Phil Lesh & Friends

Today, Jared and I really got a chance to talk about job happiness in the world of pharmacy.  After pharmacy school he drove out to Portland with no plan, just knew he wanted to live on the West Coast.  He landed a job working for Safeway Pharmacy for 1 year. He hated it. He came home ever night stressed out, had anxiety.  After a year he decided to go back and do a 1 year residency at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. A residency in pharmacy is like a medical residency. More work, less pay but you come out with better credentials.  Now Jared is working at Providence Medical Group as a Clinical Pharmacist.  He does medication consults and works with prescribers on high risk medication refills evaluations.  Jared really enjoys his job and is extremely happy with his decision to go back and do a residency.  Jared thinks I should apply to a residency this year.  Since I am already taking the time off I wouldn't miss the income and the application process starts in December, programs starting in the summer.  Honestly, if I was confident I would get into one I would love to.  I don't care about the money I just think 3 years in retail has turned my brain into mush.  I am not competitive or smart enough, I wasn't when I applied 3 years ago!  I applied to some residency programs when I was in pharmacy school.  I really thought I wanted to do pediatric oncology.  This type of specialty would have required two years of residency.  It is extremely competitive, would have required multiple moves to various states that offer the programs, and there is no grantee of a job because they are few and far between.  I ultimately decided not to participate in the match process for residencies because Target offered me a position and it was the "safe" choice.  I do think it's too late in the game for me to go back and try to do pediatric oncology but I wish that I could get more information on how to incorporate my undergraduate degree in Pharmacology/Toxicology with my pharmacy degree.

Today I am meeting some USP alumni at Terrapin Crossroads, Phil Lesh's farm to table restaurant and music venue where happy hour starts at 4:20pm, so naturally that's when we are meeting.  Stacy Rosemarin, who works for University of the Sciences (USP), in their alumni relations department was also the faculty advisor of my sorority Kappa Epsilon when I was a student at USP.  Stacy is probably one of the most personable woman I have ever met, so it's no wonder the school hired her for this job.  Over the years while I went back to pharmacy school Stacy and I always stayed in touch. Stacy is a snow bird that comes back and forth between Point Pleasant, NJ and Florida.  When Chris passed away she was there for me helping me get my licensing paperwork pushed through in NJ, seeing if there was anything I needed.  

I am always hesitant to participate in USP alumni events.  I hate explaining myself to people.  I didn't go to USP for pharmacy, but then I went back for a pharmacy degree somewhere else.  So I never would agree to go an organized alumni event but because it's Stacy and she was in "SF" and it was a casual thing at 4:20 at Phil Lesh's restaurant I figured "Why the hell not?"  Networking is important.  Why not meet other alumni in California working outside the retail setting?  I need to see what other pharmacists are doing and get my name out there.  Turns out Phil Lesh was actually there playing music hanging out, no big deal!  It was pretty awesome.  Glenn, USP alumni, and his wife Danika were some pretty hip 'dead heads' very into music and travel, I enjoyed getting to know them.  Unfortunately, we talked very little about jobs and a lot about life, travel, music, and California. 

Song of the day "Wish I Knew You" Revivalists.  I really like this song a lot.  I picked it today  because let's face it, sometimes it's all about who you know and Stacy Rosemarin knows everybody!

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