Before joining the PharmD program at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, my understanding of the role of the pharmacist was limited to independent community pharmacy, retail pharmacy, and inpatient pharmacy. I didn’t truly understand that statement of what it meant to have a wide range of career choices. The many possible career choices and areas of focus that I can pursue with a PharmD degree was the most eye-opening thing I learned during Pharmacy 501, Introduction to Pharmacy (P501). From the well-known career option of retail pharmacy to a more unseen option of health informatics, pharmacy truly does have a wide array of career options for pharmacy students to explore. One career option that I would like to explore would be
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I’ve learned that there are many similarities and differences between the different career pathways. However, the career pathways that have interested me the most (Clinical Specialist, Drug Information, and Home Infusion) are similar in terms of me having the ability to contribute to the improvement of the health of patients by collaborating with other healthcare professionals. However, there are many aspects, including daily routine, educational requirements, job security, and more, of each pathway that differ from each other that should be considered before deciding which career pathway to follow. During the presentation about clinical specialists, I learned that even though they usually work 8 hours a day, sometimes it can be longer depending on the tasks required for the day. So because of that, I would have to be flexible in my schedule for my job.[x] On the other hand, as a drug information pharmacist or home infusion pharmacist, I would have a regular work hours from AM to 5 PM and even flexibility for home infusion.[x] Despite the flexible work hours as a drug information or home infusion pharmacist, the work can become tedious and mundane as it can become repetitive.[x] Clinical specialists, on the other hand, have a wide variety of tasks and each day could be different from the other.[x] When considering which career pathway I want to follow, there are many different aspects that I can
I’ve learned that there are many similarities and differences between the different career pathways. However, the career pathways that have interested me the most (Clinical Specialist, Drug Information, and Home Infusion) are similar in terms of me having the ability to contribute to the improvement of the health of patients by collaborating with other healthcare professionals. However, there are many aspects, including daily routine, educational requirements, job security, and more, of each pathway that differ from each other that should be considered before deciding which career pathway to follow. During the presentation about clinical specialists, I learned that even though they usually work 8 hours a day, sometimes it can be longer depending on the tasks required for the day. So because of that, I would have to be flexible in my schedule for my job.[x] On the other hand, as a drug information pharmacist or home infusion pharmacist, I would have a regular work hours from AM to 5 PM and even flexibility for home infusion.[x] Despite the flexible work hours as a drug information or home infusion pharmacist, the work can become tedious and mundane as it can become repetitive.[x] Clinical specialists, on the other hand, have a wide variety of tasks and each day could be different from the other.[x] When considering which career pathway I want to follow, there are many different aspects that I can