Pharmacy Practice in the U.S. - 
An Interview with Ryan Forrey

Pharmacy graduates in the United States today have more career options than ever before. Because of a pharmacist shortage and the increasing number of community pharmacies, the majority of new graduates enter this field. However, other choices include hospital pharmacy (both clinical and distributive roles), pharmacy practice residencies, community pharmacy residencies, managed care pharmacy, teaching, and pharmacy consulting for long-term care facilities. Several opportunities exist for pharmacists in both regulatory and scientific fields within the US Government (i.e. FDA, PHS) and the pharmaceutical industry as well.

After working two years in community pharmacy as a student, I decided to pursue a combined Masters degree and specialty residency in Health-Systems Pharmacy Administration at The Ohio State University. I chose this field because there is a growing need for new leadership and managers within the profession. My program is excellent because it teaches me how to be a leader and apply these skills to any career.

As I mentioned, there is a growing need for leadership within the profession. As many of today’s leaders are approaching retirement, it will be necessary to have well-trained people to follow them. As a profession, we cannot continue to grow and develop without key leaders to share their vision of the future and take us there. This is probably the single biggest problem facing the profession in the US today.

The pharmacist shortage in the US has been a hot topic with many in the profession as well. This issue may be important in the short term, but will not last. That is why it is important for new practitioners to set themselves apart from the pack and gain additional experience and education. I think too many students are focused on the allure of big paychecks in the short term to set their long-term career goals.

There are many ways in which new leaders can be developed and prepared to take over for the future. An excellent way is through residency programs such as mine at The Ohio State University and those at handful of other places throughout the US. These programs teach both leadership and the practical skills relevant to pharmacy administration. With the limited number of these residency positions available, it is also important for current practitioners and leaders to become mentors to pharmacy students and new practitioners in all fields. From my experience, the role of the mentor in shaping the direction and success of a new practitioner cannot be overemphasized. The most successful leaders I have known have all had mentors to guide them along the way.