In-Depth Career Portfolio: Registered Nurse and Pharmacist Analysis

This career portfolio provides a detailed analysis of two healthcare professions: Registered Nurse (RN) and Pharmacist. For the RN career path, the portfolio outlines job requirements, including clinical and non-clinical settings, typical duties, and potential earnings, alongside the advantages and disadvantages of the profession. It details educational requirements, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and lists universities offering the program. The job market evaluation focuses on employment opportunities in Ottawa and Toronto, including salary ranges and hiring trends. Similarly, for the Pharmacist career, the portfolio covers job requirements, educational paths including relevant courses, and job market prospects in the same cities, providing salary expectations and potential employers. The document concludes with a reference list. Desklib offers similar documents and resources for students.

Running head: ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 1
Academic and Career Preparation
Student’s Name:
Course Name:
Course Code:
Seminar Date:
Seminar Time:

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 2
Academic and Career Preparation
Career Portfolio Assessment Chart:
Research Items
Job Description 4 3 2 1 0
Educational Requirements 4 3 2 1 0
Job Market Evaluation 4 3 2 1 0
Reference Sheet & Organization 4 3 2 1 0
Key:
4: fully complete, excellent research, description & detail
3: partially complete, missing 2 item, sufficient research, description & detail
2: partially complete, missing 3 items, poor research, few details & description
1: incomplete, missing 4+ items, lack of research, fair description & detail
0: missing
Registered Nurse
My first career choice is to be a Registered Nurse (RN). If I were to define the course of
my life, I would have become an RN. It is the best career profession that I prefer in life because
it can give me the kind of fulfillment that I desire. Serving as a RN is a challenging task that
requires a lot.
Job Requirements

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 3
For one to serve as a RN, there are certain job requirements that must be met. First and
foremost, in terms of service, one might work in a clinical or non-clinical sitting. These include
the hospital, dispensary, palliative care facility or home care facility. In each of these laces, a RN
can discharge duties including the observation, admission, monitoring, and documentation, and
education, assessment of the patients; caring for wounds; managing medications and any others.
These are activities which require lots of commitments, dedications, and determination. The RN
should, therefore be ready to work for at least 8 hours per day (Baumbusch & Andrusyszyn,
2016). In terms of remuneration, a RN can earn an average of $60,000. The other important
thing to note is that serving as an RN requires one to join professional associations including the
Canadian Nurses Association (CAN) which is important because it strengthens the profession.
One is free to join this association as long as he or she is a certified RN in the country. Serving as
a RN has some advantages. One, it is a prestigious job respectable in the society. Two, it is
lucrative and has monetary rewards to the practitioners. Three, it gives one an opportunity to
serve humanity and give back to the society. However, it has its share of disadvantages as well.
One, it is takes a lot of time for one to be a RN. Two, serving as RN can be quite challenging
because it involves a direct encounter with the sick. Three, the profession does not offer the best
salary packages commensurate to the kind of job the RNs do.
Educational Requirements
Educational Requirements
Plan A Plan B
List of 3 Universities/Institutions
and their locations
This course is offered in different universities across the country. Some of
the leading nursing training institutions in the nation are the University of
Ottawa (Located in Ottawa); University of Calgary (located in Calgary,
Alberta); and the University of the University of New Brunswick (located

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 4
in Fredericton).
Name of the degree/diploma For one to be certified as RN, one has to meet certain education
requirements. One has to study Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing.
Length of program The undergraduate course normally takes four years.
Entrance Requirements for this
program
Its requirements include success in high school diploma with excellent
performance in the subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and biology. One
should also have a high proficiency in language (English or French). Upon
a successful completion of the bachelor’s degree, one can advance to the
masters and doctorate levels (Chachula, Myrick & Yonge, 2015).
List of courses you will take These institutions offer a wide range of courses on practical and theoretical
nursing knowledge including anatomy, biology, chemistry, and
physiology. They also teach soft skills such as communication,
interpersonal relations, and cross-cultural relationships. For one to join
these institutions, one has to pass the high school education properly.
Admissions testing required? One thing that should be noted is that there must be an entry test to pass
before acquiring admission into the schools.
Ongoing certification required? Before joining the job market, one has to get the prerequisite national and
territorial certifications that enable him or her to serve as a RN.
Approximate financial cost
(tuition, housing, books, etc.)
The certifications can be renewed regularly depending on the prevailing
rules, terms and conditions. This requires regular, periodical, and constant
in-service trainings.
Training/certification that can
enhance employment
Upon a successful completion of the bachelor’s degree, one can advance to
the masters and doctorate levels (Chachula, Myrick & Yonge, 2015).
Job Market Evaluation

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 5
State where you would like to work in the Future (Geographically)
Once I successfully complete my studies, I am looking forward to getting a job with the
government or private sector. There are many job opportunities that are available for the RNs.
Meaning, by joining the profession; I will not lack a job whatsoever. I am looking forward to
working in Ottawa or Toronto.
Hiring Trends in any 2 Regions
I prefer the city because it has many employment opportunities for the RNs. Statistics
indicate that Ottawa and Toronto has been employing many RNs. The hiring trend is
encouraging because there are many employers here. It is, thus, easy for the new graduates and
experienced experts to get jobs in these regions.
Starting Salary/Highest Salary to Date
In Ottawa and Toronto, the starting salary is $150,000. The good thing is that the starting
salary is progressive ad keeps o rising as time progresses. With time, the salary can rise up to
over $190,000. The working environment is also conducive, supportive, and accommodative to
all the practitioners. I can be so happy to serve in such an environment because it can guarantee
my financial stability and career growth.
Pharmacist

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 6
Research Items
Job Description 4 3 2 1 0
Educational Requirements 4 3 2 1 0
Job Market Evaluation 4 3 2 1 0
Reference Sheet & Organization 4 3 2 1 0
Key:
4: fully complete, excellent research, description & detail
3: partially complete, missing 2 item, sufficient research, description & detail
2: partially complete, missing 3 items, poor research, few details & description
1: incomplete, missing 4+ items, lack of research, fair description & detail
0: missing
Should, by any chance, I fail to achieve my goal as a RN; I can try my hand in pharmacy.
Pharmacy is my second choice because it also appeals to me very much. Serving as a pharmacist
is a challenging undertaking that requires lots of dedication, commitments, industry, and
resilience. I am ready to do all these to ensure that I become a reliable and credible pharmacist
who can be relied upon to among other duties, oversee the medication of the patients.
Job Requirements
To be registered pharmacist, one must undergo a lengthy educational and training
process. Upon a successful completion of high school, education, one can start the pharmacist
career by joining a university to study pharmacy. It is upon the completion of studies that one
gets a job. However, for this to happen, one must get the requisite certification from the regional

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 7
and national entities. There are different professional associations for the pharmacists. These
include the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, National Pharmacy Technicians Association,
and Pharmacy Technician Educators’ Council. These associations are joined after getting
registered as a pharmacist. Their membership can be renewed frequently whenever a need arises
as per the association’s rules (Penm, Jorgenson, MacKinnon & Smith, 2017). The membership to
these associations is good because they lengthen one’s network and give growth opportunities in
the profession. I prefer pharmacy because of its advantages-it is cost-effective; it rewards a lot;
and it has career growth opportunities. However, it has some disadvantages-requires a lot of time
to be completed; has many certifications; and does not have many career opportunities to all the
experts. Upon getting a job, a pharmacist should expect to work for approximately at least 8
hours per day unless there are some payable overtime arrangements.
Educational Requirements:
Educational Requirements
Plan A Plan B
List of 3 Universities/Institutions and
their locations
Currently, there are many universities that offer pharmacy training.
Three of these institutions include the University of Toronto (located in
Toronto); the University of British Columbia (located in Vancouver);
and the McGill University (located in Montreal, Québec).
Name of the degree/diploma For one to become a registered and certified pharmacist practitioner, one
must study pharmacy.
Length of program 4 years
Entrance Requirements for this
program
Its requirements include success in high school diploma with excellent
performance in the subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and biology
(Jorgenson, Penm, MacKinnon & Smith, 2017). One should also have a

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 8
high proficiency in language (English or French).
List of courses you will take In the university, one can study a bachelor’s of science degree in
pharmacy and get to undertake various subject courses including
medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic
chemistry, physical chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, human
biology, human physiology, and human anatomy.
Admissions testing required? There is no entry test for these courses.
Ongoing certification required? Pharmacy requires a continuous certification because the certificates and
license should be renewed frequently.
Approximate financial cost (tuition,
housing, books, etc.)
The course is costly because it requires lots of money. Approximately,
the four-year pharmacy course requires around $100,000.
Training/certification that can
enhance employment
Some certifications can be obtained or renewed after undergoing some
in-service training which is, of course, advisable. However, once a
person completes the first degree, one is free to further education up to
the masters and doctorate levels. In terms of employment, one can get a
job in various entities which hire pharmacists (Jorgenson, Penm,
MacKinnon & Smith, 2017).
Job Market Evaluation
State where you would like to work in the Future
Pharmacy is a career that guarantees some jobs to the practitioners. One of the main
reasons why I prefer the profession is because it is a lucrative career. When I successfully
complete my studies, I am looking forward to getting a job with the government or private

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 9
sector. There are many job opportunities that are available for the pharmacy professionals.
Meaning, by joining the profession; I will not lack a job whatsoever. I am looking forward to
working in Ottawa or Toronto.
Hiring Trends in any 2 Regions
Ottawa and Toronto are my preferred cities. According to my research, these regions are
good because they offer job opportunities to the pharmacists. There are various organizations
that offer jobs in these regions. These include the department stores, grocery stores, healthcare
facilities, and pharmacy and drug stores spread across these regions. The hiring trends in the
recent past show that these regions are quite promising and should be considered by any
upcoming pharmacist like me.
Starting Salary/Highest Salary to Date
In terms of remuneration, I am looking forward to be getting a starting salary of
$120,000. This should rise, upon gaining experience, up to over $180,000. So, it means that
pharmacy gives practitioners a chance to advance their career and earn more as time goes by. It
is such a lucrative venture to pursue. In Ontario and Ottawa, the salary ranges from 120,000 to
180,000.

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PREPARATION 10
References
Baumbusch, J. L., & Andrusyszyn, M. A. (2016). Gerontological content in Canadian
baccalaureate nursing programs: cause for concern? Canadian Journal of Nursing
Research Archive, 34(1).
Chachula, K. M., Myrick, F., & Yonge, O. (2015). Letting go: How newly graduated registered
nurses in Western Canada decide to exit the nursing profession. Nurse education today,
35(7), 912-918.
Jorgenson, D., Penm, J., MacKinnon, N. J., & Smith, J. (2017). Part 5: Future vision for the
pharmacy profession. Canadian Pharmacists Journal/Revue des Pharmaciens du
Canada, 150(6), 355-358.
Penm, J., Jorgenson, D., MacKinnon, N. J., & Smith, J. (2017). Part 1: barriers to the
advancement of the pharmacy profession. Canadian Pharmacists Journal/Revue des
Pharmaciens du Canada, 150(3), 150-152.