Introduction
Dr. Ashley Hawthorne, PharmD, BCCCP, serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, Mobile Campus. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Auburn in 2014 and became Board Certified in Critical Care Pharmacotherapy in 2019. Before joining Auburn's faculty in January 2023, Dr. Hawthorne practiced as a clinical pharmacist at Providence Hospital in Mobile and held an academic appointment at William Carey University School of Pharmacy. Currently, she also practices with the Department of Surgery in the Trauma and Burn Intensive Care Units at USA Health. Her professional interests include infectious diseases, ICU delirium, and anticoagulation. Dr. Hawthorne is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, serving as secretary of the In-Training Section Committee, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, where she chairs the Communications Committee for the Critical Care PRN. Learn more about her here.
Why Pharmacy
I chose pharmacy by accident. I originally wanted to be a lawyer, but I hated my intern position. It just so happened that after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the majority of my hometown, I had a friend whose father was needing some extra hands at his pharmacy. I started working there running the cash register, and I actually liked the setting. It was something I could see myself doing. I eventually got my tech license and started doing actual pharmacy things, which I loved. I also remember the owner one day asking me "Do you know what the most respected profession is? Pharmacy. And do you know where attorney's fall on that list?..." I soon changed my major and began pursuing pharmacy.
Career Journey
I originally wanted to do community pharmacy based on the experiences I had. There really was no desire to pursue residency training throughout pharmacy school. Once I made it to my last year, I immediately had two faculty rotations in the inpatient setting and realized that this was really what I loved. Once I experienced my critical care rotation, I was hooked. From then on, the goal was critical care.
Current Role and Responsibilities
A typical workday involves arriving at the hospital between 7-730 to start the day. I usually meet with my pharmacy students at 8 AM to conduct pre-rounds on their patients, followed by multi-disciplinary rounds in the surgical-trauma ICU with the surgery team. Afternoons typically consist of meetings, topic discussions, presentations, research, and completing other responsibilities.
Challenges
The most challenging aspect is really internal. I always have so many ideas and passions for things, but there just aren't enough hours in the day/week to do everything. It's always difficult for me to have to say no to extra projects.
Rewards
I love really making a difference at my job. It's not just with the patients, but the residents and students and team as a whole. I love being able to stay updated on literature and constantly challenged with new ideas and perspectives. Our team is very forward-thinking, and I enjoy being able to very readily implement new research results into clinical practice.
Advice for Students and Aspiring Professionals
Keep your options open, and don't close your mind off to all the possibilities. You never know what you will fall in love with. I never thought I'd be doing this kind of work, but all the pieces just fell into place for me. Seek out mentors, ask questions, and get involved! I also encourage all of my students to explore medicine in other parts of the country to get a well-rounded perspective. Most want to stay near home, but I try to get them to be open to seeing other practices, even if only temporary.