MCW Hosts Pharmacy Career Exploration Program for High Schoolers

Reminding her of a childhood interest in plant breeding, Jolena Welch’s parents encouraged her to explore where a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree could take her. As an incoming junior at Franklin High School, Welch was excited to learn how her fascination with research could coalesce into a pharmacy career.

She joined the Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program and attended a summer boot camp on the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) campus. In total, 14 students, each from a different Milwaukee-area high school, participated in the week-long experience in August 2024.

A self-described introvert, Welch was unsure about interacting with patients – and she didn't want to pursue a healthcare career that would require her to deal with blood. Welch’s favorite part of the boot camp was a presentation about drug discovery.

“I want to save lives by making medications,” she explained at the end of the boot camp week. “I find research intriguing. I want to know how drugs are made and want to be able to say, ‘I played a part in making this medicine.’”

Welch has also developed an interest in promoting medication adherence, a priority for pharmacists. Her uncle recently had a stroke that left him paralyzed. The medical team at Froedtert Hospital believed her uncle was not taking his blood pressure medication as prescribed. She hopes to play a role in advocating that patients avoid the serious health complications that can arise from medication non-adherence.

Scholars in the program toured Froedtert Hospital and Children’s Wisconsin, which are connected to MCW via skywalk, learning about the various career opportunities for hospital pharmacists. If the participants choose to pursue their PharmD degree at the MCW School of Pharmacy, they will have clinical rotation opportunities at these partner sites on the academic medical center campus. Scholars also took a field trip to Wisconsin Pharmacal to learn about careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Zach Hang, an incoming senior at Martin Luther High School, was already familiar with becoming a community pharmacist, but the boot camp piqued his interest in clinical and hospital pharmacist options. His mom, an obstetrician, encouraged him to pursue healthcare.

“My mom is always helping people, and I wanted to give that a try,” said Hang. “I play football in school, and being a leader is important there. I like being the one that people look up to and want to help answer questions, so I think healthcare would be a good fit.”

The boot camp included various hands-on activities, like making hand sanitizer. Scholars measured in a graduated cylinder, used a scale and mixed the proper formulation required to kill viruses. Natalia Luksic, an incoming senior at Brookfield Central High School, said this was her favorite activity.

“I enjoyed making the hand sanitizer because it taught me about what a compounding pharmacist does to make medications. We got to take the hand sanitizer home, which was a nice achievement,” added Luksic.

Another hands-on activity was the vitals lab, where scholars learned to take a patient’s blood pressure. Ali Gladney, an incoming senior at Marquette High School, appreciated how practical this session was. He was previously interested in nursing, but the boot camp helped him see how his interest in chemistry and the sciences would align well with a pharmacy career.

“I really liked the boot camp and would encourage others to apply,” said Gladney. “There are so many things you can do with a pharmacy career that I had no idea were possible.”

The week-long boot camp is just the start of the year-long program to help high schoolers prepare for college and get on track to pursue their PharmD degree. Next, they will meet quarterly with two mentors – a practicing pharmacist and a current MCW pharmacy student – for college and career planning discussions.

Welch was paired with Meghan Belden, PharmD, BCPPS, a pharmacist at Children’s Wisconsin. She was eager to have a networking opportunity and was already making plans to shadow Dr. Belden at the end of the boot camp experience.

“When you’re thinking about a healthcare career – the first thing you think of is becoming a doctor,” said Welch. “Schools focus on that, and I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about pharmacy. This program really helped answer all my questions.”