This year's Gamecock Pharmacy Career Expo was another resounding success for more than 300 students in the College of Pharmacy. Presenters from all facets of the pharmacy profession joined in the virtual event to share insight and guidance on the many careers available in pharmacy.
Of the 74 presenters, a significant increase over last year's number, more than half were college alumni and represented classes from the '70s to 2024 and hailed from across the country, including states as far away as Arizona, Utah and Connecticut.
Students learned about a wide range of career possibilities, some that they were not yet familiar with, but after a conversation with a presenter, they now have more knowledge about potential future careers. Students learned about the importance of networking, career options such as medical science liaisons, preparing for residency interviews, and some were inspired to consider opening their own independent pharmacy.
I think it's especially important to give as much insight as you can, so that the students can use that to help solidify their plans after pharmacy school ...
One repeat presenter noted how much they enjoy offering career advice to students.
"These types of events were not around when I was in pharmacy school so I think it's especially important to give as much insight as you can, so that the students can use that to help solidify their plans after pharmacy school."
Another presenter was glad to share more about their role in the non-profit world, saying "It's refreshing and encouraging to hear so many students say, 'I didn't know pharmacists could do that' or 'I didn't know that was a thing!' It was a pleasure to be able to share with the students just a taste of what my world looks like."
Jordan Ballou, interim associate dean for Student Affairs, says that students continually ask for advice in preparing for their careers.
"We made some adjustments to the Career Expo this year to allow students to choose who they interacted with. Our goal was to have smaller groups so that students could make more intentional connections with the speakers."
And she is extremely grateful to the many volunteers who make the Career Expo possible.
"We had a lot of diversity in our speaker panel in terms of career field, training, and amount of experience," she adds. "We're so thankful to everyone who volunteered their time to meet with our students. We could not do this expo without their support, and it means so much to us as a college."
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Alumni Programs