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Hello! My name is Vinh and I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the pharmaceutical or family medicine physician field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers!
This is my second time asking this question. Unfortunately, I had only one person answer my previous question, so I wanted to ask again to get my questions out there. I have created a total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions to be a part of my assignment.
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
11. What is the hardest part about working in your professional job?
12. Were there any obstacles that you faced that slowed you down? If so, how did you stop them?
13. What would you like for people to know about this particular career before pursuing it?
Thank you for answering these questions, I really appreciate you being a part of my assignment. Please make sure that you have answered every question, as my assignment needs all of them.
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4 answers
Ghasem Dolatkhah
general practitioner, emergency physician
6
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Ghasem’s Answer
Hey there! Even though I'm from a different country with unique experiences, we may have some similarities when it comes to medical school. I'll try my best to give you some helpful input.
1. I'm a general practitioner who has worked as a family physician for one and a half years and an emergency physician for two years. I was drawn to medicine for a promising career and through my parents' encouragement, but I gradually fell in love with it. As a general practitioner, you get to take a well-rounded approach to problems, but there's less specialization, which means more referrals. Being a family physician takes lots of empathy and planning, while being an emergency physician can be thrilling and rewarding when you save lives.
2. It takes 7 years to become a general practitioner in my country. Specializing requires an additional four years of residency, while subspecialties or PhDs take another one and a half to three years.
3. Focus on your studies, but it can also be helpful to develop additional skills like crisis management, empathy, language proficiency, marketing, and learning about AI and programming in your final years of medical school. Trust me, these skills can be useful no matter where you are.
4. Everyone's different, but I think the most important factor is aligning income with your passions. If pursuing a PhD matches your goals and interests, go for it! Ultimately, you know what's best for you.
5. I took part in almost all university programs, as medicine demands breaks. It's a lengthy journey with challenging material, so find some balance.
6. No, never.
7. Yes, I shadowed professionals who were comfortable with medical equipment, skilled in marketing, great at managing stress, and had strong management abilities. I also worked closely with some lovely pharmacist colleagues.
8. The biggest challenge is not forgetting what you've learned. Truly understanding the material requires practical application with patients. That's the only way to be sure you've really learned it.
9. By reaching out to my professors and following their suggestions, I joined two scientific societies and participated in academic clubs, which eventually helped me with my thesis.
10. I think this has been covered in my previous answers.
11. The hardest part is managing multiple tasks. You need strong diagnostic skills, memory, clinical capabilities, stress management, crisis management, and clear communication to gain patients' trust. Trust is crucial to successful treatment.
12. For me, the long education duration without financial support was challenging. It's also important to find a balance between studying and personal life.
13. Only choose this field if you're truly passionate about it.
Wishing you all the best in your journey, fellow future doctor from across the globe! 😄
1. I'm a general practitioner who has worked as a family physician for one and a half years and an emergency physician for two years. I was drawn to medicine for a promising career and through my parents' encouragement, but I gradually fell in love with it. As a general practitioner, you get to take a well-rounded approach to problems, but there's less specialization, which means more referrals. Being a family physician takes lots of empathy and planning, while being an emergency physician can be thrilling and rewarding when you save lives.
2. It takes 7 years to become a general practitioner in my country. Specializing requires an additional four years of residency, while subspecialties or PhDs take another one and a half to three years.
3. Focus on your studies, but it can also be helpful to develop additional skills like crisis management, empathy, language proficiency, marketing, and learning about AI and programming in your final years of medical school. Trust me, these skills can be useful no matter where you are.
4. Everyone's different, but I think the most important factor is aligning income with your passions. If pursuing a PhD matches your goals and interests, go for it! Ultimately, you know what's best for you.
5. I took part in almost all university programs, as medicine demands breaks. It's a lengthy journey with challenging material, so find some balance.
6. No, never.
7. Yes, I shadowed professionals who were comfortable with medical equipment, skilled in marketing, great at managing stress, and had strong management abilities. I also worked closely with some lovely pharmacist colleagues.
8. The biggest challenge is not forgetting what you've learned. Truly understanding the material requires practical application with patients. That's the only way to be sure you've really learned it.
9. By reaching out to my professors and following their suggestions, I joined two scientific societies and participated in academic clubs, which eventually helped me with my thesis.
10. I think this has been covered in my previous answers.
11. The hardest part is managing multiple tasks. You need strong diagnostic skills, memory, clinical capabilities, stress management, crisis management, and clear communication to gain patients' trust. Trust is crucial to successful treatment.
12. For me, the long education duration without financial support was challenging. It's also important to find a balance between studying and personal life.
13. Only choose this field if you're truly passionate about it.
Wishing you all the best in your journey, fellow future doctor from across the globe! 😄
Thank you, Ghasem!
Vinh
Updated
Nadia’s Answer
1. Retail pharmacy
2. I did 8 years because I changed majors.
3. I began working as a parcelor.
4. That is a decision you will have to make depending on what is going on in your life.
5. No I was not.
6. No.
7. No
8. Not until later, nothing beforehand.
9. Pathophysiology in pharmacy school.
10. Patience
11. Not being able to help my clients as much as I would like to.
12. No
13. Look into the different avenues it offers ( law, research, retail, clinical etc) and go from there.
2. I did 8 years because I changed majors.
3. I began working as a parcelor.
4. That is a decision you will have to make depending on what is going on in your life.
5. No I was not.
6. No.
7. No
8. Not until later, nothing beforehand.
9. Pathophysiology in pharmacy school.
10. Patience
11. Not being able to help my clients as much as I would like to.
12. No
13. Look into the different avenues it offers ( law, research, retail, clinical etc) and go from there.
Thanks for the help, I am really grateful that you answered all 13, even though you didn't have to. Have an awesome day, Nadia!
Vinh
Updated
Parixit’s Answer
1. What profession did you choose? Why?:Pharmacy. To help patients feel better with offering them the best pharmaceutical care possible. Also, I love chemistry and pharmacy offers both.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? 6 years: 2 for 2 prepharmacy and 4 for pharm.D. degree
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job? Pharmacy technician
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? If you like conducting research, writing papers, and reading studies, research is good for you.
5. Were you in a college program? yes
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? No
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? Yes. You will get ample opportunities to shadow during school.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? There are many professional clubs and pharmaceutical fraternity that you can join.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Drawing
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? 6 years: 2 for 2 prepharmacy and 4 for pharm.D. degree
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job? Pharmacy technician
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? If you like conducting research, writing papers, and reading studies, research is good for you.
5. Were you in a college program? yes
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? No
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? Yes. You will get ample opportunities to shadow during school.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? There are many professional clubs and pharmaceutical fraternity that you can join.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Drawing
Thank you for answering my questions, Parixit. Have a good day.
Vinh
Updated
Nick’s Answer
1. What profession did you choose? Why? Pharmacy, I was naturally drawn to the therapeutics and medication side of medicine while in college.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? 7 years, 4 undergraduate, 3 pharmacy school.
3. What jobs did you work on before you landed your present professional job? Pushed carts at Tops Supermarkets, pharmacy technician at CVS.
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? Ph.D would be more for research instead of the traditional patient care roles.
5. Were you in a college program? Yes, undergrad for pre-requisites, then pharmacy school.
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? Yes, took a year off between undergrad and pharmacy school to finish pre-req courses.
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? I worked as a tech for a year.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical fraternity.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Organic chemistry
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career? Networking, negotiation.
11. Was there any specific reason or inspiration in your life for this career? Job security and interest in healthcare
12. Would you recommend this career to people who are sensitive emotionally? There are areas of pharmacy, such as health insurance companies where there is no patient connection and emotions are not typically part of your daily work. Oncology, on the other hand, might be rough.
13. How do you normally feel throughout every day of your job? A sense of fulfillment and endless desire to improve the state of our healthcare system.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? 7 years, 4 undergraduate, 3 pharmacy school.
3. What jobs did you work on before you landed your present professional job? Pushed carts at Tops Supermarkets, pharmacy technician at CVS.
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? Ph.D would be more for research instead of the traditional patient care roles.
5. Were you in a college program? Yes, undergrad for pre-requisites, then pharmacy school.
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? Yes, took a year off between undergrad and pharmacy school to finish pre-req courses.
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? I worked as a tech for a year.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical fraternity.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Organic chemistry
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career? Networking, negotiation.
11. Was there any specific reason or inspiration in your life for this career? Job security and interest in healthcare
12. Would you recommend this career to people who are sensitive emotionally? There are areas of pharmacy, such as health insurance companies where there is no patient connection and emotions are not typically part of your daily work. Oncology, on the other hand, might be rough.
13. How do you normally feel throughout every day of your job? A sense of fulfillment and endless desire to improve the state of our healthcare system.