Mohamed Bashir Hassen, PharmD, works in the inpatient pharmacy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, dispensing medications, consulting with physicians and using cutting-edge computer programs. It is a job he couldn''t even have imagined as a boy in rural Ethiopia, helping tend his family''s goat herd.

But Hassen is a natural for the job. His love of intellectual challenge, his desire to help other people and his flexibility are ideal qualities for a hospital-based pharmacist. And the job suits him, and his family, perfectly.

"I like everything about my job," he says. "But one of the best things is that it flexible. And it pays well. It allows me to work and still take care of my family."

Hassen''s journey from goat farmer to doctor of pharmacy began when, as a young man in the 1980s, his ethic Somalian family moved to the city to escape fighting in the countryside. Hassen took a job at a refugee camp as a night watchman at the camp pharmacy. He began reading pharmaceutical texts and became interested in medicine. When the camp suffered a cholera outbreak, Hassen assisted physicians, learning to administer intravenous medications. This skill later helped him get a job as a phlebotomist at Barnes-Jewish when he moved to St. Louis.

While working in the hospital, Hassen decided that he wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Medicine filled his need to serve others and satisfied the thirst for knowledge has driven him since childhood. While working in the refugee camp, however, he had realized that he would prefer not to work in direct patient care. The pharmacy seemed like a good fit.

After studying at Forest Park Community College, Hassen transferred to St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He attended school full time, the only practical way to finish a degree. However, his flexible schedule at the hospital allowed him to work, first as a phlebotomist and later, in the pharmacy, around his school schedule. Hassen was able to fund his education with the Barnes-Jewish Hospital tuition reimbursement program.

Now, with a doctorate in pharmacy, Hassen works at the largest hospital-based pharmacy in Missouri, caring for about 50,000 inpatients each year.

His work ranges from preparing highly complex treatments engineered to manipulate immune response, to dispensing medieval remedies, such as the leeches that aid patients with limb reattachments.

Hassen considers acting as an advocate and safeguard for patients is one of his most important duties, even if he never meets the patient face-to-face. He and his pharmacy colleagues often consult with physicians to make sure the medication prescribed is the best fit for the patient. He consults with nurses about the best timing and delivery method for administering medications.

In addition, Barnes-Jewish pharmacists use state-of-the-art software tools, such as DoseRanger and DoseChecker, to help them check and recheck that pharmacy orders are filled correctly. These particular programs were developed in the Barnes-Jewish pharmacy and are now used nationwide.

"I get to use my brain on this job on an hourly basis," Hassen says. "I am always learning."

The job has material, as well as intellectual, rewards. As a pharmacist, Hassen has been able to support his growing family. He and his wife have been able to consider buying a house in the near future. The flexible schedule allows him time to spend with his family, and occasionally make it to the racquetball court.

It''s as though the job he couldn''t even imagined as child was made just for him.