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Best Pharmacy School Personal Statement Examples

Check out top 4 sample statements.

Pharmacy school personal statement examples demonstrate that pharmacy school applications require many different documents to adequately assess you as a potential candidate. In addition to looking at your CV , transcripts, letters of recommendation , and any other required materials, most pharmacy programs ask you to submit a personal statement. After gathering so many materials together, a one-page essay may seem like a trivial item to check off on your application to-do list, but beware of treating the personal statement too lightly! Gaining admission to a graduate pharmacy program certainly requires top grades, competitive test scores, and glowing letters of recommendation from referees who know you well, but these aren’t the only components that admissions committees take into account when evaluating your profile. 

Keep in mind that most pharmacy school applicants already have stellar academic records, impressive test scores, and fantastic recommendations. These sorts of accomplishments are important, but are more or less a given in the application process. Furthermore, grades, test scores, and other people’s perceptions of you and the quality of your work are insufficient to determine if you are up for the challenge of the rigors of pharmacy school and the work that follows graduation. With something as serious as pharmacology, it is crucial to determine whether who you are would make you a good fit for the profession. Your knowledge, experiences, and attitudes all play a key role in deciding if you would thrive as a pharmacy student, and eventually, as a pharmacist serving your community. With so many applicants each cycle, admissions officers need some way to gauge these factors in order to narrow the applicant pool down to those they would like to speak to in person, or these days, over the internet. This is where the personal statement comes in! Keep reading to determine what a pharmacy school personal statement measures and how to create one that will make you stand out from other applicants.

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Article Contents 24 min read

4 pharmacy school personal statement examples.

Three days after my thirteenth birthday, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The next twelve months were the toughest in my life, but this experience also gave me something I am forever grateful for—an unwavering passion for pharmacy. I always accompanied my mother to her chemotherapy sessions, where I performed plays for her and the other patients, trying to make them smile. I took an immediate liking to the pharmacist, who returned repeatedly to ask my mother how she was feeling; he explained in detail how these chemo drugs worked and how they interacted with others she had been taking. I listened raptly, entranced by the seemingly magic properties of this medication. It was difficult to watch my mother lose her hair and become frail, but she ultimately made a full recovery, thanks to the wonderful team of medical professionals and to these life-saving drugs. While I lost the naivety of youth that year, I gained a profound new sense of purpose. I was inspired to become a hospital pharmacist and to help patients in times of extreme uncertainty and pain.  

Anyone who has ever faced a challenge has probably heard about the deflating nonexistence of a “magic pill” solution. Want to lose weight? There’s no magic pill for that. Trying to learn a new language? No dice. Hard work is always touted as the solution, and rightly so. As a preteen who struggled with confidence, I desperately yearned for a magic pill solution that would make me the bubbly, carefree girl surrounded by laughter in the cafeteria. Instead, the only bubbly aspect of my lunchtime break was the gurgling, broken faucet inside the girl’s restroom. Though unaware of it at the time, the bathroom was not a refuge from the scary, hormonal social scene of junior high, but from my ever-increasing social anxiety. As for a magic pill to rid me of that affliction? I think you know the answer to that.

Though there may not have been a magic pill to rid me of my mounting social anxiety, hard work seemed like an unlikely solution, too. For months, I put on a happy face, trying to convince myself that there was nothing to fear in locker-side conversations and that my worth was not determined by what a group of gangly middle-schoolers thought of me. Eventually, my parents took me to see a psychiatrist, and after many sweaty-palmed conversations, I was diagnosed with social anxiety and handed a prescription for anti-anxiety medication. Of course, the medication I received was no miracle, but with other coping mechanisms, my world began to seem a little more welcoming. Gradually, I interacted with peers more, who became friends. I still had to work hard in therapy, but the capsules I took in the morning each day removed my constant, debilitating worry.

Without the shadow of anxiety darkening my every social interaction, I felt as though I was beginning to become the version of myself I always wanted to be. Years later, I actually was the girl surrounded by laughter in the high school lunchroom. More importantly, though, I took my first chemistry course and discovered my passion. The ways that elements on the periodic table could combine to create entirely new substances fascinated me. I realized that, just like myself, the world around us is in a constant state of flux, with elements combining, reacting to forces, and continuously changing. As I changed from a high school chemistry novice to a university student, one thing remained constant: my passion for chemistry. Delving into how chemistry can be used as a tool inspired me to pursue it as a major, and I worked in various labs on campus investigating how different combinations could be put to use to solve problems, just like my psychiatrist helped me find ways to deal with my social anxiety.

Through my lab work on campus, I grew close with Dr. Johnson – the principal investigator in a campus lab and a faculty member in the pharmacy program. One evening, as we were locking up the lab, Dr. Johnson asked me if I had ever considered becoming a pharmacist. Initially hesitant, I finally accepted Dr. Johnson’s offer to facilitate a shadowing opportunity with one of his former colleagues. My first day in the pharmacy was overwhelming. The rattling of pills in bottles served as the backdrop to the near-tangible pressure of making sure no life-threatening mistakes occurred. I was intimidated by the responsibility, but excited by the chemical interactions that the pharmacist discussed with me. This was the ultimate problem-solving chemistry I had been seeking! 

After months of shadowing a pharmacist, I was convinced that I wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy. My experiences with Dr. Johnson and his colleague piqued my interest in what seemed like a never-ending field of discovery. Elements combining, reacting to forces, and continuously changing, but in the human body! Figuring out the puzzles of chemical reactions had always been intriguing, but knowing that I could combine that with helping people recover from sickness, manage chronic disease, or even find the strength to leave the middle school bathroom and have lunch with other students was empowering. The medication I took as a preteen may not have been a magic pill for my social anxiety, but there was certainly some magic in it. I look forward to putting in the hard work to bring that magic to others as a pharmacist. (724 words)

‘I want to do more than just counsel on the proper use of Levothyroxine’ was what I told my father when he asked me what kind of pharmacist I wanted to be. He died shortly after, and it saddens me to think that I cannot tell him now how my vision has evolved. Now, besides being someone in charge of educating patients about their medications, I see pharmacists as scientists who design and produce medicines, evaluate lab results and drug interactions for the benefit of the patient, act as a trusted link between doctors and their patients and, ultimately, impact patients’ lives and contribute to their wellbeing. Pharmacists need to be team players, good communicators, detail-oriented problem solvers, and culturally sensitive professionals, and these are some of the characteristics that I have developed through different endeavors.

As the captain of my soccer team in high school, I was put in charge of leading the team both in and outside of the game. On the field, I acted as a mediator between the players, coach, and referee. Successfully guiding players on the strategies dictated by the coach required excellent communication skills. In my team, I was not only a player; I was a key decision maker and a motivator. Making tactical decisions while supporting everyone in their position showed me the true meaning of being a team player and taught me how to handle pressure well. When I look back at those times and think about the titles we won for our school, I know that the characteristics I developed while I led my team to victory will be put to use when I have to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals in the future.

In college, while volunteering at a local pharmacy in my hometown, I helped the pharmacist handle prescriptions and dispense a variety of medications. It became clear to me that following a methodical approach and paying great attention to detail were essential in pharmacy. I made it a point to learn from him, and with time, I found myself being thorough, accurate, and organized not only at the pharmacy but at school as well. I also sought to understand both the cause and the effect of a situation, which is an ability that has guided everything I have done since then, including my research work and my academic activities as a Biology major. Seeing the pharmacist interact with patients was truly rewarding. I watched as he explained the treatment, potential side effects, and desired outcomes to them while evaluating the interactions between the drugs they were taking in order to avoid any harm. This showed me that, besides being a problem-solver and having analytical abilities, pharmacists need to be empathetic and care for their patients. Very soon I found myself interacting with people who visited the pharmacy and exercising the same skills the local pharmacist possessed.

This interaction with people helped me refine different characteristics that I bring with me to this new journey. One of the most significant is, perhaps, the cultural awareness that I developed in my shadowing work at the university hospital. Having a patient who does not speak the language, calming them down, and finding a translator, for instance, or understanding how different cultures view certain health practices and looking for ways to respectfully adapt to them has allowed me to learn and practice cultural sensitivity, which is crucial in a multicultural society, such as in Canada, where the population is becoming more diverse. By seeing pharmacists in action in the university hospital setting, I gained insight into the every-day lives of healthcare professionals who work with patients from every background imaginable. Moreover, I also came to realize the pressure to which pharmacists are exposed when the correct medication has to be provided with extreme urgency. Working under pressure is something I do well since my soccer days, so instead of deterring me, this motivates me.

If anyone were to ask me today about the kind of pharmacist I want to be, I would have a much stronger answer than the one I gave to my father many years ago. I want to be the kind of pharmacist that uses their knowledge, skills, and compassion to improve their patients’ health and one that works with other health care professionals to maximize health outcomes. Furthermore, I want to have patients trust me enough to let me become involved in their lives as I guide them on their medications and help them improve their quality of life. Besides all this, and on a much more personal level, I want to be the kind of pharmacist that will make my father proud. (781 words)

“Why would you want to be a pharmacist?” was the question my father asked me when I shared my decision to pursue pharmacy school. This was a question I had asked myself many times as I solidified my decision to pursue this dream. I shared my experience standing in line at a local pharmacy to fill a prescription. This was something I did every month, and not an experience that I had given much thought, however; when I saw the person in line in front of me experience great distress at learned the price of her daughter’s prescription, I realized that not all patrons had the same experience as me. To many, a trip to the pharmacy may be filled with questions over how their medications will affect their body or their ability to afford groceries for the month. The woman in line was worried about the high prescription price in light of other expenses in providing for her family. As I saw the pharmacist assist her in finding a less costly alternative, and the ease come over the woman as she learned that her family would be alright, I had my first glimpse into my future profession as a pharmacist. 

This day sparked my interest in attending pharmacy school, but also a desire to further explore what it meant to be a pharmacist. While donating blood to the Red Cross, I learned of the growing need for pharmacist volunteers, with many underserved communities necessitating additional support. As I was giving blood, I talked with a current pharmacist volunteer, ‘Samantha,’ who recounted her responsibilities to me when I expressed an interest in wanting to learn more. ‘Samantha’ explained why she felt pharmacists made wonderful volunteers in the community. She reflected that pharmacists have the knowledge to make an impact and valuable experience conversing daily with people of all backgrounds. As I talked with ‘Samantha,’ I thought about my own capacity to strike up a conversation with people I had not met before. I recalled that my friends often joke about how I could talk to anyone about anything, a trait I admire in myself. Everyone is skilled in different ways, but my ability to talk to anyone I come across will be an asset to my future as a pharmacist. I look forward to new experiences every day and speaking with new patrons to get to know their needs and concerns. In addition, I hope to volunteer in my community as a pharmacist to expand the number of people I can impact with my loquacious disposition as I guide them towards safe medication use. 

With the personality to be a efficacious pharmacist, I looked to build my experience in the healthcare profession. I secured a volunteer position aiding a hospital pharmacist in educating health professionals on drug side effects. I was responsible for designing educational posters for use in counseling patients about their medications. I was eager to use my artistic talents to help people seeking to understand their prescriptions, like the woman in line ahead of me at the pharmacy. As I designed posters, I asked my friends and family to look at my drafts and provide feedback. I asked if the information was conveyed in a clear, approachable way and I learned that what is clear to one person – such as myself – can be viewed differently by another person with a different background or set of life experiences. As a pharmacist, I will utilize educational materials that have gone through arduous testing to ensure they can deliver the necessary information, but I will also aim to understand community members’ experiences and how this may impact their understanding and outlook towards their medication.   

I explained to my father that, to me, pharmacy is about conversation. As patrons share with you why they have come in to the pharmacy that day, or what is troubling them, it is important to truly listen. This is the starting point for the conversation needed to understand their concerns, provide appropriate medication, and educated them as to how best proceed. Although my friends joke about my ability to talk to anyone, this is a trait that will go far in serving my community as a pharmacist. (702 words)

Here're some more tips for your interview:

Pharmacy school personal statements are a crucial aspect of your application because they help to separate you from the crowd of other accomplished applicants. After all, grades, test scores, and letters of recommendation only go so far in presenting who you are and your talents and strengths. Even a CV does not reveal enough about you and your experiences to adequately reflect your ability to succeed in pharmacy school and beyond. Imagine trying to measure a candidate’s level of motivation or ability to persevere through adversity by looking at his or her GPA! Luckily, you have the power to present the strengths and qualities that would make you an incredible future pharmacist and make your case for admission through your personal statement.

Essentially, this short essay asks you to reflect upon who you are, what led you to want to study pharmacology specifically, and why you would be great at it. Most pharmacy programs in the United States use a central application portal called PharmCAS (Pharmacy College Application Service) to distribute application materials like transcripts, test scores, and personal statements to individual university programs. Personal statements for PharmCAS must be 4500 characters or less, including spaces. It is crucial to draft a personal statement that is within the character limit because the online portal will not allow you to save or submit a personal statement that exceeds 4500 characters. As you prepare to write your personal statement, be sure to verify that your program(s) of choice use PharmCAS for receiving application materials. If you find that your university does not utilize PharmCAS, check the program’s website for specific instructions regarding the character or word limit for personal statements.

Canadian pharmacy program application expectations differ from school to school. The University of Toronto’s PharmD program, for example, does not require a personal statement of any kind.  

A common mistake that pharmacy school applicants make is relying upon cliches to discuss their motivations for pursuing a career as a pharmacist. Cliches read as tired and don’t reveal anything meaningful about an applicant. Moreover, many personal statement cliches like expressing a desire to “help people” are so vague that they fail to address an applicant’s desire to study pharmacology precisely. There are a multitude of careers that help people: teachers, doctors, non-profit workers, and more. Similarly, a fascination with science applies to any number of medical professions, researchers, scientists, and so on. In your personal statement, you must clearly express why you want to go to pharmacy school specifically.

Additionally, admissions officers want to ensure they admit only those applicants who demonstrate their capability of handling the demanding course work as well as possess the correct attitude and motivation to pursue a career in pharmacy. You’ve probably heard that past behavior is one of the best predictors of future behavior, and for good reason. For instance, if you have already persevered and exhibited your resilience, work ethic, and determination in past experiences, chances are you will exhibit those same skills in a pharmacy program, no matter the challenges you may face. Showing your skills through relevant anecdotes and relating them to core attributes you possess that will ensure your future success as a pharmacist goes a long way to separate you from an already qualified pool of applicants.

Pharmacy personal statements also assess the value you will add to your matriculating class, the program, and the institution overall. You want to prove you are a mutually beneficial fit for your pharmacy program of choice. As you craft your personal statement, you will likely need to create several versions that cater to each of the institutions to which you plan to apply, highlighting the attractive elements of each program that motivated you to apply and explaining how you would thrive in such an environment and contribute to the program’s culture and mission. Prove that the school would be missing out on an exceptional candidate if you were not offered admission!

How Are Pharmacy Personal Statements Structured?

Although each program has different requirements, pharmacy personal statements are generally around a page long, or 4500 characters for most applications in the United States, and should be structured similar to a traditional, academic paper. Your personal statement should have a clear introduction, a body composed of about 2-3 paragraphs, and a marked conclusion. It is important that you transition well among each of these elements to enhance the flow and overall readability of your statement. The logical progression of your ideas should also be well-defined so that admissions officers can easily follow your train of thought. Keep in mind that each individual reading your personal statement will be looking at many, many personal statements in any given sitting, which can get exhausting. Make their jobs easier by ensuring that your statement is easy to read and makes your points both concisely and clearly. Given the myriad personal statements each admissions officer must review, your statement must be quite unique and engaging in order to stand out and be memorable.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the best choice to start your statement at the beginning by working on the introduction. Part of the reason you should avoid starting with the introduction is because an introduction typically sets the stage for what you discuss in the body of your statement. If you don’t have the content of the body prepared, it is unlikely that you will be able to craft an appropriate introduction. Rather, you want to plan out the body of your statement first by creating a rough outline of the topics you wish to address in your statement to give the reader an overview of what led you to pursue pharmacy school, as well as the experiences and qualities that would make you an excellent addition to the program of your choice, and ultimately, a great pharmacist. Utilizing an outline to plan out your response also takes a bit of the pressure off of you as a writer so that you are not focused on making every single sentence perfect until you have a general idea of where you are going with your statement. After you have the “bones” of your statement planned out via an outline structure, begin to add the “meat” little by little, gradually expanding your outline with more substantial content, including anecdotes that serve as evidence or justification for the claims that you make.  

Pharmacy personal statements are an opportunity to show the admissions committee your personality, values, and goals. With this in mind, think carefully about which experiences you want to emphasize and the skills and values you want those experiences to illustrate. “Illustrate” is a key word here; be sure to show your readers what you mean instead of telling them. For example, don’t just say you are a lifelong learner. Show your readers evidence that demonstrates you are a lifelong learner by narrating and reflecting upon experiences in which you were continuously eager to learn new information. One of the most important tips to remember as you plan the outline for and later write your pharmacy personal statement is to be true to yourself. When applicants communicate what they believe admissions committees want to hear, or in this case read, their inauthenticity is blatantly evident. Being genuine not only serves you in the short-term by creating a personal statement that reads as truly authentic, which is always more convincing and impactful, but it is to your benefit in the long run as well. After all, pharmacy school is 4 years long, which isn’t exactly an insignificant time commitment. You should aim to gain admission into a program that wants you for who you truly are and the potential you’ve demonstrated, and the only way of guaranteeing this is to show who you truly are through your personal statement.

Once you have crafted a full outline, begin to write a rough draft of your body paragraphs. At this point, you still do not need to worry about choosing the best words or making sure that the stylistic elements of your body paragraphs are top notch. Focus on getting your thoughts out on paper in a way that makes sense and flows well in terms of a logical progression of ideas. So, how many experiences should you write about in your personal statement? While there is no concrete number you should aim for, do be selective about which experiences you choose to include. Think quality over quantity. Essentially, as you answer the question “Why do you want to be a pharmacist?”, trace the origin of your interest in studying pharmacy through each stage of its development. Given the 4500-character limit, at least for most pharmacy programs in the United States, you will have to limit your discussion to two to three experiences, depending upon the level of depth of your discussion of each experience.

Which kinds of experiences work best? Keeping in mind that the experiences you decide to address and the way in which you write about them should be authentic to you, aim for experiences that involve exposure to the field. Of course, exposure to pharmacy can come in many forms! Perhaps you were exposed to pharmacy and the positive impact it can make in people’s lives through your own use of prescribed pharmaceuticals to treat a chronic illness, which inspired you to learn more about how medications work. Or, maybe you were considering a career in either medicine or pharmacy, decided to shadow physicians and pharmacists alike to accrue more knowledge about the day-to-day responsibilities of each profession, and found yourself enamored with your pharmacy shadowing experience. In any case, make sure that you are specific about which aspects of your experience were particularly influential in your developing desire to study pharmacy and what convinced you that you would make a great pharmacist yourself!

Once you have completed your rough draft, take a day or so away from your statement so that you can achieve mental distance from your writing in order to review it with fresh eyes the next time you read it. With this new perspective, revise your body paragraphs, choosing the strongest vocabulary possible to convey your meaning. Remember, though, that it is important to be authentic, so don’t abuse your thesaurus! Work on strengthening the wording of your statement and try reading it out loud to see how well each sentence fits together. Rinse and repeat.

Tip #1: Be authentic.

The personal statement should explain why you want to study pharmacy, so your discussion of this should be true to your experiences. Instead of writing what you think would be appealing to admissions officers, present a genuine account of why you want to be a pharmacist and the experiences that led you to that conclusion. Inauthenticity is actually quite easy to detect, so it is always preferrable to be authentic.

Tip#2: Start early.

The strength of your personal statement is crucial, and with limited space to show the admissions committee who you are and why you are passionate about becoming a pharmacist, you will likely go through many drafts before you arrive at the final product. In order to accommodate multiple rounds of edits and give yourself time to gain mental distance from each draft before revising again, you must start early.

Tip#3: Get expert feedback.

Notice that we suggest expert feedback, not just feedback in general. Everyone can give you an opinion on the strength of your pharmacy school personal statement, but only a select few can give you constructive criticism that will actually serve to improve your statement. Trusted professors, pharmacist mentors, or admissions experts like the ones at BeMo are all great choices to give you informed and insightful advice.

Tip#4: Be concise.

Since you have limited space to convince your reader that you are passionate about pursuing pharmacy and would make an excellent future pharmacist, every word counts. Recount your experiences in a succinct manner so that you can maximize your character count and include valuable reflections that will demonstrate how strong of an applicant you are!

Tip#5: Avoid cliches.  

While it can definitely be tempting to rely upon commonly used motivations for pursuing pharmacy school like “to help others” or “to give back,” leaning upon these cliches will only hurt your application. Even though part of your motivation for becoming a pharmacist may genuinely be to help others, you need your statement to stand out. If hundreds of other applicants express the same sentiment, your sincere altruism may be lost in the crowd of other personal statements communicating the same thing. Further, helping others and giving back can be achieved in various careers. Your job is to convince the reader that you want to make that impact through pharmacy.

If you are applying to pharmacy schools in the United States, check out PharmCAS’ website to see if your program utilizes this application service.  If so, your personal statement will be restricted to 4,500 characters, including spaces.  If not, check out the program’s website to discover that school’s specific personal statement requirements.

On the other hand, if you are applying to pharmacy schools in Canada, you will need to go directly to that school’s website to see its specific requirements.  Some programs don’t require a personal statement at all.

No, some schools like the University of Toronto don’t require a personal statement or essay of any kind.  Double check the website(s) of your program(s) of choice to see what the specific requirements are.

Unless directed otherwise by your program of choice, your pharmacy personal statement should be structured like a traditional academic essay.  Include an introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Please see above for further details.

Overall, your personal statement should answer the question “Why do you want to be a pharmacist?” or “Why do you want to go to pharmacy school?”  Your answer to this question should show your reader why you want to pursue this career instead of telling them.  Show your desire to become a pharmacist by discussing key experiences that sparked your interest in pharmacy and developed that interest into a true passion.  Include experiences that exposed you to the profession, whether that is as a patient, working as a pharmacy assistant, or shadowing a pharmacist.

Although it may seem illogical, your introduction should be one of the last things that you write.  The introduction of your personal statement must introduce the content that appears in your 2-3 body paragraphs, so it makes sense to write your body paragraphs first in order to know which content you are introducing.  In order to capture your reader’s attention from the very beginning of your personal statement, the first sentence of your introduction should employ an opening hook that uses some sort of creative element to generate interest in your statement.  Opening hooks often use relevant quotes, pieces of dialogue, or vignettes of a particularly impactful experience to “hook” the reader and make them more invested in the document before them.  Following your opening hook, you should discuss the significance of it, whether that is how a quote relates to your life or an explanation of the significance of the situation described in your vignette.  Finally, your introduction should establish your interest in pharmacy and set the stage for the more substantial content that will follow in subsequent body paragraphs.

The conclusion of your personal statement should not just be a summary of the content covered.  Rather, it should be comprised of reflections upon the experiences you’ve described, draw connections among your experiences, and/or discuss future goals in the field of pharmacy.  Make sure that the last sentence of your conclusion leaves the reader wanting to know more about you.  How memorable your statement is depends heavily on your last sentence, so you should use a creative approach as you did with your opening hook.  Some applicants find it useful to refer back to their opening hook in a creative way.  Try out different endings and see which works best with the statement you’ve written!

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How to make your pharmacy application stand out, (and avoid the top 5 mistakes that get most rejected).

Writing the Personal Statement for Pharmacy School: A Checklist

You’ve likely written a personal statement at some point in your life. Perhaps while applying to your undergraduate program, some of your schools required you to include an essay describing your achievements, yourself, and what you hope to accomplish in your time at their university. Similarly, many pharmacy programs will require you to write a personal statement for their application. 

This, however, is different. You will be able to highlight your relevant accomplishments and address why you want to become a pharmacist to stand out truly . With so many applicants during each cycle, admissions officers use this personal statement to gauge whom they wish to speak with for an in-person interview.

At this phase of the application journey, you've narrowed down the pharmacy schools you’re applying to. Your transcripts are in, letters of recommendation are ready, and it’s time for your pharmacy personal statement. The good news is that, unlike undergraduate applications that sometimes have different prompts, you must answer for various schools; your one pharmacy school personal statement will be sent to every program through your PharmCAS application . That also leaves an exciting challenge: Even if you have a favorite, you must consider how you want to write this personal statement, as it shouldn’t be tailored toward one specific school. 

Determining the Narrative

When it comes to writing a pharmacy school personal statement, the most common pitfall students experience is the need for more effort placed into their writing. While your grades may be exceptional, and your letters of recommendation prove that your student-teacher relationships are healthy and you are a pleasure to have in class, having a generic pharmacy personal statement doesn’t differentiate you from other qualified applicants. If all applicants have already covered the first two things, the personal statement may be the shining piece of the application. For most students, writing this statement will be the most challenging part of the application process. 

Begin to formulate your narrative. Lay out the structure and the different sections. There’s no specific format that pharmacy schools are looking for, so make this personal statement unique to yourself. As mentioned, the “cookie cutter” approach to this part of the application is where most students stumble. Use your time wisely and start early . Additionally, you can easily find a sample personal statement on various websites to help structure your thoughts. However, remember that these should be used only as samples and that you shouldn’t rely on them to format your own statement.

Crafting a Unique Story

Each pharmacy school program wants students who demonstrate tenacity, which will help them succeed in their respective programs. One way to approach writing your pharmacy school personal statement is from the point of view of the admissions committee. Anyone charged with reading thousands of applications will focus on specific questions that signal a level of quality about the rest of the personal statement.

First, what's the reason that this student is choosing pharmacy as their career? Are they doing this for income or genuine interest in providing the best care for patients? Does the applicant demonstrate thoughtful understanding of their strengths and weaknesses? Do their ideals align with the mission statement of the school of pharmacy? Each reviewer may concentrate on different questions, but they want to see you feel a personal drive for a career as a pharmacist. Place yourself into the seat of an application reviewer and formulate different questions that you could potentially ask students. Try answering these questions and see how genuine your answers are. How you answer may decide if you want to continue to pursue this pharmacy school path.

Focus on Your Opening

One universal method many writing courses teach you is always to have a solid opening statement. Use this as an opportunity to begin with a personal story about why you decided that pharmacy is the right career for you or maybe an inspiring quote that has always resonated with you. The reviewer may have already gone through several applications, so your first few sentences should stand out. You want to be able to make an impression from the beginning while showing an earnest drive to spend a career as a pharmacist.

Once you’ve effectively engaged the reviewer, it’s time for the “meat” of the personal statement. What do pharmacy application committees truly want to hear? 

Getting to Know You

They want to learn more about you before meeting in a live interview. Tell your own story succinctly but without cutting corners. Briefly describe how you learned to overcome obstacles like that to better yourself and those around you. Sure, you can write about your most relevant academic accomplishments. But go beyond that.

Discuss how certain clubs and organizations have helped you progress through your undergraduate experience and how those organizations may have led you to pursue the path of pharmacy school. Highlight the different leadership positions you may have held in college that have helped mold you into the leader you see yourself as today. After setting those up, discuss the skills you’ve acquired to help you in pharmacy school and how they’d make you a better pharmacist.

When you mention your relevant academic studies, please don't forget to keep repeating the pharmacy college admission test (PCAT) scores or the 4.0 GPA that you achieved. The committee has this information before them as they read; they don’t need to be reminded.

Talk in detail about your relevant work experiences, such as research or a part-time job in a pharmacy. Discuss how these different work experiences furthered your commitment to the profession. Identify what aspects of the pharmacy setting may have attracted you and what you ultimately have learned from these experiences. Some students come into this part of the application process without work experience. That’s okay. You can highlight any volunteer work related to healthcare or pharmacy. 

Close with Confidence

Finally—and we can’t stress this enough—keep your writing professional. You’re making an impression on a professional committee, and as much as you want to make your statement sound lighthearted, keep in mind that the reviewers’ time is at a premium for reviewing the essays and interviews in the next round.

Be succinct, direct, and human.

Remember to keep our advice top of mind:

The goal of your personal statement is to showcase why you would be the ideal pharmacy student and why your traits/qualities reflect those of a pharmacist.

Be as authentic as possible when detailing why you want to be part of the PharmD program. 

GPA and PCAT scores can only get you so far. Your personal statement is a chance for you to stand out in front of the other applicants who apply to the same pharmacy program as you. 

Remember, perfecting the personal statement takes time and your admission may depend on how much effort you ultimately put into your writing.

Hong Chen, PharmD

My name is Hong Kui Chen and I am a graduate of The Ohio State University Pharmacy Class of 2022. I am currently working as a clinical research associate at Medpace, Inc, a contract research organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio. My work mainly consists of traveling to various sites around the country and providing protocol training on new clinical trials or monitoring data. While I enjoyed the traditional pharmacy role of working in retail or hospital, I wanted to expand and pursue this non-traditional role to see how clinical trials operate. I have a passion for being able to impact patients in a grand scale and even though I don’t have the 1-on-1 patient interaction, the work that I do can have long lasting contributions to overall patient health. 

Opinions and information published by the author here on PharmDDegree.com are of my own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of my employer.

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Writing the Perfect Pharmacy Personal Statement: Expert Tips

Crafting the perfect pharmacy personal statement can be a nerve-wracking endeavour. With the high stakes and fierce competition, how do you make your application stand out ?

In this blog, we’ve gathered expert tips to transform your personal statement from average to outstanding. Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or find writing daunting, our practical advice will steer you in the right direction. 

Let’s dive in and unlock the doors to your dream pharmacy school!

How to Write a Pharmacy School Personal Statement

Crafting a compelling pharmacy school personal statement is crucial to making a lasting impression on the admissions committee . Your personal statement is a powerful tool to showcase your passion for pharmacy and demonstrate how your background and achievements align with this career path. 

To help you create an outstanding personal statement that sets you apart from other applicants, follow these essential steps :

1. Research and Understand the Requirements

Before you begin writing, thoroughly research the pharmacy schools you’re applying to and understand their specific requirements for personal statements. While some schools may provide prompts, others may allow more flexibility in your topic choice. Take note of any word limits or formatting guidelines to tailor your statement accordingly.

2. Showcase Your Genuine Interest in Pharmacy

Start your personal statement by showcasing your authentic passion for pharmacy. Explain why you want to become a pharmacist and how this career aligns with your personal goals and values. Share a significant experience or moment that ignited your interest in pharmacy, and highlight how helping people and making a positive impact drives your ambition.

3. Highlight Relevant Experiences and Achievements

Pharmacy schools value applicants with diverse experiences and achievements that reflect their readiness for this profession. Identify experiences, such as volunteer work, internships, or relevant coursework, that have prepared you for success in pharmacy. Describe how these experiences have shaped your skills and character, making you a well-rounded candidate .

4. Demonstrate Qualities of a Successful Pharmacist

Showcasing the qualities of an excellent pharmacist is crucial in your personal statement. Discuss the attributes you admire in pharmacists, such as empathy, problem-solving abilities, or effective communication skills. Substantiate your claims by providing concrete examples from your academic achievements or work experiences that exemplify these qualities.

5. Emphasise Your Uniqueness

Stand out by highlighting your unique strengths, qualities, or experiences . If you have real-life experience in the healthcare industry or have volunteered in relevant settings, share these aspects to demonstrate your commitment to pharmacy and your understanding of the field.

6. Address Any Weaknesses Proactively

If your application has any weaknesses, such as low grades , consider addressing them proactively in your personal statement. However, avoid making excuses and instead focus on how you have learned from these challenges and how they have shaped your determination to succeed.

7. Structure Your Personal Statement Effectively

A well-structured personal statement is easier to read and leaves a lasting impact. Organise your statement into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph should address specific points or themes coherently. Begin with a compelling opening that captures the reader’s attention and maintains their interest.

8. Craft a Strong Opening Paragraph

The opening paragraph is your chance to make a strong first impression . Consider starting with an engaging anecdote, a thought-provoking quote, or a captivating question that hooks the reader. This will set the tone for the rest of your personal statement and encourage the admissions committee to continue reading with enthusiasm.

9. Show, Don’t Tell

Avoid vague statements and use descriptive language and vivid examples to illustrate your qualities and experiences. Show the admissions committee how your skills and attributes have manifested in real-life situations , reinforcing your suitability for pharmacy school.

10. Seek Feedback and Revise

After completing your first draft, seek feedback from trusted individuals, such as teachers, mentors, or peers. Accept constructive criticism and make necessary revisions to refine your personal statement further. Multiple rounds of proofreading and editing will ensure your statement is error-free and communicates your message effectively.

Avoiding Common Mistakes in Pharmacy Personal Statements

Writing a pharmacy personal statement can be challenging, but avoiding common mistakes can significantly improve its impact on the admissions committee. Your personal statement reflects your passion for pharmacy and your suitability for the profession. 

To help you create a compelling and polished personal statement , let’s explore some common errors to avoid and essential proofreading and editing tips to ensure a stellar final draft.

Generic Statements:

One of the most common mistakes applicants make is using generic or clichéd statements that lack originality. Avoid using overused phrases and anecdotes that do not truly represent your experiences and motivations.

Lack of Focus: 

Your personal statement should clearly focus on pharmacy and why you are passionate about pursuing this profession. Avoid including unrelated experiences or irrelevant details that may distract from your main message.

Exaggeration and Overconfidence: 

While it is essential to highlight your strengths and achievements, avoid exaggerating or appearing overly confident . Be honest and genuine about your experiences and abilities.

Grammatical Errors and Typos: 

Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and typos can create a negative impression on the reader. Proofread your personal statement thoroughly to eliminate any such errors.

Long and Unstructured Paragraphs: 

Lengthy, unstructured paragraphs can make your personal statement difficult to read. Aim for concise and well-organised content to keep the reader engaged.

Focusing Solely on Academics: 

While academic achievements are crucial, a pharmacy personal statement should also emphasise your personal qualities, motivation, and relevant experiences that align with the profession.

Final Takeaways

Mastering the perfect pharmacy personal statement is vital for securing your dream program . Our expert tips will help you create a captivating, error-free statement highlighting your passion for pharmacy. Tailor it to each school, showcase your future goals, and stay authentic. 

A well-crafted personal statement can set you apart from other applicants. Follow the guidance this Medic Mind blog provides, and best of luck on your journey to pharmacy success!

→ Q: Should I include my academic achievements even if they are not directly related to pharmacy?

A: Yes, including relevant academic achievements can showcase your dedication and discipline. However, focus on highlighting experiences that demonstrate your passion for pharmacy.

→ Q: How long should my pharmacy personal statement be?

A: Aim for a concise statement, ideally one to two pages. Ensure it includes all essential information while keeping the reader engaged.

→ Q: Is it necessary to mention extracurricular activities in my personal statement?

A: Including extracurricular activities can show a well-rounded personality. Highlight experiences that demonstrate your leadership, teamwork, and commitment to service.

→ Q: Can I address any weaknesses or gaps in my academic history in the personal statement?

A: Yes, you can briefly address any weaknesses or gaps, but focus on how you have learned from those experiences and how you plan to overcome them in your pharmacy journey.

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History of Clinical Pharmacy Opinion Essay

Success in a professional career requires the ability to learn from the past. It is important to note that the time period between 1910 and 1959 was characterized by several incidences that acted as major platforms for the transformation of pharmacology in the world. Pharmacy in this period was composed of great levels of disorganization. Education and Pharmaceutical Standards were not available for determining the authenticity of pharmacists.

It is also necessary to note that there are significant aspects of current pharmaceutical practice that developed during this era. 1910 was characterized by the development of New York State Board of Pharmacy which helped in the creation of syllabus for the board as well as pharmacology schools which later become a standard for practice.

Five revisions were made to the standard in 1932 even though none of the fourth or final editions were adopted. American Council of Pharmaceutical Education was actually formed during this time. In addition, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, as well as, American Council of Educationwas formed.

The most significant milestone in Pharmacology that was witnessed between 1910 and 1959 era include the formation of pharmaceutical organizations. This provided platforms for the formation of standards used in the practice. This is beneficial since it has led to the development of the pharmaceutical practice today.

The new technologies were based on developments of such standards. The establishment of simple syllabus for the college of pharmacy during that era has also helped to shape the current syllabi in schools. The curriculum used between 1910 and 1959 within pharmacy schools was mainly characterized by simple programs such as B.S program. Learning was based on simple formulations of drugs.

This is a contrast to the current curriculum which is full of development of both technological and complex chemical solutions used in the formulation of drugs and learning. This period was largely significant in terms offormulation of legislations related the practice of pharmacy.

In my opinion, these legislations should have remained because of the fraud cases currently being witnessed in the practice today. On the other hand, I am glad that the technological and scientific developments emerged. This has since led to the changes in the ways of production and manufacturing of drugs (Elenbaas and Worthen 10-13).

1960 to 1999 was critical in terms of highlighting transformations in the history of the pharmacy. The use of human knowledge to advance pharmacy was the most critical aspect of pharmaceutical practice that emerged during this period. This period was also composed of a few evolutions in the practice, such as pharmacists being considered as information sources. Pharmacists operated their businesses and took pride in their entrepreneurial skills.

In addition, this period was also characterized bypharmacists showing interests for involvement in healthcare. However, there were several factors that acted as major impediments to the practice, such as inadequate training, laws, ethics, and perceived opportunity (Maehle, Prüll and Halliwell637–41). It is also important to note that trends for involvement in the institutional practice increased in this era.

There are a few notable differences in trend that can be observed between the practice in the 19 th century and the trend that has been witnessed since 2000. The major difference is in the use of technology. There are more technological developments that have led to more complex and sophisticated ways of formulation and development of drugs. This is increased accuracy and speed of production. In addition, research within the pharmaceutical field has increased during this era.

This is due to increase in awareness and pressure from the international organizations for the development of curative drugs for most illnesses facing the society. The training offered to students between 1960 and 1999 was mainly characterized by a system of guided instructions in pharmacology (Newton, Alasdair and Chris 1). However, this has since changed because the current era mainly focuses on excessive use of modern technology to enhance teaching.

This is accomplished through reliance on the internet libraries to supplement teaching. Training has been facilitated by improved approach, and several students around the world are currently able to pursue pharmaceutical courses within short periods of time due to the improved infrastructure for learning (Nagle and Barbara 45).

The future prospects indicate that pharmacy is moving to the electronic stage. By 2020, the manufacturing and development processes in drug processing will be highly electronic. Research development in the pharmaceutical field is also likely to increase with the increase in information. There is extensive expansion of knowledge, and this is most likely to increase in the near future. The use of computer technology is also likely to facilitate research. This will lead to more development in the field of pharmacology (Vallance 23).

In my opinion, practicing pharmacology 100 years ago would have prompted me to change the syllabus used in the colleges, as well as, several legislative policies that led to the deterioration of professionalism in the practice. I believe that the curriculum used 100 years ago led to delays in the progress of the practice. A change in the curriculum could have facilitated tremendous increase in effectiveness regarding the practice today.

Works Cited

Elenbaas, Robert, and Worthen Dennis. Clinical Pharmacy in the United States: Transformation of a Profession . New York: Harper Collins, 2000. Print.

Maehle,H. Andrea, Prüll R. Cay, and Halliwell Robert. “The emergence of the drug receptor theory.” Nat Rev Drug Discovery, 2002: 1 (8): 637–41. Print.

Nagle, Hinter, and Barbara Nagle. Pharmacology: An Introduction . London: Sage Publishers, 2005. Print.

Newton, David, Alasdair Thorpe, and Otter Chris. Revise A2 Chemistry . New York: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 2004. Print.

Vallance, Smart. “The future of pharmacology.” British journal of pharmacology, 2006. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2018, June 14). History of Clinical Pharmacy. https://ivypanda.com/essays/history-of-clinical-pharmacy/

"History of Clinical Pharmacy." IvyPanda , 14 June 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/history-of-clinical-pharmacy/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'History of Clinical Pharmacy'. 14 June.

IvyPanda . 2018. "History of Clinical Pharmacy." June 14, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/history-of-clinical-pharmacy/.

1. IvyPanda . "History of Clinical Pharmacy." June 14, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/history-of-clinical-pharmacy/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "History of Clinical Pharmacy." June 14, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/history-of-clinical-pharmacy/.

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Pharmacy Personal Statement Examples

What is a pharmacy personal statement?

Writing a personal statement for pharmacy is a chance to sell yourself to the admissions tutors and show them why you would make a great phramacy candidate.

It’s a place to describe your skills and strengths, as well as your career plans.

You are allowed up to 4,000 characters to explain why you are applying for a pharmacy degree, so you need to make sure your statement is as polished as possible to stand out from the crowd.

How do I write a good pharmacy personal statement?

Good pharmacy personal statements always use evidence to support their claims. You need to convince admissions tutors that you’re a good match for the programme, so if you claim to be committed or inquisitive, then use examples from your life to back it up.

To write a great pharmacy personal statement you need to start early, brainstorm some ideas, and then begin your first draft.

This will then need to be carefully revised and edited before asking family and friends for feedback. Incorporate their comments and suggestions, and see how it is improved before asking them to look at it again.

Read through our pharmacy personal statement examples to give you an idea of what a good pharmacy statement looks like.

Make sure you proofread your statement for grammar and spelling before sending it off, and if you feel you need a little extra help, take a look at our personal statement editing services .

What should I include in my pharmacy personal statement?

Many students choose to start their statement by picking a specific aspect of pharmacy and explaining why they enjoy it, e.g. drug chemistry, cardiovascular and renal systems, etc.

Admissions tutors want candidates that are as passionate about the subject as they are.

As well as your motivations for studying pharmacy, think about your hobbies and extracurricular activities too. What skills have you learned from these and how will these help you in your pharmacy degree?

Talk about any work experience placements you have completed, e.g. shadowing a doctor or nurse, or someone in a similar medical/clinical profession. What did you take away from this experience? Do you feel you have all the necessary personal traits and qualities that make a good pharmacy student?

Your wider reading is also important, so it's worth mentioning anything you've read recently that you found interesting and why. Generally, admissions tutors like students who express their views and opinions, and can back them up with evidence.

For more help and advice on what to write in your pharmacy personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
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• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
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• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

What can I do with a pharmacy degree?

There are many different career options open to those wishing to study pharmacy at university. These include:

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Community pharmacist
• Hospital pharmacist
• Research scientist

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Clinical research associate
• Higher education lecturer
• Medical sales representative
• Medical science liaison
• Pharmacologist
• Product/process development scientist
• Regulatory affairs officer
• Research scientist (life sciences)
• Science writer
• Toxicologist

For more information about careers with a pharamcy degree, please see Prospects and the National Careers Service .

What are the best UK universities for pharmacy?

Currently, the best universities in the UK for studying pharmacy and pharmacology are:

For more information about pharamacology university rankings in the UK, please see The Complete University Guide and SI UK .

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Our Pharmacy Blog

Mastering pharmacy case studies.

Introduction

If you are training to become a pharmacist, you will have had experience with pharmacy case studies. But why are pharmacy case studies so important?

As a qualifying pharmacist, case studies bring together the threads of study over the past four years. This includes your study of subjects such as:

• Pharmacology
• Pharmaceutical chemistry
• Pharmaceutics
• Clinical pharmacy practice

In practice, pharmacists are expected to draw on this knowledge and clinically apply it where necessary. These subjects feed into one another where knowledge of one subject became necessary to advance in a second subject and so forth. University staff overseeing the course structure put that structure together with these factors in mind. Pharmacy case studies are an important component, often toward the end of your pharmacy degree, that aim to establish the most relevant details that play a role in the career of a qualified pharmacist.

Case studies give pharmacy students an opportunity to test their understanding of a specialist topic. This may be anything from the formulation and dosing of medicines; to a drug’s mechanism of action, drug interactions, and clinical appropriateness for a medicine in a given scenario for a patient with specific factors to keep in mind. Evidently, this takes practice. There are many possible case study scenarios to consider. It can be difficult to always get things right.

Case studies are, then, a special kind of barometer through which we measure the professional competency of pharmacy students .

That is why pharmacy case studies are popular in degree programs – forcing students to think critically about a given topic – whether it be blood diagnostics, epidemiology, treatment options, or drug monitoring – tying together their past year’s study and how to apply this knowledge to (potentially) real-life situations.

Below, we’ve put together an introductory case study to provide you with a clear example of what kinds of questions can be asked and how best you should approach each question. With enough practice, clinical case studies become that much easier. And with time, students learn to enjoy case studies – as they are often your first direct experience of learning real and relevant facts that have an impact on your long-term professional career.

Pharmacy Case Study – Osteoporosis

A 49-year old woman with osteoporosis has been taking Fosamax for 6-months. She visits her GP complaining of acid reflux and pain radiating down her esophagus.

• What is the active ingredient of Fosamax?
• What is the mechanism of action of this medicine?
• Suggest a reason why this patient is taking Fosamax.
• How should the GP respond to the patient’s symptoms?
• What foods and/or medicines should the patient avoid?

Explanation

The questions ask more about the medicine – how it works, what it’s indicated for, how the GP should respond to patient symptoms and what interactions, from both food and drug sources, the prescriber and pharmacist must consider.

A – The active ingredient of Fosamax is alendronate; a bisphosphonate drug.

B – Alendronate works by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption (the process whereby bone is broken down and minerals are released into the blood).

C – As a 49-year old woman, the patient is likely post-menopausal. Bisphosphonates are routinely prescribed to prevent osteoporosis in these patients.

D – The patient may be improperly administering the medicine. Patients who do not follow the correct protocol of administering bisphosphonates are likely to experience specific symptoms, particularly relating to the esophagus and GI tract. Patients should be counseled to take the medicine in the morning on an empty stomach, whilst remaining upright, and taken with a full glass of water. This eases the bisphosphonate through the digestive tract without irritating the esophageal wall. Patients should avoid taking and food or medicines, both before and for at least 30-minutes after taking the bisphosphonate.

E – Two groups of medicines should be avoided. First, NSAIDs should be avoided; as they increase the risk of gastrointestinal side effects. Second, patients should avoid foods or supplements that contain multivalent ions such as magnesium, aluminum, or calcium. This category includes dairy products and antacids. As we learned above, bisphosphonates should be avoided with these medicines/foods for at least 30-minutes after the bisphosphonate has been taken (on an empty stomach).

Practice More Pharmacy Case Studies

The more pharmacy case studies you practice , the better prepared you are for the needs and demands that present during the licensing end of your pharmacy program. Pharmacy case studies help guide students through the must-know clinical facts about drugs and medicines; both theoretical and practical knowledge.

Clinical case studies are one of the ways in which students make the transition between an experienced, knowledgeable student and a clinical professional whose expertise can be trusted in the real world. Case studies bring pharmacy students to the next level. The more practice you put in, the better results you can expect as you progress through the licensing stage of your nascent career. That, in the end, is what matters.

That’s about it for our discussion of case studies! Check back to our pharmacy blog soon for more exclusive content to help you master the science of drugs and medicines and build your long-term career.

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Why I Became a Pharmacist: The Runners-Up

The runners-up in our third annual essay contest tell their stories.

The entries for our third annual essay contest, which asked readers to explain why they became pharmacists, ranged from the humorous to the heartfelt. To read the essay of our contest winner, Sharlene Ghassemi, PharmD, click here .

To read the essays of our 2 runners-up and the best essay by a current pharmacy school student, click on their names or scroll down. Thanks also to everyone who entered the contest.

• Alan Atchison, PharmD, MBA, CDE
• Robin Craft, RPh
• Kristen Masood, PharmD Candidate

Alan Atchison, PharmD, MBA, CDE Hepatitis C Clinical Pharmacist, Diabetes Educator, Walgreens at the St. Cloud Medical Group, St. Cloud, MN

Sometime the best answers are the ones that come years after asking a question.

I was asked the question, “Why did you become a pharmacist?” at a student health careers class I was speaking at 7 years ago. I came up with some typical responses: “I want to care for patients.” “Great work-life balance.” “Professional environment.” These seemed like the right things to say, but I have to admit there wasn’t a lot of heart in those answers. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate all of those things, but I can’t say they were enough to truly inspire me.

A few years after that speaking event, I sat down for a MTM/diabetes education appointment as part of a diabetes specific program my employer, Walgreens, gave me support to build in the clinic pharmacy where I work. The doctor who finally sent me the referral probably did so because he was sick of me bugging him for referrals, and he sent me his “worst” patient to try to get me to stop. I still remember the smell of cigarette smoke in that patient room and the terrible sound of this poor patient gasping for air. She started off by saying she needed help and didn’t know what to do. The gastric bypass surgeon would not operate on her because of her breathing issues, and she was scared about her diabetes since her dad had just passed away at age 62 after years of struggle and amputations. To be honest, I was a little scared too. I knew I was “next up” to find a solution for this poor 380-pound woman, and I didn’t want to let her down. We spent an hour talking about her medication, her diet, and exercise. We were able to set some simple goals for some pretty glaring issues and set a home monitoring plan with her glucose to make sure we kept in touch with her progress.

Every time this patient comes back to the pharmacy in the two years since her first appointment, and insists on giving me a hug, is the reason I became a pharmacist. Fortunately for her, and for close to 200 others that providers have trusted my team to help, the connection and accountability with a local pharmacist was the recipe for success with her health. Those hugs are easier every time, as she is down over 150 pounds (without gastric bypass). We’re still working on the smoking, but she has cut that in half. I lost a script when she was able to stop her metformin, but I’ve gained a customer for life—a hopefully much longer life at that!

This success has much more to do with the potential of our profession, and not about any special talent I bring to the table. I hope we all truly start to see how big this profession really is and can be in helping to meet our patients’ needs.

Robin Craft, RPh Co-owner with her husband, Joe, of Plain City Druggist and Midwestern Compounding Pharmacy, Plain City, OH

My husband, Joe, had just graduated from pharmacy school and received his pharmacist license a few months before our honeymoon. Since we had more than a 5-hour flight to Ireland for our 10-day honeymoon trip, Joe brought along a stack of pharmacy magazines with continuing education (CE) articles and quizzes for the long air travel.

At the airport, I began browsing through the magazines. The articles were interesting. I could easily answer the multiple guess questions at the end of each section. By the time I completed the quiz sheets, Joe wouldn’t have to do any CE for years!

Finishing up one of the quizzes, I innocently asked Joe, “Do you think I could become a pharmacist?”

His answer was a resounding, “Of course, you could!”

While I already had degrees in geology and English and a relatively good job with the government, I wasn’t very happy with the work I was doing. I was bored and didn’t feel challenged mentally, wasting my days away in a small cubicle where time seemed abundantly in excess.

I continued to ponder pharmacy school and, over the next few months, I took courses at a local community college to finish the requirements I needed to apply.

The following autumn, after being accepted into the pharmacy program at the Ohio State University, I started my first day of pharmacy classes. Joe and I were celebrating our 1-year anniversary as I began a staggering curriculum of medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, quantitative analysis, and compounding lab.

Joe says (although, I don’t recall any of this—I don’t believe I would ever act so violently!) that after my first week of classes, I came home and punched him in the arm as hard as I could.

“What did I do?” he asked, rubbing his bruised bicep.

“What have you gotten me into?” I supposedly asked him. “This stuff is impossible!”

Nothing at all like those easy CEs I had whipped out in minutes on our honeymoon.

“The worst part is,” I continued, “I can’t quit. I told everyone I was doing this. Why didn’t you tell me it was going to be so hard?”

For Joe, with his photographic memory and his sunshiny attitude, pharmacy school probably wasn’t as difficult as it seemed to me. He also had a very biased belief that I could succeed at anything, so he probably had no clue what his innocent, “Of course, you could,” had done to my life.

I hunkered down and made it through pharmacy school, receiving my degree and my license. I am glad I pursued pharmacy, as Joe and I now own an independent drugstore and get to spend a lot of time together—time we would never have shared if I had not become a pharmacist.

The moral of this story is, be careful asking your new spouse if they think you can do something. When they believe you are the best thing ever, they will always tell you that you are capable of anything!

Kristen Masood, PharmD Candidate Class of 2014, University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy

At a very young age, I decided I wanted to become a pharmacist when I grew up. When assigned a 1-day shadow experience in my middle school careers class, I could have chosen to shadow anyone. Many of my peers took the easy route by spending the day with their mom or dad and came back to class the next day most likely still unsure of their future career aspirations. I decided to shadow my friend’s mom, a pharmacist at Rite Aid. Thus began my path towards pharmacy school.

In high school, I spent a semester interning 10 hours a week after school with the same pharmacist I had shadowed and got to experience how a community pharmacist worked and interacted with the public. One memory of this internship that solidified my decision to pursue a career in pharmacy was a woman who came in with her husband just after finding out she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She was a regular at the pharmacy, having 4 children who always seemed to have an ear infection or to have caught a cold from somewhere, leading her into the pharmacy for medications. The compassion the pharmacy staff showed for this woman and her husband when they came in was heartwarming. It was like she was a member of the pharmacy family. While everyone was trying to comfort her, she managed to ask how the father of one of the pharmacists was doing after a recent heart attack. This experience stuck with me throughout the rest of high school and into college, where I decided to pursue a degree in biology on my path to pharmacy school.

During college, I worked part time as a pharmacy technician at an independent pharmacy in Niagara Falls, New York. This was another eye opening experience for me. The pharmacist/owner knew each customer by name and usually knew something else about their life. Whenever someone walked in, they were addressed by their name and assisted almost immediately. I really enjoyed my job at that small independent and before IPPE or APPE rotations even began, I had decided I wanted to work in a community pharmacy after I received my PharmD. After completing a majority of my rotations, I still believe my calling is in community pharmacy.

Since pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers, I feel that being a community pharmacist will put me in a position to help the largest number of patients. I enjoy interacting with people and watching their health and wellbeing improve. The joy I have seen in patients after being taught how to properly use their asthma medication or being helped to save money by switching to a generic prescription makes all the stress and hard work that has gone into getting a PharmD worthwhile.

While I have enjoyed and learned a lot during all my rotations at the University of Saint Joseph, I felt the most rewarded when working with patients in the community setting. My 4 weeks at CVS and 6 weeks at the Medicine Shoppe were very different experiences, but they have helped me solidify my decision to work in a community setting. With new initiatives such as Medication Therapy Management and immunizations, pharmacists can play a much more active role in patient care than in the past. I want to make a difference in my patient’s lives, and I know I will be able to do that as a pharmacist!

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• Clinical Pharmacy, Vision and Mission

Home / About Us / Clinical Pharmacy, Vision and Mission

The European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) was founded in 1979 by clinical practitioners, researchers, and educators from various countries across Europe. Since its foundation, there has been a gradual and sustained growth of clinical pharmacy in many European countries.

Clinical Pharmacy Definition

While there are many definitions of the term clinical pharmacy, a number of ambiguities remain. In order to clarify the ESCP position on what defines clinical pharmacy, a consultation exercise was conducted among ESCP members with the findings used as the basis for an updated definition.

The full paper was published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy ( https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11096-022-01422-7 ).

Core definition : Clinical pharmacy aims to optimise the utilisation of medicines through practice and research in order to achieve person-centered goals. 

Clinical pharmacy 

(1) represents both a professional practice and field of research.

(2) aims to optimise the utilisation of medicines in order to achieve person-centered and public health goals.

(3) as a practice encompasses cognitive, managerial and interpersonal activities targeting all stages of the medicines use process, and as a field of research generates knowledge that informs clinical decision-making, health care organisations and policy.

(4) as a practice is restricted to members of the pharmacy team.

(5) can be practiced regardless of setting.

(6) encompasses pharmaceutical care but is not restricted to it.

ESCP is an international leader in advancing quality and innovation in clinical pharmacy education, practice and research.

Our Mission

ESCP is an organization that promotes, supports, implements and advances education, practice and research in clinical pharmacy in order to optimize outcomes for patients and society.

• promotes the value and impact of clinical pharmacy services among health care professionals, scientific societies, health authorities and the public
• raises awareness of clinical pharmacy practice and its activities across Europe and internationally (e.g., through publications)

ESCP advances  education  by…

• providing symposia, workshops and specific courses on innovative approaches to clinical pharmacy education, development and delivery
• supporting ESCP members and institutions in identifying, organizing and delivering quality teaching programs in clinical pharmacy

ESCP advances  practice  by…

• providing a forum to share knowledge and ideas that develop and stimulate innovation in clinical pharmacy practice
• engaging and supporting international, national and local leaders in clinical pharmacy education, practice and research
• promoting a philosophy of practice in which clinical pharmacists are members of a multidisciplinary team of patient-centred health care providers

ESCP advances  research  by…

• disseminating clinical pharmacy research findings
• stimulating innovative and high-quality research in all areas of clinical pharmacy
• promoting and enabling multi-centre research in all areas of clinical pharmacy both within countries and between countries or differing healthcare delivery systems

The definition, mission and vision are available in a number of translations below.

• Oath to Society
• Member Benefits
• Organization
• Sponsors and Partners
• Become a Member
• ESCP Fellowship

Join ESCP (become a member)

Join ESCP today and help to strengthen our clinical pharmacy community. We are a global society for all members of the pharmacy team in all settings.

The International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy is affiliated with ESCP

ESCP is registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under number 40532427.

© European Society of Clinical Pharmacy, 2024

NHS priorities

Whether it’s to prepare for the next Pharmacy Quality Scheme deadline, or to increase your confidence in helping people with a learning disability, this section provides topic-specific pages that link to current NHS priorities. This section will support you in keeping your knowledge and skills up to date in order to provide high-quality pharmacy services and be service-ready.

Clinical pharmacy

Our clinical portfolio is expanding on a frequent basis, helping you to advance your knowledge and skills and deliver medicines optimisation in practice for all sectors of pharmacy. From two new focal points a year to our small group learning for hospital pharmacists – Optimise – this section focuses on clinical pharmacy, diseases and therapeutics.

Public health

The public health agenda is embedded in pharmacy, yet topics such as emergency contraception or stop smoking support are as prevalent as ever. As well as our public health workshops, use this section to access a wide range of resources to assure and maintain your competence, all underpinned by the Declaration of Competence system.

Learning programmes and assessments

e-assessment

Reflective essay clinical examination and procedural skills (primary care pathways)

• Released: 06/2017
• Reviewed: N/A
• Standard price: £

This is an assessment that pharmacy professionals are required to complete as part of the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway . You are only permitted to access and complete this assessment if you are participating in this learning pathway.  

Note for learners: essays will be marked within two weeks of the essay deadline and not within two weeks of submission Before you attempt this reflective essay assessment, you may find it useful to access the CPPE e-lecture on Reflection . This 30-minute learning programme looks at how we reflect and why this is a useful tool for pharmacy professionals. It will also allow you to develop your reflective skills and give practical tips on how to apply these to improve your practice.

This programme is not openly available, please see the details above.

Why should I do this assessment?

This is one of the essays that pharmacy professionals are required to complete as part of these learning pathways. Please note that your assessment will not be marked if you are not a part of the learning pathway.

How to do this assessment

Prepare to pass

Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the information in the assessment handbook and the CEPSAR book about the clinical examination and procedural skills assessment and reflective essay. The assessment handbook and CEPSAR book have all the information that you need to pass this essay.

Essay submission

The word count for this essay is between 800 and 1000 words.

Once you access the assessment and press the ‘submit’ button, you will see our terms and conditions for reflective essays. Once you click ‘begin’ you will see a page to enter your completed reflective essay. At this point you will not be able to exit the page and come back to the essay at a later date. We suggest you write your essay in a word document or other suitable file and then copy and paste your final submission into the assessment submission area once you have entered the assessment submission area. This allows more time for true reflection and ensures you have a personal copy as evidence of your continuing professional development.

You will need to access the relevant assessment to submit your essay. You can do this by searching for the topic using the search facility. The assessment is highlighted by the ‘A’ icon. Once you reach the webpage you can click on ‘Access’ to submit your essay.

Plagiarism and generative AI

Academic malpractice is any activity – intentional or otherwise – that includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results, and is considered a serious offence. Plagiarism is presenting the ideas, work or words of other people or documents without proper, clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. It can also include a close paraphrase of written words. One way to prevent plagiarism is not to construct a piece of work by cutting and pasting or copying material written by someone else into something you are submitting as your own work. In recent years, the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI) have rapidly evolved, with tools such as ChatGPT becoming widely available. Not using generative AI responsibly can be considered a form of plagiarism. As such, we ask that its use is openly and honestly declared. The University of Manchester Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching guidance states that “ presenting work created by Generative AI without suitable acknowledgement is plagiarism, and must be treated using the same principles and processes as plagiarism of a person ”. However, CPPE and The University of Manchester also recognise that, for some learners, tools such as generative AI can be beneficial in co-creating an essay from a series of their own concepts and ideas, where the individual may struggle with the task of long-form writing. When used appropriately, generative AI tools have the potential to enhance teaching and learning, and can support inclusivity and accessibility. This is considered to be a responsible use of generative AI.

We use reflective essays for a range of our learning programmes to encourage you to engage in reflective practice. The benefits of reflective practice are based on your personal learning and experience. Reflective practice can lead you to make positive changes for the benefit of people who use your services. Using a generative AI tool may help you in shaping and constructing your essay, but the personal elements that you need for your essay to pass cannot be generated by AI. If you use a generative AI tool, then you need to find a way to blend your personal experiences with the suggestions that the tool makes. If you use a generative AI tool to support you, you will need to complete a declaration as part of the essay submission process.

On submission, you may be asked to make a series of declarations. These will ask you to confirm you have followed good practice in constructing your essay and the work you are submitting is your own, original work. Additionally, you will need to declare whether you have chosen to use a generative AI tool to support you with this process.

This programme was reviewed by

The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE), University of Manchester is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

ACPE UAN: ACPE UAN (PT): Activity:

Question contributors

Learning pathways .

• Developing your career
• Providing pharmacy services
• Enhancing your skills
• Clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
• Supporting educators and trainers
• Supporting you

Quick links 

• Access Optimise
• Book a workshop
• CPPE viewer
• Declaration of Competence
• Return to practice
• All future workshops
• Charges and fees
• Open Programmes

Useful links 

• Go to theLearningpharmacy.com™
• Consultation skills for pharmacy practice
• General Pharmaceutical Council
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK
• Pharmacist Support
• The University of Manchester
• Clinical Pharmacy Congress
• elfh Single-Sign-On