December 2005
Yimegnushal, born and raised in Ethiopia, was admitted to Howard University in Atlanta, Georgia to study pharmacy four years ago. When she came to D.C. to join our program she had not dreamt that she would be completing the pharmacy program as the top student in her class. Her interest at the time, as she expressed it on several occasions, was to just get admission. Today, she made us proud by graduating with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Her biggest competitors were not other American students or foreign-born ones, but her own best friends Edom and Ayne who are also Ethiopians/Ethiopian Americans.
Their GPAs were short by 0.01 and 0.18 points respectively from becoming valedictorians. What a great country are we living in? Any one with a diverse background coming from around the world is able to achieve the American dream. I am also proud to say that over ten percent of the School of Pharmacy 2005 graduating class was Ethiopian-born. God is good to us. What makes it even more interesting this year is that these students held the #1, 2, and #4 highest GPA scores. Five of them, including Serawit and Alemtsehay are members of the Rochi Society.
The remaining graduates Gelilia, Tiruwork and Merhawit were also in the top 40 percent (of 70 students) and graduated with cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Currently, there are close to 20 Ethiopian-born students in our pharmacy program and several others received admissions for the up coming 2005-2006 academic year.
My main reason for writing this story is because this year's Ethiopians success is the first of its kind at Howard and I am proud to share it with our community. My other reason is to generate interest in the diasporas who have been contemplating in moving forward in their career choices but did not have the courage to do it yet. I also hope such a story will create an example for future students who wanted to follow this year's trend, as we all know that pharmacists are considered one of the most visible occupations.
Every day, millions of Americans walk into drug stores and depend on pharmacists for assistance and advice for their health care needs. Pharmacists are regarded as one of the most trusted professionals in the world. Pharmacy has always been an exciting and rewarding career, but has recently become the most pursued fields in the health care industry. Howard University has been training pharmacists since 1868 and its graduates have been in leadership positions in private and governmental institutions globally.
There has never been a better time to consider a rewarding career in pharmacy. Currently, there is a big shortage of pharmacists in the United States and will continue to be in high demand until at least
2008. There are 7,000 to 10,000 unfilled pharmacy positions in the USA at any given time right now.
Although the job is not easy, it pays off. The average salary ranges from $90,000 for a new pharmacy graduate (with no experience) to $110, 000, depending on the location and the type of institution. Employment is 100% and most jobs pay up to $30,000 sign-on bonus.
Most pharmacy graduates do not even have resumes but get an average 2-3 job offers. Here at Howard University, for the last 15-20 years we have been graduating 4-6 Ethiopians Pharmacists every year. What makes this year's graduation unique is the level of academic achievements of our Ethiopian-born graduates who were able to achieve an outstanding reputation both in Academics and clinical arena. I am proud to be part of this history.
In order to practice pharmacy in the USA one must obtain a license. Before entering into a pharmacy program, one has to finish a pre-pharmacy program that usually requires 1 to 2 years of college level classes. Many pharmacy colleges require taking the Pharmacy Colleges Admissions Test (PCAT)
before being considered into their professional program. Most pharmacy programs are 4 years in length and offer a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D).
Those who pursue a residency or a fellowship after their graduation do so in a specialty area of their choice. Keep in mind that each school has different policies. Should
Anyone considers joining the profession and inquires information on admission to Howard University, he or she can visit our website at:
http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/Pharmacy/
<http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/Pharmacy/
<http://www.cpnahs.howard.edu/Pharmacy/> >
He or she can also call me on my direct line at 202 806 4214 or e-mail: bhailemeskel@howard.edu
mailto:bhailemeskel@howard.edu> . GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
For those who are interested in pursing pharmacy as a career
there are number resources on the web. For example, a list of pharmacy
school can be found at http://www.pharmacychoice.com/education/pharmschools.cfm
<http://www.pharmacychoice.com/education/pharmschools.cfm>
- Dr. Bisrat Hailemeskel
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