Professional Development and Plan Navigation Notes on Pharmacy Career Transitions in Pharmacy Practice

Background of the Instructor and Professional Transitions

• The instructor has been a licensed pharmacist for $33$ years.
• Over these $33$ years, the instructor has held at least $7$ different jobs.
• Early in the career, pharmacists had the mobility to leave one job and walk into another immediately.
• The instructor primarily worked in hospital, health system, and institutional pharmacy settings.
• Experience with RIF (Reduction in Force):
  • Several job terminations occurred due to consultants advising hospitals that they had too many pharmacists on staff.
  • Professional opportunities often prompted job changes, such as seeking better work environments and higher compensation.
• The LeBron James Metaphor:
  • LeBron James is a significant figure in Northeast Ohio (from Akron, played for the Cavaliers).
  • He was criticized when he announced on TV that he was leaving Cleveland for the Miami Heat in South Beach to work with better individuals and earn more money.
  • The instructor argues that most people criticize such moves even though they would personally choose a job with better coworkers and higher pay over a subpar environment with less pay.
• Professional development is a continuous process involving being sought out for new roles based on performance and reputation.

The Professional Development Plan (PDP) and Self-Assessment

• The PDP is designed to assist students in reaching their desired professional goals.
• A core component of the course is self-discovery to identify individual strengths and challenges.
• Targeted areas for improvement may include:
  • Time management.
  • General leadership skills.
  • Navigating introversion: Introverts can succeed in pharmacy but must develop strategies to interact effectively with patients on a daily basis.
• The PDP is linked to the Educational and/or Programmatic Outcomes (ACOPE) discussed by Dr. Elder.

Accreditation and the Co-Curriculum Definition

• The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredits all Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs in the United States.
• ACPE refers to the professional development plan as the "co-curriculum."
• Definitions of Activities:
  • Extracurricular Activities: Activities outside of regular studies (e.g., sports, band, or drama club in a general high school).
  • Co-curricular Activities: Activities strongly related to the field of study but occurring outside general classroom coursework.
• Professional Development (PDP) is the internal term for these activities designed to help students grow as pharmacy professionals and individuals.

Navigating Resources and Advising Requirements

• Finding the PDP:
  • Location: Blackboard -> Organizations -> PharmD Students -> Professional Development (link on the left-hand side).
  • Document Length: Approximately $6$ pages.
• Advising:
  • Every student has a faculty adviser. If a student is unsure of theirs, they must see the instructor.
  • Frequency: Students must meet with their adviser at least twice a year (summer/fall and winter/spring).
  • Flexibility: Students can meet more frequently (e.g., every quarter or few weeks) if they and the faculty member agree, especially if the adviser has a background in the student's area of interest.

State Licensing and Continuing Education (CE) Context

• Professional development mirrors the requirements for licensed pharmacists.
• Kentucky CE Requirements:
  • Amount: $20$ hours every year.
  • Period: Between March $1$ and February $28$.
  • Mandatory Content: At least $1$ hour must cover substance abuse, substance use disorder, or opioids.
• Ohio CE Requirements:
  • Period: Every $2$ years.
  • Mandatory Content: At least $2$ hours must cover pharmacy law.
• These state-specific "nuances" apply even if the pharmacist has never practiced in that specific clinical area in that state.

Mandatory Professional Milestones

• White Coat Ceremony: Occurs on July $31$ (for the current P1 class).
• Pinning Ceremony:
  • Timing: Spring quarter of the second professional (P2) year.
  • Significance: Marks the transition from didactic (classroom) work to Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) in hospitals and communities.
• Mock Interview:
  • Timing: Early spring quarter of the P2 year (typically in April).
  • Format: $15$ to $20$ minutes of interviewing with volunteer employers, followed by $5$ to $10$ minutes of feedback.
  • Focus: Improving verbal cues (eliminating "um" or "you know what I mean"), non-verbal communication (hand movements), and answer robustness.
• Career Services Activities:
  • Coordinated by Austin Foe and Andrea Randell (Career Services for College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences).
  • Includes workshops on LinkedIn and professional networking.
• Graduation: Final participation after $3$ years of the program.

Professional Development Plan (PDP) Hours and Approval Rules

• Hour Requirement: Minimum of $20$ hours per professional year.
• Workload Comparison: $20$ hours over $350$ days is equivalent to roughly $2.5$ work days.
• Timing for P1 Students:
  • P1 hours started accruing in July.
  • Deadline: All hours must be completed by May $31$.
  • P2 cycle: Begins on June $1$ of the P1 year.
• Pre-Approval Rule: Every activity MUST be approved by the instructor or Dr. Frederick (Office of Student Affairs) PRIOR to participation.
  • Example: Students who attended the Standard Care Summit in May but submitted after the fact were not following protocol.
  • Certain meetings like the KSHP meeting in October are pre-approved, but students should check the list.
• No Remuneration Rule: Students cannot receive any payment, credit, or other benefit for PDP hours:
  • No IPPE hours.
  • No pay from employment.
  • No extra credit for courses (e.g., APHA patient counseling competition extra credit makes the activity ineligible for PDP hours).

Categorization of Activities and Limits

• Caps on Hours: No single activity or recurring local volunteer role can count for more than $8$ total hours.
  • Reason: To ensure students experience varied areas of professional growth.
• Activity Categories:
  • Community Service Pharmacist Centric: Practice of pharmacy (e.g., flu clinics, NARCAN kits) under a licensed Kentucky preceptor. Note: Kentucky law requires pharmacists to be licensed for $2$ years before becoming a preceptor.
  • Professional Development Active: Activities with a tangible "end product" (e.g., a CV workshop where the student leaves with a draft of their Curriculum Vitae).
  • Professional Development Passive: Sitting and listening to a lecture or organization presentation (e.g., Lunch and Learns).
  • Community Service Non-Pharmacist Centric: General volunteering (e.g., coaching sports, teaching at a place of religion).

Submission, Reflection, and Accountability

• Submission Form: Log hours through the PDP Activity Submission Form on Blackboard.
• Timing: Log after the event is complete, but within $14$ days of the event.
• Audit: Students must keep confirmation emails as the Office of Student Affairs may randomly audit students similarly to how the Board of Pharmacy audits pharmacists.
• Reflection Process: The form requires describing what was learned and what will be done differently. The goals of reflection are to:
  • Increase self-awareness.
  • Increase sense of control.
  • Increase accountability for one's own education.
• Educational Limitations: Faculty cannot teach every medication or disease state in $3$ years; students must learn to educate themselves on obscure or new medications.

Leadership and Committee Opportunities

• Committee Roles: Managed by the Office of Student Affairs.
  • Some are via self-nomination or peer nomination followed by an electronic ballot (voting window: $1$ week to $10$ days).
  • Some are Dean appointments where administration ensures wide participation.
• Class Representatives:
  • Three representatives are elected per class.
  • Nominations typically occur at the end of the first quarter.
  • Candidates provide a statement of $150$ words or less for the ballot.
• Requirements for Leadership:
  • Minimum GPA of $2.5$.
  • No active professionalism contracts. Students on a professionalism contract for unprofessional behavior are ineligible for leadership.
• Organization Elections: Professional organizations run their own elections, usually in late winter or early spring, transitioning leadership before P2s leave for APPEs in May.

White Coat Ceremony Logistics and Protocol

• Date: Friday, July $31$.
• Time: $3:00$ PM.
• Location: Founders Hall, UofL Shelbyhurst Campus (Shelbyville Road and Hurstbourne Parkway).
• Arrival: No later than $2:30$ PM. Miss Nelson manages logistics; being late is not advised.
• Dress Code: Minimum of business casual.
  • Men: Collared shirt, khakis, and dress shoes (ties are optional). No jeans or tennis shoes.
  • Women: Dr. Jones will provide specifics. Since the stage is raised, the length of dresses or skirts must be appropriate and significantly longer than the short white coat.
• Coating Ceremony:
  • Students can request a "loved one" to coat them if that individual is a healthcare professional (Physician, Nurse, PT, OT, PhD Professor, etc.).
  • Names and professions of these individuals are submitted to be announced during the ceremony.
• Preparation: Pick up white coats from the Dean's office; follow specific tags for washing and pressing.

Questions & Discussion

• Question: Regarding the class representative statement?
  • Response: Candidates can campaign however they wish, but the official statement on the ballot is limited to $150$ words.
• Question: Regarding committee vs. organization emails?
  • Response: Committee nominations were sent by the instructor; organizations handle their own election schedules independently.
• Question: What if a PhD professor wants to coat me?
  • Response: That is acceptable as they have received a white coat and have a doctoral degree; they usually wear their own white coat during the ceremony.
• Question: Challenges in getting Community Service Pharmacist Centric hours?
  • Response: It is the student's responsibility to find these opportunities. Corporate policies often require students to be employees to immunize, making volunteering difficult. The instructor will send out opportunities if they arise, but students are encouraged to proactively ask at their own practice sites or with colleagues.