Not Your Typical Pharmacist: Nontraditional Career Paths
In recent years, the array of career options for pharmacists has expanded way beyond the traditional settings of retail drugstores and hospitals. Pharmacists now work in unusual settings, such as cruise ships, at missionary hospitals in Africa, and at Yellowstone National Park. It's even possible to work as a writer for Medscape while living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In fact, some pharmacists manage to combine their different passions to create a truly unique job. For example, Tina Bayuse, PharmD, had a keen interest in outer space. As a pharmacy student, she arranged an experiential rotation in the pharmacology lab at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). After finishing pharmacy school and passing the licensing exam, Dr. Bayuse was hired by Wyle Laboratories, a NASA contractor, to serve as the space agency's first and only clinical pharmacist.
Today, Dr. Bayuse is Director of Pharmacy for the Johnson Space Center Pharmacy and has a small pharmacist staff. She works with NASA's medical operations staff, performing such duties as packing medical kits for the space shuttle and the international space station. Her job also entails working at the flight medicine clinic, writing policies and procedures for the clinic's pharmacy, and dispensing prescriptions to astronauts and their families.
"Making a career in a unique or nontraditional site requires passion and perseverance," Dr. Bayuse said. "Aside from the obvious topic knowledge that you would need to make this transition, there are a few other traits that would be an asset. The first trait is the ability to think outside the box in order to apply what you already know from the traditional environment to the unique setting. The second trait is strong communication skills, both written and spoken, in order to help management and your colleagues understand your vision."
Of course, most pharmacy jobs are not that highly individualized. But pharmacists who are interested in practicing outside the traditional retail and hospital settings do have a variety of options.
In recent years, the array of career options for pharmacists has expanded way beyond the traditional settings of retail drugstores and hospitals. Pharmacists now work in unusual settings, such as cruise ships, at missionary hospitals in Africa, and at Yellowstone National Park. It's even possible to work as a writer for Medscape while living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In fact, some pharmacists manage to combine their different passions to create a truly unique job. For example, Tina Bayuse, PharmD, had a keen interest in outer space. As a pharmacy student, she arranged an experiential rotation in the pharmacology lab at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). After finishing pharmacy school and passing the licensing exam, Dr. Bayuse was hired by Wyle Laboratories, a NASA contractor, to serve as the space agency's first and only clinical pharmacist.
Today, Dr. Bayuse is Director of Pharmacy for the Johnson Space Center Pharmacy and has a small pharmacist staff. She works with NASA's medical operations staff, performing such duties as packing medical kits for the space shuttle and the international space station. Her job also entails working at the flight medicine clinic, writing policies and procedures for the clinic's pharmacy, and dispensing prescriptions to astronauts and their families.
"Making a career in a unique or nontraditional site requires passion and perseverance," Dr. Bayuse said. "Aside from the obvious topic knowledge that you would need to make this transition, there are a few other traits that would be an asset. The first trait is the ability to think outside the box in order to apply what you already know from the traditional environment to the unique setting. The second trait is strong communication skills, both written and spoken, in order to help management and your colleagues understand your vision."
Of course, most pharmacy jobs are not that highly individualized. But pharmacists who are interested in practicing outside the traditional retail and hospital settings do have a variety of options.
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