By Erica Kellenberger
APPE Student Pharmacist on Rotation with BPS
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
It’s a question I have been asked for as long as I can remember. From wanting to be a dancer in kindergarten to a marine biologist in sixth grade, my answer changed almost weekly. As I grew older, this question became more difficult because I started to see all the different paths ahead of me. When asked this question today, I never have an immediate answer. The question makes me pause and reflect on all my experiences and focus on what is best for me. Even after choosing to pursue pharmacy, I quickly discovered the endless opportunities and different directions the profession could take me. Between community pharmacy, ambulatory clinics, association management, and more, the possibilities seemed endless, making pharmacy a perfect field for someone unsure about their future, like me.
The uncertainty about where I want to end up hasn’t discouraged me, instead, it has become one of the reasons I am so passionate about pharmacy now. I am excited to be in a profession that allows for continuous learning and gives me the opportunity to make a difference in patients’ lives, no matter how big or small. Now, as a final-year student pharmacist completing my Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs), I have the exciting opportunity to explore many of those career paths firsthand while learning more about the pharmacist I wish to be.
One of those experiences has been my rotation with the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Prior to arriving, I had heard professors, preceptors, and pharmacists talk about board certification as an important professional achievement, but I didn’t fully understand or appreciate its broader impact on the profession. However, over the first few weeks of my rotation at BPS, I have gained a new perspective on what it means to be a board-certified pharmacist and the value it brings to advancing pharmacy practice.
Within the first week alone, I was introduced to many different parts of BPS. I had the opportunity to meet with staff members and learn how their roles contribute to the certification process. It has been eye-opening to talk to my preceptor and current BPS William Ellis Executive Fellow about their journeys during and after pharmacy school. Hearing them describe their paths made me realize that it’s perfectly normal to be unsure of what may come next in your career, but what matters is being open to trying new experiences and finding a place where you enjoy working! This experience has already helped broaden my perspective on what my pharmacy career can look like and reminded me that growth often comes from stepping into the unknown while keeping a curious attitude and a learning mindset.
This experience has also changed the way I think about my own future. My prior pharmacy practice experiences confirmed my passion for patient care and the clinical knowledge that supports it. I plan to pursue residency after graduation to continue developing my skills and contribute to patient care. It has been helpful for me to see how board certification and residency complement one another: residency provides advanced clinical training and experience, while certification demonstrates continued competence within a specialty. Although I do not yet know exactly where I want to practice or which specialty may be right for me, I look forward to applying what I have learned at BPS as I consider where board certification can fit into my future.
What I do know is that I want a career centered on learning, caring for patients, and challenging myself daily, and I believe board certification will help me achieve that goal. This rotation at BPS has taught me a great deal about board certification and has also helped me better understand myself as a future pharmacist. The question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is one I used to dread, but after this rotation, I can say confidently say that I would like to become a board-certified pharmacist!