Dental Experience = Pharmacy Experience?

[mynameisben]

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I've been trying to get experience related to Pharmacy for a few months now, and I've finally been just trying to get any sort of entry level job in the medical field. I have finally gotten an offer to work at a Dental office being an assistant, which I think is great, but maybe it won't really mean anything when I'm applying to a Pre-Pharm program.
Do you guys think that experience in a dental office could be related to pharmacy to these Pharmacy Programs?

 

[michelle_is_me]

well... i think that's better than absolutely nothing, but nothing beats an actual experience in the pharmacy.

after all, do it for your sake too. Maybe u won't like pharm at all after u've shadow what the job is about.. maybe u'll like it more and that'll give u an motivation to try harder. Tuition is definitely expensive and u wouldn't wanna throw that money away, only to find out this career isn't for you in the end.

 

[sdn1977]

Honestly, I don't think your dental experience will be anything positive on your application. But, you might get the question - why pharmacy & not dentistry.

If you can't find a place to shawdow a pharmacist...then volunteering in a hospital is better if you can get placed in the ICU, ER or OR. There, at least, you can talk about observing drug choices & what worked & what didn't. How the team operated.

But - shadowing a pharmacist is a better bet if you can.I think you need to try independents - they have fewer restrictions. Is there a free pharmacy clinic offered once a week or so - usually subsidized by a hospital in the area. That pharamcist is working for free, so that might be someone you can connet with.

Good luck!

 

[lee0539]

Well I will say that being explorative should be a positive thing. Atleast you looked into options and I find it hard to believe people are borned to know exactly what they want to do, but that's just my opinion. I will say that especially for asians, are often forced into a job by their parents, so there is that stigma. I just happen to be interested in science a lot from the getgo (watching Bill Nye as a kid and nature channels), but I can understand a lot of what people say when pressured into becoming a doctor, lawyer, etc. I explored many different areas of science from psychology, biomedical engineering, medicine, dental, optometrist, etc which put me in trouble a bit in GPA, but atleast I know what I like the most and never think about the "what ifs". Now back to your question; just having dental experience probably won't give you any points in pharmacy experience nor will they think you know what you are getting into.

 

[sakigt]

You may not get pharmacy experience directly - but you can always focus on the positives. Youre working in a healthcare field dealing with patients under strict guidelines provided by law. Everything from patient confidentiality to insurance to just learning how to speak to patients. That kind of experience you cant teach. 👍

 

[binghamkid]

I've been trying to get experience related to Pharmacy for a few months now, and I've finally been just trying to get any sort of entry level job in the medical field. I have finally gotten an offer to work at a Dental office being an assistant, which I think is great, but maybe it won't really mean anything when I'm applying to a Pre-Pharm program.
Do you guys think that experience in a dental office could be related to pharmacy to these Pharmacy Programs?

No matter the experience, there should always be general professional skills and qualities which you gain from working at a professional site. A big thing in admissions is the consideration of whether you will 1) be a good student but also 2) whether you will be a mature professional who will represent the school well. Therefore, when you consider writing about or describing your activity, focus on on what's important. You probably need less discussion about the actual dental work as opposed to the organization, the collaboration, etc. etc.

Keep an open mind as you volunteer, and you never know who your dentist you're working for knows. For all you know, they might be able to be a great network support that links you to a local pharmacist or drug company rep.

 

[Farmercyst]

SDN, what would you think about someone trying to "shadow" pharmacists/pharmacy students at a health fair? We have a number at USC where we are trying to fulfill our requirements for immunizations, glucose/cholesterol testing, consultations etc. Would it be helpful for a pre-pharm to be able to observe such an activity, even on just a one day basis? It's short term, but if you get a multi-faceted health fair like this it's good exposure to many of the different tasks a pharmacist could be asked to do, especially as community pharmacies are adding these diverse services.

 

[no-see-um]

No matter the experience, there should always be general professional skills and qualities which you gain from working at a professional site. A big thing in admissions is the consideration of whether you will 1) be a good student but also 2) whether you will be a mature professional who will represent the school well. Therefore, when you consider writing about or describing your activity, focus on on what's important. You probably need less discussion about the actual dental work as opposed to the organization, the collaboration, etc. etc.

Keep an open mind as you volunteer, and you never know who your dentist you're working for knows. For all you know, they might be able to be a great network support that links you to a local pharmacist or drug company rep.

👍 Hit it right on the nail...

Collaboration is key. Pharmacists and dental offices converse all the time. You may even learn a lot about pharmacy just by being on the other end of the telephone. There's usually quite a bit of communications between pharmacies and health providers.

Don't be afraid of the question- 'why pharmacy and not dentistry?'. You could surely answer it if you realise how interwoven health care really is these days and your real purpose for working at a dental office.

 

[new student]

why not work in the dentistry to get money, and get some health experience, as well as volunteer in a hospital? Most hospitals have volunteer programs, and may even place you to assist the pharmacy upon request. Even if you don't help the pharmacy, most volunteer work involves runs to basement inpatient pharmacies, so you will get some exposure to the pharmacy field anyway.