Does it Matter Where You Go?

[sbomb]

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Hi Pharm.D. candidates:

I've heard mixed things on whether it matters where you go to pharmacy school and how that will affect your future career. I've heard from a pharmacist who went to UOP who said it doesn't matter really where you go. And as long as you have good grades, you can pretty much get a residency somewhere. I have also heard from another pharmacist that it does matter where you go in terms of where you want to find employment (i.e. the more prestigious or well-established a pharmacy school is, the more likely an employer will hire you over someone from a lesser-established school). But since many of you are in the process of job hunting/residency getting/fellowship getting, I thought maybe you guys could shed some light on this issue for me. But, in theory, it just makes sense to me that the more prestigious/high ranking a pharm school is, the better it is for your career. I guess I'm just not quite sure how much better.

 

[bva]

I think it doesn't matter.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Oh, it matters. If you went to the University of Kansas, one of the finest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world, you would be a much better pharmacist.

 

[sbomb]

Oh, it matters. If you went to the University of Kansas, one of the finest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world, you would be a much better pharmacist.

Well...couldn't I go to a less prestigious institution, try really hard and be at the top of my class and still be an equally good pharmacist? And without having to feel like I'm just average in my class for 4 years?

 

[MountainPharmD]

Well...couldn't I go to a less prestigious institution, try really hard and be at the top of my class and still be an equally good pharmacist? And without having to feel like I'm just average in my class for 4 years?

Nope. If you did not go to the University of Kansas you will forever be a second class pharmacist.

 

[janeno]

More prestigious pharmacy schools have much more connections especially if you want to go along more non-traditional paths of pharmacy or have a residency/fellowship. However, the institution will not make a good pharmacist out of you, it is up to you to make yourself the best pharmacist you can be.

 

[Old Timer]

Where you go to school doesn't mean a thing. You determine your future and not your school.

 

[Me+PharmD]

I think location has something to do with recruiting. For instance, Atlanta has Mercer, which graduates about 130+ students a year who have all had some sort of experience with multiple pharmacy practice sites throughout the city. Most of these pharmacies are employed and operated by Mercer alumni, who will in-turn most likely hire qualified Mercer students more readily over say out of state students. I'm basing my ideas on graduates entering as staff pharmacists as opposed to experienced pharmacists seeking positions as directors or supervisors. Bottom line, Mercer grads would probably have a easier time finding a job throughout Gerogia, as opposed to finding a job out of state (unless of course you're someone who has connections out of state, in that case you'd be the exception).

 

[Sinjohyub]

If you are considering retail, your academic background nor ur GPA will matter. I've heard grades do matter if you want to do residency at the hopsital of your choice. However, if you are willing to relocate then it's not a biggy either. I've seen people with less than 3.0 gpa getting residencies/fellowship (tho they had to move to another state for it... guess they really wanted it, eh?). But yeah, your licensure status + experience are the 2 biggest thing in my opinion.

 

[Acceptance King]

Where you go to school doesn't mean a thing. You determine your future and not your school.

Actually, where you go to school does mean something. Different schools forcus on different things. Some schools, even though they have converted to the PharmD program, still don't place enough emphasis on clinical skills. I cannot speak for UWash today, but 5 years ago they didn't focus on clinical anywhere near what UFlorida COP did. While I was on active duty, my wife was able to complete her rotations in the Seattle area. The preceptors there, at the time, had preconceived ideas of what her level of education would be because of what they experienced with UW pharm students. She quickly changed their opinions by showing them how well UF prepared them for clinical pharmacy.

In the end, will going to one school get you a job over another person, not necessarily, but your level of confidence and how well you adjust and perform your job can be influenced by what school you go to.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Actually, where you go to school does mean something. Different schools forcus on different things. Some schools, even though they have converted to the PharmD program, still don't place enough emphasis on clinical skills. I cannot speak for UWash today, but 5 years ago they didn't focus on clinical anywhere near what UFlorida COP did. While I was on active duty, my wife was able to complete her rotations in the Seattle area. The preceptors there, at the time, had preconceived ideas of what her level of education would be because of what they experienced with UW pharm students. She quickly changed their opinions by showing them how well UF prepared them for clinical pharmacy.

In the end, will going to one school get you a job over another person, not necessarily, but your level of confidence and how well you adjust and perform your job can be influenced by what school you go to.

This would be true except for the fact that confidence and adaptability are not things that a school can teach their students (in my opinion). People gain those aspects on their own, outside of class. The school provides the students with the material and the rotations, and the students study that. It's that simple. Think about what they can't teach you, because there's an opportunity cost associated with the length of school. There is only so much a person can learn in four years.

Just the other day, I tell my boss that I have a quiz tomorrow and that I need to study when I get home. He says, "Oh, you probably know all of that already." He didn't even ask me which class I was talking about 😛.

So what's the significance... I'm only a P2, yet he already feels that confident about me. Why? Is it because I was taught more than the other students? No. It's because of the way that I am and how I learn. If something makes sense to me, i.e. I understand it, then I can remember it for a long time, because I will value it. My brain is like a huge sponge when it comes to pharmacy; I keep wanting to know more.
When I want to know something, I will spend the time to look it up. I actually read about drugs all of the time at home. One day I hope to be proficient enough in pharmacy that I can pick up any random drug and know exactly what it is.

Drugs that I've looked up recently that I did not learn in a class first: Condylox, Caverject, the generic name for Vasotec, Cubicin, and metolazone. I've looked up other stuff too, but it wasn't related to drugs.

Here's something interesting:
"Some medical conditions may interact with Cubicin. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:
...
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (eg, atorvastatin) or warfarin because the risk of their side effects may be increased by Cubicin.
Tobramycin because its effectiveness may be decreased by Cubicin."
http://www.drugs.com/cdi/cubicin.html
I wanted to know more about Cubicin after assisting a P4 in making five IV boluses at my early practice rotation. They called them party balls . I work in retail, so this IV stuff is exciting. At my old hospital job they thought it was cost prohibitive to train students in the IV room, because we would never be full-time employees 🙁.