I had the pleasure of being selected as a Walmart Scholar by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and as such, recently attended the Annual Meeting in Anaheim with a faculty mentor. This was an enriching experience that taught me much about academia, from the numerous opportunities to the many challenges that face pharmacy educators across the country.
After an early-morning flight cancellation and the frantic search to buy a plane ticket to get to Anaheim, I arrived in California. As a Walmart Scholar, I attended the annual Teacher’s Seminar, which consisted of a session about the importance of teaching a common patient care process, discussions of topics in the World Café style, and finally, a series of TED-talk style presentations. I attended a number of sessions and workshops during the couple of days and of course spent an ample amount of time with my faculty mentor. My experience was memorable not only because of all the knowledge gained, but also because of all the wonderful pharmacy educators from around the country that I had the privilege to meet. Being in sunny southern California didn’t hurt, either!
When I was applying for the Walmart Scholarship, I had to do some self-reflection. Why do I want to become a pharmacy educator? What aspects of this career are most appealing? What opportunities does this path present that cannot be found elsewhere?
Professors at your college of pharmacy don’t just lecture! They still have patient-care responsibilities and practice at their clinical site, engage in research, are involved in professional organizations, devote much time to scholarship, and, of course, teach! The three pillars of academia are: teaching, scholarship, and service, and an appropriate balance of these is imperative for success in the world of academia. What appealed most to me about this career is that I will act as a mentor and teach students, maintain a practice site and work as a pharmacist, and take part in research. Having such a wide range of responsibilities (you might also call them opportunities!) is unique to academia.
The Three Pillars of Academia
Scholarship: includes research, publications, and poster presentations
Teaching: presenting lectures and serving as a preceptor
Service: providing services at a practice site as well as leadership and professional involvement at the university, college of pharmacy, and the profession as a whole
There is much more to academia, of course, and below are some helpful links if you want to learn more about this exciting career!
AACP Career Information
Faculty Options for the New Practitioner
Is a Career in Academic Pharmacy Right for Me?
Thomas Szymanski
Featured Student Blogger
Acknowledgments: I would like to thank AACP and Walmart for selecting me as a Walmart Scholar and providing me the opportunity to attend the 2016 Annual Meeting and share my experiences.