What advice can you share for a successful clinical pharmacy career?

Watch the video at: https://www.accp.com/resandfel/advice.aspx

Please provide a brief overview of your clinical pharmacy career path.

I had always wanted to be a teacher, but my parents encouraged me to pursue engineering, law, or medicine. So, I pursued pharmacy, a marriage of health care and education. As pharmacists, we are educators. I graduated from St. Joseph University, a French-speaking university in Lebanon. Then I went to the Lebanese American University, an ACPE-accredited school. That allowed me to come to the United States to pursue postgraduate residency training. I did residency training in Upstate New York under an infectious diseases pharmacist researcher. When I completed my residency, I pursued a position in academia and infectious diseases. Now, I am a professor of pharmacy practice at Palm Beach Atlantic University and a clinical pharmacy specialist at Wellington Regional Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Describe how you first became involved with ACCP.

I joined ACCP as a first-year faculty member when I saw that ACCP was focused on all three of my interests: practice, research, and education. I attend all of the ACCP Annual Meetings. I am past chair and currently a member of the Infectious Diseases PRN. The PRN has introduced me to a lot of colleagues to network with, learn from, and collaborate with.

What was your path to becoming a Fellow of ACCP?

As a full-time faculty member, a lot of activities that you need to do for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor align with the application for ACCP Fellowship. About 3 years into my career, I used the fellowship application as a guideline to what I should be pursuing in my career. I trusted ACCP’s values to guide my involvement and career path. The FCCP criteria is very objective because it assigns points to different activities.

When I reached the 10-year mark, I scored my own application and found myself to be on the border. A colleague encouraged me to apply in order to receive feedback on what was missing from my portfolio. Thanks to her encouragement, I applied and was awarded FCCP.

I encourage you to download the application early and let it help guide you.

What is some advice for early career practitioners?

“Get the most out of the ACCP meeting!” As a resident or fellow, use the ACCP board certification preparatory courses, ACCP Academy training, mentored research training (MeRIT), and professional networking opportunities. Early connections have evolved into collaborations for scholarly and committee work.

What advice do you have for trainees about continuing to be a well-rounded clinical pharmacist as a new practitioner without burning out early in their career?

Try not to compare yourself to others. It’s OK to have a different timeline than your colleagues. Celebrate each accomplishment. Maintain a hobby outside pharmacy. As long as you are progressing, that is a success. It is more important to persevere than to be the first to accomplish everything.

Elias Chahine Pharm.D., FCCP, FASCP, FFSHP, BCPS, BCIDP
Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Wellington Regional Medical Center