampant misconception that as soon as you end your APPE rotations, you should have the rest of your 35+ year future planned out. That may be true for the rare student who knew exactly what they wanted even before entering pharmacy school, but that’s not the case for most. The more likely reality is the job that you get straight after graduation is not the job you’re going to be in for the rest of your life. Most people change positions throughout their career, and even if you stayed in the same position, health care dramatically changes over time. Your position is going to change no matter what. What’s important is that you lead that change. You don’t have to “take” a career path, you make it yourself.
Here’s my hope for you: Be the best “you” you can be. Be open. Try new things. Volunteer and be active with your pharmacy organizations (especially APhA). Network in APhA! You’ll discover (and more likely forge) paths you never knew existed.
— Stephanie A Gernant, PharmD MS