Anyone currently attend U. of Southern Nevada?

[skp]

Greetings all --

I'm currently finishing up my pre-req's for pharmacy school. This year I applied to 5 schools one of which being USN.

I received notice that I have been granted an interview on 1/22/05 (my first), and I was wondering if there are any current students who could tell me a little bit about the program and their opinions on it.

From my limited research, I understand the curriculum (at least in its sequence) is quite different than any other RX school.

I guess I would just like to know more about the institution from a first-hand perspective. So far, the communication from the Dean's office has been timely and informative (probably the best out of my choices-U. Iowa's was good too...) but I would really like a student's input.

Thanks - skp

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[bananaface]

Any topics of interest to Pre-Pharmacy Students, even if directed towards current students, belong in the Pre-Pharmacy forum. Current students do visit and answer questions.

-Anna

 

[skp]

ok

 

[RDlv]

Greetings all --

I'm currently finishing up my pre-req's for pharmacy school.

Which pre-req's do you have left? Will you have any to take in the Spring, or will this semester wrap it up for you?

Now that people have started to get interview invites, I'm getting a bit nervous, but I suppose its a bit early for that...

Congrats again on getting called for interview.

--RD

 

[skp]

no, i still have some to take in the spring (3 more)

 

[RDlv]

no, i still have some to take in the spring (3 more)

Cool, thanks. I'll have 2 for the Spring.

Good luck!

--RD

 

[Mr. Mackey]

I attend USN. You can PM me with any questions you have. Or post them here if you want.

 

[LVPharm]

I also attend USN (P3). If you have any specific questions regarding the program, feel free to PM me. I might not be of much help in regards to admission stuff, as I'm out of the loop, away from campus on clinical rotations.

 

[wwwlongcom]

do you know how many applications they received and how many acceptances they've sent out in the past?

 

[JTD1972]

I believe they received around 1200-1400 apps for 130 spots. I'm not sure how many of those met the minimum requirements though.

 

[jamboo54]

Hi. I'm sort of applying late to USN...

I was wondering how you guys typed your application. It says "for clarity, we strongly recommend you type your application." Ive been trying to mess with Adobe Acrobat but I can't figure it out. Any suggestions?

 

[Corradoracer]

i have a question about the usn program, so when it comes to pharmacy practice experience how does the school go about in setting it up?

 

[LVPharm]

This is how it worked for me, but the procedure may have changed in the interim:

Before your first day of class, you may be given a form in which you need to state where your nearest cross street is, and if you've worked retail, where you have worked before. The coordinator will do her best to place you at a location that is not too far from your residence, but this is not always possible, and if you turn it in too late, you may be stuck with the longer commute. The coordinator asks about where you have worked so that you can be placed in a different chain...to give you a more varied experience. For your first year, you will be doing an 8 hour "early pharmacy practice experience" at your assigned location, approximately every other week. In the summer between your first and second year, you have to complete the "core pharmacy practice experience-community", which is comprised of a 6 week rotation (5 days/week, 8 hrs/day) at a community pharmacy of your choice. The school will do its best to set this up for you, even if it's out-of-state. In your second year, you will do your second "early pharmacy practice experience", once again throughout the school year. I was allowed to "suggest" a chain I was interested in doing it at. In your third year you will do your clinical rotations: 6 weeks/rotation through a mandatory "general medicine" rotation, a mandatory "advanced community" rotation, a "core pharmacy practice experience-institutional" rotation where you learn the basics of hospital pharmacy, 4 "selective rotations" in a field of interest (long term care, hospice, psychiatric, home infusion, etc.), and one elective. The elective can be a class (complementary medicine, advanced pharmacotherapy (highly recommended)), or this can be used to do a nuclear medicine or teaching elective. If you never had any "summer remediations" to complete after your second year, you will have an additional 6 weeks off somewhere in your 3rd year, or you can use it to do an additional elective.

The sequence in which you complete these rotations (i.e., whether you have general med first, or advanced community first, etc.) is determined by lottery. Locations for your third year electives are set-up by the clinical experience coordinator, and there is a "lottery" for this as well, conducted in the later half of the second year in which you will have the opportunity to pick locations of your choice. We had this done on a Thursday evening...sorta like an NFL draft, but without the glitz. You can set up some of these locations on your own (if there is one place you really want to do a rotation at), but you'll have to work with the potential preceptor and the coordinator to get it approved. You are also allowed one trade with another individual if you have a rotation someone else wants and vice versa. I know that this is confusing, but will make more sense later on when you face it.

 

[Corradoracer]

man, thanks for the detailed lowdown on the pharmacy experience thats exactly what i wanted. i just have a quick follow up. since you are in your third year, do you think the people you do rotations with are there to help you learn or just use your help. thanks alot for the info

 

[LVPharm]

man, thanks for the detailed lowdown on the pharmacy experience thats exactly what i wanted. i just have a quick follow up. since you are in your third year, do you think the people you do rotations with are there to help you learn or just use your help. thanks alot for the info

Although you hear some of that in regards to EPPE/CPPE preceptors, I can honestly say (I'd say the same thing if I replied through PM) that for the most part the clinical preceptors genuinely want you to learn...not just use you for help. Part of this has to do with the nature of the rotation. CPPE's and EPPE's are there not only to help you sharpen your communication and counseling skills, they are there to make you learn pharmacy systems in hospital and community practices. In hospital CPPE you will have to dispense, compound IVs, input orders, do IV to PO conversions, adjust dosing for renal dysfunction, etc...yes, they sometimes work you. The clinical rotations are different. Although you will put in long hours in your clinical rotations, for the most part it is for your own benefit...not necessarilly just to the benefit of the hospital.

Many of the clinical preceptors we have in Vegas are clinical faculty at our school. Without exception, everyone I know has had nothing but good things to say about their experiences. My last rotation in pediatrics was precepted by one of my clinical professors. She loves to teach, and will spend hours after patient case presentations just teaching any concept she feels you should know. We have had such a great relationship...she has become a mentor to me, and has written letters of rec for residencies on my behalf.

....so much for a quick follow-up

Good luck!

 

[Corradoracer]

nice...you experiences increased my interest in USN...but now im more woried about the interview, what a trade off !!! again, thanks alot !!!!!!

 

[fantacia]

Greetings all --

I'm currently finishing up my pre-req's for pharmacy school. This year I applied to 5 schools one of which being USN.

I received notice that I have been granted an interview on 1/22/05 (my first), and I was wondering if there are any current students who could tell me a little bit about the program and their opinions on it.


Hi SKP,
may i ask when did u send in your apps and ur GPA (if you don't mind)? Thanks. I'm applying there too and I haven't heard from them yet. Did they notified you by emails or mail? Thanks.
fantacie

 

[skp]

Greetings all --

I'm currently finishing up my pre-req's for pharmacy school. This year I applied to 5 schools one of which being USN.

I received notice that I have been granted an interview on 1/22/05 (my first), and I was wondering if there are any current students who could tell me a little bit about the program and their opinions on it.


Hi SKP,
may i ask when did u send in your apps and ur GPA (if you don't mind)? Thanks. I'm applying there too and I haven't heard from them yet. Did they notified you by emails or mail? Thanks.
fantacie

Mailed app. late November/Early December.
E-mailed invitation in December.

 

[TMVegas]

How long were your answers to the 5 questions at the end of the app.? So far I have 1 short paragraph for each. Did you guys write long or short statements? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[azynchica]

How about a medium amount..? =) Personally, I wrote enough to fill up the space provided, but I didn't attempt to stretch the margins or anything.

Anyone interviewing on the 19th?

 

[JustMeAgain]

How long were your answers to the 5 questions at the end of the app.? So far I have 1 short paragraph for each. Did you guys write long or short statements? Any help would be appreciated.

My answers were fairly short. I sent in my application last week and received an invite to interview in Feb this week, so I would write less if it means finishing your application sooner. Anyone know how long after the interview it takes to hear the decision? And if you get accepted how long before they demand money to hold your spot?

 

[TMVegas]

I don't think you find out if you are accepted until April or May. Once you are accepted you have ten days to send the deposit.

 

[RxGirl]

How did you guys get interview invites so fast? I sent in my application in early September and have not received an interview invite. Whatever happened to rolling applications?

For those of you who already attend USN and are familiar with the admissions process, do you think that there is a chance I will not even get an interview? I have an overall GPA of 3.4 and prerequisite GPA of 3.6. I heard that interview invites have primarily to do with GPA.

Thanks.

 

[DrugDealer]

How long were your answers to the 5 questions at the end of the app.? So far I have 1 short paragraph for each. Did you guys write long or short statements? Any help would be appreciated.

I used 12 point Times font with 0.7" margins and used up all the space provided for each essay on the PDF. I mean, ALL the space! I spent a lot of time whittling my essays down so they would fit precisely in the allotted space.

I mailed my app last Friday and received a phone call today, less than a week later, for an interview next month. They told me they were fast-tracking the rest of the apps, so I'd hurry up and submit.

 

[JustMeAgain]

How did you guys get interview invites so fast? I sent in my application in early September and have not received an interview invite. Whatever happened to rolling applications?

For those of you who already attend USN and are familiar with the admissions process, do you think that there is a chance I will not even get an interview? I have an overall GPA of 3.4 and prerequisite GPA of 3.6. I heard that interview invites have primarily to do with GPA.

Thanks.

I would call them. Are you sure they have your application?

 

[RxGirl]

Yes, they have my application. They called me to make sure I am on track with fulfilling my prereqs but no interview invite

 

[Abilene]

I used 12 point Times font with 0.7" margins and used up all the space provided for each essay on the PDF. I mean, ALL the space! I spent a lot of time whittling my essays down so they would fit precisely in the allotted space.

I mailed my app last Friday and received a phone call today, less than a week later, for an interview next month. They told me they were fast-tracking the rest of the apps, so I'd hurry up and submit.

Hi drugdealer,
I'm trying to fill out the application for USN rite now, but I couldn't figure out how to type this application...I'm not familiar with Adobe Acrobat at all...It doesn't let me type anything in...How did you do it?

 

[JustMeAgain]

Hi drugdealer,
I'm trying to fill out the application for USN rite now, but I couldn't figure out how to type this application...I'm not familiar with Adobe Acrobat at all...It doesn't let me type anything in...How did you do it?

I downloaded the free trial of adobe photshop elements then pasted the application into it page by page and used the text tool to fill in the info....Its a pain with formatting and all but it works.

 

[JTD1972]

When I filled out my app last year I used Microsoft Word and spaced out my statements so they'd fit on the application without printing over the question. Basically I just printed out about 10 application pages (pages with the questions) and put them in my printer and used them as a guideline for the spacing of my statement. If my statement printed over the question, I went back to the Word document and added a space or two until it fit in the correct spaces of the application. Once you know what line to start and stop at (ex. start at line 17 and end at line 30) you can go back and change the margins and font if needed. It may take a few tries to get it lined up, but it worked well for me.

 

[DrugDealer]

Hi drugdealer,
I'm trying to fill out the application for USN rite now, but I couldn't figure out how to type this application...I'm not familiar with Adobe Acrobat at all...It doesn't let me type anything in...How did you do it?

For a third way, you can type your responses in MS Word and adjust them until they fit in the space provided. Then, print them, cut them out, tape them on a printout of the PDF and Xerox.

 

[Corradoracer]

acrobat works just fine...

 

[Corradoracer]

i hope everyone going to USN on jan 22 the best of luck

 

[Abilene]

Thankx for all your tips! I am so technically challenged that I feel I shouldn't be living in this 21st century ! I have tried so many things but nothing came out rite, so I decided to call the school, and Dr. DeYoung was actually very nice to email me a Word version of the application. I'm still filling it out now, it feels like I'm the last one to apply...since so many of you already went to the interviews and got accepted...All I can do now is pray and hope to be able to join you guys the next school year!
P.S. Although I'm a new member of SDN, but I start liking this forum more and more now...I think it is awsome to be able to share our thoughts and questions among collegues that are heading in the same career direction! YOu guys are doing a good job in helping out each other! Keep it up

 

[azynchica]

Hmm... actually no one has been to an interview or has been accepted yet.. USN starts interviews this week.

Best of luck to everyone. =)