Pharmacy is Life!
Updated: Apr 1, 2018
No really, for me, it has always been this way. I started out in pharmacy as a technician. I thought I wanted to go to med school, but one day I received a call saying I had an interview at CVS, and I’m thinking “I never filled out an application!”… I later found out that my mom had done all that for me, as soon as I voiced interest in the medical field, she had already begun setting it into motion for me!!
So at the age of 16, my pharmacy career began and never stopped. I graduated from high school and joined the Air Force Reserves (another story for another post lol) and proceeded to conduct a personal study on the differences between undergraduate didactic programs --i.e….. I went to a few different schools (lol) for undergrad and finally graduated from Clayton State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology.
“I went to a few different schools for undergrad and finally graduated from Clayton State University...”
I joined the United States Army and served on Active Duty for the next few years; this is the only time I took a break from pharmacy. While in the Army, I specialized in Behavioral Health, so though I was not completely out of the medical field, I knew pharmacy was still where my passion lied. When I got home from Iraq, I immediately started studying for the PCAT and applying to different pharmacy schools. My initial scores were not up to par ( in my opinion), but while studying to take it again, I got an interview for one of my top schools of choice… South University School of Pharmacy! ….. and I GOT IN!!!!
I dove right in to the world of pharmacy as a student! Within the first few weeks I was voted Class President and boy was this transition different for me. I had to remember that my classmates were not my soldiers, and that my professors were not my Platoon Sergeants lol… But I was in my comfort zone of the medical field and so I knew I could handle anything thrown my way.
“I made my career change to hospital pharmacy right after graduation and I haven’t looked back!”
I think its safe to say that I experienced what most would consider “setbacks” while in school, but no different from what my fellow candidates were experiencing; especially during the first year. But I was met with something life altering in my second year… Julian was now back from Iraq and stationed in GEORGIA!!! I was so blessed to have had him on that journey, even with the ups and downs we faced in our relationship, he never let me lose sight of the goal I had set to get my Doctorate degree. And so of course when he asked, I said I would “LOVE to be your wife!” But I had to finish school first, that was the deal…
Fast forward to my third and final year of school and beginning of rotations… I had decided to sign a contract with Publix early on but I became so entranced with the world of hospital pharmacy right away and was now contemplating a career change; but could I do a residency right now??? The answer to that question came when I had to make a decision that may possibly take me away from my family… particularly from my cousin who was diagnosis with Stage 4 Breast Cancer… The answer was “no”, so the path to get into hospital/clinical pharmacy would have to be one I worked extra hard for if I planned to get there in the non-traditional way.
I was now even more determined to achieve every single goal that I had ever set for myself, mainly because most of those goals I talked over to Nikki late at night while she listened and told me that I could do anything and she couldn’t wait to see me do it. I studied day and night for my board exams. I was determined to pass each one on the first try…. and I DID!!! I was Dr. Amber Brown… and I was preparing for a wedding in 2 months!
I made my career change to hospital pharmacy right after graduation and I haven’t looked back!
My days are constantly filled with me learning something new concerning pharmacy or just the study of medicine in general! Most people who know me personally will tell you that beyond all the selfies, I really am a nerd lol, in the sense that I am constantly reading and studying something new or something that I feel I need to brush up on.
My long-term goal is to become a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) pharmacist… It’ll be a lot of studying and take determination to stay focused (because I anticipate being very busy in the near future lol)… but like every thing else I’ve ever aimed for… I will do it… and I’ll blog it!!