Pharmacy as a Dynamic, Patient-Oriented Profession - Essay Example

This essay is aimed to signify not only my great intent to enter your prestigious academic and taking the pharmacy degree, but also to show why I would be a prime candidate to become a pharmacist by profession. Life itself has shown me that this is the career path for me, through many experiences, personal influences and trials. Perhaps the two greatest life experiences that led me in developing not just a desire, but a dream of entering the profession of pharmacy are career impact of my father to me and the other experiences and interests I have acquired through school and work as a Registered Nurse. First, it would be easy to see how family influences can bring me to dream of being a pharmacist, because my father was one. It is through him that I saw the role of a pharmacist in his community, and the fiduciary relationship between himself and his customers. Through my father, I realized that I want to go down that same path, and be a beacon of goodness to others through a caring career in serving the community. I have always thought that as a pharmacist, I have the unique opportunity in dealing with people of all kinds, with many different afflictions or needs. I think that a pharmacist plays a key role not only in bringing the customer the proper medication, but also in providing good service, and in small ways trying to give cheer and good will to them. It would be such a joy to see a customer return and seeing the improvements in their health. Second, my academic and other career experiences have further prompted me to seek a career in pharmacy. I have always had a love for science, especially in chemistry. As I have mentioned earlier, I am a Registered Nurse and through my work, I have seen how certain medications work with certain afflictions and with different people, and that I find fascinating. It is very interesting to know that each human body is unique, and react differently to a variety of medication. Some times I see practically miracles being performed through the proper medicine, other times are more challenging. It is through these influences and life experiences that I am steadfast in my journey in becoming a professional in the field of pharmacy. There are certain factors that further validate my confidence in becoming a dedicated and devoted practitioner of pharmacy. Other than the fact that my father is a pharmacist and has shown me the fulfilling side of the career, I believe that a good way to answer this question is to show the characteristics of pharmacy: Pharmacy is a dynamic, patient-oriented profession. I would fit very well in pharmacy because I am a very people-oriented person, and can easily establish good rapport with others. I feel that no matter how knowledgeable a person is, in a field like pharmacy, people skills are a necessity. Pharmacy is committed to fulfilling the health care needs of people. And I am just as deeply committed to helping address the health needs of people, and seeing that they get quality service and attention. The pharmacist becomes involved in the healing, serving and education of the community. It is in this factor that I see how a pharmacist uses his knowledge of medicine and in becoming a positive contributor to the community where he or she serves. As a future pharmacist, I would ensure that all my customers, regardless of class, gender, race or creed, would get the best possible attention and service as I can deliver. The Pharmacist is the specialist in the field of the application & usage of pharmaceuticals. It is through this service or function that a pharmacist's expertise is again necessary. In this factor, there are great multi-faceted responsibilities of a pharmacist in formulating, manufacturing, storing, dispensing, and controlling of medicines as well as giving counsel to the public. There is a great degree of faith and trust that the pharmacist knows what he or she is doing and will see to it that the customer receives the proper medicines and the counseling in its application. One will always be asked, "What are the points of quality do you have that will bring credit to the pharmacy as a study and profession." In response to this, I believe that I have certain personal assets that can be of great use in a future practice of pharmacy. Among those assets, I believe that my diligence, attention to detail, analytical skills, volunteerism, and people skills are some of my best assets that would also help me in the study and practice of pharmacy. As for volunteerism, it is through selfless acts and having a compassion for others that I feel I am best preparing myself culturally and emotionally for pharmacy, because it would entail a degree of interaction and requires a natural care for others. I have a great desire to be of service to others and am always willing to lend a hand. I am a volunteer for the "meals on wheels" program, where it is our duty to deliver cooked food to the elderly and disabled who are no longer able to cook for themselves. I take that duty seriously and devote one day each week to be of help to those who need it. Another situation actually combines my analytical or critical thinking skills and my attention to detail. While I worked as a nurse some time ago, a patient was admitted for diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a state of extremely high blood glucose levels, along with a severe lack of insulin. The patient had had a decade-long history of well-controlled diabetes that did not require any medications. Upon admission, the patient's blood glucose level was at a very high of 1075. Thus, she was given insulin drips but this did not work as well in managing her blood glucose level. As part of my duties, I was going though her chart and interrogating the family when I found out that the patient had started on estrogen therapy to treat severe symptoms related to menopause only a week before admission. This sparked my curiosity and prompted me to conduct some research on how these medications work, and I had found that that Estrogen therapy can increase blood glucose levels. I immediately informed the doctor of this fact, and am very proud that this proved to be of great importance pin-pointing the source of the patient's problem and re-adjusting the dosage of her diabetic medications. As you can see, the degree I wish to attain in your prestigious institution is a crucial step in achieving the dream that I have always believed and yearned to achieve. Throughout my whole life I have wanted to be of service to others through medicine. My father had been an exemplary figure in showing me the quality and personal satisfaction in serving others through the practice of pharmacy as a profession. The Doctor of Pharmacy degree for me is an absolute necessity in my long term goals. I can't stress enough how important becoming a pharmacist is to me. Through my personal research, I have learned that the degree opens a number of career doors including the community, hospital, and managed care pharmacy practice, as well as possibly entering the pharmaceutical industry itself. All of these possibilities I find very appealing as I have the yearning to be of great help to others through medicine, which I believe is a noble profession in itself. Yes, in fact I have faced quite a few daunting challenges in life. My parents are in Nigeria, and they are constantly confronted with financial difficulties. As such, I took it upon myself to take on the burden of the family and supported my three younger siblings through school. As of May, 2005, I have proudly seen two of my siblings graduate as nurses, and the third will be graduating soon. As can be imagined, taking on the family burden and putting three younger siblings throughout school and giving them support is a disheartening and frightening task for a young person at the age of only 20 years. Through hard work, perseverance and sacrifice, I am proud that my three siblings have grown into promising young professionals and can be of great service to the public. Indeed, I had to put my personal dream of being a pharmacist on hold while I fulfilled my promise to my parents and took on the filial role. Necessity prompted me to take a shorter path in medicine, and I took up a nursing degree because it only took two years. I passed the nursing exams and worked as a nurse while providing support. Now that the situation is eased and my three younger siblings are able to provide for themselves, I would like to achieve that dream I put on hold so years ago, which is to become a pharmacist. This was a very difficult task to accomplish. But as the proverb says, "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" clearly applies to me. Throughout all the hardships and sacrifice, I have learned responsibility, maturity, and am stronger as a person. I have seen a lot in becoming a nurse, and this has strengthened my desire to be of service to others just as my father has. Making the sacrifice of putting my dream of being a pharmacist on hold through the years has only made the desire stronger, and my aspirations are intensified. There still exists that dedication, love, commitment and perseverance in me that becoming a pharmacist is truly my lifelong goal, and hard work and determination will help me achieve that dream. Read More