What Our Students Say

Pharmaceutical Health Policy & Management Pathway

What Our Students Say

Recent graduates have volunteered their views of the value of the Pharmaceutical Health Policy & Management (PHPM) Pathway in creating a unique experience that helped to distinguish them from the crowd in their first job applications. Here are some excerpts from our students taken from the 2004 exit survey.

If you could make the choice again, would you choose the PHPM pathway?

"Yes, it's helped me to get the residency position that I wanted, so I'm definitely grateful to being in the pathway. I'd do it all over again."
"Yes, the pathway ... supplement[s] the experience of pharmacy school. The pathway allows for opportunities for student growth and gives the participants extra experiences that others don't get."
"I plan on using the management and entrepreneurial skills I developed in the pathway to start my own business."

Please provide any feedback regarding the impact of your participation in the PHPM pathway on your interview experiences and/or future plans.

"The PHPM pathway experience had a positive effect on the outcomes of my interviews, primarily because it differentiates us from traditional pathway students. Prior to interviews, some recent UCSF grads had warned that PHPM students might actually be at a disadvantage because of the de-emphasized clinical aspect of our curriculum. I don't think this was the case for any of us this year ... In fact, a significant part of most of my interviews was explaining the pathway and what it was about. This provides a clear avenue for pathway students to set themselves apart from traditional curriculum students; most interviewers were adequately impressed after hearing the usual pathway propaganda. The main aspects of the pathway that really helped were our increased research experience, statistics background, and general perception that we're different."
"The PHPM Pathway has provided me with tools that make me feel confident about pursuing my goal in the health policy field. It was an extraordinary experience that I believe I would not be able to obtain else where, and gave me an edge and additional choices for my future career."
"I definitely emphasized my experience in the pathway when I was at the residency interviews to distinguish me from other applicants. I think it shows that I'm focused on this career path and motivated to carry out a long-term project. It is definitely an advantage and I would really let the interviewers know that even if they are not familiar with the pathway."

Other excerpted comments

"I liked all of the classes in the pathway. I especially enjoyed learning statistics from Stan Glantz's class. It was very applicable to my research project."
"I felt like I had a clear understanding of all the topics we covered, and was able to do a decision analysis project during one of my rotations. The class project worked well as a teaching tool."
"The guidance that the faculty offers really is very important to the students, and is appreciated sincerely. One of the most attractive aspects of the pathway is the amount of faculty contact it offers the students."
"I want to thank all of the faculty who took the extra time to give guidance to us this year and last year, and also all the faculty who went an extra mile to make sure we received the best quality of education the pathway has to offer. Sincerely, all your efforts are recognized deep in our hearts, though we might not always verbalize it."
"While passionate about the pathway, it can be rigorous, requiring commitment. The rewards, of course, are worth it."

Go To: Pharmaceutical Health Policy & Management Pathway