Featured PILs Ambassador:
Janay Bailey, PharmD, RPh, BCPS
Pharmacotherapy/Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery Pharmacy Specialist
Who/what inspired you to pursue pharmacy?
My dad is a huge proponent in why I pursued pharmacy. He owned an independent pharmacy after working as a hospital pharmacist for a while. As a little kid, I remember going with him to his pharmacy and my sister and I would play around with the counting trays, spatulas, and run all over the place. As I grew older, we discussed potential career paths for me. I always thought about the healthcare profession so I applied and was accepted into the medical academy at my high school. This program, along with continual talks with my dad, solidified my decision to join the pharmacy profession.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your area of pharmacy practice?
Hahaha, “real pharmacist”. Well technically once I passed all of my exams. But seriously, I felt like a competent pharmacist once I started to see that the recommendations I wanted to make aligned with my preceptors’ interventions or challenged them. Even if we didn’t have the exact same recommendation, knowing that there was something about the medication regimen needing to be addressed was the moment I realized I can actually do this on my own. There are still challenging moments when I feel like I need a more experienced pharmacist’s input on certain issues, but we all have different trainings and experiences to add value to each of us. So overall, when I gained enough confidence to speak up based on my expertise I realized I was a “real pharmacist”.
At what moment did you realize you were a real pharmacist?
A prominent figure I admire is Priyanka Chopra because of her seemingly fearless confidence and accomplishments at whatever she sets her sights on. She won Miss India at the age of 17, and Miss World in 2000 when she was 18 years old. Currently at the age of 37, she has established herself as a well-known dual citizen of India and The United States, is known as one of the richest people in India, and a star in Bollywood and Hollywood. She is passionate about helping children living in poverty and an advocate for women. Now being Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, married to Nick Jonas, she balances her roles of being a wife, her many careers, and family affairs in India and here in the USA. I admire her leadership style because she has always exuded excellence, class, ambition, and is well-versed on many topics.
Which prominent figure, past or present, leadership style do you admire and why?
I will always admire Michelle Obama because she is real and authentic. She came from humble beginnings and became a success. She never forgot who she was and stayed true to herself. I read her book Becoming and it was a phenomenal read. She leads by example and does what she knows to be right. It is easy to get caught up in the limelight and let the things you accomplish define you. She proves that you can be great and inspire others while just being yourself.
What particular aspect of your field/specialization do you foresee drastically changing in the next 5 years?
An aspect I foresee changing in the next 5 years is the continual evolvement of pharmacists’ roles in many ways. As a clinical specialist, I am able to round with the multidisciplinary team in the inpatient setting, but there are times when my team is in clinic and asks for my input with outpatient care. There are also many administrative and logistical matters I encounter daily where I can help provide solutions. In essence, I must be multifaceted to not only provide clinical input, but also be able to solve problems that involve indirect patient care. In my field of pharmacy, I see this becoming more prevalent and will require more involvement of the pharmacist in the future.
Interview by: Onye Ononogbu, PharmD and Chandler Schexnayder, PharmD, BCPS, CDE.
