To the Editor:
As the month of October wound down, so did American Pharmacists Month. Meanwhile, many high school seniors across America are beginning the process of applying to college. Perhaps you should consider applying to pharmacy school? The profession of pharmacy is a wonderful one. It is one in which you can have a direct impact on patients.
For example, you are the last link of the complex chain of health care professionals who are responsible for taking care of our sick and elderly. You are the care provider who patients can most easily access. You are the one who can talk the most to patients about the prescription drugs they will be putting into their bodies.
Lastly, and most importantly, you are the drug information specialist; you understand better than anyone else how the drugs work against diseases and the kinds of adverse effects they can have. As long as there is illness and prescriptions to fill, the pharmacy profession will always be around. The competition will be tough, but isn’t it worth trying? Ask your guidance counselors, or maybe even better, ask your pharmacists about how they applied and where they studied. I am sure they will be thrilled you asked!
Most application deadlines are in December, so don’t delay. All the best!
DR. BLASE BILLACK
Toxicologist and Breast Cancer Researcher