Starting out in pharmacy school, it’s common for students to begin thinking about where they might fit into the wide world of pharmacy.
One student might be looking for a summer internship in their hometown. Another could be nervous about turning down one pharmacy job for another. Yet another might be thinking about how they can prepare for a career in hospital pharmacy.
For Laurie Sein, the career services manager at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, there’s a solution to each of those all too common dilemmas that come up as students make their way through school.
Sein’s job is to help students navigate careers in pharmacy, offering services ranging from CV writing and interviewing assistance to connecting their curiosities with co-curricular and extracurricular activities that will and strengthen their skills while in pharmacy school.
She even assisted Dr. Stanislava Manojlovic in finding her new career as the staff pharmacist with the outpatient pharmacy at Tsehootsooi Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona, a part of the Navajo population.
Sein, who has 11 years of experience in coaching students on their employability skills, helps students explore careers, plan for short-term and long-term goals, prepare for residency options and more. She even helps guide alumni through job searches, helping pharmacists consider available options as they develop — or change — their careers.
“I spend time talking with students about their skills, things they’ve done in the past, what their strengths are, what their values are,” she said. “I can talk individually with students, I talk to students about those things in group settings and I hold events so they can talk to practitioners.”
As part of her role with CU Pharmacy, Sein also hosts a Career Exploration and Preceptor Fair and a Hire CU Pharmacy Interview Day. Both events bring students and alumni face-to-face with potential future employers.
In the career services office, there’s advice for every CU pharmacist.
To learn more about Sein’s services, contact her at laurie.sein@cuanschutz.edu.
Hear a student's perspective: