Are pharmacy schools supposed to be THIS hard?

[cy19861126]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

 

[Farmercyst]

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

Does Albany have interviews? I know there are still a couple schools that don't, and I thought Albany was one of them? I only bring it up because this is something that could have been asked about at an interview (courseload, difficulty, subject matter, etc) It would have affected my decision. Of course you haven't said what class it is. It could be that it's a really hard subject, or perhaps one you just have a particularly hard time comprehending. Kind of like OChem for some people. All I can say is stick with it as best you can, because reapplying after you've already been accepted I've heard is really tough, more so than transferring if you can get through the first year. Good Luck, I hope things work out for you.

 

[dgroulx]

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

Yes, they are all like that. I found it impossible to study for all the classes. Something always had to give. Each semester, there was always one class where I got a C. If I studied harder for that class the following semester to get the grade up, then another class dropped to a C. Pharmacy school has a very fast pace. You'll always feel like you're behind (because you are).

 

[pinkyrx]

You'll always feel like you're behind (because you are).

I agree with Dana about always feeling like you are behind... It's definitely hard to get used to, especially if you're not used to being behind! I think that part gets a little easier though with time, maybe you just learn to accept that you can't stay perfectly on top of everything and that you have to let some things slide. Over my years in pharmacy school I've really learned how to prioritize things and manage my time more effectively so the important stuff could be taken care of!

 

[eelo]

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

It makes sense in any program to make the heaviest workload come first, up front, early in the program, as a means of weeding out the peole who are not likely to complete the program (for whatever reason). It's much easier for the school and for the individual to have someone drop out in the first semezster or first year, than it is to go through 3-4 years of schooling and suddenly discover it's not what you thought it was.

If this is a three-year program, I would guess that you can expect this for the eitnre time ou're in school. If it's a four-year program, you may get a respite in a semester or two.

 

[Caverject]

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

yes its normal and don't forget that C=PharmD

 

[tussionex]

i'm an albany alum; yes, it is that hard. for the next 5 years, there will be multiple exams per week, it will always seem like you're behind, and it will seem like one course's workload is assigned without regard to any other course you may be taking.

this is by design. first of all, it does weed people out. but more importantly, at albany, EVERYONE in one class is taking the same classes, the same tests....this forces a bond among students. use that to make it better, lean on each other, form study groups, order takeout while you're studying, take a walk around town together [you can talk pharmacy while walking].

my point? make friends and get through it together. think about joining a fraternity; they have upperclassmen and test banks that will help you. most of all, don't stress so much....so you get a C in one class....as long as you dont get nothing but C's all the time, give yourself a break once in a while!

just get through it and remember that the only test that really matters is the board exam.

 

[pion]

As far as getting Cs in pharmacy school goes, how important is GPA when it comes to getting into a residency afterwards? Is it still as important a factor as when applying to pharmacy school initially?

 

[Caverject]

As far as getting Cs in pharmacy school goes, how important is GPA when it comes to getting into a residency afterwards? Is it still as important a factor as when applying to pharmacy school initially?

It's important but not nearly as important as it is to show you have some initiative and the want/need to do much more than what is required of you. If you are a "C" student with a great CV (resume in medical world speak) you are going to be in the running for most residencies. Of course residencies like the ones that are involved with everything and make Rho Chi worthy grades but they fully realize there are quite a few bright people out there that have a much higher EQ (emotional intelligence) than the ones who do nothing but study study study....

 

[tussionex]

i agree with caverject...
you need more than good grades to suceed at both pharmacy as a career as well as getting into residencies [if that's your thing]

solid skills, showing initiative and interest in the profession, an excellent CV showing knowledge and interest in a wide range, and a willingness to learn new skills as well as hone the current ones will score far more points with a prospective employer than a GPA.

 

[rxlynn]

Hi all - I am currently attending Albany College of Pharmacy and today is only the second day of school. Since yesterday, I have been studying for only one subject from 4:00pm (when I get home) till 10:00pm with only an 1 hour break for dinner in between. I have another subject to worry about but I'm not dealing with it right now because the test is not coming up until weeks later. This week, I'll have an exam and I'm just so stressed out. In a few weeks later, exams for the two classes will be held at the exact same week or day. Just asking if all pharmacy schools in the States are supposed to be this hard because I'm considering to transfer. If they're supposed to be hard, how did you guys deal with it?

I have a good friend who said to me early on in the P1 year that we only had to get through one day at a time. Now that I think back on my first year, that was really excellent advice.

Some other advice - Don't panic here at the first - remember that everybody is in the same boat as you. After you've been at school a little while, you'll start to get to know how your professors test, and that may help you figure out where to concentrate your studying. Also, if you can, get to know a couple of second year students who've just been through the classes you are having now, and ask them for advice. I found that to be very helpful in the first month or so of school.

 

[wolingfeng]

I just finished my p1 yr. All of my friends, including me, spent a lot of time in library. Often time we went to library once we got up, and leave library once we felt like going to sleep. I think a good stragedy to get a better GPA is to focus on certain courses. Each course is different in its difficulty and importance. There are only 24 hours a day, and a normal human being can only handle certain amount of material. So spent more time on the "important" ones to you, difficult ones, and the exams that could possibly effect your grade by a larger margin, and just think collectively, you know.

And this is a good start, hehe. If you dont study very hard at the beginning, later on all the stuff gonna come back and catch you.

Enjoy school 🙂

 

[KARM12]

It may not seem like it now, but you will get used to it. Pretty soon taking 2-3 exams a week will no longer phase you. You'll get into a routine. I know it seems really bad now, but it will all be worth it in the end. Just hang in there and prioritize your time the best you can.

 

[eeyore spice]

You just started in May? Are the dates on here wonky or do they do a weird trimester thing or what?

The first semester courseload at UB doesn't seem too bad, but maybe I'm underestimating...

 

[cy19861126]

Thanks for the advice folks. I just had my first test today, and it came out okay (I passed! is all I can say). I studied till 4am last night and I think that paid off. The question here is that if pharmacy schools are that intense, as how you guys are describing it, then wouldn't there be a huge number of school dismissal rate. For ACP, dismissal rate is 15% for each year, which is high. However, in Washington State (where I came from), the two public pharmacy schools, UW and WSU, never flunk out any students in any classes!

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

Being in the Northwest just makes you a better student all around.

 

[blueclassring]

Pharmacy school is akin to a marathon. I found that cramming for test was ineffective at best. I no longer pull all-nighters but study at least a week in advance if I can. I'm going to try something new next quarter. Study the notes before, and then study them immediately afterwards.

I got caught memorizing material just to do well on the exam and not to retain it for future practice. It looks like I'm ripping myself off!!

 

[tussionex]

my first year at ACP, we had 15 students not return after mid-semester [winter] break...not because they failed, but because they hated it!

 

[cy19861126]

my first year at ACP, we had 15 students not return after mid-semester [winter] break...not because they failed, but because they hated it!

Yeah, I knew that beforehand from the upperclassman, and I thought they just had family business or illness to take care of. But now I understand why they did that because I am even already thinking of quitting after the first week of classes. Why do they make pharmacy so hard anyways? Is the board exam (NAPLEX) really that hard?

Also, if pharmacy is more about EQ than IQ (which is true), shouldn't they make it easier so that we can actually have time to do a part-time job/intern? That way, wouldn't that hone up our EQ skill more effectively?

 

[ucsd2011]

are you guys talking about pharmacy (4-years after B.S.) hard? or those 5-6 years program?

 

[cy19861126]

I'm talking about the after BS 4 year pharmacy program. But my school is a 3-year condensed program, which gives you no break during summer.

 

[tussionex]

Also, if pharmacy is more about EQ than IQ (which is true), shouldn't they make it easier so that we can actually have time to do a part-time job/intern? That way, wouldn't that hone up our EQ skill more effectively?

ACP has yet to grasp the above statement...while my experience was a great one [ i made great friends ]. the driving force at the college is to produce "clinicians" which is certainly not the case when they don't really teach the basics as well as they could. they also do not foster an attitude of common sense/creative thinking {EQ}...they still drive students to over-achieve without learning the building blocks [IQ]

 

[cy19861126]

ACP has yet to grasp the above statement...while my experience was a great one [ i made great friends ]. the driving force at the college is to produce "clinicians" which is certainly not the case when they don't really teach the basics as well as they could. they also do not foster an attitude of common sense/creative thinking {EQ}...they still drive students to over-achieve without learning the building blocks [IQ]

That statement is just right. Actually, before I started ACP, I was working at CVS as a pharmacist assistent for ~ 8 hours a week. I was planning to do that after schools starts as well so that I can actually apply what I learned into the the drugs I see in the pharmacy. After the first day of school, I quitted because of the super intensive course work. Also, a lot of my other classmates also quitted their jobs after a few days the school started.

 

[cy19861126]

i'm an albany alum; yes, it is that hard. for the next 5 years, there will be multiple exams per week, it will always seem like you're behind, and it will seem like one course's workload is assigned without regard to any other course you may be taking.

this is by design. first of all, it does weed people out. but more importantly, at albany, EVERYONE in one class is taking the same classes, the same tests....this forces a bond among students. use that to make it better, lean on each other, form study groups, order takeout while you're studying, take a walk around town together [you can talk pharmacy while walking].

my point? make friends and get through it together. think about joining a fraternity; they have upperclassmen and test banks that will help you. most of all, don't stress so much....so you get a C in one class....as long as you dont get nothing but C's all the time, give yourself a break once in a while!

just get through it and remember that the only test that really matters is the board exam.

Oh yeah, I am in my first year of the accelerated program, not the regular one, so I only have 3 more years to go

 

[cy19861126]

Okay, thanks for the comments though. I feel a bit better now. One more question though (I always say that and that only ends up with more questions ahead). Is the difficulty of classes going to be easier later on, or will it always be like this in my four year professional program (in my case, it's a three-year accelerated program where you don't get summer breaks)

 

[bankai123]

Okay, thanks for the comments though. I feel a bit better now. One more question though (I always say that and that only ends up with more questions ahead). Is the difficulty of classes going to be easier later on, or will it always be like this in my four year professional program (in my case, it's a three-year accelerated program where you don't get summer breaks)

If it's ACP, it'll only get harder as you get going. At least that's what it was for me in the accelerated program. I just graduated this year.

 

[bankai123]

And no, I do not think pharmacy school is not supposed to be hard AT ALL. In converse, a lot of schools make them really easy and that's all you need to learn to pass the board exam.

Many private schools make them hard so that they can flunk more students and still get money off of them when they retake the class. Another possibility is that by state law, a school is only allowed to have a certain number of graduates per year. However, the school chooses to accept more students than is allowed to graduate. Therefore, they must dismiss (or attrition, doesn't matter) a certain number of students in order to meet the state and federal guidelines. In doing this, again, they can get much more money from the student's pocket.

Having said that, ACP accepts about 200 students per year. Therefore, I would say that it is not only trying to make money from flunking students, but also it is accepting more students than how much it's supposed to accept. I would leave the school and go for a better one if I were you

 

[sdn1977]

And no, I do not think pharmacy school is not supposed to be hard AT ALL. In converse, a lot of schools make them really easy and that's all you need to learn to pass the board exam.

Many private schools make them hard so that they can flunk more students and still get money off of them when they retake the class. Another possibility is that by state law, a school is only allowed to have a certain number of graduates per year. However, the school chooses to accept more students than is allowed to graduate. Therefore, they must dismiss (or attrition, doesn't matter) a certain number of students in order to meet the state and federal guidelines. In doing this, again, they can get much more money from the student's pocket.

Having said that, ACP accepts about 200 students per year. Therefore, I would say that it is not only trying to make money from flunking students, but also it is accepting more students than how much it's supposed to accept. I would leave the school and go for a better one if I were you

What state are you in???😱

 

[bankai123]

What state are you in???😱

new york. why?

 

[eelo]

And no, I do not think pharmacy school is not supposed to be hard AT ALL. In converse, a lot of schools make them really easy and that's all you need to learn to pass the board exam.

Many private schools make them hard so that they can flunk more students and still get money off of them when they retake the class. Another possibility is that by state law, a school is only allowed to have a certain number of graduates per year. However, the school chooses to accept more students than is allowed to graduate. Therefore, they must dismiss (or attrition, doesn't matter) a certain number of students in order to meet the state and federal guidelines. In doing this, again, they can get much more money from the student's pocket.

Having said that, ACP accepts about 200 students per year. Therefore, I would say that it is not only trying to make money from flunking students, but also it is accepting more students than how much it's supposed to accept. I would leave the school and go for a better one if I were you

Wow- if that's a state law, it ought to be on the books somewhere and available to the general public. Perhaps you'd care to share a link with us, showing us exactly which state, and which statute, does as you claim?

 

[eddie269]

Although I haven't started p-school yet, I do know many friends ranging from UCSF, Loma Linda, Touro Univ (basically most CA schools) and Midwestern-Chicago, USN, Western and UW-Madison.

If you asked this questions, you will get many different answers. Although majority of pharmcy schools are design to prepare students for all areas of pharmacy, some schools have a "harder" approach.

3 vs 4 yrs. Block scheduling vs semesters vs quarters. One class at a time vs 5 classes at a time. Tests every other Monday vs tests whenever professor feels like it.

My point is, not all pharmacy schools are that hard. My friends at Touro, UCSF, Midwestern-Chicago, Pacific University, USN, and Western all say school is hard but very doable. They study every other day and usually take a Saturday off to party and relax. They study ~2-3 hours per night and around 5-6 hrs before tests. They are enjoying their time and learning a lot. Hell some of my friends abrely study and get by with C's and that's fine with them. That's because their school's approach allows to them slack off but as long as they get the main ideas of the section, they'll be a competent pharmacist.

Yet my friends at Loma Linda and UW-Madison seem to tell the same story as the OP. My girlfriend as we speak is studying at a 24 hr coffee shop and is pulling an all nighter. She does this at least 2-3 times a week and I feel really bad for her. Her professors aren't very clear on what's expected on the test so she studies EVERYTHING to cover all bases. IMO, this approach is unfair. It gets as specific as "that random fact on that little box in the upper right hand corner of page 87." If you overlooked it because you were so focused on the main material (which was not tested on because it was so "obvious") then that can be 5% off your test score.

"If you want us to learn about pain receptors and drugs affecting them, then don't randomly test us on where those drugs originated from or other useless facts like that." Not sure if my gf was exagerrating but you get the idea.

The "easier" schools seem to have professors upfront with what's expected. No it's not all memorizing nor are they spoon fed the material but they know if something in the text/lecture notes is irrelevent.

Ok, I'm sure I told too many stories but every school is set up differently. The best way to know if to ask! I know this info from asking friends of friends, student hosts and random students during my downtime on my interviews, and also this message board. If you have multiple acceptances, it's best to weigh the cost and location, but also decide if the school's approach to teaching is a good fit for you.

To the OP, good luck with school. My advice is to just tough it out and only leave if you can't hack it.

 

[Caverject]

And no, I do not think pharmacy school is not supposed to be hard AT ALL. In converse, a lot of schools make them really easy and that's all you need to learn to pass the board exam.

Many private schools make them hard so that they can flunk more students and still get money off of them when they retake the class. Another possibility is that by state law, a school is only allowed to have a certain number of graduates per year. However, the school chooses to accept more students than is allowed to graduate. Therefore, they must dismiss (or attrition, doesn't matter) a certain number of students in order to meet the state and federal guidelines. In doing this, again, they can get much more money from the student's pocket.

Having said that, ACP accepts about 200 students per year. Therefore, I would say that it is not only trying to make money from flunking students, but also it is accepting more students than how much it's supposed to accept. I would leave the school and go for a better one if I were you

I smell a gunner...

 

[shikamaru]

Although I haven't started p-school yet, I do know many friends ranging from UCSF, Loma Linda, Touro Univ (basically most CA schools) and Midwestern-Chicago, USN, Western and UW-Madison.

If you asked this questions, you will get many different answers. Although majority of pharmcy schools are design to prepare students for all areas of pharmacy, some schools have a "harder" approach.

3 vs 4 yrs. Block scheduling vs semesters vs quarters. One class at a time vs 5 classes at a time. Tests every other Monday vs tests whenever professor feels like it.

My point is, not all pharmacy schools are that hard. My friends at Touro, UCSF, Midwestern-Chicago, Pacific University, USN, and Western all say school is hard but very doable. They study every other day and usually take a Saturday off to party and relax. They study ~2-3 hours per night and around 5-6 hrs before tests. They are enjoying their time and learning a lot. Hell some of my friends abrely study and get by with C's and that's fine with them. That's because their school's approach allows to them slack off but as long as they get the main ideas of the section, they'll be a competent pharmacist.

Yet my friends at Loma Linda and UW-Madison seem to tell the same story as the OP. My girlfriend as we speak is studying at a 24 hr coffee shop and is pulling an all nighter. She does this at least 2-3 times a week and I feel really bad for her. Her professors aren't very clear on what's expected on the test so she studies EVERYTHING to cover all bases. IMO, this approach is unfair. It gets as specific as "that random fact on that little box in the upper right hand corner of page 87." If you overlooked it because you were so focused on the main material (which was not tested on because it was so "obvious") then that can be 5% off your test score.

"If you want us to learn about pain receptors and drugs affecting them, then don't randomly test us on where those drugs originated from or other useless facts like that." Not sure if my gf was exagerrating but you get the idea.

The "easier" schools seem to have professors upfront with what's expected. No it's not all memorizing nor are they spoon fed the material but they know if something in the text/lecture notes is irrelevent.

Ok, I'm sure I told too many stories but every school is set up differently. The best way to know if to ask! I know this info from asking friends of friends, student hosts and random students during my downtime on my interviews, and also this message board. If you have multiple acceptances, it's best to weigh the cost and location, but also decide if the school's approach to teaching is a good fit for you.

To the OP, good luck with school. My advice is to just tough it out and only leave if you can't hack it.

Wow that was a great post. Thank you eddie269! Now if I could only get accepted somewhere... 😀

 

[drugdoc]

I'm going to be a P1 this fall.- distance What can you tell me about the fall and spring semester classes? How 'hard' they are, time commitment per each class studying, what they expect of you outside classes (extra groups, etc), etc.

As well, what students say about how hard the first year versus second versus third are?

THANKS!!

 

[twester]

I'm going to be a P1 this fall.- distance What can you tell me about the fall and spring semester classes? How 'hard' they are, time commitment per each class studying, what they expect of you outside classes (extra groups, etc), etc.

As well, what students say about how hard the first year versus second versus third are?

THANKS!!

Try an advanced search of the pharmacy forum, searching thread titles only for keyword: study. You'll get a lot of hits.

 

[drugdoc]

I'm looking specifically for Creighton students 🙂

 

[Caverject]

I'm going to be a P1 this fall.- distance What can you tell me about the fall and spring semester classes? How 'hard' they are, time commitment per each class studying, what they expect of you outside classes (extra groups, etc), etc.

As well, what students say about how hard the first year versus second versus third are?

THANKS!!

I'm looking specifically for Creighton students 🙂

Well I can help you with that. Omaha is one heck of a town! yee haw!

anyway...I'm a 4th year student. It seemed to me that my 2nd and 3rd year we're equal and a little easier than the 1st year. By far and away, the first year was extreamly difficult. Each class requires at least an hour to an hour & a half of study time every night to keep up. (times that by like 5 classes or whatever it is now) Weekends were pretty much shot because we had an exam every other Monday which were all killer. (pretty much all fill in the blank and essay questions...it's usually a treat when we get a multiple choice test) They also expect you to do "Service Learning" where you go around and volunteer with different groups in Omaha. It took up quite a bit of my time as well. So essentially, the first year sucks and it will test how bad you really want it. If you want it, you will do well. If not, you will be sent home packing looking for a new career. Good luck!

 

[chemwiz78]

Okay, thanks for the comments though. I feel a bit better now. One more question though (I always say that and that only ends up with more questions ahead). Is the difficulty of classes going to be easier later on, or will it always be like this in my four year professional program (in my case, it's a three-year accelerated program where you don't get summer breaks)

It gets better. The first "real" year can be painful, but once you start next summer, with the pharmacotherapy sequence, things get easier. I just graduated from ACP in may from the accelerated program. Don't worry about the tests, you'll do fine. If it makes you feel any better, my NAPLEX exam hit on a lot of the material that the professors taught. hopefully I passed
Enjoy

 

[bankai123]

Wow- if that's a state law, it ought to be on the books somewhere and available to the general public. Perhaps you'd care to share a link with us, showing us exactly which state, and which statute, does as you claim?

Should be somewhere in here: http://www.op.nysed.gov/part63.htm. I'm sure I've seen it before

 

[bankai123]

I smell a gunner...

Sorry, I didn't mean to be that rude. It's just that I'm emotional on these kinds of stuff. Again, I apologize if I offended anyone.

 

[eelo]

Should be somewhere in here: http://www.op.nysed.gov/part63.htm. I'm sure I've seen it before

Nope, didn't see anything about a state law limiting the number of graduates. Admittedly, I just scanned it, but I didn't see anything close to the remotest suggestion that there was a limit n the number of graduates per year.

Now, for some basic (very basic) netiquette: if you make a claim and someone calls you on it, it's incumbent on you to back up your clain, otherwise it's assumed you're talking smack.

Now, perhaps "put up or shut up" is appropriate here....?????

 

[tussionex]

i'm not buying the "limiting the number of graduates" claim. not when the state of ny realizes that it's licensing process can be cumbersome and can drive new graduates out of state, thus lowering the number of graduates licensed in NY each year.
also, there has been a pretty strong pharmacist shortage statewide for many years.

as for the link...nowhere in the comissioner's regulations, the regents rules, or subchapter K [the biggies when it comes to pharmacy regs in NY] would it limit the number of people being graduated each year. it just doesn't make sense. the role of the board of pharmacy and the education department is to protect the public.
how can it do so by creating a shortage of pharmacists?

 

[sdn1977]

i'm not buying the "limiting the number of graduates" claim. not when the state of ny realizes that it's licensing process can be cumbersome and can drive new graduates out of state, thus lowering the number of graduates licensed in NY each year.
also, there has been a pretty strong pharmacist shortage statewide for many years.

as for the link...nowhere in the comissioner's regulations, the regents rules, or subchapter K [the biggies when it comes to pharmacy regs in NY] would it limit the number of people being graduated each year. it just doesn't make sense. the role of the board of pharmacy and the education department is to protect the public.
how can it do so by creating a shortage of pharmacists?

My thought exactly! Now - I'm in CA & in no way does the state limit the # of graduates. In fact, they have no control on who will move here & apply for licensure.

I'd have a very, vary hard time believing the state board controls how many graduates a school can have, particularly when the school has been accredited for the # they accept.

I have to agree with eelo - cite the actual law number & I'll believe it.

 

[tussionex]

also, the board in NY charges anywhere from 200-300 dollars in licensing fees [they do this weird thing based on your b-day]
sooo..if they limited the number of licensees wouldn't they effectively by limiting the incoming revenue to the education department?

ACP is a lot of things, but it's not going to enroll hundreds of people under false pretenses....some people leave b/c they just can't cut it, not because the college over-books the classes....it's a college, not an airline!

 

[cy19861126]

So private schools really like to fail students out of class so that they can get students to retake them to get more money? OMG, what a horrible decision I've made. I should've gone to a public school instead! All I have done is getting the pharmacy license in a much more difficult approach!!!

Yes, I'm thinking of transferring to a public school next year...

 

[aboveliquidice]

ACPE does limit the amount of students a school can have - based on criteria for accrediation. ACPE limited Pacific U to 87 students for this years class (originally it was going to be 84 - but 89 were depositied)

This is from the Asst. Director of Graduate Admissions at Pacific U.

Now - I would be VERY surprised if any government entity was capping the amount of professionals it creates - more professionals is typically a positive thing for your community.

Professional associations - and professional schools in general - act to cap the total amount of professionals in the industry. The method they do this can vary. I have heard people claim what the OP has - its not unheard of. I have, however, never seen any actual proof.

~above~

 

[bankai123]

ACPE does limit the amount of students a school can have - based on criteria for accrediation. ACPE limited Pacific U to 87 students for this years class (originally it was going to be 84 - but 89 were depositied)

This is from the Asst. Director of Graduate Admissions at Pacific U.

Now - I would be VERY surprised if any government entity was capping the amount of professionals it creates - more professionals is typically a positive thing for your community.

Professional associations - and professional schools in general - act to cap the total amount of professionals in the industry. The method they do this can vary. I have heard people claim what the OP has - its not unheard of. I have, however, never seen any actual proof.

~above~

I think it's just wrong for schools to take you in and then kick you out by some means just because of the ACPE limiting rule. If they shouldn't accept that many students at the first place, then they shouldn't

 

[Doctor M]

That statement is just right. Actually, before I started ACP, I was working at CVS as a pharmacist assistent for ~ 8 hours a week. I was planning to do that after schools starts as well so that I can actually apply what I learned into the the drugs I see in the pharmacy. After the first day of school, I quitted because of the super intensive course work. Also, a lot of my other classmates also quitted their jobs after a few days the school started.

Umm, pharmacy school was tough, yes. Why should it be easy? You are there to learn a profession. It was tough, but i didn't pull all-nighters! I learned what I had to learn and just played the game. I worked 6-8 hrs a week and still had fun! Yes, pharmacy school should be that tough! You are there to learn and the school wants to make sure you dont kill someone someday! I remember our neurology professor saying "nobody knows the answer? Jesus, you guys are going to kill somebody"! Anyway, just my 2 cents!

Dr. M

 

[Glowwyrm]

I think it's just wrong for schools to take you in and then kick you out by some means just because of the ACPE limiting rule. If they shouldn't accept that many students at the first place, then they shouldn't

I think it makes sense that they take too many. If they can graduate 100 and they are pretty sure that at least 3-5 will drop out somewhere along the way, it only makes sense for them to accept 105 people. If 5 people drop out in the first year, that's 3 (or 2 if in a 3 yr program) years worth of tuition from 5 people that they lose. Pharmacy schools, especially private ones, are a place of education but they are also a business.

 

[Doctor M]

I think it makes sense that they take too many. If they can graduate 100 and they are pretty sure that at least 3-5 will drop out somewhere along the way, it only makes sense for them to accept 105 people. If 5 people drop out in the first year, that's 3 (or 2 if in a 3 yr program) years worth of tuition from 5 people that they lose. Pharmacy schools, especially private ones, are a place of education but they are also a business.

Yeah, capitalism!