Many of us grow up hearing the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” For Mae Ochoa, the answer seemed straightforward; she wanted to be a pharmacist.
After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy, she headed into the world of community pharmacy. She worked as a community pharmacist at a local grocery store pharmacy for 25 years. When that location shut its doors, she continued to float between remaining pharmacies within the company until their ultimate closure in 2018. When that happened, Mae found herself thinking back to the question “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
The answer was to step out of the world of community pharmacy, and into something brand new. However, she found that difficult without a PharmD. Prior to the year 2000, pharmacists needed a Bachelor of Pharmacy and license to practice. However, after 2000 a PharmD became required. So, Mae found herself going back to school, attending CU Pharmacy's North American-Trained PharmD program from her home in Virginia.
“The Distance Degree Program at CU had an excellent reputation and fit my needs perfectly,” Ochoa said.
While working on getting her PharmD from CU, Mae had another love: animals. She has two English bulldogs at home and in that breed one of the main health concerns is severe respiratory problems. With that in mind, she decided to switch from kibble to a homemade raw diet to help improve immune systems, energy and overall life span.
“Having to make food two weeks at a time reminded me of compounding medication in pharmacy school. I had to weigh him and calculate the appropriate amount of bone, muscle meat, organs and supplements then adjust accordingly,” she said. That’s when she realized she could combine two of her passions, compounding medications and animals.
“While researching APPE rotation sites I discovered veterinary pharmacy. After 26 plus years of working with people, I was drawn to the animal world of pharmacy,” she said. She pursued that passion and ended up doing a rotation at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. There, Ochoa worked with numerous animals at multiple locations.
“I woke up each morning excited to go to work,” she said. “I went on veterinary rounds with oncology, internal medicine, cardiology and critical care.” She went to the Murphy Center for Hope, where they help pets of people experiencing homelessness. She worked in the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, where they provided care to orphaned, injured and sick wildlife. She went to the Raptor center, where they care for and save birds of prey and worked with animals at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
“I didn’t compound much in my retail job, so this rotation solidified my passion for compounding medications,” she said. “The variations in animal size and species make compounding a necessity in veterinary medicine. I found working with animal patients very rewarding.”
Now set to graduate with her PharmD, she plans to step into the world of clinical pharmacy, while still hoping to find a role in veterinary pharmacy, a specialty niche where opportunities are very limited. However, she’s not giving up.
“It’s especially difficult outside of a veterinary teaching hospital. So, my long-term goal is to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,” she said. One thing is for certain, Mae’s future is bright. She plans to bring her knowledge into the animal world, and work alongside people who share her similar passion. The drive that started, with her two English bulldogs.
“I will continue to do research and learn as much as I can about compounding and veterinary medicine. I would love to provide veterinarians with high quality compounds for their patients and perhaps open a local veterinary pharmacy,” she said.
It's never too late to go back to school, to further your education and to find your drive in life. For Mae, this is just the beginning of a bigger step to achieve her dreams.
“After 26 plus years at retail pharmacy, I was burnt out. My experience at CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital renewed my passion for pharmacy. I know what I want to do when I grow up.”
