Personal Statement: Doctor of Pharmacy Degree - Essay Example

If ever there were a time for aspiring students to enter into the field of pharmaceuticals, now is that time. While these shortages help promote higher pay, better job security, and more choices among pharmacists (Davis, 1999) people delve into this noble profession for reasons all their own. My fascination with the human mind introduced me to the world of psychology. Now, my personal experiences and acquired learning have taken that introduction to a whole new level on the physiology of the human mind; how the mind can and will be stimulated to varying results through the use of different medicines--and the role I will be playing in that physiology.

As with many cities in the United States, the streets of San Francisco are home to many people with no apparent place to go. It was here that I was able to observe many homeless people; however, one in particular sticks out in my mind. A man, whom I will refer to as “Jack,” would often appear on a corner of the street shouting to gain attention from anyone; however, whenever a person asked “Jack” his name, he would reply with a different answer. Through my psychology courses, I was able to ascertain that “Jack” was most likely suffering from a multiple personality disorder. With further study of the available treatments for such a disorder, I was able to learn that with the right medication and intervention methods, “Jack” could very well go to work in a variety of different places. Reasonably, if “Jack” could be treated or cured, so could many other people with similar or varying disorders.

That next year I served as a volunteer at Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco. The main focus of this project was to help provide the basic necessities of life such as food and water, to homeless people; but I felt as though certain medicines should have been included as a basic necessity. While working on this project I was able to connect on a personal level with several homeless individuals. Seeing how medicinal interventions were able to help so many people that year, I was confident that a career in pharmacy was much better suited to my learning and desires to help with the human mind through medicine.

During this past year, 2005, I began working as a pharmaceutical technician at the Elephant pharmacy. This year has provided me with a lot of information as to what a pharmacist does; more than that, this work has helped me to see the benefits that a pharmacist has on his or her surrounding community. Medicine can, and often does, play a large role in helping humans cope with their problems--both physical and emotional. As a pharmacist, I will be able to work with community health teams as they focus on mental health care planning, support patients and caregivers in following treatment recommendations, and I will be able to give advice on or help identify potential adverse effects of medications and treatments for both prescription and over-the-counter medications (Chemist & Druggist, 2000). Working in this way will help fulfill my short-term goals of learning about and working with medications while helping to build my name as a pharmacist.

The amount of trust and responsibility placed on a pharmacist is both overwhelming and rewarding. The majority of my work so far is centered on preparing medications and counting prescriptions; however numerous people have come in asking for help with over-the-counter drugs as well. I am confident that I can prove worthy of a community’s trust, and plan to further my career by helping to find new medicines that will cure or alleviate many of the ailments in day’s society. Coupled with a degree in psychology, gaining a degree in pharmacy will add to my advantage the knowledge needed to effectively develop as a leader in fighting mental illnesses.