October 8, 2021

Sign up for part 2 of Dr. Justine Gortney's P4 workshop: Helping Student Pharmacists Build Their Brand

On Sept. 10, WSU Applebaum Associate Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Assessment Justine Gortney presented the first part of a two-part workshop intended to help P4 students prepare to enter the job market upon graduation in May 2022. 

Helping Student Pharmacists Build Their Brand was created and presented thanks to a grant from the Applebaum Family Compass Fund. The Applebaum Family Compass Fund is led by the third generation Applebaum family members, Rebecca Applebaum-Wyett and Molly Applebaum-Wyett. The fund is a special grant program of Applebaum Family Philanthropy (AFP) dedicated to piloting and advancing efforts in Southeastern Michigan that unite entrepreneurism and determination toward fruition.

"Personal digital branding is an important concept in today's job market," said Gortney. "I had submitted and received a grant from the Applebaum Family Philanthropy Foundation to do this and as a result engaged Dr. Stephanie Tong, a Wayne State associate professor of communication and expert in personal digital branding. I also solicited feedback and assistance from employers and alumni." 

To assess students' perceptions of the program and its impact, and to determine if such programming would be beneficial for students in the future, a research proposal was developed and students were given the option to participate in a study involving a series of surveys. Students who opt in receive a gift card upon completion. P3 students Marielle Stepho and Anita Yousef helped develop part of the research proposal for the assessment element of the program. 

Workshop goals include guiding participants to: 

1. Build an attention-getting LinkedIn profile. 
2. Build an aesthetically pleasing and impactful resume and CV for the marketplace that can be tailored according to the position sought. 
3. Obtain feedback from alumni and other pharmacy stakeholders during the process to expand their network.

   

    

For the first session in September, 15 student students logged on to hear from and connect with expert speakers and four alumni, including Michael Abouzaid, PharmD ’18; Heba Sobh, PharmD ’18; Eric Szdylowski, PharmD ’15; and Victor Nguyen, PharmD ’16. Topics included best practices of social media use and connecting personal accounts with organizational branding to maximize social media impact. Students also had the opportunity to meet virtually with alumni for small-group discussions.

Those who missed the September session can catch up by watching the first half and second half of the recording.

There are still openings for the second session from 2-4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, when the focus will be developing documents such as CVs, resumes and letters of intent while seeking employment. Dr. Francine Salinitri and Educational Specialist Sarah Agnihotri will be featured speakers. If you're a P4 interested in participating, sign up by Oct. 18 to save your spot.

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