This month, we are joined at Plain City Druggist by Paul Matheke, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Paul will graduate in May 2022 with his PharmD degree and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Paul will be with Meghan, Tayler, and the staff here in Plain City throughout November, so please stop by and meet him while he is here.

Here is what Paul tells us about himself:

My name is Paul Matheke and I am a fourth year PharmD student at Ohio State. I am originally from Columbus; my hometown is Gahanna. I went to Ohio State for undergrad. Some hobbies and interests of mine are playing the bass guitar, collecting vinyl records, and tennis.

My interest in healthcare started in high school; however, I did not know what area of healthcare I wanted to be involved with. As a senior, I decided to start volunteering at Riverside Methodist Hospital. At Riverside, I got to see all aspects of patient care in a hospital. I found I was most drawn to patient care from the side of medication therapy. Naturally, I sought out pharmacists and discussed the possibilities in pursuing a career in pharmacy. Two of my cousins are pharmacists and their advice helped solidify my choice to major in pharmaceutical sciences.

During undegrad,  I enjoyed researching the diversity of the field and amount of pathways one could take. Eventually, I TA’d a course for the college of pharmacy where I gave lectures about the pharmaceutical field. This experience helped me begin to realize that my passions for pharmacy not only lied in patient care, but also in industry and regulation.

Once I entered pharmacy school, I continued to pursue opportunities and experiences that would continue to give me a look into the niches of pharmacy I may want to work in one day.  I worked in the community setting and in the medication therapy management setting which helped open my eyes to how intertwined regulation and pharmacy are. After a rotation in managed care with the State of Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, I confirmed my passion for regulatory affairs. I enjoy the intersection of the law and pharmacy and how it shapes not only medication available to patients but also how it affects pharmacists’ scope of practice.