Are you ready for 2024?

New year, new resolutions, new you 🫵🏾 , new us!

We hope you had a restful break and recharged with your loved ones. We have rebranded your favorite newsletter from The Script to the Pharmazing Gazette. Our team is excited to bring you OCPD resources, residency and fellowship processes, and traditional and non-traditional pharmaceutical careers throughout the year.

What did the kids say about the New Year's fireworks?

They were a BLAST!!!

🎆🎆🎆

Ask a Senior Professional!

Do you have a tricky career or professional development question that you would like to ask anonymously?

Introducing our "Ask A Senior Professional" Series. Designed by OCPD SOP Career Peers this newsletter series aims to answer pharmacy students' career and professional development questions by collecting your most burning questions to ask SOP faculty, residents, or alumni, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!

WAITTTT 🛑, there's more!

We are giving away FREE money to 2 lucky students. If you submit a question, you will be entered in a raffle to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

💸💸💸

You asked, and we got answers for you!

Your question from last month's "Ask a Senior Professional" survey focused on "what are three tips for someone who does not get into a residency program".

My name is Diana Do, and I met with Nicolai Parhami to answer that question! Nicolai is a UCSF alumni who graduated in 2023 and is currently working at Kentfield Hospital.

Question:

"What are 3 things a P3 or pharmacy alumni who didn't get into residency should do?"

Nicolai's Answer:

1) Determine Your Pharmacy Interests and Career Goals:

• Self-Reflection: Take the time to reflect on your interests, strengths, and areas of passion within the field of pharmacy. Identify the aspects of pharmacy practice that excite you the most, whether it's community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industry, academia, or another niche.
• Research Career Paths: Explore the various career paths available in pharmacy and healthcare. Think critically about the rotations you have done, what do you like doing the most? Consider attending networking events, conferences, and seminars to gain insights into different pharmacy sectors. Speak with professionals working in these areas to understand the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges.
• Set Clear Goals: Establish short-term and long-term career goals based on your interests. This could include gaining specific certifications, building fundamental experience through various work experiences, acquiring additional skills, or pursuing further education in a specialized area of pharmacy.

2) Consider the Requirements Needed for Your Chosen Path:

• Skill Development: Identify the skills and qualifications necessary for the career path you've chosen. This might involve obtaining certifications, completing additional training or fundamental work experiences, or pursuing postgraduate education in a specific area of pharmacy.
• Resume Building: Tailor your resume to highlight experiences, skills, and accomplishments relevant to your chosen field. Consider gaining practical experience through internships, part-time positions, or volunteer opportunities that align with your career goals.

3) Don't Burn Bridges, Build Networks:

• Maintain Professional Relationships: Even if a residency opportunity did not materialize, maintain positive relationships with colleagues, professors, and preceptors. Express gratitude for the experiences gained and seek guidance on alternative career paths. You never know, one of these individuals may help you find a wonderful job opportunity!
• Utilize Alumni Networks: Leverage the alumni network of your pharmacy school. Alumni can provide valuable advice, mentorship, and potential job leads. Attend alumni events and stay connected through social media platforms like LinkedIn.
• Build a Strong Online Presence: Establish a professional online presence by creating or updating your LinkedIn profile. Share your achievements, connect with professionals in your field, and participate in relevant discussions. Online platforms can be powerful tools for networking and job hunting.

Faculty Spotlight

Jaekyu Shin, PharmD, MS

Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy

Our lovely director of Cardiovascular Science & Therapeutics, Jaekyu Shin, has a warm message to share with the first year pharmacy students:

Pharmacists have additional responsibilities as pre-travel health providers. Despite limited literature on pharmacist-run travel clinics, pharmacists routinely offer travel health information in their daily practice, with the scope of their services dictated by state laws and collaborative practice agreements. In 44 states, pharmacists can administer immunizations, collaborating with physicians to develop protocols and expand their role to initiate, adjust, or discontinue medications. Many community pharmacies play pivotal roles, serving as one-stop shops for travel-related products, including medications, vaccinations, and travel supplies.

Despite pharmacists traditionally not being associated with pre-travel care, their skill sets, including counseling, medical informatics, vaccination, and disease management, make them well-equipped to deliver comprehensive pre-travel health and safety services. Ultimately, the integration of travel clinics in community pharmacies may enhance access for patients who might otherwise overlook pre-travel care, thereby serving as a valuable preventive intervention.

California Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Pharmacy practice perspectives written for pharmacy students, residents, and new practitioners. 2004.

TOP 4 RESOURCES:

1. AdenosineDiphosphate’s Newsletter. This free resource has loads of industry career knowledge. For access, please visit: Newsletter
2. Rxference. This free resource is a pharma encyclopedia that contains pharmaceutical industry terms to understand complex lingo. For access, please visit: Rxference
3. Endpoint News. This free resource is a great way to stay updated on recent pharma news. Articles are categorized by main topics, making it easy to find the area that interests you! For access, please visit: News
4. A27 Blog. This free resource contains a great deal of pharmaceutical knowledge. Whether you are interested in fellowships or interview techniques, this is the blog for you! For access, please visit: A27P

Envisioning 2024!

A vision board is a collection of images arranged strategically to help you manifest goals and/or realize your dreams for the new year.

Gather your friends and follow this easy guide to sketch out the year together, track your progress, and keep each other accountable.

1. Think about what you want your 2024 to look like.
2. Set up short term and long term goals!
3. Collect pictures and represent your vision
4. Arrange your images in a design. Show off that creativeness :)
5. Hang your vision board where you can see it everyday!

For more details, please visit: Vision Board!

2024 Appointment Booking Survey

Are you tired of looking for OCPD career counseling appointments but can't find one when you need one?  Help us help you by taking our 3-minute anonymous appointment preferences booking survey!

As part of your OCPD Health Team's commitment to be responsive to your needs we are continually assessing our appointment booking offerings so that we can update our appointment availability for when you need it most. Therefore, every month we'll be offering students the chance to take this survey so that you can share your monthly and quarterly scheduling preferences because we know that your schedules change frequently. 



Students who opt to take the survey have the option to win a $25 Amazon gift card by entering our monthly gift card raffle, (winners will be announced every month!).  

Did you know?

We have an incredible team at the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) that can help you with your professional needs.

Our most popular services include career counseling services with career counselors, application material review sessions (CV, resumes, LOI) with career peers, mock interviews, and networking appointments.

Book an appointment: Here!