My Ultimate Goal: Career as a Pharmacist
My interest in and journey towards pharmacy started during younger years and was greatly influenced from personal support and professional experiences. With family support, academic milestones, employment opportunities, and volunteer adventures, each was a step towards personal and professional growth that has led me to pursue a pharmacy degree.
More and more people are diagnosed with cancer, a disease that the medical profession has yet to find a cure. The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly growing, so there’s hope to eventually discover a medical cure for cancer. The industry is influenced by stringent government regulations, legislative oversight, consumer organizations, patients’ associations, medical scientific professions, and clinical trials (Abraham, 2002). Each entity vying for public safety, accountability, and substantial health benefits, while searching for cures of diseases. Yet there is much to be done to circumvent cancer. Even with aggressive social enterprises such as Findacure, which aims to unlock new insights into rare diseases, there’s no definite cure insight yet (Baldwin, 2013). Nonetheless, pharmacy is a fascinating field that delivers a wide range of solutions contributing to the healthy well-being of individuals and society.
Pharmacists not only dispense prescriptions, but also offer advice on medication use (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). They can participate in research studies that focus on prevention, healthy life style changes, etc. Pharmacists’ employment opportunities are available in a variety of settings: drug stores, hospitals, grocery stores, senior citizen centers, or health clinics. And based on US labor statistics, the job market is projected to increase.
Coming from the small town of Romania, I had the opportunity to acquire many personal skills by receiving support from my family and early educators. From these supportive individuals, I learned that hard work and strict discipline at home and school are fundamental for personal growth as well as success in life. By choosing pharmacy as a career, I will have an opportunity to help people, give advice, and support the avoidance of preventable diseases caused by poor health habits and unhealthy life styles. And by being multi-lingual (i.e., Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, English), I can serve a diverse clientele which complements the diverse population throughout the United States.
Two family members who played a significant role in my personal development were my mother, grandmother, and elementary school teacher. My mother, a biology instructor, introduced me to the amazing world of biological science. Her knowledge and structured summer camp activities triggered a love for science. These events were enthusiastically organized by mother and focused on nature’s diversity of living things. My grandma, taught me the importance of being a hard worker at home and school. Therefore, she always motivated me to be a diligent student. She introduced me to the world of cooking and crafts, where focus and attention to detail were paramount.
Thanks to family guidance, I was a good student and accepted at Mihai Eminescu Pedagogical High School for their five-year program in Targu-Mures, Romania. The school offers a vocational program that prepares students for a teaching career. Besides regular academic classes, Mihai Eminescu’s curriculum involves different methodological classes on how to teach math and science classes for elementary students. The program also provides structural activities for students to assist elementary teachers in planning and creating learning activities for children. This enabled me to prepare lesson plans, learn leadership roles, and further develop professional communication skills.
In 2005, employment opportunities at Moosejaw Restaurant soared from a server to a supervisory position within six years. Though studying and working at the same time wasn’t an easy task, this experience solidified my management skills and I welcomed the challenge. Not only was I responsible for staff efficiency and customer satisfaction, but also billing and inventory while maintaining class assignment demands at school.
Having studied American English since second grade, allowed me to easily learn foreign languages and simultaneously perform studies in multiple languages. My first college year in the United States facilitated enrollment at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Baraboo in 2008. I am currently enrolled part-time and close to completing all prerequisite courses required for the School of Pharmacy in Madison.
My interest and goal to further study continued even after moving to the United States. Coming from a family where both parents have a college degree, my goal was always to pursue a degree. Coming from a different country, but having a good background in English language has provided encouragement to pursue a degree in America.
After successfully completing a six-month training in 2010, I earned a state-certified license as a professional manicurist and was hired at Sundara Inn and Spa. Sundara is ranked 14th among top resort spas in America. Outside of paid employment, I frequently volunteered at Sundara’s Cancer Retreat Program held every three months. Sundara is sincerely dedicated to offering healing strategies and treating clients with a variety of relaxing and invigorating therapies in a comforting, reviving environment. This includes patients with cancer and those recovering from cancer. During three years of working at Sundara, which was a wonderful experience, seeing first-hand how clients appreciated every little gesture received. Sundara offers a state-of-art health-related facility; and I was extremely happy to be part of an unforgettable experience for both healthy and sick clients.
While volunteering at Sundara, my decision to become a pharmacist was definitely impacted. Though involved in studies since 2008, what was taking place through the Cancer Retreat Program really reinforced my decision to dedicate my time and knowledge to the well-being of others. This is when I realized that pharmacy would allow me to help and advise clients on the prevention of avoidable diseases. Additionally, the monthly job shadowing experience at Walgreens Pharmacy in Wisconsin Dells fortified my career decision.
Two other volunteer adventures that contributed to my personal and professional growth were the Chemistry Honors Project and Green Stem Club. The Chemistry Honor Project involved research and discussions on different topics related to sustainable energy once a week. Talking about topics related to energy savings with solar power, wind power, recycling, etc. This also included a Chemistry Demo Show presented before school officials, faculty, and students, which strengthen my communication skills. In the fall of 2012, I joined the Green Stem Club on the UW-Baraboo campus. This volunteer experience involved recycling events frequently held on the campus. Working with diverse members of the group, I successfully participated in collection projects. Again, this was another step towards personal growth.
When reflecting over the support received, academic achievements earned, employment opportunities seized, and volunteer adventures experienced, I am ready for the next step. I would be honored to be able to contribute to preventing and healing of diseases like cancer by researching new drugs within todays’ revolutionizing pharmaceutical industry.
UW-Madison’s School of Pharmacy’s (PharmD) Program is a “world-class leader in pharmacy education, research, and service” (UW, 2013). It’s well known for providing professional development opportunities globally to practicing pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, after carefully comparing and analyzing programs offered by other academic institutions, UW-Madison has the advantage of providing a Doctoral program that allows a smooth transition of credits from UW-Baraboo.
Upon completing UW-Madison’s PharmD program, my long-term goal is not only to be a contributing professional, but also become actively involved with community through volunteer and research activities. I am determined, dedicated, and driven to realize my ultimate goal; and provided the opportunity, I will rise to meet all academic challenges at your university and become a graduate that the University of Wisconsin can be proud of.
Works Cited
Baldwin, Carol M. Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY. http://www.findacurecny.org/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Pharmacists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm .
