Each Friday in June 2022, I’m publishing an interview with a pharmacist dad in honor of Father’s Day, which was Sunday, June 19. This episode is an interview with Iqbal Atcha, RPh. During the first half of our conversation, we discussed how Iqbal uses his voice as a pharmacist. In the second half, we focused on Iqbal’s role as a Dad.
Bio:
Iqbal Atcha is the Senior Consultant for Healthcare Talent Acquisition at Lean Human Capital, now a part of symplr. He provides advisory services for clients across the healthcare recruitment industry specializing in organizational analysis, resource allocation, process efficiency, technology and automation, and recruitment marketing.
Iqbal joined Lean Human Capital in January 2022. Prior to this, he served as the Director of Talent Acquisition Strategy for Anthem where he helped develop, align, and oversee TA strategies for 7 subsidiaries including Caremore Health, Beacon Health, and IngenioRx. Before Anthem, Iqbal was the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition for Walmart’s Health & Wellness division where he led a team of 9 recruiters and led enterprise-wide initiatives centered around diversity and inclusion, continuous improvement, and workforce planning.
Iqbal received his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Midwestern University College of Pharmacy and a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Kennedy Western University. He is a certified recruiter through Recruiter Academy (RACR), a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and a 3-time Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM).
Thank you for listening to episode 158 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast!
Links from this episode
Podcast Website: https://atchainternational.com/healthcare-and-higher-podcast/
Healthcare and Higher Podcast with host Iqbal Atcha (Apple Podcasts Link)
Healthcare and Higher Podcast with host Iqbal Atcha (Google Podcasts Link)
Atcha International https://atchainternational.com
LinkedIn (Company Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-healthcare-and-higher-podcast
LinkedIn (Personal Profile): https://www.linkedin.com/in/iqbalatcha/
Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/iqbalatcha1/
Twitter: (Personal): https://twitter.com/IqbalAtcha1
Facebook (Fan Page): https://www.facebook.com/healthcareandhigher
Pinterest (Board): https://www.pinterest.com/iatcha/the-healthcare-and-higher-podcast/
The Business of Pharmacy Podcast ™️ website (Mike Koelzer’s podcast)
Midwestern University https://www.midwestern.edu
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu
Chicago State University https://www.csu.edu
UIC (University of Illinois Chicago) https://www.uic.edu
Toastmasters International https://www.toastmasters.org
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Highlights from our conversation
Iqbal has used his voice in a variety of ways as a pharmacist. He said, “It’s been a mixed bag.”
At first, Iqbal was an entrepreneur (opened independent pharmacies and did consulting work). For the past 15 years, his focus has been talent acquisition for healthcare companies. Two years ago (2020), Atcha International became the third step in Iqbal’s career. According to the website, Atcha International Consulting Group is an independently owned and operated consulting firm that provides a variety of professional and personal development services, like resume writing, cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile optimization, interview preparation, career coaching, job search strategy, leadership development, public speaking, and life coaching for men.
Iqbal’s clients are mostly healthcare professionals and healthcare executives. He helps them rebrand themselves for career advancement opportunities and helps with leadership development. Iqbal frames a client’s messaging in a way that appeals to a HR talent acquisitions hiring manager. Among other things, he creates applicant-tracking-system-friendly resumes that highlight clients’ key skills in a chronological capacity with keywords that show achievements and accomplishments, not fluff words.
Over the years, Iqbal has mentored pharmacy students. He also taught and guest-lectured at a number of universities, including Midwestern University, Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago State University, and UIC.
Have you ever heard of Toastmasters International? It’s a nonprofit organization that helps individuals fine tune their communication and leadership skills. I am a current member. Iqbal was a long-time member. During his Toastmasters journey, Iqbal became confident using his voice and speaking to different audiences about topics that were near and dear to healthcare and pharmacists in general.
Iqbal helped pharmacy students in the Chicagoland area start Toastmasters chapters. Check out Toastmasters today to become a better public speaker and a better evaluator! Find a Toastmasters meeting by visiting https://www.toastmasters.org. Just click the “Find a Club” tab, and enter your address.
During the second half of our interview, our conversation focused on fatherhood and family.
Iqbal is married with 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren. Everyone lives in or around the Chicagoland area. He has one son, one daughter, one step-daughter, two grandsons, and one granddaughter. Iqbal was a young dad. His son was born when he was a 20-year-old pharmacy student. His daughter was born when he was 24. Iqbal is also active in his aging parents’ lives.
Being a young dad and a pharmacy student was hard work. Iqbal talked about long, busy days during our conversation. He said it was worth it.
We also discussed the following topics:
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- Challenges of being a Dad
- Childcare
- Quality time
- Iqbal’s favorite parts of being a father
- Balancing work and family
- What Iqbal does for “me time” to recharge his batteries
- A surprising expense associated with raising children
- His favorite Avengers character
- General advice for current or prospective dads
Thank you Iqbal for being my guest on The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 158!