Pharmacists’ Paths to Clinical Practice
After graduation, pharmacists have multiple options to follow in regards to their academic and professional progression. Knowing what is the best pathway to follow is important for fresh graduates. This is not always easily achieved. Some prefer to explore different areas of pharmacy practice before committing to one specialty. However, by graduating with the PharmD, some pharmacists may have a general opinion about what area of pharmacy they prefer to practice in.
Pharmacists who like working with the public and enjoy direct patient interaction may prefer to work in community pharmacies. Others who prefer to work in a clinical setting with other healthcare professionals may seek clinical pharmacy positions. Some might want to pursue a career in clinical research or academia. Having a general idea can direct fresh pharmacy graduates into a certain path from which they can further specialize.
Becoming A Clinical Pharmacist Differences Between the US and the UK
In the US, if a pharmacist wants to get into clinical pharmacy they normally seek a postgraduate residency which can be up to 2 years (PGY1 and PGY2) if it involves specializing in a certain subspecialty. On the other hand, in the UK, pharmacists do a post-graduate diploma or a master’s degree in clinical pharmacy to become clinical pharmacists. However, the key difference is that in the US, pharmacy residencies are structured programs and offer specializing in a subspeciality of interest such as cardiology, organ transplant, oncology, etc. In the UK, the postgraduate diploma or master’s degrees offer clinical pharmacy skills to prepare pharmacists to lead and take on clinical roles without the focus on additional specialization.
To compare the two, US pharmacists with a PGY1 may be equivalent to a pharmacist in the UK with a postgraduate diploma or master's degrees. In the US the PGY2 is an additional year of experience in a subspecialty area.
Another option for pharmacists in the US is to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship that some pharmacists may prefer if they are interested in research and in teaching. Or they can follow the traditional academic path and get their masters or PhD which is similar to the UK system. This option does not always lead to clinical practice in the US.
What can pharmacists do if they did not get into a residency but then wanted to improve their clinical knowledge and specialize?
Many pharmacists change career pathways. The transition may not be hard but not everyone would be interested in doing a residency especially after working for a number of years. In this case, the board of pharmacy specialization and specialized accredited courses can be used to help get into the clinical path quicker. Adding that to work experience, it will prepare any pharmacist to take on new clinical roles. This is mainly attributed to the strength of the clinical skills that PharmD graduates have.
What other factors may lead pharmacists to choose a career path?
Other than personal interest, pharmacists may face other factors that may lead them to choose a different career path. Some may prefer to skip residencies due to the huge difference between residents’ and pharmacists’ salaries. Another factor is its effect on personal life, the longterm commitment of residencies may make it less appealing especially if it may involve moving to a different state or city.
After taking all these factors into consideration, it is clear that pharmacists’ career development may be affected by multiple factors, however, there are other paths pharmacists can follow to reach their target. It is important to know what is required in the job market and what options are available. Overall, the diverse nature of pharmacists and their expertise gives them a lot more opportunities to work in different areas and settings.
