From the discussions I have had with student pharmacists, it seems that letters of recommendation are often overlooked, or are considered only at the later stages of the application process. There is recent literature related to residency applications in particular that highlights the importance of these documents. Many programs place a very high value on them. While you will not personally be in charge of this particular application piece, there is much you can do now to ensure those letters of recommendation are written favorably and complement your application.

After 12 years, I finally had the chance to return to the APhA Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependencies, an incredible program that helps student pharmacists learn about the human toll of substance use disorders, and is also a place where student pharmacists and pharmacists can start or continue along the path of recovery.

Thirteen years ago, as a student pharmacist, I arrived at the APhA Institute (then called the Utah School) for the first time, not sure what to expect. It was an amazing experience. I came with many preconceived—and incorrect—notions about people with substance use disorders. Over the course of the week, those notions were completely shattered. I left with a new appreciation of the disease and a lot of new friends. I learned how to truly approach my patients with compassion that week. It is a lesson that has served me very well as I have cared for patients with cancer for the last 10 years of my career. It is a lesson that I am not sure I would have learned had I not said yes to the opportunity to attend the Utah School.

When I was a child, my best friends wanted to be superheroes when they grew up. I wanted to be a superhero, too. But the superhero I wanted to be didn’t wear a cape nor have an alter ego, although he did often wear a mask. I wanted to be just like my dad.

You see, my dad is a surgeon, and ever since I was little, I knew that he was doing the one thing that all superheroes do: he helped people. I knew I would never be able to fly or clear buildings with a single bound, but, if I were like my dad, I could help others.

Every spring, leaders from APhA’s three Academies—APhA–APPM, APhA–APRS, and APhA–ASP—and the APhA New Practitioner Advisory Committee (NPAC), get together for a long weekend to plan for the upcoming year. During this time, they focus on developing goals and objectives that will guide APhA toward achieving its vision of inspiring, innovating, and creating opportunities for members and pharmacists worldwide to optimize medication use and health for all. This year, I had the opportunity to attend as NPAC Member-at-large and represent new practitioners.

In the practice of pharmacy, you truly never know what to expect on a daily basis. There are always obstacles that challenge your mental and emotional capabilities. Pharmacists and student pharmacists continually face adversity in their practice setting, whether it be inpatient or outpatient, and yet always manage to find their way through for the sake of the patient. At times, the focus may be spent so much on drug therapy problems and insurance issues that the patients’ personal adversity is not recognized. Some patients have gone through numerous hardships in their lives while others may come from difficult backgrounds that have affected their views on medication experience.