Akash Parmar, FCB Health Intern
Akash Parmar is in the class of 2019 ans the current Vice President of the Rutgers chapter of IPhO. This summer, he interned at FCB Health as the Medical Intern.
What was the application process like?
FCB released an application at the beginning of the year and accepted submissions until late February. While some of the information requested was pretty routine (information about myself, previous experience, involvement, etc.), a major component of the application was the open-ended question. We had the option of choosing one of two prompts - detailing activities in our day-to-day lives or having to choose a superpower and defending our selection. I went with the superpower option since I identified with the prompt more closely and felt I would be able to use it to leverage my personality and experiences. Being a creative healthcare advertising agency, FCB gave us the option to respond to the prompt in a multitude of ways - writing an essay, filming a video, creating original artwork, and much more. Since writing is my strong suit, I went the more traditional route and submitted an essay along with my completed application.
How did you succeed in the interview?
I completed two interviews before receiving the internship position with FCB Health. On both occasions, I met with Executive Vice Presidents in the Medical Department and was able to discuss my education, experiences, involvement, and why I wanted to pursue an agency-based internship. I believe that a key to my success during these interviews was being myself - as cliché as that may seem, I believe that being completely honest and staying true to yourself is the most important thing to do in an interview. Showing your personality is paramount because your interviewers are looking to learn about you, see if your personality fits the company culture, and determine which team you would be the best fit for. This perspective helped me greatly during my interviews for the Medical Intern position as I found myself having in-depth conversations with my interviewers rather than just answering questions.
Tell me more about what you did in your position and what teams/projects you were involved in?
I was actually the first Medical Intern to participate in the 9-week summer internship program and was blown away by how well organized the entire program was. My work weeks were split into two parts - working with the medical team and working on intern projects. The work from the medical team included a variety of projects including: drug and disease state research and education, literature evaluation, reference assessment, and much more. The internship also included intern projects designed to help us get to know one another better and participate in creative challenges and assignments. The main project for the summer was the long-term intern project competition - the intern class was split up into 3 well-balanced teams and we had to work on a product pitch from beginning to end. This project spanned the entire course of the 9-week internship and was an amazing insight into the actual work that goes on in an agency when working on a pitch. I had the opportunity to collaborate with interns from a variety of backgrounds and was able to gain first-hand experience with the research, strategy, creative execution, and presentation skills that go into a product pitch.
What was the highlight of your internship?
I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience. Between the work with the medical team, collaborative projects with other interns, and the opportunity to network with others and form meaningful friendships and connections, my experience was perfectly balanced and bursting at the seams with opportunities to get involved and get hands-on experience. If I had to narrow down my experience to one single highlight, I would say working on the long-term intern project competition was my favorite part - it afforded me the opportunity to grow as a leader, work with interns from various backgrounds, and get hands-on experience with the process of developing and executing a product pitch.
What keys to success did you learn throughout the internship?
The main takeaway I have about working in the agency setting is that you will have the opportunity to work with people from a variety of different backgrounds. Agency is a unique environment where your coworkers are not only healthcare professionals - you will work with people from administrative, creative, financial, strategic, and management-based backgrounds. Each person has a distinct role to play and only by working together can you achieve success and create the best possible end product for your clients. As such, I believe that it is important to be able to work with people from a variety of different backgrounds and understand situations from the perspective of others.
What advice can you give to other pharmacy students interested in the industry?
Careers in the industry and agency settings are often overlooked when pharmacy students are trying to decide what to do in the future. Despite this, my internship experience has confirmed my belief that agency- and industry-based careers are, in fact, places where pharmacists can utilize their clinical knowledge and make an impact in the world of healthcare. I would strongly urge all pharmacy students to consider a career in the industry or agency setting - though these are competitive fields for healthcare professionals, the projects, collaboration, and work environment make this a rewarding career to pursue.