Pharmacy,Data Science and Product Management
I have always held the opinion that going to university has a better ROI when you go to ‘open your eyes’ and not merely as a tool for survival. It changes a number of life assumptions previously held by someone.
When I graduated from pharmacy school not so long ago, I did my fair share of pill dispensing,reading and interpreting prescriptions,medication therapy management,drug reconstitution and extemporaneous drug preparation,drug stock control, medication use counselling,quality assurance and quality control.
I had not anticipated or at the very least thought I would be where I am nearly three years after my graduation from university.
I recently(April 30th) completed an advanced programme in Data Science and Artificial intelligence from Jenga School which I got a scholarship for after excelling in their foundations program.
Since I became a registered pharmacist after completing the mandatory government internship, I have been without employment (albeit for a short period of time),moved out of home,moved back home and out again,travelled through the country a bit, tried my hand in farming (I am still doing it), worked for a health-tech start-up that run a healthcare marketplace,quit employment and later went back to work for another start-up that focuses on building technolgies for health. (The start-up bug indeed bit me). I even contemplated starting to pursue a Masters Degree in Data Science and Analytics. The list goes on.
I feel as though everything I have done to this day has led me to this point: a career change to data science and product management. It feels the most immense out of everything I have ever done. I feel most alive.
Why am I here telling you all this today? I’m not here to just talk about my feelings. (It is however important for people to talk about how they feel)
I am here to talk about why I believe I have what it takes and have the most crucial skills that make me a great data scientist and product manager because I am an excellent pharmacist.
I am empathetic, very good at problem-solving and prioritization
A very big part of a pharmacist’s life is being confronted with several challenges regarding medication use. We are skileed at being able to evaluate each individually or what we’d call ‘case-by-case’ basis. Understanding what each of them present and see which needs attention and assign them a particular order in which they will be addressed. Prioritization in addressing medication needs is key as it also helps us see what can be delegated. We are also constantly answering questions from nurses,physicians and other healthcare workers on drug use,dosages and probable interactions. As we do all of this we are constantly trying to find solutions to all these problems. We also interact daily with patients,and as such need to listen and empathize with them,their needs and their conditions as they seek medicare.
As we emerge from the pandemic,we have seen the role of pharmacists as point of call in primary care. We are special and necessary. We can be the ones sometimes to pick up tiny details and escalate to the responsible member of the care team.
These skills are massively crucial in data science and the product management cycle. We are given several small tasks in these processes and we should be able to prioritize. In data science and product management, you should be able to prioritize what business need or feature you need to deliver first and which one second. Justify why you are choosing it and feel confident about the decision made.
In product management and data science we seek to solve user and business problems and my finely developed problem solving skills will be invaluable here. I would break up a code problem or a complex statistical issues into simple managable steps that are achievable.
A good data scientist and product manager is able to solve the right problem and also solve the problem right.
I am trained in assessment,implementation and evaluation of outcomes.
The drug use process has the following key steps:
- Ordering/prescribing
- Transcribing and verifying
- Dispensing and delivering
- Administering
- Monitoring and reporting
This is the foundation of pharmacy practise. The ability to move through these steps for all the patients you see and be able to switch plans when one is not working after evaluation. Always looking for newer diagnoses and newer interventions but always doing a needs assessment first. Always iterating for the best patient outcomes
In data science and product management,we can move through all these as well. We first assess the problem which is akin to diagnosis or getting to understand how to solve the problem before ‘prescribing’ a solution to it. There is also always need to loop back after monitoring to ensure I am working on the appropriate solution. Planning and implementing my code as well as the product roadmap over and over again. Finally, evaluating the outcomes of my process and making sure business goals are met and everything is in place as per the requirements.
I am the best teammate.
Team building and team focus in a hospital is one of the most important skills a pharmacist can have.We have different professionals,making the patient care team a multi-disciplinary and cross-functional one. When teamwork is not present within a hospital unit, the patients we serve will not get the highest duty of care to which we swore an oath. It is always all hands on deck. We also make sure we communicate. There is no other way to have a successful team than to communicate in a timely manner,effectively,clearly and in an appropriate fashion. I am looking forward to using my ability to communicate clearly and work in cross-functional teams in my next data science and product management role
I am hopeful and confident that when recruiters will look at my resume, they may not see a data scientist and product manager, (which is unfortunate but understandable). Why? I have not much of ‘real world’ technical experience and no formal degrees in tech or adjunct courses.
What they may not see, however is that I am a pharmacist; a trained pharmacist. I am very flexible,empathetic,understand business needs, and I am an excellent data scientist and a kick-ass product manager!