Pre-Pharmacy Student Makes it into Top Choice School

Career Center (CC): What drew you to the field of pharmacy? Why do you want to be a Pharmacist?

Son Nguyen (SN): I knew I wanted a career that would fit my personality, bring me happiness, and provide the opportunity to help people. I knew there were ways to help people in the health field other than pharmacy, but I liked chemistry so pharmacy made sense. What really attracted me was how it fit my personality so well. I don't like being around too many people. A doctor, for example, has too many people to interact with all the time. As a pharmacist, you get alone time to do your individual work. However, you can have interaction with employees and customers too; it is a nice mix. I also like the idea that people put their trust in you.

CC: What type of experience do you have related to pharmacy?

SN: I worked at Elephant Pharmacy for a semester and a summer. It can be hard to get a volunteer position in a pharmacy. At Elephant, they let you act as a clerk: I answered phones, took prescription refill information, etc. There you are representing the community and I like that. In general, as a pharmacist, you are the last one on the line; it is all on you. The patient has already seen a doctor, been diagnosed, and given a treatment plan. It's up to the pharmacist to fulfill the last and important step of getting the patient the medicine they need. I like the trust and responsibility that entails. As for other experience, I worked in a research lab on campus (plant bio lab). In that position, I was given a lot of independence.

Currently I work at Tera BioTech Corporation as a lab technician. They care about my education and support my pursuit of a PharmD.