Being a pharm tech first vs. volunteer

[SS Pharmacist]

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I'm a respiratory therapist and have the unique advantage of being near Pharmacist every day(as i work in the hospital setting, VA hosp.), tho it is not side by side. It leads to my question, would it benefit me more to actually get a part time job to glean pharm world knowledge or would volunteer work suffice? Clearly my current income would be better so switching jobs would not be a logical choice, but like many of pharmD hopefuls i want the best chance of acceptance as possible. Just want to know others take on the subject. thanks.

 

[pharmschooler]

I'm a respiratory therapist and have the unique advantage of being near Pharmacist every day(as i work in the hospital setting, VA hosp.), tho it is not side by side. It leads to my question, would it benefit me more to actually get a part time job to glean pharm world knowledge or would volunteer work suffice? Clearly my current income would be better so switching jobs would not be a logical choice, but like many of pharmD hopefuls i want the best chance of acceptance as possible. Just want to know others take on the subject. thanks.

If you volunteer as a pharm tech at a free clinic (Google for your town to see if you can find one) you can kill two birds with one stone and keep your better income. I'd look at that, first -- you'll get experience and see first-hand what the job is like, plus it's volunteer work, which is always a plus! If you have the hours and want to take on extra work, get a p/t job in a pharmacy while keeping your full-time job as a respiratory therapist, but if you want a quicker and easier pharmacy commitment, volunteering works just as well. I wouldn't cut back on your current hours if you can avoid it as you'll need all the savings you can get for pharmacy school.

 

[HmoobRX]

If you have good grades and PCAT, I don't think you necessarily have to have any pharmacy tech expericence. I have friends you have gotten into school without any pharmacy experience. I believe as long as you have a good idea of what you think pharmacy is and the issues faced in the field you should be fine. Being able to shadow or volunteer should suffice.

 

[pharmschooler]

If you have good grades and PCAT, I don't think you necessarily have to have any pharmacy tech expericence. I have friends you have gotten into school without any pharmacy experience. I believe as long as you have a good idea of what you think pharmacy is and the issues faced in the field you should be fine. Being able to shadow or volunteer should suffice.

You don't *need* to volunteer or work as a tech, ever. But it's always a great idea, if you *want* to volunteer or work as a pharm tech.

There are also untold advantages: connections made, realistic views of the job, more likelihood of gaining a job after school, an easier time finding internships during school...etc.

 

[HmoobRX]

Yes, like I said, I have friends who are now in pharmacy school and never have stepped inside of a pharmacy to work. I definitely agree about the untold advantages. Also, it's better if you need a pharmacist recommendation because the pharmacist can give a real recommendation to your character and work ethics.

 

[BabyBelle]

It's always a good idea to have some kind of pharmacy experience going into pharmacy school. Whether it is volunteering or getting a job, it's really up to you. But it should be noted that your responsibilities while volunteering in a hospital setting would be significantly less than working as a tech. This is because of liability reasons. So you don't necessarily get as much hands-on experience as you would like as a volunteer. But either way, I think you should take what you can get. Tech jobs are harder to find now.

On another note, you should do some research on the schools you are planning on applying to. Some schools require a LOR from a pharmacist.

 

[SS Pharmacist]

Yeah bell, i was thinkin also of those issues. The head Pharmacist here in the Va that i work is like the laison between the school by which i'm applying and the hospital. In speaking to him, he has already told me his door is always open and that anything he can do to help he will(LOR). Agree with the idea that being an employee would be better for the little things that volunteers may not experience due to legal issues and pt rights etc.. Thanks for the tips😀

 

[mcalabr3]

Many times schools just want to know that you have some sort of patient-care/health care exposure...and you're job takes care of that for sure. You can also talk about in any potential interview that you were able to interact on a daily basis with the pharmacy and see what there role was in the hospital.

I personally feel that volunteer experience will help make your application more well-rounded.

 

[pharmschooler]

Yeah bell, i was thinkin also of those issues. The head Pharmacist here in the Va that i work is like the laison between the school by which i'm applying and the hospital. In speaking to him, he has already told me his door is always open and that anything he can do to help he will(LOR). Agree with the idea that being an employee would be better for the little things that volunteers may not experience due to legal issues and pt rights etc.. Thanks for the tips😀

A lot of this depends on where you're volunteering and the laws of your state.

In some states, you can be registered with the state as a pharm tech, but don't need to be certified to hold a job. It's basically a background check you pay for. You're legally allowed to do anything a pharm tech would do once you have registration in these states. If you volunteer somewhere like a free clinic, they often will only give out schedule III-V drugs (less liability), and they'll allow you to do everything other techs do there. A hospital is probably more stringent with what you can and can't do, especially because they take money for their services.