PC School of Pharmacy alumnus Jay Patel ’14 enjoys the work he’s done since being part of the school’s inaugural class. Patel serves as a formulary management pharmacist at Palmetto Health in Columbia, S.C. He is the only such pharmacist at Palmetto Health.

“When people think about what a pharmacist does, they typically think mostly about community retail settings,” Patel said, “However, my position is considered to be more of a non-traditional role in pharmacy.”

Setting Himself Apart

If you’ve never heard of a formulary management pharmacist before, you’re not alone: Patel hadn’t either until he went to PC School of Pharmacy.

“I wasn’t aware of all the different routes and career paths that pharmacists can take,” he said. “But going through PC School of Pharmacy and its curriculum exposed me to the different opportunities out there.

“PC allowed me to get that experience and align my interests when I came to pharmacy school. I was more interested in the business aspect of pharmacy.”

Professors Served as Mentors

Patel’s professors served as mentors and helped put Patel in a career that suited him. They were instrumental in Patel’s decision to pursue a one-year residency in a year when one-year residencies were hard to come by: There were 1,145 residency programs in the U.S. and more than 4,000 applicants for them.

Patel landed one of only 39 managed care residencies in the country when he went to Providence Health Plan in Portland, Ore. There, Patel learned the basics of what he does at Palmetto Health today. From the beginning, Patel relished the idea of being a part of the pharmacy school’s inaugural class.

“I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to set the foundation for the school,” he said. “We had the ability to help contribute to what we wanted to leave for future years to come.”

Striving to Be the Best

Patel takes pride in being part of the PC School of Pharmacy’s inaugural class and likes where the school is headed.

“We’re not staying status quo,” Patel said. “We’re not settling just for being the same as others. We’re always striving to be the best in the state, and I think that says a lot for who comes out of PC School of Pharmacy.”

Interested in learning more about the pharmacy school that prepared Jay for his career? To learn more or to schedule a tour, please call 864-938-3913 or email Director of Admissions Deanie Kane.