Pharmacy Specialties…. do I take the plunge?

Part of the residency is attempting to personalize the year to the resident’s interests. My electives will be exponentially different if I want to open my own pharmacy vs become a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) upon completion of the residency. I have thought about certifications, and I can become certified in Pharmacotherapy (BCPS) or in Geriatric Pharmacy. I can also become a CDE, and they will be having an Advanced Practice Diabetes Educator in the near future (according to their website). What I don’t know is all the other options. I could also get a Masters in Public Health, or a Masters in Business Administration. I could get a Masters in Pharmacy Outcomes and Policy, and numerous other options. OR, I could just find a job I like.

I have thought about attending the School for Natural Therapeutics in Albuquerque, NM, where I am from. I don’t know if it would give me enough background to work my way as a pharmacist into an integrative medicine clinic, but I would certainly like to try. I could also solicit Dr. Andrew Weil, who has welcomed other healthcare providers, but not pharmacists, into his program. Maybe it’s time for pharmacists to be involved ….