American Pharmacists Month: Pharmacy Students Being More Proactive in Career Choices

Brad Phillips, PharmD, BCACP, clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, is significantly well-versed in both sides of the pharmacy school curriculum. From his time as a student to his experience teaching the next generation of pharmacists, Phillips explains that today’s professional pharmacy career paths are diverse and require a proactive approach for incoming pharmacists to reap the benefits of these roles.

“Career paths have really diversified. With pharmacists now working in academia, public health, informatics, and even entrepreneurial-type adventures, it really opens up an opportunity for students,” he told Drug Topics in an exclusive interview during American Pharmacists Month. “There's really no lack of imagination for what they could do. The other thing that we've seen is students are a lot more proactive in shaping their careers.”

To celebrate the invaluable work pharmacists in the US provide, Phillips sat down with Drug Topics during American Pharmacists Month to explore the current trends among our country’s next generation of pharmacy professionals.

In part 3 of our interview, Phillips explored the novelty of some of the now-common pharmacy roles that have emerged in recent history. From his time as a student to how significantly the professional landscape has shifted, see how Phillips is getting a front-row seat in the development of America’s future pharmacists.

“Well nowadays with this growing landscape, it is getting more and more competitive and we've seen students taking a little bit more of a proactive approach to preparing themselves,” he continued. “We have a lot more students that are taking on research endeavors. We have a lot more students that are seeking peer-reviewed publications.”

READ MORE: American Pharmacists Month: Evolution of Experiential Learning for Pharmacy Students

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