Front Matter
Preliminary Material
Letters
Give to Others, and You Will Receive Tenfold in Return
Stay True to Your Values
Just How Do You Know When to Make a Job Move?
It Takes a Team to Create Change
You Need the Big E: Enthusiasm
Venture Out of Your Comfort Zone
We Can Have It All, We Just Can’t Always Do It All
What Are You Going to Do for the Rest of Your Life?
Love Being Exactly Who You Are
Lessons Learned from Others’ Experiences Enrich Our Lives
Living with Imposter Syndrome and Knowing That You Belong in the Room
Don’t Fret about Career and Personal Life Balance—There Is No Such Thing
Serve Your “Every Patient”
Be Active, Shape Your Future, and Demonstrate Leadership for Others Following in Your Path
Be the Voice
Follow Your Heart, Seize Opportunities, and Realize There Are Always Trade-Offs
Social Relevance, Purpose, and Legitimacy
Build the Strongest Foundation of Knowledge and Skills That You Can
Learning to Ignore the Lies We Tell Ourselves
We Need More Pharmacists Outside of Pharmacy
A Mantra to Live By: Sí Se Puede! (Yes, You Can!)
Do Not Ask More of Your Staff Than You Are Willing to Give
You Can Only Control Your Choices
Networking Is Not Overrated, It Is Underestimated
Grow, Create, Lead
There Is No Growth in a Comfort Zone and No Comfort in a Growth Zone
Making Difficult Career Decisions
If You Don’t Have a Mentor, Get One
Find Your Passion and Pursue It with a Sense of Urgency
Pharmacists Finally Forged Their Place in the World of Public Health
My Cancer Experience Taught Me to Put Patients First
Planning for the Future
Nurture an Enduring Passion for Patients and the Profession
Pursuing Constructive Change in Pharmacy
Final Thoughts

Life Is What Happens While You Are Busy Making Other Plans

in Letters to a Young Pharmacist
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37573/9781585287109.010
Restricted access

Deb Devereaux approached her career with a well thought-out plan. She selected pharmacy as her career path because it would allow her the opportunity to build on her keen interest in science and the flexibility to raise a family while also pursuing a career. She spent summers working as an intern in various practice settings to determine which would be the best fit for her interests and methodically chose to pursue a business degree to help achieve her goals. Despite the meticulous planning, she readily admits that some other factors converged to influence her career path: personal relationships, her pharmacy colleagues and mentors, and serendipity. In the world of pharmacy, Deb’s career has turned out to be somewhat unusual. Leveraging the skills she developed in hospital pharmacy management and through her MBA training, she has become one of the nation’s experts on pharmacy reimbursement issues and the Medicare Part D benefit.

Deb is currently Principal and Chief Clinical Officer at the Rebellis Group. She received her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree in business administration from Regis University. She has been a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist.

Deb’s advice to young pharmacists is: approach life with a plan and a strong dose of open-mindedness and flexibility, seek out mentors, and help and support others.