Annual Career Gateway Evolves with Changing Pharmacy Career Landscape
The College of Pharmacy hosted its 14th annual Career Gateway on Wednesday, November 7, 2018. This career fair provides an important connection between student pharmacists and potential employers, residency programs, fellowships, and alumni. A record 100 representatives from 32 organizations met, interviewed, and networked with over 200 Michigan Pharmacy students who are exploring diverse career paths.
Attendees learned about employment opportunities, fellowships, internships, residencies, nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations, and other general career information. The College also provided over 70 one-on-one interview opportunities with organizations like Blue Care Network, Michigan Medicine HomeMed, Rite Aid, and CVS.
The College added a new feature to Career Gateway, an Alumni Flash Networking event for P3 students. Fifteen College of Pharmacy alumni from multiple career backgrounds met with over 80 students to discuss their unique Michigan experience and career paths. One of the alumni in attendance was Nabeel Qureshi, PharmD’13, who said, “An event like this is extremely beneficial for the students. They are able to gain valuable insight on traditional and non-traditional career paths and that is something you cannot get in a classroom. Ultimately, connections matter in the real world, and offering an opportunity like this makes a difference.”
“We took a lot of care to find alumni working in areas that matched with our students’ career ambitions,” explained Nancy Mason, PharmD’81, associate dean for student services and clinical professor of pharmacy. “This event also shows the breadth of what are alumni are doing. I am very impressed with the commitment of our alumni, it means a great deal to the students and administration that they are willing to volunteer their time and expertise. It shows a lot about the connection alumni have to the College, even years after they have graduated. Students who are considering Michigan should know that they will have access to a passionate alumni base with a wide variety of experience.”
“It was a great opportunity to network with alumni who are working in areas outside of what one traditionally considers for pharmacy graduates,” added Maisha Rahman, P3. “I found the alumni in non-traditional and industry careers particularly helpful, as that is where I hope to work after I complete my PharmD. Practitioners in those areas can be hard to connect with, it was nice to have them at Career Gateway and ask them questions I have about careers in those fields.”
The College would also like to thank the Career Gateway sponsors, Meijer, RiteAid, Sedgwick, JB Ashtin, and Pharmacy Solutions whose generosity makes it possible for us to continue this beneficial event.
Visit our Facebook page for photos from this event.
