Beyond Prescriptions; The Diverse Adventures of an Academic Pharmacist

There are many opportunities that are excellent in pharmacy, but Academia is one of the best! Pharmacists who appreciate working with students and conducting clinical research or clinical practice may find academia to be an appealing choice. Academic clinical pharmacists commonly have a clinical practice and so they get a direct patient care experience. Moreover, Academic pharmacists have teaching responsibilities towards their medical team at their clinical practice site. They’re also involved in teaching in the classroom and building foundational pharmacists’ competencies. These pharmacists are afforded the opportunity to participate in ongoing professional development via travel, publication of scholarly works, and conference presentations, all of which contribute to their ongoing updating of knowledge and skills.

The cornerstone of pharmacy education is the academic function, where committed professionals blend the art of teaching, the quest of knowledge via research, and the development of future pharmacists' skills. Academic pharmacists’ main duties consist of service, scholarship, and instruction. Academic roles can be classified as tenure-track or non-tenure-track, and the distribution of responsibility is contingent upon the nature of the role and the college's objectives. Giving lectures, leading discussions in small groups or during laboratory sessions, interacting with students or advisees outside of class, and supervising students at practice sites are some examples of an Academic pharmacist’s teaching duties. The academic pharmacist wears several hats, performing administrative tasks, scientific research, teaching and mentoring. They are responsible for teaching courses, managing teams, conducting research, educating students through lectures, peer review studies, current findings, publication of reports, offering advice to students, control of practice sites and participate in assessment initiatives. Their dedication to improving pharmacy education and research is highlighted by this high level of engagement.

In addition to this, academia has been known to reach beyond, right into the horizons of technology and technological innovation. This is a relatively new field, as opposed to the basic and conventional subjects taught at various universities. "Pharmatech", or technology in pharmacy. The advent of more sophisticated technology has made it a necessity in the field of pharmacy as in the instance of automated dispensing units and medication therapy management, making it even more relevant to have this incorporated into academia, in different ways such as teaching students how to use different equipment used in the industries during formulation of medication, together with those used in extemporaneous compounding in more advanced hospitals. Moreover, the rush that Artificial Intelligence has created has seen its incorporation in our daily lives. Using the popular example, Chat GPT has provided many useful learning strategies and "quick-fixes". This has led to students taking advantage of its efficiency, hence the need to educate students on how to efficiently utilize artificial intelligence as responsible members of the healthcare community.

To become an academic pharmacist, one can pursue majors such as Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical Pharmacy, Kinetics, Biostatistics, and many more.

A doctorate degree is most often required if one is interested in a campus-based position in social-administrative or pharmaceutical science departments. In a pharmacy practice department, shared or campus-based positions necessitate a PharmD, state licensure, and postgraduate training—a residency or fellowship lasting one to two years. Experienced pharmacists (without postgraduate training or PharmD degrees) are often seen in faculty positions that focus on introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experience as a preceptor or instructor in practice skills laboratories.

A PhD, PharmD, a master’s degree, or a BSPharm are some of the requirements for an Academic pharmacist position in a relevant field. In contrast, some positions require only a pharmacy degree. Experience in teaching and research is preferred most of the time, in addition to a PGY1 or PGY2 residency in a relevant field.

Excellent organization and time management skills are necessary to make this type of position beneficial to all parties involved. From one academic year to the next, you must pay attention to the requirements for promotion and/or tenure to ensure that you are progressing through the academic ranks. A new faculty member is typically appointed as an assistant professor. Although promotion criteria may vary from one academic institution to another, an assistant professor must demonstrate a record of accomplishment over at least 5 years before being eligible to apply for promotion to associate professor; an associate professor is typically eligible for promotion to full professor after a minimum of 7 years.

Strong communication skills are a must for an Academic pharmacist, due to the fact that an Academic pharmacist is in constant interaction with their pharmacy students, their patients, their coworkers and other healthcare professionals.

As every rose bears thorns, so does academia have its own challenges. Pharmacy is a field that is dynamic, it is constantly undergoing changes in almost every sector. Be it policy or new medicines being introduced into the market, something is different today compared to yesterday. This evolving healthcare landscape keeps everyone on their toes, from lecturers to students to the CEOs of pharma companies. It therefore becomes a challenge to keep up, forcing everyone to stay alert and flexible so as to adapt as required to healthcare trends.

Many global healthcare initiatives have also come forward, each with its own unique perspective of achieving oneness in health standards across the globe, but all with common challenges one of which is the gaping hole that stands between us and the very future of oneness. Even as campaigns by various institutions continue to be pushed, lecturers are tasked with preparing their students to take up active roles in these campaigns, if not at the very least exposing them to the importance of such initiatives. It is also up to the students to keep abreast with current struggles facing these initiatives because they tend to manifest at very basic levels, for example, when a patient presents with a microbial strain resistant to certain antibiotics.

Academia offers continued professional growth opportunities and flexibility in setting the direction of your career. Additionally, there are many opportunities for mentoring and collaboration.

A position as clinician-educator offers a unique blend of patient care and academic activities. New faculty members can enhance their likelihood of success by learning about the academic environment, creating mentoring relationships, and understanding the expectations of academia. Although the challenges are many, the rewards can be great for those who are committed to achieving their personal vision of professional success.

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Article by:

Salam Khoder - IVPN Student Public Health Committee Member

Gloria Okeyo - IVPN Student Webinar Committee Member

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