MCW's Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program Generates Excitement about Vast Career Prospects
The Medical College of Wisconsin's Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program graduated its fourth cohort of high school and college students interested in exploring careers in pharmacy.
"Even though the program is only three days, it encompasses everything a potential Doctor of Pharmacy student would need to know," said Sarah Al-Jawhar, a junior at Beloit College. "It is engaging with hands-on activities, talking with pharmacy professionals, and it was nice hearing from MCW alumni as well."
For three days in August, the Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program hosts participants on the MCW-Milwaukee campus for an immersive boot camp. Activities include compounding hand sanitizer, a vitals lab practicing blood pressure measurements, a relay race centered on prescription filling and patient counseling plus more.
Scholars tour various pharmacy practice sites, including MCW's on-campus partners Froedtert Hospital and Children’s Wisconsin, plus Wisconsin Pharmacal, where they learn about careers in the pharmaceutical industry.
Al-Jawhar is a participant in the MCW School of Pharmacy's Dual-Degree/Early Assurance Program, allowing her to earn her bachelor's and PharmD degrees on an accelerated timeline – six years in total. She has already applied and been accepted to MCW's PharmD program for Fall 2027.
Her interest in a pharmacy career was piqued through multiple sources – working at a Walgreens pharmacy, learning about drug development in her chemistry classes and a family connection.
"My mom works in the pharmaceutical industry and is involved in clinical trials for chronic diseases such as cancer or muscular dystrophy. I learned a lot about what pharmacists do from her," added Al-Jawhar.
Pre-Pharmacy Scholars participants Sarah Al-Jawhar (left) and Eliana Putnam (right)
Another participant, Eliana Putnam, a senior at Wauwatosa East High School, applied to the Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program to learn about the variety of career pathways in pharmacy.
"The most exciting thing I learned is how many paths you can take," said Putnam. "I didn't realize there's so much more than working in a hospital or at a retail pharmacy location. You can specialize in different fields, like oncology or cardiology – and that part is really exciting to me."
Al-Jawhar's favorite activity during the Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program was examining a patient's profile, including their health conditions plus their list of current medications and dosages. Scholars learned about potential drug interactions and risks that a pharmacist would flag.
"For example, one patient was taking a blood pressure medication and ibuprofen for some pain. But those should not be taken together because it can decrease efficiency of the blood pressure medication and could cause kidney issues," explained Al-Jawhar.
For Putnam, the most memorable experience was seeing a glimpse of the work pharmacists do at Froedtert Hospital and Children's Wisconsin.
"We got a behind-the-scenes look at pharmacists compounding medications, setting up IVs and sending medications through tubes to all the different floors of the hospital," Putnam recalled.
The Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program gave Putnam a better idea of the type of pharmacy career she would like to pursue.
"I think working in the hospital setting would be cool, whether that's on the floor as part of a care team – or in the pharmacy behind-the scenes," she said.
She plans to work with MCW School of Pharmacy staff to organize a shadowing experience at one of the partner hospitals to get a better sense of the different specialty options.
The Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program accepts new applications each year from February 1 through April 30.