Compulsory Conscription

JerryPharmD said:

Does your pharmacy school have a class where you have to volunteer for community service? If so, how long is the class/how many units is it worth/how many hours of volunteering do you have to do?

Thanks

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Yep, but my school was the one that you are currently at. That class totally sucked. I think we only had to do 20 hours, but the entire course was set up poorly. You have a different instructor now though, so maybe it won't be too bad.

The spirit caught me and I fell down!

JerryPharmD said:

Does your pharmacy school have a class where you have to volunteer for community service? If so, how long is the class/how many units is it worth/how many hours of volunteering do you have to do?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Yes. It was one of the reasons I chose my school (MCP-Worcester)--I thought that was cool and different approach to learning. We had to go just 2 hours a week for our first P1 semester (15 weeks, so 30 hr total). We had a bunch of volunteer sites we could chose from, and then they matched us up. I got my first choice, a thrift shop in a women's shelter, and I had a blast. I still go one Saturday a month, even though it's almost 2 years later now. A lot of my classmates opted for local schools (kids are the future, blah, blah, blah) or free medical clinics (but I figured I have the rest of my life to work in healthcare).

We also met for 1.5hr (maybe it was 2hr, don't quite recall) each week for a class where we discussed various ways to be more compassionate pharmacists or to address cultural diversity. We had to keep a weekly journal about our volunteer experiences, and then give a little presentation about out it. I liked it, but I know a lot of my classmates thought it sucked and was really stupid. My roommate was in that category, but I think it was a great experience for her--a bratty kid from the clean and sterile suburbs goes to an inner city wet shelter--awesome!

It was just 1 or 2 credit hours (I think just 1) and it was pass/fail.

JerryPharmD said:

Does your pharmacy school have a class where you have to volunteer for community service? If so, how long is the class/how many units is it worth/how many hours of volunteering do you have to do?

Thanks

Click to expand...

We have to do a volunteer component to our practice of pharmacy class. Requirement is 16 hours per semester at approved site, and then in the spring semester you have to record and turn in a video presentation about your volunteer experience. Entire class is 2 semester hours, but there are a lot of other things included in the class. It's also the class that has our early practice experience outcomes (56 hours per semester), so that makes the volunteer hours seem not so bad.

I believe volunteer work is now required by the ACPE under the new standards. My school doesn't require any volunteer work. If it is required than it is not a volunteer job.

My school doesn't(Univeristy of Florida), we did have to work in retail and hospital settings as part of the curriculum and we didn't get paid for it so thats kinda like community service.

If your forced to volunteer than isnt it not voluntary anymore? I love doing volunteer work, but I totally understand that for some people its not their thing and its not really fair to expect someone to work for free when your already busy with school and your own job and personal life.

I would like it if my school had a list of organizations that are actively looking for pharmacist volunteers though. Im always looking to try something new.

DownonthePharm said:

If your forced to volunteer than isnt it not voluntary anymore? I love doing volunteer work, but I totally understand that for some people its not their thing and its not really fair to expect someone to work for free when your already busy with school and your own job and personal life.

I would like it if my school had a list of organizations that are actively looking for pharmacist volunteers though. Im always looking to try something new.

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Well - yes - it's not voluntary at all, Because I'm a non-traditional with a husband and two children, I probably find the requirement more irritating than a lot of my fellow students - it's just more hours that get taken away from my family. But, I think about it as just one more of the hoops that I have to jump through to get my degree. And, after the first year we can complete the hours in the summers, so I am planning to do all my 32 hours this summer when I have lots of extra time.