Residency Spotlight: Dr. Josiah Baker
The UIC College of Pharmacy ranks in the top ten nationally in matching students into residencies and fellowships. In celebration of that fact, we’re highlighting some of this year’s outstanding students and where they will do their residencies or fellowships.
Dr. Josiah Baker will be completing his PGY1 pharmacy practice residency at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, IL.
What are your post-graduate plans?
I am seeking to practice as an Ambulatory Care Pharmacist after the completion of my residency training
If you are doing a residency or fellowship: what is the name of the program, the name of the institution, and what will your title be?
Program: PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program; Institution: Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital; Title: PGY1 Resident
What are you looking forward to post-graduation?
I am mostly looking forward to positively impacting patient care and training in the VA setting is going to allow me to learn how to practice at the top of my license. I am so excited to get started!
How has your experience at UIC College of Pharmacy prepared you for what’s next in your career?
I feel very well-prepared to begin my next step as a resident at Hines after completing the PharmD program at UIC College of Pharmacy. From the quality of the rigorous curriculum to the rich network of supportive and brilliant faculty members, UIC provided the ideal learning environment to cultivate my professional and personal skills over the last 4 years. I truly could not have had a better pharmacy school experience and UIC will always be a special place to me.
Any advice for students who are interested in pursuing a PharmD?
You should enter this field because you love patient care. Using your passion and skillset to care for your patients and making your service to them a top priority is ultimately what this career is all about. Keeping this perspective is what will keep you focused on your why and get you through the tough times. This career is certainly not easy, but it's worth it when you do it for the right reasons. One of the nicest things about pharmacy is the breadth of opportunities and the variety of career pathways your PharmD can be applied in. Not everyone is cut out for direct patient care and that is ok! Job markets may be a bit more saturated in recent years, but you can always find opportunities if you look in the right places. Hopefully, you will find and/or potentially create your own journey one day. Best of luck to the prospective PharmD candidates reading this...I'll leave you with 3 rules to live by: always stay open-minded, treat everyone like royalty, and keep dreaming BIG!