American Pharmacists Month: Students Seeking Both Common, Non-Traditional Pharmacy Careers

From ambulatory care and community pharmacy to specialty practices and non-traditional pharmacy roles, the variety of incoming pharmacists’ career paths is seemingly endless. According to Brad Phillips, PharmD, BCACP, clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, he’s seen his students take on a plethora of different roles in the pharmacy industry based off their likes, interests, and values.

“I really encourage students to seek environments that align with their values. What do they hope to achieve in their career?” Phillips told Drug Topics. “[They should] really be open to exploring innovative or interdisciplinary roles that really challenge those traditional boundaries that pharmacy is facing these days.”

Drug Topics caught up with Phillips during American Pharmacists Month in October to discuss the emerging trends in pharmacy schools and how the next generation of pharmacists are looking at a whole new approach to their professional career compared with previous, more traditional pathways.

In part 2 of our interview with him, Phillips explored his role in helping students choose their career paths, which roles he’s seen increase or decrease in interest among his students, as well as how far things like technology have taken the pharmacy profession.

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

Drug Topics: What are the current sentiments of pharmacy students regarding where they see themselves working in the pharmacy workforce after attending pharmacy school?

Brad Phillips: That's a good question, and I think a very prevalent question in this day and age. I feel like pharmacy students today are entering the profession with a little bit more of a broader and dynamic vision of what they want to do in their future career. Now, community pharmacy still remains a very common path and many students are increasingly being drawn to more clinical environments where they can apply their knowledge in a little bit more of a direct patient care setting.

Ambulatory care, hospital pharmacy, and specialty practices such as oncology, cardiology, infectious disease fellowships, they definitely seem to be gaining popularity due to their collaborative nature and impact on patient outcomes. Another thing is there's also a noticeable interest in non-traditional roles that I feel have been emerging over the last couple years, including health informatics, pharmaceutical industry positions, regulatory affairs, and managed care, to name a few.

Students are a little bit more aware of the evolving health care landscape and are seeking roles that offer professional growth, collaboration, and opportunities to innovate and show their creative side. I think this shift really reflects a desire for that meaningful engagement that pharmacists can position themselves within health care.

Drug Topics: Are there current roles emerging within the pharmacy industry that you would recommend students consider, compared with other roles? On the other side of that coin, are there new or non-traditional roles that you think students should avoid?

Brad Phillips: I'm a little bit biased because I'm an outpatient pharmacist by nature, so I love talking to people and really focusing on how the pharmaceutical industry is affecting outpatient care. The roles that I find very fascinating are pharmacogenomics, personalized medicine, also specialty pharmacy, and that is specific towards what that patient's needs are. Transitions of care [are] a very exciting thing, especially when you talk about the incorporation of digital health and technology within that area to assist.

Those are the areas that I find very fascinating that seem to be growing very quickly. I think any one of those areas offer pharmacists to really personalize therapy to the patient. They can optimize the patient's medications and really contribute to those system-level improvements in health care, which ultimately leads towards the patient's goal. Those are the ones that I would find interesting.

I wouldn't necessarily say students should avoid any specific roles outright, but I really do encourage them to critically evaluate those positions. Some may offer more, some may offer less clinical engagement or that professional growth. I really encourage students to seek environments that align with their values. What do they hope to achieve in their career? [They should] really be open to exploring innovative or interdisciplinary roles that really challenge those traditional boundaries that pharmacy is facing these days.

READ MORE: American Pharmacists Month Resource Center

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