When Dave Whysong was a junior at Chestnut Ridge High School he planned to attend Penn State University and earn an engineering degree. By the time he was a senior, he had changed his mind. “I realized that I’d need much more math than I wanted to tackle as an engineer,” he said. “Math was never my favorite subject - it never came easily to me, so I looked for another career.” While exploring his options, he spotted a brochure in his guidance counselor’s office that touted pharmacy as a profession. “I had always been interested in health care - my mother was a nurse so I knew a little bit of what I was getting into - and I learned I wouldn’t really need a whole lot of math, which I hated, but would need lots of chemistry and biology, which I enjoyed.”

With a new goal in mind, he attended the University of Pittsburgh for a Pharmacy degree, graduating in 1994. While still in school, he worked part-time and then interned at a Bedford pharmacy, learning the business. Other jobs as a pharmacist at a long-term care facility near Chambersburg and for a regional grocery chain led him to a decision two years ago to open his own pharmacy. “The part of the profession that I like the best is the one-on-one relationships you build with customers,” he said. He opened Whysong’s Pharmacy in New Paris last fall - and has enjoyed every minute of the long, tiring days of running his own business. “I love working for myself,” he said. “Here I can focus on giving my customers the service they need; I don’t need to be part of an assembly line simply dispensing pills.” An added bonus is that he’s found he enjoys the business end of running a pharmacy more than he anticipated. “Of course it’s hard work - but I’ve never been happier in my career than I am today.” He said he hopes to expand the store within the next year and is considering purchasing other independent pharmacies in the region.

He advises young people interested in his profession to talk to other pharmacists - job shadowing several if possible. “You should like science, and have a fantastic memory,” he said. “You also have to be almost obsessive about paying attention to details - mistakes in our field can have very bad consequences. Plus you’ve also got to be ready to spend six years in school - but come graduation, you can work almost anywhere. There’s a real shortage of qualified pharmacists, and that shortage is projected to continue for a long time.”

Back to Opportunities