The Value of Utility Infielders and Cultivating Range

Pharmacy Fika

In this episode, we discuss the value of generalists (aka utility infielders) - faculty with broad knowledge and range of skills - and why our students may be better served by generalists rather than specialists. While academia (and clinical practice) prizes specialization, there are downsides. Narrowing our focus too much can limit creativity and hamper open-mindedness. But anyone can be a utility infielder and remain agile by working across disciplines, networking, reading widely, remaining curious, asking questions, and taking on new challenges.

Special guest: Steve Scott, Pharm.D. - Purdue University College of Pharmacy

Resources

Want to learn more about this topic?

Scott SA. Do We Need More Utility Infielders. Am J Pharm Educ 2015; 70 (10): Article 147.

Epstein D. Range. Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. New York: Riverhead Books, 2019.

Dyer J, Gregersen H, Christensen CM. The Innovator's DNA. Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2011.

Kato H, Jena AB, Figueroa FJ, Tsugawa Y. Association between physician part-time clinical work and patient outcomes. JAMA Intern Med 2021; 181 (11): 1461-69.

Jena AB, Olenski A, Blumenthal DM, et al. Acute myocardial infarction mortality during dates of national interventional cardiology meetings. J Am Heart Assoc 2018; 7: e008230.

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