1 of 16

SaY Yes: How curiosity and courage shape a career in Pharmacy

HARMONY M. AKER, R.PH, BCMTMS

HARMONY.AKER@GMAIL.COM

2 of 16

2001: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

I WAS COMPLETING MY APPE ROTATIONS AND MY FINAL ROTATION WAS WITH THE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE IN CROWNPOINT, NEW MEXICO
THIS WAS MY FIRST JOURNEY WEST OF PENNSYLVANIA

Where it all began

I didn’t know how—but I knew I wanted to come back.

My First Steps

During my final year at Rutgers University, I had the opportunity to do an APPE rotation with the Indian Health Service in New Mexico.

At the time, I had never been west of Pennsylvania.

So I packed up my car… and drove.

[pause]

And I still remember that drive.

The further west I went… the more everything changed.

The landscape opened up.

The pace slowed down.

And there was this moment where I realized…

I was stepping into something completely unfamiliar.

[pause]

And during that rotation… something shifted for me.

Up until that point, pharmacy had felt very structured—

you learn the rules, you follow the process, you do the job well.

But in New Mexico…

I saw something different.

I saw how flexible this profession really is.

How creative it can be.

How deeply it can impact communities in ways I hadn’t fully understood before.

[pause]

And I remember thinking:

👉 I don’t know how… but I want to come back here someday.

And what I didn’t realize at the time…

was that this wasn’t just about geography.

It was about possibility.

👉 At this point, add:

“Before I go further—drop something in the chat for me:

👉 Have you ever had a moment where you thought:

‘I’m not ready for this… but I kind of want to try it anyway?’”

⏸️ Pause 10–15 seconds, read a few responses

💬 Transition:

“I love seeing that—because that moment right there…

that’s where growth starts.”

3 of 16

Saying Yes before Ready

FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS - PRACTICING AS A RETAIL PHARMACIST IN NEW JERSEY
THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR WAS EXPANDING THEIR FOOTPRINT INTO THE SOUTHWEST AND NEEDED PHARMACISTS TO SUPPORT THAT GROWTH
“AM I QUALIFIED?”

“I said yes anyway.”

Fast forward about a year and a half into my career…

I was working as a pharmacist in New Jersey. I was still learning the ropes, effectively running my shifts, filling prescriptions and serving my patients.

And I saw an opportunity—Eckerd was expanding into the Southwest.

And my first thought was:

👉 I don’t have enough experience.

[pause]

And I want to pause here—because I know many of you have probably had that same thought.

‘I’m not ready yet’

‘I need more experience’

‘I should wait’

But here’s what I’ve learned:

👉 You will almost never feel 100% ready.

[pause]

And in that moment, I had a choice:

Stay where I was comfortable

Or take a risk on something I didn’t fully understand yet

So I said yes.

And that one decision changed everything.

Poll Question:

When you think about your next step, how do you feel?

I feel ready

I feel unsure but curious

I feel not ready at all

⏸️ React to results:

“This is exactly what I expected—most of us live in that middle space.”

👉 Key transition:

“Careers aren’t built when we feel ready… they’re built when we move anyway.”

4 of 16

The First Big Leap

“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”

– Andy Rooney, American journalist

New Jersey to Arizona

Started early roles in leadership

Regional Trainer
Pharmacy manager

Growth through discomfort & hands-on learning

That move took me to Arizona…

and into leadership roles much earlier than I expected.

I was promoted to a pharmacy manager and began fully running a pharmacy.

I was also asked to become the regional trainer for AZ, CO, NM to support the company's expansion into the southwest. I took on the responsibility of ensuring all pharmacists and technicians within our new region provided the best level of care to our patients.

And I’ll be honest—I struggled at first.

Not because I didn’t care…

but because I was learning in real time.

[pause]

And this is something I want to share, especially for students:

👉 Your early career is not about being perfect—it’s about building capability.

You are going to:

Make mistakes

Feel uncertain

Have moments where you question yourself

That’s not failure.

That’s growth.

[pause]

And for me, that’s where I learned:

👉 Confidence is not something you wait for.

It’s something you build.”

👉 Engagement:

“I want you to think about this for a second:

👉 What is one thing you’ve done recently that felt uncomfortable…

but helped you grow?”

⏸️ Pause 5–8 seconds

💬 Transition:

“That feeling—that discomfort—is actually a signal you’re moving forward.”

5 of 16

Confidence is Built

I BUILT MY CONFIDENCE THROUGH ACTION

Leadership Growth

Learning by doing

Confidence comes after the opportunity

Up until this point, my world was a pharmacy. I had been a pharmacy manager for Eckerd, CVS, and Target. I had become comfortable at leading and developing a pharmacy team and ensuring our operations ran flawlessly.

But then I had the opportunity to step into a headquarters role at Target…

working on RedRx - a project to build and launch a pharmacy dispensing system across more than 1,500 stores.

It was exciting because I could leverage my experience (10 years at this point) and my passion for teaching, coaching, and training to help set Target's teams up to successfully transition to a new dispensing and workflow system.

[pause]

But once again, I thought:

👉 I don’t know if I’m ready for this.

Because this wasn’t traditional pharmacy.

This was:

Technology

System design

Workflow engineering

National rollout strategy

[pause]

And I want to pause here again—because this is where many people don’t realize something:

👉 Pharmacy is so much more than what we see in a store or hospital.

There are roles in:

Technology

Regulatory affairs

Public policy

Operations strategy

Education and training

Innovation and product development

[pause]

At the time, I didn’t have a name for it.

I just knew I was curious.

And curiosity led me there.

[pause]

And that’s what I want you to think about:

👉 What are you curious about… that doesn’t fit neatly into a traditional role?”

👉 shift to engagement:

“I’m curious—drop your answers in the chat:

👉 When you think of ‘pharmacy careers,’ what comes to mind first?”

(They’ll say retail, hospital, etc.)

Then ask:

👉 “Now—what doesn’t come to mind?”

⏸️ Pause

💬 Transition:

“That gap… is where opportunity lives.”

6 of 16

Pharmacy Roles & Career Paths

Traditional Roles

Community | Retail
Hospital
Ambulatory Care

Expanded View

Regulatory affairs
Public Policy
Innnovation
Technology
Education
Operational Strategy

7 of 16

From store to Systems

I shifted from operational to systems thinking

How do we design systems that help all pharmacies run well?

I shifted from ‘my pharmacy’ to ‘all pharmacies’…

I mastered new skills that opened doors I never knew existed

Have you ever asked why something works the way it does?

That experience with Target opened the door to broader leadership roles.

I was promoted to a Healthcare Business Partner role with Target overseeing 30 pharmacies in Northern California. ONce again, I moved to a new place to pursue this opportunity.

I led large teams, navigated major transitions from impementing a new system within Target to overseeing and orchestrating Target's transition to CVS, and eventually I moved into regional leadership at Rite Aid. At Rite Aid I was now overseeing 70 pharmacies throughout Norther California. I helped ensure we maintained all compliance initiatives as well as challenging our team to deliver on our clinical goals.

And this is where my thinking really changed.

[pause]

I stopped asking:

👉 ‘How do I run this pharmacy well?’

And started asking:

👉 ‘How do we design systems that help all pharmacies run well?’

[pause]

And that shift—from individual contributor to systems thinker

is what helps to open doors into non-traditional roles.

Because those roles require you to think:

Bigger

Broader

More strategically

🎤 (Systems thinking section)

👉 Engagement:

Quick yes/no in the chat:

👉 Have you ever thought about why pharmacy works the way it does—not just how?”

💬 Transition:

“That question—why—is what leads you into non-traditional roles.”

8 of 16

And over time, that curiosity turned into expertise.

And that expertise turned into opportunity.

Pay attention to what pulls you in.

Following Curiosty

Why do these rules exist?

How are they created?

How do they impact what we do every day?

9 of 16

1. Talk to people doing work you don’t understand yet.

2. Volunteer for projects outside your core role

3. Pay attention to what energizes you

What I Learned

If you’re interested in non-traditional roles, here are 3 things you can start doing now:

10 of 16

If I’m comfortable, I’m not growing

Saying Yes Again (Amazon)

20+ years experience
New model: mail order
New state, new challenge
“Am I qualified?”

And then, after more than 20 years in community pharmacy…

I found myself in that same moment again.

An opportunity to join Amazon Pharmacy.

[pause]

Completely different model.

Completely different environment.

And once again:

👉 Am I qualified for this?

[pause]

And this is important—because even after 20 years…

that feeling doesn’t go away.

You just learn how to respond to it differently.

[pause]

And I recognized it.

That same feeling from:

New Mexico

Arizona

RedRx

And I knew what it meant.

👉 It meant I was about to grow.

So I said yes.

Again.

I joined Amazon and work in the Regulatory Operations team. Our team is responsible for ensuring the compliant operations of our business.

I leaned into this role as my previous work over the years had always been overshadowed by my interest in compliance and regulatory affairs.

I oversee our site in Meridian Idaho and also work closely with our legal, public policy, operational, and technology teams to help ensure as we move to innovate pharmacy, we are always maintaining compliance to the highest standards and ensuring we provide the best care to our patients.

I also oversee our RCM program reviewing all regulatory and legislative changes across the nation to ensure we are engaging proactively or preparing our business for compliance.

I'm excited to share a few highlights from my work with Amazon.

🔹 Engagement BEFORE examples:

Before I share these examples, I’m curious:

👉 When you think of Amazon Pharmacy, what comes to mind?

(Expect: delivery, automation, etc.)

💬 Transition:

Let me show you some of the things I have worked on behind the scenes…

11 of 16

At Amazon, I’m not just practicing pharmacy

I’m helping redefine it.

Innovating Pharmacy

AI, robotics, computer vision
Cross-functional teams
Technology + healthcare

12 of 16

Pharmacy can be a gateway into technology careers

Amazon Future Engineer

I partnered with Amazon Future Engineer…

Educated on workflows
Translated complex systems
Hosted the experience
Created a virtual pharmacy career tour viewed by 41,000+ students
83% ↑ interest in STEM
https://www.amazonfutureengineer.com/pharmacytour

One example of this work is a project I partnered on with Amazon Future Engineer—

a national STEM initiative focused on exposing students to careers in technology.

[pause]

The goal was to create a virtual career tour…

that showed how healthcare and technology intersect inside Amazon Pharmacy.

But there was a challenge—

👉 The content needed to be accurate, safe, and reflective of real pharmacy practice.

[pause]

So I partnered with the team to bring the pharmacy lens.

I:

Educated them on pharmacy workflows and regulatory guardrails

Helped translate how AI, robotics, and computer vision support prescription processing

Co-wrote the script to balance technical accuracy with accessibility

And even hosted the experience

[pause]

We also worked to make sure the content aligned with national STEM education standards…

and could be used in classrooms across the country.

[pause]

And the impact was incredible.

Within just three months:

Over 41,000 students engaged with the program

And 83% reported increased interest in technology careers

[pause]

And for me, this was powerful—

because it showed that pharmacy isn’t just a profession…

👉 it’s a gateway into innovation, technology, and future careers students may not even know exist.

🔹 After AFE example:

Think about this:

👉 How many of you were exposed to technology careers through pharmacy in school?

⏸️ Pause

That’s what we’re trying to change.

13 of 16

Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks

NEW CARE DELIVERY MODEL
REGULATORY AMBIGUITY
70+ PAGES POLICY

THESE KIOSKS WEREN’T BUILT INTO EXISTING REGULATIONS…

WORKED WITH ENGINEERING + LEGAL
BUILT COMPLIANT FRAMEWORK

INNOVATION AND COMPLIANCE MOVING TOGETHER.

Another example is our work with pharmacy kiosks in California.

These kiosks represented a completely new care delivery model—

combining:

Remote verification

Automated dispensing

Integration with clinic workflows

[pause]

But the challenge was—

👉 The regulations weren’t written for this model.

There was ambiguity.

And that’s where my role came in.

[pause]

I worked closely with:

Engineering teams

Legal and compliance

Operations

to map every part of the workflow…

back to California Board of Pharmacy requirements.

[pause]

I authored over 70 pages of policies and procedures

to clearly define how this model would operate safely and compliantly.

And when the Board came back with questions—

we turned revisions around quickly, compressed approvals, and stayed on track.

[pause]

And the result:

👉 We secured licensure before launch and implemented the model successfully.

[pause]

And what this demonstrated is something I deeply believe:

👉 Innovation and compliance are not opposites.

👉 When done right—they enable each other.

Let me ask you this:

👉 Do you think regulation slows innovation… or enables it?”

(Ask for chat responses: slows vs enables)

💬 Transition:

I used to think it slowed things down…

but now I see it differently.

👉 Deliver your key line:

Innovation and compliance, when done right, move together.

14 of 16

Built enterprise RCM program
9,600+ regulatory items unified
84% improvement in discovery SLA
Scaled from 7 → 35 sites

Regulatory Change Management

When I stepped into this space, regulatory tracking was fragmented…

manual… and not scalable.

But the business was growing rapidly.

15 of 16

Mapping My Career Journey

1

2

3

4

5

APPE Rotation in NM

Moving to AZ

4.Technology & Innovation in ID

Scaling & leading in CA

16 of 16

Thank you for joining

me on this journey

Your career is a series of small yeses

Looking back, that drive to New Mexico wasn’t just a trip…

it was the beginning of everything.

You don’t need the whole path figured out…

just the courage to take the next step.