Career Pathways for PharmD Students
Follow these steps throughout your education to set and achieve your professional career goals.
Career Steps for P1 Students
Meet with your faculty advisor
Talk with your faculty advisor and others about how to best prepare to make yourself competitive.
Apply your relationship-building skills cultivated in PHM 101 (through pre-pharmacy club and faculty office hour attendance) and in pre-pharmacy academic advising to your faculty advisor meetings.
Request an alumni mentor
We pair interested students with an alumni “guide” called a Dean's Alumni Ambassador (DAA) Mentor. Your DAA Mentor would be chosen for you based on your interests. DAA Mentors introduce students to career opportunities and develop relationships with practicing pharmacy professionals. We are also pleased to offer mentors for our students underrepresented in pharmacy (UIP).
Chat with a peer mentor
Dean's Student Ambassador (DSA) Peer Mentors are available to chat with prospective and current students. Consider this a great complement to meeting with your academic advisor or mentor.
Network! Network! Network!
The secret to future success is getting involved, early and often! You should be networking and demonstrating your involvement outside the classroom. We strongly encourage you to network. Most jobs are found by making connections with professionals and alumni.
Each semester, we offer a free networking event. This is a meet and greet event with area pharmacy leaders. These events are for you to learn what pharmacists in different disciplines do. The event is mandatory for all PharmD students - students must attend the event either in the fall or spring semester.
We also offer Career Day, an annual event that gives students the opportunity to network with potential employers and obtain information about career and employment options.
For more information about these events, contact Professor Karl Fiebelkorn.
Internships and Employment
Upon receiving your intern permit, use your advisor, mentor and networking relationships to find and apply for an internship. You can also get a job as a pharmacy technician.
We strongly recommend your internship and/or job total less than 10 hours per week during the academic year.
In addition, in partnership with UB Career Services, we invite you to take advantage of Bullseye, an online service that makes it easy for UB students and alumni to connect with employers. If you are looking for a job or internship, we encourage you to login and start managing your search today. The service includes on-campus jobs, part-time jobs, career opportunities, and more!
PharmD Coursework for Career Development
Pharmacy Professionalism Courses
As part of the PharmD curriculum, you will learn basic fundamentals of professionalism, individual development, and pharmacy practice through PHM 577, 578, 677, 678, 777 and 778. Topics include networking and interviewing, professional organizations, critical thinking and problem solving, effective communication, strategies for pharmacy school and more.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Co-Curriculum Activities
Start developing your Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Plan. CPD is a self-directed, ongoing, systematic and outcomes-focused approach to lifelong learning that is applied into practice. Each year, students identify something they would like to further develop and use the CPD process to work towards that goal. Students should use at least one co-curricular activity as part of that plan, which are experiences that complement what is learned in the curriculum. Examples include but are not limited to: leadership and professional service, wellness and patient care activities, and legislative advocacy events.
Electives
Elective courses provide students with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills and professional attitude beyond that provided by the core curriculum.
Micro-credential Programs
Micro-credential programs provide you with specialized knowledge in research, teaching, and professional development beyond that provided by the core curriculum, preparing you for postgraduate training.
Interprofessional Education
Interprofessional Education (IPE) prepares UB health professions students to work in a collaborative team environment to provide highly effective care.
Dual and Collaborative Degree Programs
Want to distinguish yourself? Add a degree to get a career edge! Our dual and collaborative degree programs combine multiple interests into one degree, allowing you to save time, money, and enhance career opportunities.
Pharmacy Series: Success in Program and Profession
The purpose of our Pharmacy Series is to provide important program information, career pathway opportunities, and networking events with practicing pharmacists and professionals.