5 Steps to Building a Successful Pharmacy Career

Janelle Dockray

Founder - The Pharmacist Mentors Australia

Location: Cairns, Queensland

1. There is no perfect career path or ‘passion’ that you are meant to find. 

If you spend too much time wondering about the thing you are ‘meant’ to do, then you might just find yourself holding onto that train of thought for years to come. The truth is, there is no one right career path or passion. I spent years wondering this myself. I jumped on the bandwagon of every new career pathway announcement the PSA or PGA had, only to find myself at a dead end once again because I lacked the insight and skills to take meaningful action.  Instead, take steps towards the things you enjoy and embrace opportunities when they present themselves (and search them out too!)  The best way I’ve heard this described was by Mel Robbins. She explains that passion is not something that we need to find. That it is within us, and instead “chase what energises you”. (p.s  If you don’t follow her than you should!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJI6ovtanAs)

For example, we've had mentors posting within our community wanting to find pharmacists to mentor in the areas of Aged Care, Respiratory medicine and Diabetes! If that’s not the kind of opportunity to take hold of, I don’t know what is!

2. There is no substitute for experience, but learning from others gets you there quicker

As pharmacists, so much of what we have to learn must come from experience. But there is a bit of a shortcut. Which is, learning and connecting with others. Imagine if you chose to spend your entire pharmacy career alone,  trying to stay on top of all the changes, and solving problems that others have already solved. Stop trying to work things out by yourself and ask for some guidance. You "don't know what you don’t know”.  

You can help get yourself where you want to be through connection and mentorship. The insights, perspectives and stories shared by experienced pharmacists can be incredibly valuable. However, it is important that you are discerning about where you take your advice from, and who you choose to surround yourself with professionally. Not all pharmacists are cut out to be mentors. But when you find the right mentor (or community!),  this can quite literally change your career trajectory and propel you forward much quicker than you could ever have done yourself. 

3. Knowledge is confidence

Successful pharmacists love what they do. They are confident. They know their stuff. They stand up for themselves. They are well respected. If you think back to a situation where you lacked confidence, whether it was asking for a payrise, (or maybe didn’t ask even though you wanted to), or responding to unreasonable demands from a patient or prescriber.  Armed with the right knowledge, your confidence in these situations will grow. For example, if you went into a discussion about pay rates, armed with stats about current wages, inflation, and possibly even an offer from a pharmacy or hospital nearby, while the conversation may still be difficult, you’ll be far more confident asking for what you deserve. 

4. You will have to try new things

For a long time, I was waiting for something to just come to me. That someone would recognise my potential, take me under their wing and just like that I would settle into the pharmacist I was meant to be. Even though I still had no idea what I really wanted to do at that point. The truth is, no one is coming to change things for you. No one is coming to offer you a better job, more pay, or a new experience. While I’m sure there are colleagues and employers that think you are wonderful, so long as you keep showing up each day, that status quo is maintained and all is well. 

If you see yourself doing more than what you’re currently doing, then you’ll have to change something. You will need to put yourself out there and ttry new things. Change is always a bit scary, but it is also necessary and wonderful!

5. Be active, not passive 

If you’re still with me, you’ll have noticed a theme within these last 4 points. Each of them requires you to do something. To take an action. Embrace new opportunities, start connecting with others, find a mentor, upskill and build knowledge, and try new things. Here’s an example. The passive pharmacist scrolls through social media groups, but never comments or participates in the conversation even though they have something valuable to add, or genuinely have a question they want to be answered. They hope someone else will say it, or ask it. 

The passive pharmacist checks out Job ads, looking for the ‘perfect’ one, but never applies or even contacts the recruiter to ask a few questions. Could that full-time position which seems great, still consider me if I can only work 3 days a week? 

When my job finished up a year ago and we moved, I knew I still had more to give to my workplace. But there wasn’t a position available, at least not remotely. So I listed out all the jobs I knew needed doing, and proposed a part-time, work-from-home arrangement. A bold move? Yes. But I did my research, I came armed with the knowledge which gave me the confidence to approach it the right way.  I did that work for 6 months, then they found a way to extend my contract. After meeting the right people, and pitching myself, it’s since led to new opportunities. 

So what’s the next step you’ll take?