Some people run from politics while others take the challenges head on. John Scheper looks to management as a springboard into his future campaign trail
Name: John David Scheper
Position: P4 Student at Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy
Interview Summary
Matt [00:00:05] Matt Paterini here with The Nontraditional Pharmacist, part of The Pharmacy Podcast Network. Another episode of The Nontraditional Pharmacist Student Series today. Very excited for this episode John David Scheper with us, it’s going to be a fantastic episode, can’t wait to learn about his approach to pharmacy school and choosing a career path. The Pharmacy Student Series is all about helping pharmacy students think about some of the things that they may not have thought about through formal education and really getting folks to the point where they’re happy, fulfilled, and love their career in pharmacy. Thanks a lot I appreciate you taking the time.
John [00:00:53] Yeah thanks Matt. You know I’m happy to be here. And I just appreciate what The Nontraditional Pharmacist is doing. So thank you for having me on.
Matt [00:01:02] Absolutely, we’ll get right into the first question. What are your primary interests in pharmacy and why? I know we were talking a little bit before the episode, you’ve already accepted the position. Maybe expand a little bit on that and your primary interests in the field of pharmacy.
John [00:01:17] Yes so I’ll start out with why I think that’s important. You know a lot of people, particularly myself, I got into pharmacy thinking that I was going to be a clinician, that I was going to do a postgrad PGY1 and PGY2 and specialize in something and be a clinician in a hospital. And what I found was that through my APPE’s that I woke up every day and I didn’t say I want to be here for the rest of my life. And so from there, I started trying to be real with myself. What is it that I want to do. I had a management rotation and from there it was waking up every morning, going in early and staying late. And that’s kind of where I found out that that’s where my passions were, in management. And from there I’m hoping to move more into politics. I would love to get involved in the political side of things because pharmacy and pharmacists can play a huge role in that. Currently we have 535 Congressional Members, and only one of those is a pharmacist, and so I think that it’s important that we insert ourselves into that and that’s currently where my interests are.
Matt [00:02:20] JOHN DAVID SCHEPER For President. That’s what I say.
John [00:02:26] Yeah maybe one day maybe one day soon.
Matt [00:02:28] That’s excellent. Hey John. What’s missing from traditional pharmacy that really should be there to help students decide on a career path? There’s a lot of help and assistance within a formal program to learn about different opportunities available. What do you think’s missing to help students decide on that formal career path?
John [00:02:51] Yeah I kind of have a similar point of view to you. I was watching one of the previous podcasts and I believe you mentioned that you know we have four years, and three of those years are didactic learning, and so you can only fit so much into three years of learning and I think what’s missing is illuminating where pharmcists play a role. I think how we rectify that situation is that one, from a student’s point of view we have to be more willing to be forthcoming about needing help and asking for help and then from the school’s point of view, I think that the schools need to be providing, and there’s an opportunity to provide assistance with making connections, so reaching out to alumni and preceptors and people who hold pharmacy positions in nontraditional sectors. And so I think that’s kind of where this marriage needs to happen and what’s missing in our traditional pharmacy schools right now.
Matt [00:03:43] Well said and you’ve taken kind of a unique, as we would say nontraditional approach, to planning for your career afterward. Maybe expand a little bit upon how you personally prepared for your career plans afterward.
John [00:03:57] Yes so preparing you know, it starts from day one. And so what I’ve done to prepare is (internet cut out). And so again trying to be involved and then throughout my APPE’s again I realized that what it is I was doing in the clinical and ambulatory care and in the community settings wasn’t really lighting me on fire. And so when I was on my management rotation I reached out to my preceptor and asked for more connections so that I could do more phone interviews. When I was on various rotations I asked do you know people in maybe the pharmaceutical industry or this place or that place and really just try to put myself out there, conduct phone interviews, and just try to gather as much knowledge as possible and so that’s how I prepare to get to where I’m at right now.
Matt [00:04:49] With management and politics being such a unique area/practice setting I guess you could say in pharmacy, how do you see that impacting your personal life, outside of the professional world?
John [00:05:08] Personally, one day I want to be a good husband and a good father and respected in my community. And so what I think management provides is one structure. I’m a big believer in structure and I thrive in that sort of setting. And so I think the position that I’m in (internet cut out) outside of pharmacy. I think with politics what it does is provide me an opportunity to get more involved in the community, not just with pharmacy, but in various other things and makes me more. Sorry that might not be the best answer there.
Matt [00:05:50] No, that great! No that’s great, John. I appreciate it. You know with your interests kind of in the political spectrum, in management and business where do you see the profession of pharmacy moving in the future?
John [00:06:04] Yeah I think this is a great question because parents often encourage you know my parents encourage me to go to pharmacy school because pharmacy was the up and coming position, just like engineering and law school. And so I think it’s important as pharmacists we see where is pharmacy heading? I think the easy answer is automation. There are so many roles that automation can play in the healthcare industry. But what I think, where I think a lot of opportunity lies is in the nontraditional areas. I did a rotation of Pharmacy Quality Alliance. And there were opportunities in research, and not research as in bench work, but research as in health outcomes and providing quality based metrics and that sort of thing. So I think there’s a lot of opportunity there.
Matt [00:06:54] Yeah, I agree with you there. You know we hear it’s great to get different takes from from different students and different interests as they pursue careers after pharmacy school. John David Sheff we wish you the best in your future endeavors. Certainly appreciate you taking the time with us at the nontraditional pharmacy today. PLEASE COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE this post with the pharmacy community. The goal is to improve how students select their career paths and that everyone in the field of pharmacy has a successful and fulfilling career. Until next time I’m Matt Paterini with The Nontraditional Pharmacist. Thanks for joining.