Pharmacy students prepare for the future at 2017-2018 career fair

• By Mark Hendricks
• October 31, 2017

The TTUHSC School of Pharmacy gave 164 third- and fourth-year students a chance to meet their potential future employers at the school’s 2017-2018 career fair Oct. 2-3 at the Hurst Convention Center in Hurst, Texas.

This year the school combined its career fair with that of the University of North Texas (UNT) Health Science Center College. The combined event provided an opportunity for TTUHSC pharmacy students a chance to engage with students and faculty from another school and offered a wider variety of vendors with whom the students could network.

Vendors that attended the career fair represented hospitals, residency programs, long-term health care consulting firms, a professional pharmacy organization, a fellowship program and a financial planning company. The vendor list included Baylor Scott & White Health, Texas Health Resources Dallas/Fort Worth, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital, JPS Health Network, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, The Thomas E. Creek VA West Texas VA Health Care System, PharMerica, the Texas Pharmacy Association, Novo Nordisk and Mass Mutual. All were present Oct. 2 for one-on-one discussions with students about potential career pathways.

In addition, 19 TTUHSC faculty members and residents, 19 UNT faculty members and representatives from Mass Mutual offered simultaneous career development workshops and training sessions covering topics like curriculum vitae (CV) and letters of intent (LOIs); interviewing; networking; job offers; time management; debt management; CV reviews; and residency preparation for third-year students. There was also a resident panel, an alumni panel and mock interviews. 

“The mock interviews allowed TTUHSC students to work with a UNT faculty member to practice their interview skills about a career option of the student’s choice,” Associate Dean for Career Development Krystal Edwards, Pharm.D., said. “The alumni and resident panels offered the students the opportunity to ask questions about career options and get clinical pearls, along with words of wisdom, from those in a variety of positions.”

On Oct. 3, eight pharmacy companies conducted interviews for fourth-year students. By the end of the day, the companies conducted more than 240 interviews with students interested in residencies, retail and hospital-based job opportunities. Companies conducting the second-day interviews included Texas Health Resources Dallas/Fort Worth, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, CVS Health, Kroger, Walgreens, H-E-B, Albertson’s, Randalls/Tom Thumb and United pharmacies. TTUHSC faculty members and Mass Mutual simultaneously offered mock interviews and career development training sessions related to CVs and LOIs, social networking, time management, debt management and residency preparation.