Preparing for a Career in Pharmacy | Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program prepares graduates for a range of rewarding career opportunities. With pathways ranging from pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics to pharmaceutical industry or patient care, graduates will serve their community as an accessible, trusted healthcare provider.

MCW pharmacy students advocate for pharmacy policy efforts at State Capitol

Pharmacy Career Paths

Graduates of the MCW PharmD program have diverse job prospects, including:

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Academia

Graduates who are interested in educating and precepting the next generation of pharmacists may pursue an academic pharmacy career as a faculty member at a college or university.

Entrepreneurship

Opening an independent pharmacy is an option for graduates who are interested in being their own boss. Independent pharmacy owners and staff pharmacists focus on building and maintaining relationships with community members. This path would be a great fit for PharmD graduates who are interested in business and marketing.

Government and Regulatory

Graduates may pursue careers in with organizations like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration where they protect the drug supply – from performing inspections at manufacturing facilities to involvement in drug recalls and consumer complaints.

Patient Care

Pharmacists counsel patients on safe and appropriate use of medications, ensure patients are receiving the correct medication and dose, and prevent harmful drug interactions. There are various options for specialties and practice settings, including hospital pharmacy (working as part of an interprofessional healthcare team), ambulatory care (working in clinical office and pharmacy settings focused on general care or specific disease states), or community pharmacy (accessible, trusted medication experts who also provide immunizations and wellness services).

Pharmaceutical Industry

Industry pharmacists may create new medications, conduct research via clinical drug trials, work in quality control or collaborate with marketers to promote medications.

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics testing allows pharmacists and physicians to skip the trial and error of finding a medication that works best for a patient, instead identifying the genetic factors that play a role in the way a patient metabolizes medications. Pharmacists utilizing pharmacogenomics can establish the proper dose for a patient, assess whether there’s a genetic reason for a patient experiencing an adverse drug reaction, or explain why an antidepressant is not working effectively for a behavioral health patient.

Specialty Pharmacy Practice

Graduates may choose to specialize in a specific disease state (such as cardiology or oncology), patient population (such as pediatrics, geriatrics or veterinary pharmacy) or practice setting (such as emergency medicine or psychiatry).

Technology and Health Informatics

Pharmacists may utilize their clinical experience and information technology knowledge to improve medication management systems and safety protocols for drug administration.

Pharmacy student works in a laboratory setting alongside her preceptor.

Expected starting salary/salary range

According to U.S. News & World Report, pharmacists made a median salary of $132,750 in 2022, ranking the profession at #15 in Best-Paying Jobs and #15 in Best Healthcare Jobs.

The expected starting salary for individuals with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree can vary depending on factors such as location, industry, level of experience and specific job responsibilities. It is also important to note that salaries may also be influenced by factors such as additional certifications, skills, and negotiation abilities of the individual candidate.

Benefits of the MCW Doctor of Pharmacy Program

At the Medical College of Wisconsin, PharmD graduates are prepared to practice at the top of their license. Wisconsin has one of the most progressive pharmacy practices in the country, with the largest concentration of clinical training sites in Milwaukee. Wisconsin is one of 11 states nationally to recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers under the state Medicaid system, allowing pharmacists a unique opportunity to care for the underserved in rural and urban areas.

Accelerated Program

The MCW School of Pharmacy is the only pharmacy school in Wisconsin to offer an accelerated three-year PharmD at a premier academic medical center. Completing the PharmD in three years means students will start their career or enter residency training one year sooner than their peers.

Academic Medical Center

Through partnerships with Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Wisconsin and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, the MCW PharmD program provides student with early, extensive exposure to a variety of clinical settings and world-class research in specialties such as precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, oncology, cardiology and psychiatry.

Customizable Education

Academic concentrations give MCW PharmD graduates a competitive edge in their career interest area before entering the profession or pursuing postgraduate training. Our four academic concentration options are: Research, Population Health, Specialized Pharmacy Practice, Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

Post-graduate Training

A map of the United States shows the various states where MCW Doctor of Pharmacy graduates have been placed for postgraduate residency training.

Residency Match Rate

Residencies are optional post-graduate training programs for pharmacists to continue developing skills and/or specialize in a particular career path. The MCW School of Pharmacy has had approximately 60% of its five cohorts pursue residencies and fellowships. The Class of 2024 achieved a 96% postgraduate-training match rate for post-graduate year 1 (PGY1) residency programs.

Fellowships

MCW School of Pharmacy alumni have been selected for prestigious fellowships in the pharmaceutical industry with companies such as:

Bayer Corporation
BD (Marketing fellowship)
East Coast Institute for Research (Clinical Research and Pharmaceutical Industry fellowship)
Eli Lilly (Clinical Development / Clinical Systems fellowship)
Merck (Oncology)
Sanofi (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics fellowship)

MCW Alumni Spotlight

Heather Dalton, PharmD, MS - Specialty Pharmacy Manager, Froedtert Health Solutions

As a specialty pharmacy manager, Dr. Dalton works with a class of medications that are difficult to manage, are expensive, have limited distribution and require more complex care. She oversees 13 clinical pharmacists who work in the specialty pharmacy, providing longitudinal medication management to patients using specialty medications.

Kong Choua Thao, PharmD - Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) Fellow, Sanofi

Dr. Thao is currently in a fellowship at pharmaceutical and healthcare company Sanofi in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) fellowship, Thao determines the disposition, safe starting dose and predicted efficacious dose prior to first-in-human clinical trials.

Rachael Jaszczenski, PharmD - Pediatric Pharmacist, Children's Wisconsin

As a pediatric pharmacist, Dr. Jaszczenski says she values helping families get through a potentially terrifying situation involving their child. She also enjoys utilizing her critical thinking skills, as there are not as many clinical guidelines in pediatrics compared to adult patients.

LT Christopher Tran PharmD MBA_Landing Page_Image Card

LT Christopher Tran, PharmD, MBA - Investigator / Regulatory Officer, U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Dr. Tran’s role as an FDA investigator is focused on protecting the drug supply, which includes performing inspections at manufacturing facilities to ensure medications meet federal quality standards. He is also involved in drug recalls and consumer complaints.