MBA Graduate Student Janie Slominski is Excited about Her New Skills and Her Future

Janie Slominski, a clinical family practice pharmacist for Valor Healthcare in Danville, will receive a Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University during Winter Commencement. The MBA adds to her educational resume including a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University, a Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Services and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Given her breadth of clinical and scientific experience, the MBA provides a distinct set of skills that will allow Slominski to branch out and move up. After completing her master's degree at VCU, she worked in the microbiology laboratory at a hospital in Richmond and trained pharmacy students that came through on the antibiotic panels. This spurred her interest in pharmacy, and she decided to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy. While on rotation, she discovered her love of working with the public and patients and began work as a community pharmacist with CVS.

As a primary care pharmacist, Slominski manages the anticoagulation clinic and the medication of patients with diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and other common diseases.

“I enjoy working with my patients. I enjoy collaborating with the other staff members,” she said. “Basically, I love collaboration and teamwork and I really, really enjoy when you're able to take a problem and get feedback from different individuals and come up with the best possible solution that improves patient outcomes. And that's what we all want, right?”

During the pandemic, she realized she wanted to learn a whole new set of skills and enrolled in the Strome College of Business’ MBA program. She chose Old Dominion because it offered an asynchronous online option that fit in with her busy work schedule, and she found that she enjoyed working with fellow students who appreciated that she had a different educational background and life experiences.

“I was one of the very few healthcare people in the program and sometimes I felt like I was at a disadvantage because I didn't have that business background,” she said. “Everybody brings something different and different perspectives to the table, and even when I felt like I wasn't bringing anything, sometimes my group members would say, ‘No, we like how you approach the problem, it’s not how we would have seen it.’ They were really inclusive.”

Despite her scientific education, Slominski found the teams she worked with helpful.

“I had never taken an economics class before. I had never taken a finance class before. My background is strictly science, so I had a lot of the high-powered science classes and calculus. And I graduated pharmacy school in 2011, so I was 11 plus years out of school,” she said. “So, that was also different. My peers were all really patient and great group partners. We enjoyed our different perspectives and diverse backgrounds. And I really enjoyed the program.”

Slominski added that her professors, including Martin Goossen and Ryan Klinger, both associate professors in the department of management, were also helpful.

“They made themselves available and just went above and beyond,” she said. “Also, Adjunct Professor Susan Craft really helped me with my resume. I have to say, because of her, I got the job that I have now. I was in the midst of taking Building a Professional Brand MBA 648 when applying for my job with the VA. Susan offered great tips and had a lot of voice conferences with me.”

Wherever her career might take her, Slominski is grateful for earning an MBA from Old Dominion.

“With my MBA and taking the management classes and leadership classes, I definitely feel more prepared. I have more tools in my toolbox. I'm looking for a supervisory or director role for a pharmacy benefits manager,” she said, noting that larger insurance companies often hire pharmacists to lead teams in their clinical divisions. “I am very thankful for ODU for providing me with such a quality education and helping to advance my career,” she said.