Ronald J. Levinson, PharmD, is a 2023–2024 APhA executive resident in Washington, DC.
Friday, May 12, 2023. It’s the night before my graduation from University of Florida College of Pharmacy. A few days prior, I had my last shift at Publix Pharmacy after working there for 3 years. And in just a few short weeks, I’d be taking the Amtrak up to Virginia to begin my new career at APhA. Surely there’s a billion things I could be doing that night, right?
Friends are coming back into town after finishing their APPEs, and I could have been having one last drink with a group of people I very well may not see for a long time. I could have been packing up my apartment to prepare for my move or go to the graduation barbecue the college was putting on for us.
Instead, I was curled up in bed playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, which was just released that day on the Nintendo Switch.
Indulging in my interests
For a moment in time, I felt a little bit of shame for admitting something as silly as that to friends who shared their plans of graduation dinners or drinking to excess in Midtown. But if you ask me if I regret it now? Absolutely not!
In residency, I have to be intentional with my time and create a healthy work–life balance. I was studying for the NAPLEX and MPJE for months, which took up so much of my time outside of work. Something as pure and simple as playing a video game from a series I grew up playing with my dad seems like a luxury nowadays. Even other activities I enjoy such as reading and cooking have been all the harder to get to since graduation. But I do my best to carve out time for them.
Developing that balance at the start is paramount to enjoying yourself as you begin your postgraduate career.
Calling my parents often
I probably called my parents every day—sometimes multiple times a day—the first 2 weeks after I moved to Virginia. I’m not going to lie; I was scared—I cried a little bit when I got into my apartment. Sure, I’d lived in Gainesville for 8 years about 2 hours from my hometown, but this was my first time really living outside my comfort zone. I couldn’t just do a quick weekend trip back to Tampa to visit my mom anymore.
Thank goodness I finally joined the iPhone bandwagon in 2022 so I could start FaceTiming! I talk to my mother now more than ever since moving, and I’m so grateful I’ve intentionally added that into my life. And my dad, “Mr. Ron,” who is basically off the grid, still gets his texts and calls more than ever, too. I never really knew I needed my parents as much as I did in this stage of my life, and our relationship has transformed into something completely new.
Riding the waves
The most important lesson I’ve learned since graduation has been that there are going to be so many twists and turns in your first 6 months of being a pharmacist. You find a new family and new relationships, and you’ll really begin to learn your limits and your power. Don’t be afraid to go with the motions during your first few months after graduation.
To all those final-year PharmD candidates reading this article: it’s just a few more months to go until graduation. Good luck to you all and finish strong!