Welcome to this special recap of Your Pharmacy Career podcast, proudly produced by Raven’s Recruitment - Australia’s experts in pharmacy career and locum services for over 30 years.
In this episode, host Krysti Lee Patterson sits down with Katelyn Ingram, Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Healthengine. Katelyn’s journey in pharmacy is a testament to the versatility of the profession, showcasing how skills developed in community, hospital, and industry pharmacy can lead to unexpected and fulfilling career paths.
Episode Summary
In this episode, host Krysti-Lee Patterson speaks with Katelyn Ingram about her dynamic career path - from starting as a pharmacy assistant at 16 to becoming a Pharmacy Student of the Year and now leading pharmacy partnerships in a health tech company.
Despite self-doubt and early academic struggles, Katelyn persevered, proving that passion, resilience, and hard work can shape a successful career. She shares insights on transitioning across pharmacy sectors, adapting to new professional challenges, and the importance of aligning work with personal values.
Key Takeaways from the Episode
Passion and persistence matter - Katelyn initially doubted her ability to become a pharmacist but overcame challenges through hard work.
Failure isn’t the end - Failing subjects in university didn’t stop her; instead, it motivated her to push forward and graduate with honours.
Your career path isn’t set in stone - Katelyn’s journey took her through community, hospital, industry, and now health tech.
Trust your transferable skills - Every role teaches valuable skills that can be applied across different pharmacy sectors.
Networking is key - Reaching out to industry professionals helped Katelyn navigate career transitions.
Align your work with your values - Understanding what truly drives you helps in making the right career choices.
Opportunities exist beyond traditional pharmacy roles - The pharmacy profession is evolving, and roles in health tech, pharma, and corporate pharmacy are growing.
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Full Episode Transcript
Speaker 2 (00:27)
Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of Your Pharmacy Career Podcast. I'm your host, Krysti-Lee Patterson, and I'm so excited to have you with us. In the second episode of our Women in Pharmacy series, we're speaking to Katelyn Ingram. Katelyn is the Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Health Engine and her career journey showcases the versatility of the pharmacy profession. From starting as a pharmacy assistant at just 16 years old, to becoming a Pharmacy Student of the Year award winner and now a leader in a health tech organisation. Katelyn's story is one of resilience, growth and aligning work with purpose. Katelyn, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. That's okay. Now I'd like to start at the very beginning and the question I ask all of the pharmacists on this podcast is why did you decide to become a pharmacist?
Speaker 1 (01:20)
I started as a pharmacy assistant just at my local little pharmacy when I was 16. Throughout school, I was very artsy. I was very history, French drama, not maths, not science. That kind of was the story that I told myself about who I was. But I really, really loved working in the pharmacy. So I started as an assistant and then had an amazing boss who trained us super well and really invested in us as employees just to make sure that every patient who walked in the door would get the best service, whether that was speaking to a pharmacist or just getting something over the counter. Over time, I got a little bit of a sparkle for it and thought, I really want to do this, but I thought I wasn't smart enough. And then my boss at the time, David, he was just super encouraging and was like, apply, you can do it. And I really thought I couldn't. And then here I am. So.
It started, I guess, as a love of just helping people and getting to chat to people and build those relationships, particularly when people are sick and they're not feeling their best. And then it's, you know, it's spanned its way to be this massive career.
Speaker 2 (02:27)
Yeah. think from what you've just said there, a little bit similar to my experience at the very first pharmacy I worked at was that the, owner that he trained the stuff really, really well, and especially invested a lot of time in the younger staff as well, which it sounds like your boss did as well. And I always believe that if I didn't get that experience as a young junior cleaning the Nadeo stand on the weekends, that I probably wouldn't even be where I am now. So yeah, I definitely think that.
And you can have a huge impact on someone's life even when they're only that little junior.
Speaker 1 (03:04)
I agree even just as an afterschool job, it's like change the course of my life really. So yeah, it's, it's nice to hear your similar situation.
Speaker 2 (03:13)
Yeah, absolutely. That's why I always say I probably am very passionate towards the pharmacy students and the young ones when they're coming through. I probably spend too much time trying to mentor them and get them to convince them to become a pharmacist. But I just think, yeah, if I didn't have that, yeah, who knows where I'd be now. But now during your university years, you studied at the University of Sydney and you have mentioned to me while we were preparing for this episode that you faced some challenges and, but you did overcome them and you were able to graduate with honours, which is pretty amazing. And you were also named pharmacy student of the year. So I think for someone who thought they weren't smart enough to be, to go into pharmacy, it certainly seems like you definitely were smart enough.
Speaker 1 (04:03)
Yeah, it's funny. was so much of it was that story that I told myself and also what other people said. Like I had my boss who was amazing and said I could do it. But I also had other people who said, it's really hard. You're not sciencey. Like I don't think you can do it. And then I started and in my first year I failed two subjects because it was like chemistry and one of the really hard biology ones. And I had that moment where I went, okay, well, I really want this.
I know that I want to be a pharmacist. I know that I love the work and that when I'm at the pharmacy, I'm great at what I do. So I'm either gonna get it together and somehow figure out how to do them and pass when I do them again, or I just give up. And so it was this real pivotal moment where I realized, like I had that belief. I still thought, my gosh, I can't do this. Like, look, I failed. But then it was that let's try again because I know I really want the outcome. So.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:02)
done for, for obviously choosing that path of no, I can't do this. I'm going to do it again, despite what people are saying to me. And yeah, then it turned out you got honours. So that's pretty impressive. What did that mean to you actually like coming out of that experience of, yeah, failing is subject and thinking, I'm sure. Yeah, you probably had some negative thoughts about who you were as a person and what you're capable of, but then coming out and graduating with honours. Yeah. How did that make you feel?
Speaker 1 (05:35)
quite amazing. I think it's, you know, if I look back and I told little Katelyn that you actually can do it and not only will you do it, but you'll do it quite well. Graduating with first class honors, getting to do that research project, pharmacy student of the year, these were all things that I just never would have thought that I would be capable of. Like even when I made that decision to kind of give it another go, it was to pass. It wasn't to then excel and do all of these things. So it definitely meant a lot to me.
just to look back and go, wow, look at how far we've come.
Speaker 2 (06:09)
Yeah.
Well, well done. Yeah. Like that's, that's an amazing turnaround. And I think that just shows your dedication and your passion, I think. So it sounds like to me, you're that type of person that once you've put your, mind to something, then you are going to just keep on doing it until it happens.
Speaker 1 (06:27)
Yes. And I think as well, realizing I don't actually need to be the smartest person in the pharmacy cohort. can just work really hard and be super passionate. And that will also get me to the place that I want to be. that was such a change the way I approach things because now I can approach something and I might not be that great at it, but I know that I can give it a go and work hard. So.
Speaker 2 (06:41)
Yep.
Yeah. Yeah. And continually improve, right? I'm sure now when you look back, it's, yeah, you don't have to be the smartest at anything that you do in life, but just always improving yourself and can mean so much more and really get you somewhere in life. Definitely. So if I, we start chatting now about your, your career post-graduation, you've worked across
pretty much all of the different types of pharmacy that when you're sitting down as a pharmacy student, they say you can get into community hospital and industry and you've done pretty much all of them. How did you kind of go through that transition from a working community, working into hospital and then moving into industry? know that's a big question, but yeah, what made you want to try these different roles? It's fine.
Speaker 1 (07:38)
Maybe
because when I started uni, I would have told you that I was going to be a community pharmacist day in, day out to the day I died. And then just through different experiences at uni, getting to do hospital placement, that made me go, I really liked that. And I ended up interning at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and working there. Through that, working through COVID was obviously, it was hectic working at the pharmacy. was just, it was a hectic time for anyone working in healthcare, particularly.
during COVID and I was the in-charge of the outpatient department and doing that I got to do a lot of like, take on lot of, you know, kind of little change management projects and little quality improvement projects. And that made me go, I think I want to be in project-based work. So then I found a medical operations associate role at ABVI and applied for that and moved over because I wanted to do more of that project-based work.
And it's really funny because every time I've transitioned from one facet of pharmacy to another, like on community to hospital, thought, my gosh, will I lose my, you know, S3 counseling skills? Like that day-to-day people talk, will I lose that if I'm just on the wards or if I'm just in the dispensary at the hospital? And then moving from hospital to industry, was like, am I going to lose all of my clinical skills? Like, what are you doing? You've worked so hard to get here. Are you throwing it all away? And then, you know, moving from pharma now to health tech.
That was, you know, again, I go, my gosh, am I moving even further away from the pharmacy world? But lo and behold, in my role that I'm in now, I'm more connected to the pharmacy world. Like I have more pharmacy contacts. have more hand in the pharmacy world than I ever have. So I think trusting the process and moving through based on what my values are and what kind of work I want to do has really served me in that sense.
Speaker 2 (09:27)
Yeah, no, that's a good point. You mentioned that you're currently at Health Engine, so a health tech company. For those that are listening that maybe aren't aware of who Health Engine is and what on earth a enterprise customer success manager does, can you tell us a little bit about what you actually do at Health Engine in your role?
Speaker 1 (09:49)
Yeah, definitely. So Health Engine is a health tech company. Our mission is to improve access to healthcare by helping Australians find and connect with all primary care providers. So I guess operating at the intersection of health and tech, which are very exciting and important industries. a really diverse company. We have a few different verticals within allied and medical type things. In the pharmacy space, specifically, we have our PAMS products. So patient appointment management system.
that supports our pharmacy customers by facilitating their online bookings for their services and provides them with a tool to streamline their day-to-day professional service offerings. So a customer success manager, my role is basically to build relationships with our enterprise pharmacy customers and groups and find out what success looks like for them. Once I've figured out what success looks like for them through working with them, we look at
What service can I provide to achieve that? So what can health engine do to help them move towards success? And I guess you have to take quite a personalized approach and understand each customer individually, really build those relationships and understand the nuances between different groups as well. Like pharmacy is pharmacy. But as you know, if you've worked in two different pharmacies, everything can be different. yes, the operations are the same, but the whole culture, the whole what
different groups focus on and everything is the same. really coming down to that. then, yeah, so I guess, you know, I love people and I love our industry. So it's a pretty good role to be in.
Speaker 2 (11:26)
Yeah, actually sounds quite fun. Like you're getting paid to chat and make friends with pharmacy people and find out how to help them, right?
Speaker 1 (11:35)
It's amazing. I've got really amazing relationships and just for my pharmacy career, like I, like I said, I thought, am I moving further away from pharmacy? And now I think, my gosh, I've never been more in the thick of it. Just the changes that happen, you know, when you're practicing at a pharmacy, you're generally focused on your state legislation, but being in a role where I'm working with, you know, all of our big groups, I need to be around all of the different scope changes, state legislation, things like that. So it's really challenged me.
in that way. And that's why I feel yeah, more in the thick of pharmacy than I ever have, which is great. So yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:10)
Yeah, that's really good. And I think, yeah, right. When you're in a role like that, you're not only having to consider what success looks like for the individual pharmacists, but then that individual pharmacy. And then if they're part of a group or a larger banner or franchise, like what does success look like for them as well? And that can be really challenging as well. Just from my experience working in sort of more corporate. Yeah, because not everything is a one size fits all, right?
Speaker 1 (12:38)
Exactly. And as well, I mean, it's also about the patient. So yes, we want it to streamline the pharmacy services, but we also want it to be easier for the patient to book in and, you know, also give pharmacy staff more time to provide the services. So I think it is a fine balance and yeah, I'm really proud to work at Health Engine. Like it's been quite a big learning curve, opening myself up to the world of tech. are lot of things that I think, well.
Shouldn't that be easy? And then the developers go, you have no idea what you're talking about. But I guess it's also a privilege to be able to provide my pharmacy expertise and knowledge to the business in the same, you know what I mean? In the same way and bring that clinical edge to our team. So it's a very interesting job. I'm never bored.
Speaker 2 (13:22)
that's so good. But yeah, you're right with integrating your clinical and even just your operation and skills from a pharmacist perspective with developers and the tech team. Cause I'm experiencing that just with my own platform that I'm developing. yeah, it's, I also love also giving the developers the insights as to like why something needs to be that way as well. And they love learning about the industry as well and seeing a side of it that they haven't seen as well because.
Most of them have actually been a patient in a pharmacy at some point. So yeah, I love working with them and yeah, it's almost like learning almost like a bit of another language as well, the development side.
Speaker 1 (14:04)
Oh yeah, I have a long way to go, but it's very fascinating learning what I've learned so far and just learning how I can, I guess there's just so many different jobs that can help our industry that you would never have even thought of. So it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:20)
Pharmacy Daily is a proud supporter of your pharmacy. In the pharmacy world, it's a great resource to stay. To subscribe, just head to. .com.au to get the newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Yeah. that's so good. So I also wanted to chat to you a little bit about.
Speaker 1 (14:27)
to date
Speaker 2 (14:41)
Who is Katelyn? So we've now chatted about your, your progression from being a student to working in pharmacy, do your role now. But as we know, like as you grow in a person, it's not just your, your career, those milestones in your career that define who you are. It's those things that.
You go through just your personal life as well. And I'd love to, yeah, maybe dig into some of your experiences in your life. That's helped shaped you into the person that you are today. If you're, you're happy to share.
Speaker 1 (15:13)
Yeah,
I'd be happy to.
Speaker 2 (15:14)
So you face some both personal and professional challenges in your life. We've talked about some of the self doubt that you had going into pharmacy and then once you were studying, but when we were preparing for this podcast, you did mention to me that there has been some financial struggles in your personal life as well. So how did those experiences shape you into the person that you are today?
Speaker 1 (15:40)
Definitely.
So I think on the self doubt side, I was quite empowering in the end because I learnt that I can pretty much make it work if I need to. even if I think I can't do something, generally with hard work, I can end up doing it. mean, there's always going to be things that people can't do, but at least I can give it my best go. And that's super empowering.
kind of like a little bit dangerous once you realize you can work towards anything you want to the world's your oyster and you can harness your failures and learn and grow from them. And then with my financial side of things, so my family unfortunately went through some financial hardship, lost our house and kind of everything we owned and that really shaped, I guess, the need to work. I needed to work to support myself through pharmacy and I know a lot of my friends at pharmacy were
Yeah, working, but not working to support themselves, particularly during honors year when you want to give your project all you've got. I was doing all of that full-time union honors, but also working three different pharmacy jobs. So in community, public hospital and private hospital, just to be able to support myself. And then we'd still have zero dollars at the end of the pay week there, any spending. not a great quality of life, but it, in the end, it really helped shaped my career. Like I got.
a lot of different experiences and learn how to advocate for my transferable skills and leverage a job in one job to get to another one. And by the end of my degree, I had a lot of experience. So yeah, I mean, I was forced to hustle for lack of a better term so I could support myself. But then at the same time, it showed me what's possible. And also you can work really hard and bad things can still happen. They're out of your control. Like my parents worked hard and
We've still lost everything. on the flip side, it's like, don't work yourself into the ground, work on something that you love, make sure you're spending your life working in something that you're passionate about. Because if you're doing it all for money, it might go anyway. And your relationships and stuff is what matter at the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (17:48)
Yeah, that's a really good point. And thank you for sharing that about your family. I'm sure that definitely wouldn't have been an easy thing to go through, especially seeing your parents go through that. Cause I'm sure they would have loved to be able to support you as much as they could have. Like you said, it's not something that you plan. Like life happens, shit happens. And yeah, you're right. I know before the podcast, we were actually talking about like.
businesses and the up and up and downs and the way you're so lucky that we have our pharmacy degrees to fall back on. So no matter what you do, like we can always just go get a job in a pharmacy, but not everyone is always that lucky. So it certainly puts things into perspective, but then also you also, it sounds like you don't take things for granted either. And so being able to, yeah, work really hard, like during your degree and, and getting that experience that.
probably led to the well rounded person that you are with your skillset, right? So if you didn't need to do all those jobs and I guess just to, so you can literally eat and fend for and enjoy life. Yeah. You wouldn't have had those experiences that would have led you to where you are today.
Speaker 1 (19:02)
I think it's just about wheezing all of the juice out of the lemon and being like, well, I have to work. And now I love work. If I won the lottery, I'd still work. I love it. I get a lot of satisfaction out of working, particularly the work that I do, but also just having little tasks to tick off at the day. Love that. So even though I had to do it, I think it really did shape my work ethic now. So I'm very grateful for it.
Speaker 2 (19:26)
Yeah, that's so good. And you're right. Like I know the word passion gets thrown around a lot in motivational conversations and lectures on Instagram, but you're right. Like you can have passion every day. You don't have to be happy every day in what you do. But I think by having that passion and having those pieces of what you do every day that you actually enjoy on the days when it is really tough, that does actually help you to keep going. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:54)
And I've been to a few workshops over the years with different workplaces and one that really stood out to me was a women in leadership one that I went to with Abbi last year. And one thing that was really spoken about was aligning what you do with your values. So what are my values and how can I work in line with my values? So for me, above all else is like my relationships with people at the end of my life. That's what I will look back on.
That's the most important thing to me. And then also being able to help other people and impact them. you know, when I was looking at leaving ABV and going to Health Engine, even though was a really hard decision because I loved my job at ABV, when this opportunity came up, I was able to go, okay, well, is this in line with my values? And my relationships absolutely are my values. And within this role, I'll be able to create relationships with people in the industry that I love. So it's like a no brainer at the end of the day.
So yeah, I just found that super helpful looking at the value side of things. no one's going to love work every day. There's going to be days where you want to go home and drink a bottle of red wine. But at least if you know that you're doing what you value, I think that's the most important part.
Speaker 2 (21:03)
Yeah, actually I think, yeah, the value part is, is the most important. Absolutely. And yeah, that's then also where your passion can come from as well. But you're right. think if you've got a way up it decision as to, do I take this job or do I not, or do I do something different? Yeah.
If you don't know what your own personal values are and what's important to you, it would be very hard to make that decision. So I think if there's anyone listening and you don't really know what that is, maybe that's something that you could do and do some searching in yourself about what are the things that are most important to you. And then does that align with what you're actually doing every day, whether it's in your career or just your personal friendships, relationships in life? Yes, exactly. So.
Yeah, I guess you've spoken about the importance of aligning work to your purpose. Is there any specific advice you would give to others that are kind of looking for fulfillment in their careers or maybe they're unsure about how they determine their purpose and how do they actually align that to their career? Yeah, I think it
Speaker 1 (22:09)
does
like really come down to the values, like I said, but also like giving yourself grace. Your passions are going to change. Like I said, when I started uni, I could have sworn on my life that I was going to be a community pharmacist forever. And now my career has gone in all these different ways. And then in the past six to 12 months have gone back and done community pharmacy shifts just because I miss them. So giving yourself that room.
to grow and learn, think as well, figuring out what your values are. And as long as you're doing something within that, like give it a go and let yourself have different experiences.
Speaker 2 (22:44)
Absolutely. think that's it. Yeah. Let yourself have those experiences because it can be scary to make that decision. But yeah, if you don't put yourself out there to have that experience, will also never know as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:56)
And also nothing's that permanent. There are things in life that are very permanent. Changing jobs is not one. Generally, if you're leaving a workplace on good terms, they would love to have you back if you decide the new job isn't for you. And then you've got these experiences from it and can take them back to the old place. So I think, yeah, just kind of giving it a go is, is what yeah, helps definitely.
Speaker 2 (23:15)
exactly. And you write about if you leave on good terms and just reflecting of where I'm actually doing a locum shift at the moment. And I actually worked in this particular pharmacy nine years ago when I was first graduated and yeah, left on such terms. I actually got my name badge. And so when I've come, when I've come back to do a locum shift, you know, one of the pharmacists came out and said, is this actually you? Like you used to work here, right? And I'm like,
Yeah. Where did you find that? She's like, it's been like up on the notice board.
Speaker 1 (23:46)
beautiful.
would make me cry probably.
Speaker 2 (23:50)
yeah, don't you worry. Yeah. I definitely was teary and yeah, I definitely had to hide that from everyone, but I thought, that's so sweet. And yeah, the owner was like, no, you'd always like come back like at some point where there was to help or whatever. So I'm like, that's really, really sweet. So yeah, nine years later back again, which has been so fun. So yeah, you're right. I'm that type of person that I did not. Yeah. If someone asked me when I started doing my degree, what I was doing, I'm like, I'm going to own my own pharmacy. It's going to be.
In my G where I lived, like the pharmacy that I worked at, I wanted to own it, run it. And that was my, my dream, but yeah, 15 years later, it's looking very different to that now, but yeah, still love going back into the community pharmacy for that interaction. It's fun. I love it. think from the conversation I've had with you today, it just shows how having a pharmacy degree and the skills that working in the pharmacy profession has offers so much versatility.
And I guess from your journey, Katelyn, what are the key lessons that you've learned about making the most of opportunities in this field?
Speaker 1 (24:59)
think it's like learning to back yourself and go, okay, well, I'm going to, you know, changing from clinical career to pharma. used to get my boss to read my emails and say, is this okay? How I've said this. And then going from pharma to tech, there's so many things that I don't know, but it's about backing yourself and trusting your transferable skills and knowing how to advocate for yourself. They're just the key lessons because I've always.
spent the first three months of the job going, my gosh, I've fooled them all. I think that I'm good at my job and I'm actually terrible. And I'm never going to be able to pick this up. And then, you know, you get the light bulb moment and it all comes together. So I think, yeah, that, that trust in yourself and also that point about nothing's that permanent. You can always go back if you hate it and you'll still have experiences from it. So you still would have grown.
Speaker 2 (25:52)
Hmm, exactly. That's right. I think that's really good advice. The backing yourself part. Cause I think one of the worst things is, that negative self talk and self doubt can really, yeah, keep you from trying new things or embracing things that you wouldn't normally do. And you mentioned early in the conversation that not everyone was as supportive.
to you, some people were like you're the very first boss that you had in pharmacy. He was really supportive of you, but there were some people that weren't. And so do you think that maybe from that experience, that's why you're passionate about mentoring and helping others in their careers because yeah, you maybe didn't get some of that support early on.
Speaker 1 (26:34)
think so. I just think pharmacy degree can get you so far as is the point of this podcast as is all of these conversations. There are so many different ways that you can go. And I just know that having mentors and people who've shaped me and encouraged me in my career, that's made me want to give back. And like you were saying earlier with your
putting time and effort into interns or students and things like that. That's always been such a passion of mine because I know the impact that that had on me. So yeah, I really do love it.
Speaker 2 (27:08)
Well, I can definitely tell that you're being genuine when you say that because I can hear the passion in your voice, which is really nice. So my last question to you, yeah, what advice would you give to someone who's aspiring to be a pharmacist or maybe is very early in their career, maybe just first year registered or they're doing their internship and maybe it's not quite what they thought. Yeah. What advice would you give to those pharmacists?
to be.
Speaker 1 (27:38)
At least I can see pharmacy growing and changing day by day. So I think that's really exciting and hold tight. There are going to be things in a few years that didn't even exist when you applied for pharmacy jobs and things like that, but also do the thing. So I would have a lot of people come to me and go, like, I really want to get into pharma, but I don't know where to start. And they're like, I really, really want to do it. And I'd say, okay, well have you considered sales? And then, no, no, no, I don't want to do that.
And then I'm like, but you've just said that you really want to get into it and you really don't like what you're doing. And this is your opportunity. Like you might not want to end up in sales, but I didn't do sales. And I wish I did because you learned so much about the commercial side of the business and all of that. So taking the leap, even if it's not exactly what you want it to be, we'll get you further than if you sit in the role you're not passionate about or you're not enjoying and wishing for a whole year, like that you would be somewhere else.
Like you can either take action and spend that year learning another part of the industry that might not be your forever job, but you're going to get all of this experience and these connections and these opportunities. Or you can kind of just sit and go, I really don't want to do this, but I don't know what I want to do. So I think that just doing the thing is the biggest and best way to get that experience and figure out what you do like.
Speaker 2 (29:00)
Yeah, exactly. I love that. Just do the thing. Okay. I think that's going to be the name of this podcast episode now that you've mentioned that. I love that. Just do the thing. Now we're coming to the end of the podcast, which is a shame because I've had so much fun chatting to you. But is there anything that you desperately wanting to get out and share before we wrap up on the podcast?
Speaker 1 (29:23)
desperate, think just reiterating that your career is your own, it's what you make it. Do the thing as we've discussed and reach out to people. I get people reach out to me on LinkedIn and I literally will review their CVs for them. I have a great time doing it. think there are a lot of people who
want to help and want to provide you with their experiences so that you can have a really fulfilling career in pharmacy. just that networking piece and putting yourself out there, I think goes a lot further than, than what people might realize.
Speaker 2 (29:57)
Yeah, that's so true. And well, that's even kind of how we met via LinkedIn, well through mutual friends. And I wanted to reach out to someone that had farmer experience and so mutual friend intro to us on LinkedIn. And yeah, here we are now we're doing podcasts together. So I think it's very powerful.
Yeah. Like you said, if you want to get a job in pharma or get a job in health tech, or you want to get a job in a community pharmacy maybe, or in hospital, yeah, surely there's someone in your network that intro you to someone or to help you out. So don't be afraid to reach out. Definitely.
Speaker 1 (30:33)
And even when I was going back to do some, just a handful of community shifts, I just posted on a locum group and kind of said, look, it's been a hot minute since I've done a community shift. So could I come in and do a few hours for free just so I can get back at it and, you know, had someone go, yeah, absolutely. Like I'll pay you, don't worry about it. And here's these shifts that are perfect for you. So yeah, I think we all, hopefully.
people in pharmacy love the pharmacy industry and love our careers. And I think just want to help other people have a good time of it too. yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:07)
Yeah.
absolutely. Yeah. Definitely. think the majority of us out there are like that and willing to help and support. Well, Katelyn, it has been such a privilege to hear about your journey today. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and challenges and insights with us, especially sharing the story about your family. Yeah, that definitely was something that I think I'm really proud of you for sharing. think, especially in a public forum, because I'm sure not everyone would. So thank you again. Yeah. I can really see that.
the resilience and the passion that you have for helping others is, what's really helped you grow in your pharmacy career, I think. And so thank you again for joining us on the podcast today.
Speaker 1 (31:47)
Thank so much for having me. It's been great.
Speaker 2 (31:49)
Okay. Thank you, Katelyn, to all our listeners. Thank you for tuning into this episode of Your Pharmacy Career Podcast.
Final Thoughts
Katelyn Ingram’s story is a powerful reminder that a pharmacy career can be as versatile as you make it. Whether it's community pharmacy, hospital, industry, or health tech, the skills you develop can open doors you never imagined.
Her journey shows that resilience, networking, and embracing change are key to building a fulfilling career. If you're feeling stuck or unsure about your next step, take Katelyn’s advice: "Just do the thing." Take the leap, try something new, and trust that every experience will shape you for the better.
Pharmacy is evolving - are you ready to explore new opportunities? 🚀
