“Are you sure you can get into pharmacy?”. That was the statement that nearly derailed me from being where I am today. Being in a position to not only impact healthcare but also to inspire and empower many future pharmacists who will undoubtedly progress the field.
For me, pharmacy was never in the front of my mind. I didn’t wake up one day as a child and say “yes, I must pursue pharmacy!” In fact, I thought the opposite. I always viewed the field to be quite uninteresting.
As a Ghanaian-born immigrant at the tender age of 5, I was just reveling in the “land of the free” that I heard so much about after finally “coming to America”. My only worldview of the health field was through my father who was a pharmacist…and that is where my initial disinterest in the field came from.
My father would come home looking stressed every other day with a new story about how another customer “decided to checkout their whole grocery list at the pharmacy window”.
And of course, can’t forget the “I ate my lunch standing up during my 5-minute break”. Needless to say, I was not exactly inspired to pursue this field however I was intrigued by the relatively high pay of pharmacy technicians.
What Changed?
As I matriculated through my undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland College Park, I gained an interest in the health field; particularly with the major disparities in healthcare access between America and what I observed in Ghana.
What stood out most to me was the final memories I had of my AIDs-stricken aunt as her health slowly deteriorated on her hospital bed because the facility didn’t have enough antiviral treatment for her. My initial disdain for the pharmacy field suddenly shifted when I got an opportunity to work as a pharmacy technician at Kaiser Permanente.
It was the first time I’d seen pharmacists work in an expanded capacity beyond simply “counting tablets.”
Granted, I respected the role of retail pharmacists however the ability for pharmacists to have direct patient care in a clinic setting and actually make therapeutic prescriptive decisions particularly intrigued me. I thought to myself: “what if more pharmacists like these were available in Ghana when my Aunt was sick? Would that have saved her life?”
My interest was piqued, my grades, however, were not.
And so as I approached my junior year in undergrad, I confidently searched for potential pharmacy school programs to apply to despite a 2.4 GPA (yikes). Side note, I felt smarter than a 2.4 GPA however I also knew I didn’t apply myself fully due to a lot of unconscious self-doubt. At this time, I sought advice from my assigned school advisor on best ways to position myself in efforts to achieve my career aspirations.
Discouraged
I was met with words with which began this story: “Are you sure you can get into pharmacy?”.
I was subsequently told to perhaps look into being a lab technician instead. Meanwhile my white counterpart with a similar GPA (trust me, he was my study partner) was told by the same advisor that he should “absolutely apply for Med School.” The words I received from my advisor was discouraging and I felt maybe she was right – this field was not for me.
I eventually graduated with my BS in biology and for several months, it felt like I was simply “going through the motions” as I continued the mundane cycle of working as a technician at Kaiser and trying to determine what I can possibly do with my biology degree. It wasn’t until one day I decided to ask my supervisor (a Howard University alumni) why she chose pharmacy.
Encouraged Once More
She beautifully articulated to me that she’s seen enough health-related deaths in her community to not pursue such a field. I was instantly reminded of why I wanted to pursue this career in the first place and so the passion was reignited. After I opened up to her my insecurities in making it in the field she simply replied “go for it, I believe in you”.
The mere words of support by someone who looked like me possessed so much power and was all the motivation I needed.
Zeal Restored
After several rejections, Howard University decided to give me a chance. However for me, that was all I needed. One thing my mentor told me when I started was that I have to remember that I am starting from ground zero and it was my opportunity to create my own destiny.
This mindset was invigorating and was the catalyst from turning my 2.4 GPA to an eventual 3.9 in Pharmacy school as I graduated with summa cum laude honors – yea I couldn’t believe it either.
However, it was a display of the power of authentic support which had become a common theme in my journey thus far. And so that was the inception of the Pharmacy Initiative Leaders (PILs). I wanted to develop a system that is designed to empower, support, and build underrepresented communities who may be deprived of adequate resources.
Though PILs was conceived at Howard, my vision was to take it beyond the institution level and impact individuals on a national and eventually global scale. I was able to make this possible with the bold efforts of three other pharmacy leaders whose passion aligned with mine: Dr. Joshua Blackwell, Dr. Onye Ononogbu, and Dr. George Okpamen.
What Exactly Is PILs?
PILs is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation which seeks to establish quality connections within the pharmaceutical profession and serve as a premier resource for the success of aspiring pharmacists.
With the exciting progressions of pharmacy today, our purpose is to empower underrepresented individuals to succeed at every stage of their pharmacy journey through authentic support and connection. With services such as coaching and professional webinars, our vision is to exponentially increase the diversity and inclusion of pharmacists, both locally and globally, in all facets of healthcare.
“We aspire to do this by illuminating, cultivating, amplifying, connecting, and building our communities AT EVERY STAGE.”
What Happened To Me After Pharmacy School?
Through my didactic training at Howard, I knew I wanted to pursue a career which fulfilled me in all that I endeavor to achieve. Furthermore, I always believed that a system which incorporated pharmacist with prescriptive authority was the key to healthcare optimization in this country. This led me to pursue postgraduate training via a PGY-1 (at the Micheal E. DeBakey Veterans Helathcare System) and eventual PGY-2 training.
The field of Mental Health was one that I always felt pursued me. I always seemed to find the most purpose whenever I worked in this realm. The first psychiatric patient under my care in residency was a 21-year-old black male, whose interaction solidified my decision to pursue this field. He was constantly in and out of the psych unit and it wasn’t until my encounter with him in which he finally felt heard in his own words.
“That moment was powerful for me and I have not looked back since.”
I went on to complete my PGY-2 in psychiatry at the South Texas Veterans Affairs where I was able to hone the concept of treating the person and not the condition. Today, I currently serve (not “work”, serve) as an outpatient clinical pharmacy specialist in psychiatry at that very institution.
If you could go back in time, what will you change?
If I were to go back in time, I wouldn’t change anything however I would simply tell my younger self to “keep going, I believe in you”. I’ve learned that we are our own greatest inhibitors and once we get out of our own way, we truly surprise ourselves of the people we can become.
Lesson
If you get stuck during your journey, ask yourself “The Whys”. Why are you pursing what you’re pursing? If you let your passion navigate, you will land at your destiny. Life is difficult and success may at times seem blurry however by embracing sources of support and approaching life with a limitless mindset, we can truly WIN AT EVERY STAGE.
For more information about PILS, visit: www.pilsconnect.com
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