Jina Yun, PharmD
Jina Yun is an Oncology Pharmacy Resident in the PGY2 program at the UW Medicine Department of Pharmacy Services in Seattle. In this role, she is completing her training as a clinical pharmacist working with cancer patients at the UW Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, now part of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. A volunteer experience in college at a cancer center inspired her to pursue a career in oncology pharmacy.
Residency is the few years of additional clinical training that occurs after graduating from pharmacy school with a PharmD degree. Dr. Yun explains, "generally, residency consists of various clinical rotations, research projects, institutional committee and formulary involvement, as well as teaching and mentorship. The first year of residency allows you to gain a comprehensive clinical experience, while the second year focuses on a specific specialty."
The PGY2 (postgraduate year two) residency at the University of Washington is for second year residents and focuses on the specialty of oncology pharmacy. However, there are many specialties for pharmacists to consider. Dr. Yun explains, "residency programs have expanded in the past few years that allow a focus on a variety of pharmacy fields such as acute care, ambulatory care, managed care, transitions of care, community pharmacy, oncology, internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, cardiology, hospital leadership, solid organ transplant, and more!"
"One of my favorite parts of residency is the continual learning. There is never a day I come home without having learned something new! "
— Jina Yun, PharmD
Jina's Story
Growing up in Southern California in the city of Valencia, Dr. Yun loved music and art as a child. In fact, she thought she would pursue a career in one of those fields, and almost majored in Art History in college. Neither of her parents worked in the medical or health care fields; her father worked in business and her mother was a stay-at-home parent. What led her to choose a path toward becoming a pharmacist?
A defining moment for Dr. Yun was her experience volunteering at a cancer center while she was a college student. She described that during this time, "I realized how much I enjoyed working with patients as well as talking with the providers on the team. I had the opportunity to shadow a clinical pharmacist and that’s what had sealed the deal for me." In addition, during her clinical rotations as a PGY1 (first year) resident at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Yun became involved in patient care. "I got to work closely with patients in the breast cancer clinic," she recalled. "It was inspiring to see the positive impact the clinical pharmacists had on the patients, and I really cherished the longitudinal care that I was able to provide for my patients."
Educational Pathway
Dr. Yun's educational path toward a career in pharmacy includes:
- Duke University, Bachelor's Degree in Biology (took classes in pharmacology and volunteered at a local cancer center)
- Worked as a pharmacy technician to gain experience and ensure this career path was a good match
- PharmD degree, University of Washington School of Pharmacy and concurrently worked as a pharmacy intern at UW Medical Center
- PGY1 (first year) Resident, University of California, San Francisco
- PGY2 (second year) Resident, University of Washington, Seattle specializing in oncology pharmacy
A Foodie at Heart
Dr. Yun loves to cook at home and to try new restaurants in the Seattle area. She also enjoys hiking, exploring local parks, and watching college basketball (go Blue Devils!).
Connecting back to her love of art from childhood, Dr. Yun is always on the lookout for new exhibits at local museums, including Seattle Art Museum (SAM) and the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP).
A Day in the Life
A typical day on the job begins with learning about her patients and reviewing their medication related issues. Dr. Yun then participates as part of a multidisciplinary team that conducts rounds, where they visit these patients at the hospital to develop therapy plans for them for the day. After rounds are complete, Dr. Yun will wrap-up various tasks, such as following up on a patient's medication levels or meeting with a patient to provide education on a drug therapy or treatment. In the afternoon, Dr. Yun usually meets with her preceptor (residency mentor) to review patient cases in more depth and to discuss clinical topics to further her learning. The day tends to vary widely in an outpatient setting, but typical tasks include verifying chemotherapy orders, answering medication-related questions, and talking with patients about their therapy.
What is challenging about being a resident? Time management! Dr. Yun explains that as a resident, "in addition to clinical rotations, there are various projects, presentations, and staffing responsibilities as well, so allotting enough time to complete your tasks while maintaining a work-life balance is important." However, she is careful to note that this is an area of growth for residents, as "there are a lot of resources and mentors that can help further these skills prior to and throughout residency as well."
Pharmacy residents are expected to conduct a research project. Dr. Yun's project examines the complications that cancer patients may experience at the site of a chemotherapy infusion port, a surgically implanted device that provides direct access to veins. In particular, Dr. Yun is studying patients who are receiving the drug bevacizumab. This chemo drug is known to cause wound healing complications. Dr. Yun explains that a goal of the project is to "utilize the results of this project to characterize the level of risk in our patient population, as well as identify the optimal time for port placement in relation to bevacizumab administration to reduce this risk as much as possible."
What's next? Dr. Yun hopes to work as a clinical oncology pharmacist at a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer care center, where she will join a multidisciplinary team to provide direct patient care. Currently, her primary interests are focused on solid tumor disease states, such as breast, gastrointestinal, and thoracic, head, and neck cancers. She also hopes to continue participating in mentorship, teaching, and research.
Video: PGY2: Oncology Pharmacy Residency
Check out this video, which provides an overview to the PGY2 Oncology Pharmacy Residency program at the University of Washington Medical Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Advice for Students
Her advice for high school students? Make sure pharmacy is for you! Dr. Yun encourages high school students to explore different ways to learn more about the field of pharmacy, "including shadowing a clinical pharmacist, working as a pharmacy assistant or technician, taking pharmacy-related coursework, and connecting with current pharmacists and residents." In addition, consider what specialty may be of interest, as "there’s also a variety of paths you can take within pharmacy, so this can help hone down on your interests as well."
"The preceptors [mentors] that I have worked with have such a wide breadth of knowledge and it has been inspiring to learn from them. Our pharmacy team also loves to collaborate with each other and have fun throughout the day! "
— Jina Yun, PharmD
U.S. Wage Information
According to the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the median wage for pharmacists in the U.S. is $136,030.
Additional Resources
Credit: Thank you Jina for sharing your story. Career profile written by Dr. Kristen Clapper Bergsman.