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What Pharmacy practice is of greatest interest to me and why? Developing a care plan for children with Diabetes is something that requires the collaboration of pharmacists, physicians, dieticians, and family members. Perhaps the most important person to be consulted about a plan to control Diabetes is the child who has been diagnosed. Clinical pharmacy practice with an emphasis on Type I Diabetes is of great interest to me. This essay will explore the reasons I am drawn to this type of practice and what I hope to accomplish. I don't remember a time when I didn't understand what Diabetes was. My mom has had Type I Diabetes for twenty-nine years. When I was younger I was intrigued by the rigorous demands the disease put on her life. Now, in my second year of pharmacy school, I am still awed by the regimen that people are required to follow to control Type I Diabetes. People with Diabetes, including my mom, have touched my life. After my freshman year in college, I was a counselor for the Diabetes Camp of West Virginia. It was wonderful to see kids who had never been away from home socializing with one another. One eight-year-old girl told me that she had no idea there were other kids that had Diabetes. The children were comforted by talking with one another, and realized that others shared in the obstacles they were facing. The camp also educated them about the management of their disease. My experience at camp taught me the importance of educational and social activities in the lives of children with Diabetes. It also helped me to realize that I could play an integral role in Diabetes education. As a pharmacist, I would like to work in a clinic for children with Type I Diabetes. Collaborating with physicians and dieticians, I would offer pharmaceutical care to newly diagnosed as well as previously diagnosed children with Diabetes. I would provide clinical services, such as adjustment of medications based on laboratory tests. I would provide education about the disease to the children and families. The clinic would address the psychosocial aspects of having the disease or of being a family member of someone with the disease. The discussion of psychosocial aspects might reduce interpersonal conflict within the home and increase patient compliance with a Diabetes care plan. The clinic would provide a central place for children with diabetes to get feedback about the management of their condition. It would also provide a medium for children and families of children with Diabetes to come together and share ideas. Though the population of children with Type I Diabetes is small, this type of clinical practice would benefit a population of people who have touched my life.

My Pursuit of a Lifetime of Happiness My journey to pharmacy school was through a diverse, indirect pathway. I started my undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), majoring in Biology with a Physiology and Neurobiology Emphasis, and on the pre-medical route. After four years and a Bachelor of Science degree, I was awarded the Pre-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award from the National Institutes of Health. The fellowship centered on research in cellular immunology and the applicability of a mechanism of antigen-induced programmed cell death of T lymphocytes to the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Although I enjoyed the critical thinking and problem analysis of research, I knew I would not be happy living the life of a research scientist. I then continued my education at Ross University, School of Medicine in NY, and Dominica, W.I., where I successfully completed two years of Basic Sciences and several clinical rotations. There, I even met my wonderful husband, another medical student. Although the studies were academically fulfilling and my life was personally fulfilling, I was not too emotionally or psychologically satisfied with my career choice as a physician. My real-life experience of a career in medicine did not match my vision and expectations of a physician. A career as a physician is filled with sadness, illnesses and diseases. It is not a field of idealistic happy and healthy children, unless it is for a well-baby check-up to a pediatrician. I knew I would not be happy living the life of a physician. I again realized that the path I had chosen was not my forte. My husband also felt the same way with his career choice. My husband and I both made drastic changes in our lives by changing our careers to the fields of pharmacy and business. Currently we are pursuing the Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration Dual Degree Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Businesss. We are both extremely happy and satisfied with our career decision. My professional career goal is to find a position in academia or pharmaceutical industry that utilizes and integrates my knowledge and expertise in pharmacy, business, medicine, and/or research. My decision to choose pharmacy came about due to many reasons. During my undergraduate education, I first volunteered at the UMCP Student Health Center as a Pharmacy Technician, and was later hired. I had enjoyed this experience of patient education and counseling. During medical school, I also enjoyed my pharmacology course. Although it was one of the most difficult courses, I took on the challenge and studied even more than my other courses, and realized that I enjoyed this subject because of my perseverance. Once I finally understood the material, I liked pharmacology. Furthermore, with the doctorate program in pharmacy, the opportunity for pharmacists has grown drastically, including academia, industry, and the field of clinical pharmacists. Also, this prestigious, respectful, and rewarding career choice, are all attractive attributes to the life of a pharmaceutical scientist. My decision to choose business was also due to many reasons. Although I did not have formal education in business during my undergraduate years, I had hands-on experience at a very young age due to my parent's dry cleaning businesses. I was also involved with consulting, recruiting, and sales at various jobs. Currently, I am working part-time as a Research Assistant in pharmacoeconomics in literature reviews and report writing and analysis. In addition, the Pharm.D./M.B.A. Dual Degree Program was a very attractive option because of its even greater opportunities in the field of academia and the pharmaceutical industry. I am also involved with "A Bridge to Academic Excellence", a program where I tutor underprivileged high school students who would like to pursue the field of pharmacy or a different health profession. This is an ideal way to excite young individuals about opportunities in the career of pharmacy. When students show their desire to learn, it is even more exciting to educate them. This helped my decision-making process to also choose academia to become an educator. I want to be the master of my life and my destiny. Otherwise, life is senseless. Although I cannot predict what will happen exactly in my future, I know I can use the experience I have gained in the past to guide me in the right directions. I spent six years after my undergraduate studies exploring different career options and started late in my pharmacy and business careers. However, I still consider my past six years of life not to be a waste of time, but a time of growth of knowledge and valuable life-learning experiences, which I could not have learned from books. If I had a chance to repeat my life and choose either the same indirect pathway or a new direct pathway, I would still choose the same indirect pathway because it was an invaluable experience that helped me to decide what I enjoyed and what I did not. I will now pursue a lifetime of happiness with my career choice as a pharmaceutical scientist and a businesswoman.