Mistakes I Made as New Pharmacist (and what I would do differently)
Being a new pharmacist isn’t easy…not only are you trying to pass your board exams, but you may be moving to a new city on top of learning how you want to show up as a pharmacist. Let’s not forget the fact that you will have more free time once those board exams are out of the way and you have to figure out what do to with it after putting your hobbies and passions outside of pharmacy on the back burner for the past several years. It wasn’t that long ago I was in the same position trying to navigate the world as a new pharmacy graduate so today, I thought I would share some of the things I would do differently if I were graduating today.
1. Take more of my vacation time.
When I started my first post-residency job, I was working night shift and often felt guilty for taking vacation time. Why? Mainly because I didn’t want to inconvenience my co-workers who would need to cover my shifts while I was out. In the process of trying to be “nice” to my co-workers, I was neglecting what I needed which was some additional time away from work enjoying the life I worked so hard to build. Right now I am taking time off when I need it, even if that means spending time working on projects at my house.
2. Learn how to relax.
I know this one sounds silly, but it was hard for me to slow down once I finished residency. During pharmacy school and residency, there was always something else I could do. In pharmacy school, there was always studying that could be done, patients to review, or, in my case, a wedding to plan. Residency was even more challenging as the workload only increased as a the year went on. With data collection, patient care, and presentations constantly needing my attention, I rarely put attention on my needs until I was drowning in burnout and had to make a change. Even today, I sometimes catch myself adding more things to my to-do list rather than relaxing like I really want to, but I am better at recognizing this behavior and stopping it before it gets out of hand.
3. Research the best investment opportunities for you.
When I graduated pharmacy school, I knew I needed to invest, but I didn’t know how. I ended up making an investment decision that wasn’t right for me which likely will cost me tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, in the future. I’m not a financial advisor so I can’t say what investment decision is best for you, but I do know that early investing makes the biggest impact on your retirement fund amount in the future. Do your research so you know how to make the most out of your early investing years, even during residency.
I included one more tip in this video which wasn’t a mistake, but something I got right that could help you too, so click here to watch the entire video.
