Academic/Industry Fields?

[Oink]

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Hey guys. I wanted to know where's a good place to find more information about becoming an academic pharmacist or working in pharmaceutical industry? Is looking for jobs in these fields easier/harder than looking for jobs as a retail/hospital pharmacist? What do you have to do during pharmacy school to give yourself a good shot at being successful in the academia or industry fields?

I always thought about teaching as a career and the industry field looks interesting too.

 

[EBT12]

I cannot comment on industry, but the process of obtaining an academic job is definitely different than the process of obtaining a retail/hospital job. There are different types of positions within academia, such as tenure track (at some schools, this is mostly researchers with PhD's), non-tenure track (clinical pharmacists generally with residencies +/- fellowships), and adjunct faculty (may take rotation students and/or give a few lectures). The book "Getting started as a pharmacy faculty member" has a lot of information about what academic positions entail. In short, it's not just teaching. There are expectations related teaching, but also scholarly activity, and service. Position may include a clinical practice. The percentage of time you spend on each component varies based on the position.

To be successful in school - do well academically, be a leader (such as through pharmacy organizations within your school), etc. If you get the chance, take a teaching rotation. Do everything you can do get a residency position. Many positions require a PGY2. Then, you can start looking for a job in academia. (Note: these are examples of things to do if you want to be in a clinical position. The path through PhD programs is completely different).