Faisal Rauf (above) reflects on the MPharm program and his experiences so far
In fall 2021, Waterloo Pharmacy launched the Master of Pharmacy in Advanced Pharmacy Practice, one of the first advanced pharmacy training programs in the country. It’s been six months since the program launched, and we check in with Allen, Katie and Faisal, the first three students to join this new program.
See Faisal’s profile here or follow the links below to read about Allen and Faisal:
- Katie Conroy: full-time MPharm student, 2020 PharmD graduate, drug investigation consultant at Manulife
- Allen Cheuk-Ho Tam: full-time MPharm student, 2021 PharmD graduate, community pharmacist
Faisal Rauf
Faisal is an international pharmaceutical graduate who completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Karachi in 1999. His diverse background includes academic detailing, sales, manufacturing and quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry for six years, after which he made the switch to teaching at a local university. In 2006, Faisal moved to Canada with his wife and two daughters. He works at a community pharmacy.
UW: What made you want to apply to the MPharm program?
FR: I am passionate about making difference in the world I live in and have a desire that my profession is seen as a profession that offers value. I have also always been interested in pursuing higher education to further my skills and acquire the knowledge and expertise to be a clinical expert, teacher, and an effective advocate for change. With this, I hope to bring about a paradigm shift to practice evidence-based medicine within the realm of community pharmacy. The MPharm provided the opportunity to build the skills and offered the prospect to achieve these goals.
UW: What are you enjoying about the program so far?
FR: I am enjoying my interaction with my teachers who are real experts in their respective fields and facilitate and encourage learning. I have had the opportunity to meet other like-minded professionals in the field and get to know them as fellow candidates. The facilitation and help I’ve received throughout has been astonishing and beyond my expectation. I am surprised at how accommodating the program has been in aiding my transition back to academia after almost 20 years.
UW: What are your career goals?
FR: I would like to conduct research in the areas of practice enhancement in community pharmacy especially implementation of evidence-based medicine, mental health improvement, antimicrobial stewardship and pain management. Along with research, I would like to see myself as an academic and a teacher.
UW: You’re completing the MPharm full-time, balancing. raising a family and balancing working commitments as well. How do you make it work?
FR: I communicated with my boss to have a schedule at work that will facilitate my study priorities - I work some weekends and evenings, but this frees me for weekday classes. I have made it work through being open with my employer and discussing my priorities, showing zeal to both commitments. This also applies to our family obligations as well.
Along with the academic journey, I believe this was very much a journey of the heart for me, where one must get to know oneself and learn to have faith in themselves. It was a bit hard in the beginning to balance family obligations, work as a community pharmacist and study as a full-time student, but with great support from my family, faculty, and my colleagues (both at work and the MPharm program) I was able to see myself finally achieving this goal I had set out for myself many years ago.
UW: What kind of pharmacist should apply to this program? What can they do to prepare?
FR: This program is ideal for anyone who has the passion to learn, utilize the knowledge to improve the lives of others, and want to make their professional role more gratifying. I encourage applicants to be open to new world of ideas, be ready to critically analyze the information, and be prepared for a journey to professional fulfilment. We need to keep in mind that sometimes journey is the destination, so enjoy this journey.