In a few short months, the Class of 2020 will graduate from their respective PharmD programs, take the NAPLEX, and obtain their licensure. After numerous years together in the classroom, these individuals’ paths will begin to diverge. These paths will take them into the community, health-systems, residency, or any of the other career paths where pharmacists can shine. Leaving the academic setting is an exciting, yet nerve wracking chapter to begin. No one is pushing you academically anymore, so does this mean learning ceases? You may be thinking “pharmacists are required to maintain continuing education (CE) credits annually, of course the learning does not stop.” While this is true, new knowledge hides around every corner. Let’s look further into educational opportunities available to new (and current) practitioners to help make 2020 as clear as possible.

A common credential sought out by pharmacists is board certification through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) program. Currently, there are 13 specialties recognized by BPS. General requirements as of January 2019 are as follows: graduation from an ACPE accredited pharmacy program, active pharmacy license, demonstration of practice experience either by several years’ experience and/or residency training, and achieving a passing score on the exam. Striving for board certification not only gives you a way to continue learning for your own knowledge and career, but also to be acknowledged as an expert by other members of the healthcare team. For more information and specifics, visit the BPS website (https://www.bpsweb.org/).

As a new practitioner, you may at first have a difficult time finding your confidence and role on the healthcare team. You can also continually learn from other members of the healthcare team. It is important to maintain good relationships and respect fellow pharmacy staff, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. These individuals are all knowledgeable and will help you understand unfamiliar topics. This strategy can also be utilized on the flipside if you work with pharmacy students. During your time as a student, you may have had a pharmacist who took time to teach you about an interesting case that came up on the job or point out clinically important lab values. If you did not, you may have wished that you had that experience! Try to be that teacher for the pharmacy students at your institution. Take a minute to show them a clinical application related to what they may be learning in school at the time. Students can also continually keep you and the pharmacy team up to date on new guidelines and clinical trials. The ways to learning are endless!

While in school, many students are involved in state and national organizations. Graduating from a student pharmacist to a licensed pharmacist does not mean the membership to these organization becomes obsolete. For example, many local and national meetings hosted through organizations such as ICHP and ASHP have CE sessions designed specifically for new practitioners.  You can attend these sessions and network at the same time. Some also offer potentially discounted membership for recent graduates! ICHP offers numerous opportunities to become more involved including volunteer activities, the New Practitioner Network (NPN), numerous divisions, committees, and more.

Moving into the new decade may seem like a daunting task, especially for all of the new practitioners in the field. Taking a step back to view the bigger picture will make everything seem less frightening. We pursued a career in healthcare because we want to help patients, and in the bigger picture, everything we do is for the patient. We continue learning, practicing, and connecting to provide the best care we can. Here’s to a new year and to a clear view into the opportunities 2020 has for new practitioners!