Youngest Pharmacist to Graduate in CA - 19 yo

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azmiyu

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Love that she’s able to accomplish this feat (makes the Vietnamese community super proud). HHHAAATTTEEE that she chose pharmacy considering the current situation.

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Chapman University Grad Becomes Doctor at 19, Youngest Pharmacist in California

To become the youngest pharmacist in the state of California, Kassidy Vo had to give up her favorite video games, going to Disneyland and walking the beach while in grad school. She is set to achieve that feat on Friday when she receives her doctorate in pharmacy at Chapman University at age 19...
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Waste of potential if you ask me.
Also, hard to say graduating from a school that has trouble passing board exams is considered impressive.
I’d say whatever
 
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Did you read the entire article. She wants to pursue a career in medicine.
"She is now looking forward to catching up on sleep after graduation. Next on her list is to visit as many Disney Worlds as possible before eventually pursuing a career in medicine."
 
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aznmiy said:
Love that she’s able to accomplish this feat (makes the Vietnamese community super proud). HHHAAATTTEEE that she chose pharmacy considering the current situation.

nextshark.com

Chapman University Grad Becomes Doctor at 19, Youngest Pharmacist in California

To become the youngest pharmacist in the state of California, Kassidy Vo had to give up her favorite video games, going to Disneyland and walking the beach while in grad school. She is set to achieve that feat on Friday when she receives her doctorate in pharmacy at Chapman University at age 19...
nextshark.com
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She and her brother both attended Chapman, so I guess their family is well loaded? It’s not necessary bad for her to be a pharmacist if she doesn’t have any loan. The Chapman 2+3 pharmD program is expensive( UOP is even worse), but both of them can always get many applicants easily especially in the Asian communities which has an obsession to these DOCTOR thing.All the Asian families I know that put their children into those expensive 2+3/3+3 programs have no regret paying 300-400K but so happy to tell everyone that their children are DOCTOR. If you are an asian, you know what I am talking about XD. If this girl like pharmacy and her family can afford it and very happy that they have a DOCTOR daughter, then why not?

Don’t get me wrong, I am Asian too, when I said “asian families” that including mine
 
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I wonder if they mixed up the phrase of "pursuing a career in medicine" with "pursuing her career in pharmacy." May sound similar but its not....

Also, she graduated kindergarten in one week. Not insulting her intelligence (obviously very smart) but as for kindergarten...couldn't we all be done with it in one week? early 90's I only remember playing games, naming colors, and memorizing my home address while learning not to talk to strangers....Didn't even start basic vocabulary or math until 1st grade (perhaps my memory serves me wrong).
 
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Ximilara said:
She and her brother both attended Chapman, so I guess their family is well loaded? It’s not necessary bad for her to be a pharmacist if she doesn’t have any loan. The Chapman 2+3 pharmD program is expensive( UOP is even worse), but both of them can always get many applicants easily especially in the Asian communities which has an obsession to these DOCTOR thing.All the Asian families I know that put their children into those expensive 2+3/3+3 programs have no regret paying 300-400K but so happy to tell everyone that their children are DOCTOR. If you are an asian, you know what I am talking about XD. If this girl like pharmacy and her family can afford it and very happy that they have a DOCTOR daughter, then why not?
Click to expand...
Here is the evolution of PharmD recruiting:

Qualified applicants/top tier college students —> Mid-low tier college students as minimum GPA/PCAT requirements drop—> Community college and high school students—> International students.

That last bucket of applicants to recruit from is honestly the easiest because like you said, asians are obsessed with becoming “doctors”. Literally every Vietnamese in OC and their mothers are pharmacists. I almost feel bad for these suckers, especially if they’re first generation immigrants because they would have no idea about the job market/saturation.
 
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sb.tnh said:
I know quite a few people (all Asians) currently in pharmacy school that refer to themselves as "doctor" on Facebook (especially in posts about their white coat ceremony and graduation). Is it common practice for a pharmacist to be called "doctor" nowadays? Not trying to start a war here, so please don't get me wrong, I am just honestly curious about this.
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forums.studentdoctor.net

Is a PharmD still considered a doctor?

If someone graduates from a Doctor of Pharmacy school, are they still called ‘Doctor’?
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
 
sb.tnh said:
I know quite a few people (all Asians) currently in pharmacy school that refer to themselves as "doctor" on Facebook (especially in posts about their white coat ceremony and graduation). Is it common practice for a pharmacist to be called "doctor" nowadays? Not trying to start a war here, so please don't get me wrong, I am just honestly curious about this.
Click to expand...

Well, students should never refer to themselves as doctors (well, unless they are doctors I guess, lol) but to answer your question...it is not common practice outside of academia to refer to pharmacists as "doctor".
 
sb.tnh said:
I know quite a few people (all Asians) currently in pharmacy school that refer to themselves as "doctor" on Facebook (especially in posts about their white coat ceremony and graduation). Is it common practice for a pharmacist to be called "doctor" nowadays? Not trying to start a war here, so please don't get me wrong, I am just honestly curious about this.
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They are saying this to try and compensate for the $200k+ debt and 4-6 years of school they have just wasted... a silver lining so why not.

Again, pharmacists only want to self-validate themselves. And yet they also preach things like “C’s get degrees/PharmD’s.” You don’t hear this type of nonsense in real doctorate-level programs.
 
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WVUPharm2007 said:
The school calls me "doctor" when they beg me for donations. Otherwise, never. Except sarcastically.
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There is so much truth in this. Any calls I get asking for Dr. owlegrad are always the alumni association asking for money.

Pharmacy is a Scam said:
They are saying this to try and compensate for the $200k+ debt and 4-6 years of school they have just wasted... a silver lining so why not.

Again, pharmacists only want to self-validate themselves. And yet they also preach things like “C’s get degrees/PharmD’s.” You don’t hear this type of nonsense in real doctorate-level programs.
Click to expand...

Been in many real doctorate-level programs have you?
 
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You can pursue a career in medicine without going to pharmacy school. Sure if you change your mind (meaning you did no homework on your career choices) after making the mistake of going to pharmacy school, then sure it's your life, but you're still out the sunk cost of tuition and related expenses + time.

They could have just sent her to UCI to save money and live close to home.
 
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BC_89 said:
I wonder if they mixed up the phrase of "pursuing a career in medicine" with "pursuing her career in pharmacy." May sound similar but its not....
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This is probably what happened. Girl tells reporter she is a doctor, then reporter assumes she is a medical doctor.
 
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I have zero respect for folks who go to pharmacy school with the full knowledge that they want to go to medical school.
 
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This is impressive regardless of the current state of the profession, but what bothers me is that the only thing she's ever done in her life is study. Social skills, hanging out, and making friends is important too. Helicopter parents tend to cause long term problems for their kids.
 
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BenJammin said:
I have zero respect for folks who go to pharmacy school with the full knowledge that they want to go to medical school.
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More likely that the reporter made an error cause she called herself doctor.
 
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BigBoss said:
This is impressive regardless of the current state of the profession, but what bothers me is that the only thing she's ever done in her life is study. Social skills, hanging out, and making friends is important too. Helicopter parents tend to cause long term problems for their kids.
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Yup all those tiger moms burn their kids out in high school. They come home and hide in their rooms, have no idea how to speak to people and rely on their parents to do everything for them when it comes to cooking, groceries, getting a haircut etc. Many of them can't drive until their mid 20s and never date.
 
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If I were her parent I would have taken the tuition money (assuming I saved for it) and taught her about VTSAX and compound interest and/or have sent her to a coding bootcamp.
 
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BigBoss said:
This is impressive regardless of the current state of the profession, but what bothers me is that the only thing she's ever done in her life is study. Social skills, hanging out, and making friends is important too. Helicopter parents tend to cause long term problems for their kids.
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Not necessarily, but your sentiment about long-term problems apply. Mine were not helicopter, they were simply outright abusive. I did quite a bit more than study, but I very much resent my lack of a childhood today, and it took me a long time to learn to relax and relate. I can also say that I think more "normal" potential could be nurtured than less right now.

Everyone at the highest levels at NIH see most prodigies fail to live up to even average productive potential under the weight of their neuroses and arrogance. It is sad when you meet failed prodigies, because they are both a tragic combination of capable and useless. Environment matters so much. Here's hoping she remains productive and in a caring environment.

And LB, if you're reading this (I doubt it), I guess you didn't pay attention when we read Medical Nemesis...
 
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Why on earth did she choose pharmacy when she had so much potential? “youngest surgeon “ would’ve been much more impressive.
 
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Her parents had to drive her every day to rotation sites... wow. My parents could not even afford one day off from work.

Her parents were rich. And took all possible short cuts to get her to finish grade school early.

I am not impressed.
 
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For much of the last year, Vo essentially went through a series of internships, eight hours a day, five days a week, with Mom driving.

She worked at Walgreens in the pharmacy department, did a stint in emergency care, served in an intensive care unit, assisted doctors on hospital rounds.

“The hardest part,” she quietly allows, “was having a patient die. I would cry like a baby.”

The best part, she adds, “was connecting with patients and letting them know you care.”

After commencement, the first thing Vo hopes to accomplish is catching up on sleep. The next thing, she hopes, is visiting as many Disney Worlds as possible. Later, she will decide her ultimate path, but she knows it will be in medicine.

“I’m still very young,” she points out. “I definitely want to go farther.”

As the conversation continues, I suggest Vo’s secret power is humor and the newly minted doctor of pharmacy agrees. “If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in trouble.

“I work hard and play hard,” she says. “If I’m working, I’m focused 100 percent.”

With a mischievous smile, she adds. “But if I’m at Disneyland, I’m focused 110 percent.”
Click to expand...

LOL
 
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Ummmm...might be impressive if she had graduated from a different school.....
 
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Give her some credit. She is years ahead of everyone else.
 
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sb.tnh said:
I know quite a few people (all Asians) currently in pharmacy school that refer to themselves as "doctor" on Facebook (especially in posts about their white coat ceremony and graduation). Is it common practice for a pharmacist to be called "doctor" nowadays? Not trying to start a war here, so please don't get me wrong, I am just honestly curious about this.
Click to expand...
Look you gotta let these kids do something with their over priced pieces of paper because they may not be getting high paying jobs with them. So what if they wanna roleplay as real doctors on facebook. not like it's hurting anyone.

For me I consider pride a sin, therefore when I get my degree I will be throwing it in the trash (maybe recycling it depending on how much ink it has on it) as it represents pride-fullness (a sin) exaggerated self-esteem has no place in my life and it may also constitute carrying a graven image of oneself given it bares my full name. I legitimately had it said to me by a younger woman in pharmacy residency that having the "dr." before her name in congratulation cards she was sent was one of the best things about getting the degree and continually corrected people that did not address her as Dr. in the hospital. Reminds me of Amy Bishop who was heard telling her collages to address her as "Harvard-educated"
 
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Can you even get licensed at 19? I could have sworn, Illinois has an age requirement of 21 for pharmacist licensure. It's normally a non-issue.
 
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Ximilara said:
She and her brother both attended Chapman, so I guess their family is well loaded? It’s not necessary bad for her to be a pharmacist if she doesn’t have any loan. The Chapman 2+3 pharmD program is expensive( UOP is even worse), but both of them can always get many applicants easily especially in the Asian communities which has an obsession to these DOCTOR thing.All the Asian families I know that put their children into those expensive 2+3/3+3 programs have no regret paying 300-400K but so happy to tell everyone that their children are DOCTOR. If you are an asian, you know what I am talking about XD. If this girl like pharmacy and her family can afford it and very happy that they have a DOCTOR daughter, then why not?

Don’t get me wrong, I am Asian too, when I said “asian families” that including mine
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Good for her! Not that many people can pull off a feat like that.

I'd like to say that some Asian-American communities do not share the same sentiments [of having an obsession to these DOCTOR thing] as you've mentioned. That's just a standard that one particular group of Asians strive for.

That said, I think most of us would be in agreement about one thing:
Which parent wouldn't be (even slightly so) disappointed if their kid didn't end up becoming a doctor after all the pickup's and drop-off's for soccer, tennis, sports practice and music/art/swim classes and cram school and ballet and softball and abacus and all the private school tuitions and years of stay-at-home parenting?

Sine Cura said:
From 2003:

USATODAY.com - 12-year-old begins medical school at the University of Chicago

usatoday30.usatoday.com usatoday30.usatoday.com
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Lots of people like him in NYC. They go about their business just like everyone else. I'm sure he has very interesting and peculiar hobbies.
 
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genesis09 said:
Can you even get licensed at 19? I could have sworn, Illinois has an age requirement of 21 for pharmacist licensure. It's normally a non-issue.
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IL is 21, I had to get a variance to sit for the MPJE. It's a straightforward formality, but basically I had to promise that I would not abuse my license to order and consume alcohol. It happened often enough in the BS era though I think I was the first PharmD to have to petition it.
 
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:). Actually I was thinking of the Dean of that pharmacy school, who a while back used to post here....whenever I see the ads for happ y a Nd hell thy selling red clown noses I am reminded of him...not sure why ......must be the dedication and professionalism he expressed[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
 
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Modest_anteater said:
For me I consider pride a sin, therefore when I get my degree I will be throwing it in the trash (maybe recycling it depending on how much ink it has on it)
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Seems a little much.

I wouldn’t tote around putting pharmD or Dr by my name but I’d still keep my degree as a sentiment representing a timeframe in my life.

I have my high school diploma with my 18 year-old picture in hopes to compare with my kids later in life. I as well have my certified Bachelor of Science Degree along with my wife and her degree since me and her graduated at the same time with our first child in a picture.

My next plan will be keeping a double frame portrait: One of course with my pharmD degree right next to a printed Student Loan Debt Amount (from my university) with the $0.00 balance highlighted.
 
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BC_89 said:
Seems a little much.

I wouldn’t tote around putting pharmD or Dr by my name but I’d still keep my degree as a sentiment representing a timeframe in my life.

I have my high school diploma with my 18 year-old picture in hopes to compare with my kids later in life. I as well have my certified Bachelor of Science Degree along with my wife and her degree since me and her graduated at the same time with our first child in a picture.

My next plan will be keeping a double frame portrait: One of course with my pharmD degree right next to a printed Student Loan Debt Amount (from my university) with the $0.00 balance highlighted.
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I like the zero balance. I wouldn't highlight it. Then it would make ppl try to mentally figure out why it's frame and search for the 0.0 balance first. that would be a fun mental game. Very cool to have plans like that. Congrats on the wife and child. One of my major life goals is to find my future wife. It's a goal I have been working on for decades! I'm currently an incel so I have been unable to successfully befriend a female but I having been working really hard at it doing research, ect. It's just stressful because sometimes i feel like the government isn't giving me enough help to locate or court my future wife. Sometimes i have a lot of built up anger because of this but then I have to remember to relax and remember the power of a positive attitude and to remember if God means for it to happen then it will happen.
 
yuck...so cringy.
 
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Modest_anteater said:
One of my major life goals is to find my future wife. It's a goal I have been working on for decades! I'm currently an incel so I have been unable to successfully befriend a female but I having been working really hard at it doing research, ect. It's just stressful because sometimes i feel like the government isn't giving me enough help to locate or court my future wife. Sometimes i have a lot of built up anger because of this but then I have to remember to relax and remember the power of a positive attitude and to remember if God means for it to happen then it will happen.
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Why should the government help you?

If you are a complete uggo, unfortunately no one will procreate with you willingly. However you could exploit your being a walking green card. It's better that being trafficked in China.
 
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Modest_anteater said:
It's just stressful because sometimes i feel like the government isn't giving me enough help to locate or court my future wife.
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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

What, you think the government needs to set up a matchmaking site?

But hang in there, I know lots of people who had their first marriage in their 30's or 40's. It's not uncommon, especially with college educated people. many women are having babies in their 30's and 40's or well. Better to wait to get the right person, then to marry in haste and end up with a messy divorce.
 
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Waste of potential
If she was smart, she wouldn't choose pharmacy school and do her homework.

She is likely encourage by her family to pursue pharmacy.

I know a few people people who are book smart and graduate early, fizzle out, and failure in their personal life.
 
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owlegrad said:
Well, students should never refer to themselves as doctors (well, unless they are doctors I guess, lol) but to answer your question...it is not common practice outside of academia to refer to pharmacists as "doctor".
Click to expand...
When I go to my doctor, they sometimes refer to me as doctor. I have PharmD listed in my chart there mostly so they know I’m not just a random bum off the street when I go in for checkups. It seems to get me better treatment, or at least less paternalism and more professional collaboration. And as soon as they call me doctor I laugh (because nobody calls me doctor!) and correct them.
 
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Pharmacy seems to be the profession of choice for VIetnamese-Americans. Poor girl, such a waste of her talents. She could be creating the next amazon/uber instead of running the metrics treadmill. At least she's only 19!
 
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"It's easy. You just count by 5s all day"
 
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Am Vietnamese and in the OC. Can confirm everyone and their extended family are pharmacists (excluding myself).
 
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Pharmacy is a Scam said:
But seriously though, what occupations do Vietnamese pursue besides pharmacy or being a Pho shop owner?
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If you look at the most “trusted” professions (ie. https://blogs-images.forbes.com/niallmccarthy/files/2019/01/20190111_Trusted_Professions.jpg), pharmacists usually is pretty up there along with nursing and medicine. Nursing is considered a “helping” position so not as prestigious in their eyes. Medicine takes too much work. Pharmacy had the right balance of prestige, effort, and pay.

Remember, parents have friends who grew up during the golden age of pharmacy. Where people got cash bonuses, BMW car bonuses, and >150k pay with absolute security. They are unaware of the changing world.
 
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