5 Pharmacy Career Development Resources to Get Started in Pet & #VetMeds

I love showing others what is possible in pharmacy for career development. So, I’m not about to discuss the VA Hospitals as a career avenue for pharmacy (although, that certainly is an interesting career path for many pharmacists).

Instead, I thought I’d talk about another really interesting area of career development for pharmacists — veterinarian pharmacy!

We love our four-legged friends. There have been a record number of adoptions during the #COVID-19 pandemic, and they have really been the stars of many a Zoom call. (This one was my favorite, being a cat lady.) That, coupled with Elanco moving its HQ to Indianapolis recently, I think now is a great time to consider this area of practice for career development. Like us humans, our pets also need veterinarian health care and with that — sometimes, prescription pet medications.

This area of practice is fascinating, for so many reasons! Different species of animals react to drugs differently. Cats, for example, suffer from hyperthyroidism a lot in older age. Dogs have issues with cardiovascular disease. Pets can be diabetic and suffer from many other ailments we humans endure as well.

So, here are some resources to get you started if you love the intersection between our furry friends and pharmacy….ready?

5 Places to Explore Veterinarian Pharmacy Careers

1. The American College of Veterinary Pharmacists — A whole society here is a great place to start! They also have a pharmacy locater.

2. The Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists — Yes, there’s a group! In fact, they have a great page on Careers in Veterinary Pharmacy here. Purdue also has a student chapter.

3. Vet Meds in Community Pharmacy — Pharmacy Times.

4. The Veterinary Pharmacist Certificate Program — via PowerPak

5. There’s even a podcast, peeps — it’s called The Veterinary Pharmacy Podcast! (And the tracker for podcasts by indie pharmacists has also been updated too.)

There you go! Five places to get started in exploring this area of practice.

Paws in the air for another big area of practice! Yay! 🐾

If you know of any other resources on where to get started, please share in the comments. And thanks again for helping our pets stay healthy and safe too!

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Erin L. Albert is a pharmacist, attorney, author, and Pharmacy Benefit Practice Lead at Apex Benefits and Kinetiq Health. She’s also a cat lady. 😺