Paediatric pharmacist boosts confidence and skills through U of T Pharmacy program

 For paediatric pharmacist Tamara Milicevic, the opportunity to expand her pharmaceutical skillset was the primary motivation to enroll in the PharmD for Pharmacists program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.

“I love being a paediatric pharmacist, and for me the PharmD for Pharmacists program was an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, challenge my clinical knowledge, and explore new areas in my field” says Milicevic.

Tamara says that the comradery shared with her classmates was a key highlight of the time she spent in the program.

“When my motivation began to wane, I relied on my classmates…a lot.  Having classmates from all over the country helped me understand how others practice, what resources they use and how they implemented program learnings into their practice settings. You get surprisingly close with people working towards the same goal as you,” says Milicevic. “I’d always look forward to our weekly skype meetings!”

“I really wanted to challenge myself”

Stepping out of her comfort zone, Tamara got to experience a variety of new clinical settings, making the point to choose rotations that were unfamiliar to her.

“I really wanted to challenge myself” says Milicevic.
“I never would have had an opportunity to sample this many various settings in such a supportive context.”

“Being able to tailor my learning to my specific needs and interests was really important to me. For example, one of my rotations was focused on teaching. However, I found myself asking a lot of bigger questions about curriculum development, how programs are developed and how their quality is assessed. I ended up learning a ton about the quality assurance process from a program-leadership perspective. This was a very eye opening and valuable learning experience.  It helped me see how everything fits into a bigger picture.”

Now a PharmD graduate, Tamara says she is a more confident clinician, having experienced new clinical challenges through rotations and classroom learning.

“I can’t attribute the confidence I feel now to any particular class or topic, but it is very much related to my overall experience.  I’m also seeing things through a different lens.  I find myself asking more questions, problem solving more efficiently, and thinking about how my role fits within a larger system” remarks Milicevic.

A bright future ahead

For Tamara, paediatric pharmacy practice is home, and she is excited at the opportunity to bring more to the table with the experiences gained through the PharmD for Pharmacists program.

“I still enjoy my clinical practice, but right now I’m also interested in teaching and how to bridge the gap between clinicians and educators. I’m also really interested in leadership and how that translates to various roles from clinical, to academic, to advocacy” says Milicevic.“I’m really excited about what the future holds!”

Apply today!

Applications are now open for September 2019 start. Apply by February 15, 2019.