Aline Teixeira's story reflects the struggle of many health professionals who, upon entering the profession, face exhausting work schedules. If during her degree she already needed strength to overcome the few hours of study and split her time between work, commuting to college and studying, as a professional her life did not get any simpler. The aesthetic pharmacist struggled with the weekend and holiday work routine and is preparing to enter the field of aesthetics and enjoy the quality of life that many professionals have achieved.
Even though she is passionate about aesthetics, she had a lot of difficulty balancing postgraduate classes and work. Having to be available for shifts on Saturday and Sunday did not give her the chance to enter a specialization, which left her even more disappointed with her work at drugstores.
The change came with a move to the state of Santa Catarina, where her workload was reduced and she had weekends free and gained the chance to enter the course of her dreams, the specialization in aesthetic pharmacy.
The goal now is to focus on her skills as an Aesthetic Pharmacist and transform her career and personal life through her patients' health and well-being.
“There Was No Time” – Pharmacist Split Her Time Between Work, Commuting and Study
Our interview today is with Aline Teixeira, a pharmacist who graduated in 2013. Aline was always drawn to the world of health, but in a way not very conventional compared with the other cases we have interviewed on our blogs. Even as a child, Aline was interested in medication package inserts and cosmetic product labels. Very curious about how these products were made, this led her to become interested in health, especially pharmacy.
Her academic path was marked by sacrifice and a lot of determination. She says she entered the job market alongside her father, at the family drugstore, and that aligning work with studies took a lot of effort. To attend classes, which were held in another city, she would go straight from work, take the bus and head to college.
The time left over for rest was often used to study, write summaries or seek a little more instruction to improve her performance in class. During exam periods, the early morning hours turned into summary sessions, and the content was read on the bus ride to college.
The years of her degree increasingly intensified the need for Aline to give her time and focus to finish the course. She recalls that graduation was a moment of relief and gratitude, because the challenges she faced could have kept her from reaching her goal. Emotional, she says that having her family present at the graduation ceremony made the celebration even more special.
“I always worked since my first year of college. With my father at first and then an internship at the city hall. Soon after, I became a cashier at another drugstore to gain more experience. My college was in another city, I would leave work, the van was already waiting for me out front and I went straight to college. I left home at 8 a.m. and only came back after midnight.”
The Aesthetic Pharmacist Struggled with Her Work Routine
Already a graduate, Aline would face new obstacles. Interested in aesthetics, she explains that she ran into several barriers to enrolling in a postgraduate program. Work commitments were difficulties that kept her from following her desire to enter the world of aesthetics, mainly because of the little time available for study. Having to work shifts that included weekends and even holidays, it was not possible to pursue specializations since there was no time left to study.
A job opportunity in Santa Catarina opened new horizons for the young Pharmacist. Without the need for exhausting routines working Saturdays and Sundays, or holidays, she saw the chance to do her postgraduate program in aesthetic pharmacy and venture into a new field.
“I always wanted to do a postgraduate program in aesthetics, but I worked on Sundays and holidays. So there was no way to do it and I kept putting it off. When I moved to Santa Catarina, my schedule changed and that is when I saw this opportunity. That is where I got to know Nepuga and managed to enter the specialization.”
Aline moved once again, but this time to Marília, where she lives now. Recently she took part in the clinical immersions in Ribeirão Preto, where she was able to observe her classmates and receive a lot of guidance from the instructor. One of the procedures that most caught her attention during the classes was injectables. With that, she came to understand that there is still a lot to learn in aesthetic pharmacy and she feels prepared for the challenges ahead.
In addition, the clinical immersions contributed significantly to her hands-on development, because besides the guidance of the technical managers, she could exchange experiences with other postgraduate students from various specialties, which only adds to her growth.
“The experience of having everyone here and several fields together made me aware that everyone in the health field can learn here too, not just one specialty, and that gave me greater confidence. Sometimes I thought that because I am a pharmacist, I would not be able to enter the aesthetics field, but here I saw that it is possible.”
Opportunities to Invest in Her Own Career
Aline has been observing Marília's commerce. According to her, the city values business owners, who in turn end up prospering. Before opening her own clinic, one of her wishes, she intends to gain experience working at other clinics, recognizing the challenges that will come after finishing the specialization, but determined to face them.
Schedule freedom and financial autonomy were decisive factors for Aline to dedicate herself to aesthetics, allowing her to spend more time with her family and enjoy leisure moments.
“I have a lot of hope and I am quite confident that everything will work out for me. I have been engaged in my training and I believe I will reap the fruits down the road.”
With a hopeful outlook on the future, Aline believes she is on the right path to realize her dream of becoming an aesthetic pharmacist in 2024. With determination and focus, she is confident she will reach her goals.
Rafael Alves
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
