Growing up in a community where most of my relatives had occupations in the medical field played a tremendous role in my decision to pursue a career in healthcare. My mother is a registered nurse (RN) and periodically going with her to work as a child gave me the chance to get a glimpse of what being an RN entailed. As I got older, I was still a bit uncertain about what career in medicine I wanted to pursue. Like most freshmen starting high school, I went in with an open mind, eager to explore my options as I was in the Health Sciences track. Everything changed when I was introduced to the field of pharmacy upon completing an assignment in my Principles of Health Science course during my first year of high school. After I finished the assignment, I concluded that pharmacists do more than just put pills in bottles all day. I instantly fell in love with the idea of being able to
educate patients and healthcare professionals about the safe and effective use of medications and health issues, as well as the different areas in pharmacy. Being very accessible to patients, unlike other healthcare professions, was another aspect of pharmacy I admired. Without a doubt, I was certain this was something I wanted to pursue. I was in the Health Science Practicum course my senior year where I was able to get hands-on experience with patients in the clinical and rehabilitation center setting. It also allowed me to apply the knowledge I gained in previous Health Science courses during each rotation. Listening and engaging with patients as they discussed the treatments they received helped me realize I wanted to encounter similar interactions in the pharmacy setting. This program helped solidify my decision to pursue a career in healthcare, specifically in pharmacy.