My Personal Story of My Journey Towards Becoming a Clinical Pharmacist a T Usc

If I had to choose 3 adjectives to describe USC, it would be innovating, one-of-a-kind, and prestigious. Known for its amazing reputation and extensive alumni network throughout the pharmacy industry, USC School of Pharmacy is mostly every pre-pharmacy student’s dream school. Unlike other pharmacy programs, USC has everything I want and look for. USC appeals to me because of its commitment to developing future leaders within the pharmacy field through its integration of high-quality education, groundbreaking research, and transformative practice and service. Core concepts of the curriculum, such as research utilization and health promotion, are applicable to direct patient environments in a variety of healthcare settings.

Nutrition and primary care are 2 fields that I am interested in and want to further my knowledge. USC’s clinical immersion will be a valuable learning experience and I will have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with current leaders in the pharmacy field. For instance, Dr. Cynthia Lem-Lee Lieu, who practices parenteral and enteral nutrition, teaches APPE rotations in Nutritional Support as well as areas of nutrition in health and disease, infertility, and osteoporosis. Dr. William C. Gong, who is a leading researcher for diabetes care and metabolic diseases, is involved with the development of pharmaceutical and primary care pharmacy services as well as residency training programs. I would be honored to take their classes and have the chance to work with them during the program.

I want to be a clinical pharmacist, so I could have a direct impact on patient care, management role, and flexibility to work at different settings. Also, I get to work alongside with physicians and other pharmacists and allow me to use my leadership skills to lead a team. Not only can I help improve the health and wellbeing of others, but through health education I can help improve patient outcomes and eliminate healthcare disparities. I believe that USC pharmacy program will give me this insight by providing the opportunity to reach my goals, expand my knowledge, teach and shape me into a better-rounded, leading pharmacy student.

Eyeliner, lipstick, foundation, etc… if you give me these makeup products, I can evolve a person into their alter ego. Similar to when Picasso, an artist, used his paint brushes to beautifully create unforgettable art from blank canvas, I, a make-up artist, use makeup brushes to apply makeup to enhance one’s beauty. Like Picasso, I’m creative and find art in beauty. Beyond my solid academic qualifications, clinical background, and volunteer work, my creativity makes me unique. From creating a project from scratch to creating ideas to improve work ethics, my creativity will help me thrive in group projects and leadership roles. Also with my quirky, versatile, and innovative personality, it will allow me to adapt in any situation or create a situation into a better one with a smile on my face and remaining focused. These traits are very beneficial for pharmacy school because one needs to be able to think quickly on her feet and work well in group projects.

Although I entered University of California, Santa Cruz as a determined freshman, I struggled for air as I was choked by the challenges of being far away from home and dealing with college-level coursework. I became overwhelmed and my grades suffered. By the end of my first year, I was finally able to refocus my energy and find more effective ways to process and retain information. These efforts paid off and I graduated with a 3.56 cumulative GPA. During my 2nd year in Cal State East Bay’s Pre-Professional Health Academic Program, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 cirrhosis and needed a liver transplant. Because he was unable to work, I picked up another job to relieve some of my parent’s financial burden. Concerned about paying off the $70,000 Hepatitis C cure, I had to work more hours to make more money. Having too little time to study for 6 pre-requisites classes, I had no choice to drop 1 course. Since then, every quarter has brought new challenges, but I have learned to persevere, adapt, and utilize my resources to make myself a better student.