Ask most people what a pharmacist does and they’re likely to say, “dispense medications and give vaccinations, usually while wearing a white coat.” While that’s not technically wrong, community pharmacy is only one of the many careers that Doctors of Pharmacy can pursue.
In fact, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) in collaboration with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) launched the educational campaign Pharmacy is Right for Me as a way to debunk pharmacy myths and inspire interest in the field. As part of this initiative, the organizations compiled more than 100 different pharmacy careers. From ambulatory care pharmacists to virtual toxicology consultants, the list spans a broad spectrum of healthcare and technology fields.
“When I entered the pharmacy field almost 30 years ago years ago, the main career pathway for a Doctor of Pharmacy was practicing in a community pharmacy,” said Brian Hemstreet, PharmD, senior associate dean of student affairs. “Over the last twenty years, however, we’ve seen an explosion of new pharmacy career opportunities. Even what our pharmacists can now do in these community settings is far and beyond what most people are aware of.”
Expanding Opportunities
Dr. Hemstreet refers to the expanding clinical role of pharmacists in a variety of settings. Partly because of the decreasing availability of primary care medical practitioners and partly because of the elevated training of today’s PharmDs, community-based pharmacists now possess a wide array of prescribing authority. In the state of Colorado, pharmacists can treat short-term illnesses such as the flu and strep throat, and also provide access to life-saving medications such as naloxone. For long-term disease states like diabetes or high blood pressure, pharmacists provide medication monitoring, education, and self-management support. In addition to annual vaccinations, trained Colorado pharmacists can prescribe statin therapy, contraception, smoking cessation drugs, and even HIV pre and post-exposure treatment.
“It’s not just the expanded authority that community pharmacists now have, but we’re also excited about the growing number of pharmacy careers in hospitals and clinics,” said Chandler Follett, PharmD, clinical instructor and pharmacy outreach specialist. “The challenge is that in most of these settings, even though the pharmacist is rounding with the rest of the medical team, the patient might not ever see them. They don’t realize that there’s a pharmacist on every floor – be it a pediatric pharmacist, a geriatric pharmacist, neurology, cardiology, critical care, you name it – there is a pharmacist behind the scenes reviewing charts and medication orders, making recommendations, or mixing specialty compounds.”
Opening Doors
Bringing these pharmacy careers out from “behind the scenes” is part of the goal of the upcoming Mile High Pharmacy Week planned by CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The week will kick off with a Pharmacy Open House open to anyone interested in learning more about the careers they can pursue with a PharmD degree, as well as the unique training experience they will receive at CU Pharmacy.
“We are so excited about Mile High Pharmacy Week, and especially our Pharmacy Open House on. Sept. 25,” said Amanda Ryder, MBA, director of admissions and student recruitment. “Without exception when students considering pharmacy school come to this world-class campus and they see all the amazing opportunities available to them here; they get to interact with current students, alumni, and our fantastic faculty – you just see this light go off for them. They start to imagine things they never considered before. It’s really something special.”
Something special is exactly what Ryder and her recruitment team are planning for this year’s Open House. In addition to the chance to tour campus and interact with current students, every Open House attendee will have part, or all, of their PharmCAS application fee waived. PharmCAS is the Pharmacy College Application Service through which prospective pharmacy students apply to pharmacy schools.
“Since the Open House is an in-person-only event, we really wanted to make sure that we were creating engagement opportunities throughout the week for our growing remote audience,” Ryder said. “So, we're launching our first Instagram "Ask Me Anything" Sept. 23-24, followed by an online booth at the AACP Virtual Pharmacy School Fair on Sept. 25. Later that week we are super excited about our first online “Mile High Meetup” where prospects will get to meet and interact with one of our faculty members who is a pediatric pharmacist.”
Mile High Pharmacy Week Schedule
- Sept. 23-24: Mile High Mentor AMA
- Sept. 25: CU Pharmacy Open House
- Sept. 25: AACP Virtual Pharmacy School Fair
- Sept. 26: Mile High Meetup
- Sept. 27: Pharmacy Expo
- Sept. 28: Pre-Health Day
On Sept. 27 the CU Pharmacy Expo will take over the pharmacy building and locations across campus. This event, co-sponsored by the Pharmacy Alumni Association and Pharmacy Career Services, will give prospects and current students a front-row seat to the latest trends in pharmacy, as well as opportunities to interact with alumni in specific fields and employers looking to hire.
The week will wrap up with the annual CU Anschutz Pre-Health Day on campus. This perennial event is expected to welcome hundreds of undergraduates to campus for a day of hands-on activities, panels, workshops, and more.
