Like many other pharmacists during the COVID pandemic, Nupoor had to take on more responsibilities in addition to the ones she already had. Having to work 16-hour days, the bulk of which was spent on her feet, at work without bathroom or lunch breaks was a tipping point for her. Before now, she had toyed with the idea of changing roles but was not able to land a job. The new situation at work also left her exhausted, led to her being moody, and was an awful experience. She describes it this way, “I was angry all the time and was so exhausted after work each day … There were no breaks. I was snapping at people. I wasn’t doing anything that I enjoyed. My routine was work, come home, sleep, go back to work, and then repeat it the next day. It was awful, and I hated it.”
Her approach to landing a new job was a bit all over the place. She was applying to almost any job that looked remotely appealing using job boards like Glassdoor and Indeed. Trying to build a network at this time was also difficult. After spending 2 -3 years trying with no success, she reached a trough. She gave up. She resigned herself to a life spent in retail, and it was a depressing thought. In this state, while going through a group on Facebook, somebody mentioned the Happy PharmD, and she decided to give it a try.
She reached out and was assigned to a coach. The process she was put through next during coaching was not what she had imagined. “My coach first grounded me and asked me to take a step back. The focus was not on applying for jobs,” she recounts. Also, Coach Julie, her coach, made a profound statement and helped her gain the right perspective. She said, “You can’t leave a job that you hate for something you’re going to hate even more or as much, because then what is the point?” During coaching, she also had to provide answers to some important questions. Some of the questions were,
- What do you genuinely want to do?
- What are your interests?
- What are your likes and dislikes?
Nupoor admits that these questions were a game-changer for her. They helped her eliminate specific roles that she had no interest in. It was only after she had answered these questions that they moved into how to write a cover writer and a resume that is tailored to perfection.
Currently, she works as a Clinical Care Services Pharmacist with Comprehensive Pharmacy Services, and you can feel the excitement in her voice when she talks about her current role. She describes her job this way, “I do admission and discharge, reconciliations, medication therapy management (MTM), and comprehensive medication review (CMR). It is so much better than retail because I feel like I am actually applying my pharmacy knowledge. The stress is also way down.” She describes how her job also affords her more time for other activities she loved doing but had stopped because of the long work hours. “I also have a much better work-life balance as I have more time to do the things I want to do for myself, such as going to the gym, taking a walk, and reading a book. Activities that help me decompress and make me happy.”
She shared that coaching helped her stay accountable and focused week by week despite dealing with her busy daily schedule, which could be overwhelming. The change in perspective from focusing on getting a job to first discovering yourself and doing the things you love is also a benefit coaching brings. When the job search eventually begins, you will be applying for roles that interest you and are in line with your career goals, rather than applying for every job you come across and hoping that something lands. The only regret Nupoor has is not finding the Happy PharmD sooner.
Now that you have found us and have just read Nupoor’s story, if you are currently in her shoes, you can turn your life around, just like she did, by reaching out today. Click here to do so and book a session with us.
Obaseki Emmanuel, PharmD is an experienced pharmacist and career development enthusiast. He is fascinated by the human mind and loves nature. He enjoys writing medical articles and essays in his spare time. He is the founder of Kingsquare’s Ink, where he helps clients achieve their graduate school dreams.