Career
Loren Bonner
In an APhA 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition session on changing fields in pharmacy, Emlah Tubuo, PharmD, set the tone from the get-go: the presentation would be about changing an individual’s state of mind—not necessarily a physical practice site.
“If the state of mind doesn’t change for us,” said Tubuo, “you carry all the worries and troubles from the previous state of mind and previous physical space to the new space.”
COVID-19 put stresses on the entire health care workforce—and pharmacists were no exception. Many pharmacists experienced burnout, and it wasn’t uncommon to see individuals change jobs or leave the profession entirely.
Tubuo said the pandemic ignited “the great personal and professional reassessment,” as she calls it.
Many pharmacists are still trying to find their way.
Tubuo wanted attendees to leave her presentation feeling fulfilled in their current place of practice or find ways to make their next practice space rewarding.
“My goal is not a different practice setting, but a fulfilled life and career—switch your mindset,” said Tubuo, who is the founder of Emlah Naturals & Powell Pharmacy in Powell, OH.
Reflection
Tubuo encouraged pharmacists to start with some self-reflection when they are considering a career move.
Some “how to get started” questions include:
- What is driving your desire for change?
- Is there something you are trying to avoid or gain?
- Do you favor an environment that is more production or project based?
- Is there additional formal or informal training you need?
Transferring skills
A main theme of Tubuo’s presentation was honing skills—soft skills in particular.
“As pharmacists, we tend to think of our drug knowledge as our superpower,” said Tubuo. “Pharmacy is not your biggest skillset.”
She said pharmacists and other professionals in the United States downplay their soft skills. Soft skills are generally defined as personal skills that can affect how one is able to do their work. These are different from hard skills—the technical skills required for an individual to do their work.
“The clinical aptitude is already there, so the soft skills are what we need to work on to move into that dimension where we want to fulfill ourselves,” said Tubuo.
She said leaning on soft skills can highlight a pharmacist’s ability to seamlessly transfer roles. Someone’s hard skills will likely be less relevant than their soft skills, unless that individual is looking to transition to a niche role where they’ve gained highly specific technical skills.
Once the person has identified what is driving their desire for a change and what to look for in a new role, and they have reflected on their skills, then it’s time to choose a career path. ■
Career pathways
- Community pharmacy
- Hospital pharmacy
- Clinical specialty pharmacy
- Compounding pharmacy
- Industrial pharmacy
- Regulatory affairs and compliance
- Academia
- Consulting
- Medical writing
- Association work
- Supply chain pharmacy
- Research and development
- Managed care pharmacy
- Ambulatory care pharmacy
- Compounding pharmacy
- Veterinary pharmacy
- Home infusion pharmacy
- Long-term care pharmacy
- Public health pharmacy
- Government and military pharmacy
- Hospice pharmacy
- Sports pharmacy
- Informatics pharmacy
- Poison control pharmacy
- Travel health pharmacy
- Pharmacogenomics and biotech
- Integrative and holistic pharmacy
- Cannabis dispensary pharmacy
- Lifestyle medicine pharmacy