On Friday, November 22nd, ICHP and the Industry Pharmacists Organization, IPHO, hosted an Internship and Externship Fair at the UIC College of Pharmacy. ICHP and IPHO work cohesively to advocate for the pharmacy profession, as well as to ensure adequate and effective exposure to student pharmacists. For this reason, ICHP and IPHO held a joint internship and externship fair. IPHO focuses on building a network within the pharmaceutical industry, which directly affects hospital pharmacy. Likewise, ICHP believes that membership from industry pharmacists allows for company and product line exposure to health-system pharmacy. At our Internship and Externship Fair, over 80 first year student pharmacists discussed future employment opportunities within the Chicagoland area. The fair included hospital, ambulatory care, and industry positions from various institutions around Chicago. With respect to hospital and ambulatory care, the fair included UI Health Inpatient Externs, UI Health Ambulatory Care Externs, UI Health Drug Information Group Externs, UI Health Administration Externs, Rush University Medical Center Inpatient Interns, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Inpatient Externs and Patient Care Interns, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Inpatient Externs, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Inpatient Interns, University of Chicago Medicine Inpatient Externs, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Inpatient Externs, Outpatient Interns, and Valor Interns. 

With respect to industry, the fair included Abbvie Pharmaceuticals. Specifically, interns from the Strategic Sourcing and Contracts/Clinical Trial Operations as well as Clinical Development Research and Development within the Neuroscience sector. In addition, the fair included Novartis Pharmaceuticals Medical Information and Medical Science Liaison Capabilities Interns, Astellas Pharma Health Outcomes Interns, Novo Nordisk Pharma Market Access and Innovation Interns, Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals Industry Summer Interns, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Real World Value and Evidence Interns. The experience provided an opportunity for students to meet and discuss the roles of an extern.

Discussions included common everyday tasks as well as experiences unique to the position. For example, I was part of the Rush University Medical Center Inpatient Pharmacy Intern table. My colleagues and I discussed how interns learn how to conduct medication reconciliations during the summer going into our third year of pharmacy school. This experience is unique to a few hospital internships in Illinois, but it provides students beneficial opportunities for direct patient interaction and counseling. Among others, discussions involved how to maximize pharmacy and non-pharmacy experiences to be a competitive applicant for the positions, the interview and onboarding process, and how the position enhances candidacy for residencies and fellowships. 

ICHP and IPHO sought to host the event based on how important internships and externships are to advancing a student into a pharmacist. A study conducted by Pitkä et al at the University of Helsinki and published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education examined the influence of holding work fairs.1 The study concluded that integrating internships with professional study in pharmacy education results in students having a better understanding of the association between academic studies and pharmaceutical work-life while in school. In addition, students also have enhanced self-reflection through direct and indirect feedback from preceptors and peers during the internship or externship. ICHP and IPHO wanted to involve students in an intimate environment where first year student pharmacists could receive personal accounts of opportunities to obtain a position early in their pharmacy careers. The fair allowed students to gain unique perspectives from multiple fields of pharmacy and learn about the vast opportunities provided by institutions near our campus. 

It is the organizations hope that following the fair, students will apply for positions of interest with increased confidence and understanding of the positions. It is an overall goal of the fair for students to find a position that results in them becoming a more adept student and future pharmacist. Upon graduation, it is our goal for every interested student to successfully match to a residency or fellowship in their area of interest. 

1. Pitkä, K, LÖfhjelm U, Passi S, et al. Integrating internships with professional study in pharmacy education in Finland. Am J Pharm Educ. 2014;78(9): Article 173.