Meet Elaine Twedt, Program Manager of the Pharmacy Recruitment and Retention Office (PRRO) stationed near William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center. Growing up in a family of Air Force, Navy, and Army Veterans, Elaine became naturally attracted to a career at VA. A clinical rotation at VA during pharmacy school solidified her decision to join—23 years later, she still feels VA is where she belongs.
Elaine considers herself a strong advocate for career progression. She joined VA immediately after pharmacy school graduation and spent eight years as a staff pharmacist. Then she worked eight years as a clinical pharmacy specialist, before moving into her current national-level pharmacy administration position in 2011. As her career grew, she relocated multiple times, from South Carolina to Florida and back. “I was able to move facility to facility without skipping a beat,” she says. “In between each one of my moves, I went back to school and earned my post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy degree and my Master of Science in Applied Pharmacoeconomics. There are opportunities to work and further your education and receive tuition support.”
For Elaine, no two days are the same. “I juggle a lot of different roles,” she explains, “anything from hosting recruitment consultations for pharmacy leadership, precepting Health-System Pharmacy Administration residents, or writing the pharmacy sections of the VHA Workforce Succession Strategic Plan.” She appreciates the flexibility VA offers employees to build the career that best suits them and their lifestyle. “If you want to find a niche and stay there your whole career, you can do that, or you can master different pharmacy practice settings.”
According to Elaine, a career at VA is “your opportunity to serve your country which is a high calling. The opportunities are limitless—further your education and better the healthcare of the greatest population of patients.” She shared the story of a patient who stormed the beach at Normandy in WWII: “He was one of only 10 soldiers to return home out of 160 men in his Company. He’s such a miracle to live through those odds, and I had the honor of being on his team of VA healthcare providers.”
Are you ready to experience the honor of serving our nation’s heroes? To get started, learn more about our open positions and apply today.
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