What Draws Me To The Field Of Pharmacy

Opportunity is what draws me to the field of pharmacy. I mean that both simply and comprehensively. I am a very driven individual and I can admit that I seek out connections and reasons to help and support other people. I know that I will only find true fulfillment in a career that allows me to both learn and grow as well as serve others. Pharmacy is a rare field where there are social, cultural, educational, and enriching opportunities that I cannot get elsewhere.

At an early age I became dissatisfied with merely taking someone’s word for something and so began a never-ending urge to expand my own horizons. My Myers-Brigg’s Type Indicator (or personality type) is nicknamed the “architect” (INTJ). This type is referred to as being “imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.” In other words, I sometimes overthink things and methodically develop ideas before acting on them. Pharmacy was not something I just happened into, but once I decided it was the path for me, I’ve never felt uncertain. It is an opportunity that I know I can’t pass up.

As a child, my family avoided going to the doctor at all costs and believed we were better off without professional medical treatment. My first real introduction to health care began with a sports injury in middle school. My ankle was badly bruised, I was in a lot of pain, and in time I started to limp. After this continued for nearly two months, even my parents couldn’t deny that I probably needed to see a professional. At 13 I was first introduced to different types of doctors, therapy methods, and medication all because I could no longer be kept from it.

Without a doubt, breaking my ankle is why I developed an overwhelming interest in science and medicine. For the first time I had a reason to talk to these professionals and see how they worked, and perhaps most importantly, was given a reason to trust them. With their guidance, I better understood my injury, why I needed the treatments that I did, and how I would eventually heal. This changed the way I saw medicine and ultimately the classes I sought out in high school.

My tiny school just couldn’t offer the courses larger schools can. Nonetheless, I knew I wanted to go into the medical field and that getting into their prestigious and competitive programs wouldn’t be easy. I did what I could to better prepare myself by taking every science and math course my school offered, as well as numerous AP classes and all the dual-credit opportunities available. I graduated high school with honors and 24 college credit hours. I began my first year at the University of Kentucky with nearly a full sophomore classification and I am applying to pharmacy school now in just my second year of college. I planned and prepared for this in an effort to work toward my steadfast goals.

Though I did not get to take medical classes in high school, my interest in the field was truly piqued. I reached out to doctors I knew and began shadowing them during holiday and summer breaks. Through research, I began to focus on the field of pharmacy. Right after high school, I decided to seek out pharmacy perspectives first-hand to make sure it was the field I was truly interested in. I did a month long shadowing of hospital pharmacists in my community and upon loving that experience, I applied to a local retail pharmacy and became a certified technician. I continue to enjoy the experience I get working there, even nearly two years later.

This role has given me an opportunity to work within the field directly and move toward my ultimate goal of being a pharmacist. Even as just a technician, I get to see many of the inner workings of the retail side of this field, and most importantly to me, I get to interact with patients. I believe pharmacists are in a position to strengthen ties between patients and healthcare professionals through their recommendations and service. I would cherish the opportunity to work people in that way everyday.

Pharmacists are constantly making choices that truly impact patients’ lives. They are problem-solvers and confidants, two signature personality traits of mine. While I currently work in the retail segment, I love that pharmacists there get to have all of these experiences. I can only imagine what I could learn from any of the vast other segments of this large field and how they make a difference in people’s lives. There is so much more out there to explore, and as a pharmacist, I would have that opportunity.