I can’t even believe I am saying this. In less than a week, I will be graduating from my final year of residency. That just feels weird to type! My training will be over, and very soon I’ll be starting what I’ve been calling my “big kid job”. It’s a strange feeling because I’m 26 years old, and I’ve spent the majority of that time in school. Being a learner is all I know!
I moved up the ranks in grade school with the goal of graduating high school, then college, pharmacy school, and residency. All of that with the end goal of getting my first “big kid job”. Now that I’m here, I realized I hadn’t thought of what kinds of goals I have for myself post-training. When you’re in the thick of the work, it’s hard to imagine what actually happens when you finally finish. It’s an exciting concept that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I’ll probably share some of my career goals in a future post, but for now, I’ll just revel in the fact that I finally made it this far!
On top of figuring out all of my new goals, I’m working through so many emotions. On one hand, I am so relieved to be finished with the long, hard hours of residency, but I’m also DREADING leaving all the people who essentially “raised me” as a pharmacist. I even spent time as a student at my institution before becoming a resident, so it feels like I’ve been with them for 3 years. The other day one of my preceptors said, “This is the end of an era”, and she’s absolutely right. They call it a residency because you basically live there, and I have become fond of my 2nd home and the people who have invested so much in me over the last two years.
Thankfully my goodbyes are more like “see ya later” because my new job won’t be taking me too far away. I’ll be in a rural town near Tulsa, so I can always come and visit my favorite pharmacy fam!
Speaking of my new job… I am excited to announce that I’ll be working as an ambulatory care pharmacist in a primary care clinic for the VA! My official title is “Clinical Pharmacy Specialist”, and I will be seeing patients referred to me by the providers! I am thrilled with this opportunity because I love direct patient care, and my residency training prepped me perfectly for a position like this where I’ll be functioning and making decisions autonomously. Being a pharmacist is a fulfilling career, but being a pharmacist serving veterans in a rural setting with limited resources is going to fill my cup up to the brim! It’s a complete dream job, and I can’t wait to get started! Once I do, I’ll be sure to fill you in on more of the details!
Thanks for reading up to this point. For following along with me throughout pharmacy school and both years of residency. For cheering me on when I needed a little boost here and there. And thanks for sticking around for what’s to come in the future! I am so grateful for each and every one of you, and I love the little community we have created. Cheers to new a new chapter and the “end of an era”.
