The biopharmaceutical industry is gaining more student attention. However, the question is how are student pharmacists finding out about this pathway? In a survey conducted over the summer 2014 and early part of the 2014-15 school year, this question was asked of 193 student pharmacists. The majority of students answered that they either knew someone who works in the industry or were exposed to the industry through guest speakers. The “other” section included methods such as previous internship and rotational experiences, independent research, and exposure at professional organizations such as IPhO meetings and the APhA-ASP conference.

There are relatively few specific classes or exposure to the biopharmaceutical industry in conventional pharmacy curricula. As a result, industry career choices are often much harder for students to explore. Self-aware students that find their niche in the industry start organizations such as IPhO and organize events like MCPHS University’s annual “The Emerging World of the Industry Pharmacist.” Events like these are a great opportunity to network and find out about the different opportunities within industry.

Although there are now 19 IPhO chapters distributing significant amounts of information, there is a need for changes to curricula in pharmacy schools to include other opportunities in pharmacy beyond hospital, clinical, or community pharmacy. Guest speakers from industry are a good way to reach a large audience, and this should be continued. In addition to existing general classes such as Introduction to Pharmacy Management, pharmacy school faculty and administration should consider offering more elective courses about industry and providing more information about how students can get involved.

Authored by Nikole Shpilfogel, MCPHS University-Boston PharmD Class of 2017, with contributions from Professor Bernard Tyrrell, MCPHS University-Boston, and James Alexander, Executive Director of IPhO