Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Barazowski, PharmD
Jessica Barazowski, PharmD
Staff Pharmacist, Acheson Teaching Hospital Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine – Oregon State University
MCW School of Pharmacy Class of 2021
What’s your “why” for pursuing a pharmacy career?
I have always been fascinated with health-sciences and have a strong interest in organic chemistry. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I was considering several options for post-graduate training with admittedly none of them being pharmacy. At that time, I had a job working in a small animal veterinary practice where one day, while being trained on the “pharmacy station,” it clicked – pharmacy was a great way to incorporate both of my interests into a fulfilling career path.
What are your pharmacy career aspirations?
Right now, I am pursuing my Diplomate of the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy (DICVP) – which is essentially board certification in Veterinary Pharmacy. I want to continue to gain knowledge of veterinary-specific pharmacology and pharmacotherapy and truly become an expert in this field. Long-term, I am also hoping to be able to assist in the progression of Veterinary Pharmacy as a specialty, increase education and awareness of veterinary pharmacy throughout the curriculum in pharmacy schools and enhance pharmacy education throughout veterinary schools and within the veterinary field. Veterinarians get this awesome power to both prescribe and dispense medications, yet they tend to have very limited training on pharmacy rules and regulations. With recent veterinary controlled substance diversions making the headlines, this area is ripe for reform, and I am excited to see what the future brings!
What was interesting or exciting to you about your specific pharmacy career path?
What is most exciting is that I honestly get to live my dream (job) every day, and the career path literally came full circle for me. Being someone that had very specialized pharmacy experience from the beginning, I am honestly amazed and so very grateful that I was able to find the niche that is Veterinary Pharmacy. It is also a very interesting time to join this specialty, as there seems to be a lot of momentum pushing this specialty forward and creating a lot of new possibilities for future pharmacists interested in this area of pharmacy.
What made you decide to pursue residency? What did you gain from it?
Completing a residency was important to me. I wanted to gain experience as a new pharmacist while also having the guidance of seasoned pharmacists helping me through new experiences and to learn through any mistakes. I gained a lot throughout residency, but what really stands out is building my confidence in using my professional judgement and my ability to adapt to the chaos of everyday life in a pharmacy. Having a wide variety of experiences during both of my residency years has taught me that, while they may seem similar, no two days are alike. I also got to experience things like developing and delivering a lecture to pharmacy students, developing and implementing a research project and one-of-a-kind experiences like chasing a lame cow through a field to observe a field exam and assisting with trimming hooves and administering vaccinations to sheep. These are things that I would likely never get to experience as a new pharmacist going directly into practice (or ever as a pharmacist in the case of my veterinary rotation experiences!).
How would you describe your experience at the MCW School of Pharmacy?
I would describe it as a whirlwind! I can’t believe how fast the time goes and how much you learn in such a short amount of time. I have also gained life-long friends and mentors throughout my experiences, in addition to learning and growing as a pharmacist. MCW was also very supportive in terms of developing each student’s specific interests. I was very open about my interest in gaining experience in veterinary pharmacy from the beginning, and MCW made sure that I was able to tailor my elective courses and experiences to that interest.
What’s one of the top reasons someone should choose the MCW School of Pharmacy for their PharmD education?
MCW has small class sizes and most of your professors are with you throughout your didactic experience. They truly get to know you and are rooting for you to succeed. You also develop close relationships with your peers, which is important for stressful times or when you need someone to help you study a topic that you might be struggling with. I was also impressed by their pharmaceutical skills lab and liked the fact that they are right next door to (and affiliated with) a large academic medical center and a top-ranking pediatric hospital, as well. To me, this was evidence that the clinical experiences offered would be robust and that their students would be able to learn about the most up-to-date clinical practices.
Do you have any advice for someone who is considering a pharmacy career but isn’t quite sure?
Before pharmacy school, I had very limited experience and didn’t even know you could talk to a pharmacist without a prescription. I know that it can be daunting to understand what a pharmacist does or can do. I would recommend getting involved in pre-pharmacy groups at your current institution, if they’re available, to build connections with mentors. Reaching out to pharmacists you know, or even pharmacy programs you might be interested in, can also help you get in contact with pharmacists that will be willing to chat with you about their day-to-day lives, and you might even be able to shadow in certain cases. MCW has the option to live-chat with current students on their website, and this can help you learn about their experience. It also wouldn’t hurt to get a job as a technician at a local pharmacy or hospital pharmacy to become familiar with the workflow and get firsthand experience as to what daily life in a pharmacy is like. Also, don’t discount some non-traditional ways to become exposed to pharmacy skills – such as working or shadowing in a veterinary clinic!