Jamila Jorden laughs when she calls herself a “Navy brat.” After bouncing around with her family, she finally put down roots in South Jersey, then headed to Howard University. Back then she had her eye on becoming a physician assistant, but a track-coach-turned-mentor nudged her toward medicine. Pharmacy caught her imagination just as colleges were pivoting from a B.S. to the full PharmD. The timing felt right, so she jumped in.
That leap has carried her through a PGY-1 residency at Robert Wood Johnson, a decade-plus of hospital and managed-care work in Philadelphia, and—since 2018—a return to her alma mater to steer experiential education. She also squeezes in shifts at a family-medicine clinic because, as she puts it, “A pharmacist who stops practicing loses touch fast.”
Beyond the Corner Drugstore
Ask Jamila what people misunderstand about pharmacy and she barely knows where to start. “We’re not just counting pills in a community pharmacy,” she says. Government agencies, biotech firms, hospitals, digital-health startups—the profession touches them all. That breadth, she believes, makes pharmacists natural public-health advocates; they see regular patients month after month and can flag problems long before a doctor’s appointment rolls around.
Her favorite teaching tool is the rotation program. “Experiential learning is everything,” she insists. Students bounce between clinical, industry, and community settings, then refine their goals before graduation day. Guiding those choices is the most satisfying part of her advisor role.
Keeping Up with a Moving Target
The flip side of that variety? Constant change. New therapies appear weekly, social-media myths spread even faster, and pharmacists need razor-sharp critical-thinking skills to separate science from hype. Jamila spends plenty of evenings poring over journals so she can give patients—and students—evidence-based answers.
Jamila’s Advice for Future PharmDs
- Do your homework. Shadow professionals in multiple settings and browse organizations like the American Pharmacists Association to see just how wide the field really is.
- Master the basics. Those four years of coursework aren’t hoops to jump through; they’re the knowledge base for board certification and long-term competence.
- Network early. Conferences, student chapters, LinkedIn—use them. Relationships often open doors faster than résumés.
- Stay flexible. “Hold tight to your dreams,” she says, “but remember life may reroute you toward something even better.”
Jamila’s journey proves pharmacy is anything but a one-note career. With curiosity, solid training, and a willingness to adapt, today’s students can carve out roles in everything from clinical trials to telehealth. Ready to explore further? Take our quick Pharmacy Career Quiz or browse real-world pharmacist bios on our Career Pathways page to see where the degree could take you.
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