Soft Skills
As we advance in our pharmacy careers, we come to realize how important soft skills — such as networking, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management— truly are. While many of these skills are learned on the job, I often wish I had more exposure to them during school. Waiting to develop these skills later can mean missing valuable opportunities early on. Although preparation for practice is never complete, it can be strengthened through intentional learning during school and residency.
MasterClass
200+ classes of various categories (from business to lifestyle to cooking) from the world’s best
Ted Talk
My go-to free resource and dose of inspiration
Book Club
One my favorite books from my leadership rotation preceptor — How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie)
Creativity
Creativity is often missing or hidden in many pharmacy roles. School and residency offer a great opportunity to innovate. By seeking creative experiences, pharmacists can build fulfillment alongside with clinical expertise, and can shape a more engaging and satisfying career
Think outside the box for your research or new patient care idea! Networking to exchange ideas helps! I came across these science children’s books written by a pharmacist. What an inspiring accomplishment!
Create a clinical cheat sheet, a MTM encounter sheet, a standardized workflow or a T-shirt for your pharmacy department
Email us your creative project to us so we can share and inspire others!
Network
It’s all about who you know!
Join ASHP, APhA or local state organizations. Choose the ones that foster new practitioners and mentorship
Join conferences! Meet other pharmacists who are doing the same thing but at another facility and start exchange ideas — for example, improving meds2bed program, implementing opioid stewardship or starting an ambulatory care rotation at your institution
Network with both other healthcare and non-healthcare professionals to broaden your perspective and spark collaboration. When you open up your world, new opportunities naturally follow, often in unexpected ways
New Learning Opportunities
Develop unique skill sets or follow your other professional passions to set yourself apart and expand the possibilities for your future
Knowing another language is a huge plus. If you are planning to learn Spanish, check out Duolingo, medical spanish courses and Netflix shows
IT or EPIC certification — such a great niche for those who are interested in clinical informatics
Sign up for teaching and precepting opportunities. Working with students are such a great source of motivation!