An accomplished pharmacist based in Perth Amboy, NJ, Rita Patel prepared for her career by studying pharmacy at A.R. College of Pharmacy in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat, India. After completing practical training at Malti-Chem Research Centre, Rita Patel became a pharmacist licensed to practice in India in 1988. Soon after she relocated to the US, and she became a licensed pharmacist in New York and New Jersey through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in 1993. As part of her training, she also interned at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Among her earlier positions, Ms. Patel worked as a staff pharmacist at several pharmacies in Greater New York. These include a Duane Reade Pharmacy on Park Avenue, a Walgreens Pharmacy in Yonkers, and a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Edison, NJ. In 1999, she established her own pharmacy, Shayona Pharmacy, at 147 Smith Street in Perth Amboy. Committed to caring for her clients, she kept the Shayona Pharmacy open 365 days a year. For her work, the pharmacy received a mayor's citation for "Welcome New Business of the Year Award" from the Perth Amboy Merchants Association. Having closed Shayona Pharmacy in 2015, she focuses on working as a pharmacist as a per diem employee and spending more time with her family as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt.