Does pharmacy technician help app. process?

[Babygurl]

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Just wondering if you guys think that being a pharmacy technician would help the application process. I dont think it would hurt but i also kinda think it may be more applicable to pharmacy school.... do you think it would matter at all???

 

[Xian]

Yeah I was wondering the same thing^

I've never seen it as a list of medically related jobs, but I guess it wouldn't hurt.

 

[DrBowtie]

If you are already a pharm tech then it can help.
If you are contemplating being a pharm tech, look into EMT-B or CNA or Phlebotomist(sp?) training.

 

[truckibear]

Just wondering if you guys think that being a pharmacy technician would help the application process. I dont think it would hurt but i also kinda think it may be more applicable to pharmacy school.... do you think it would matter at all???

I worked in a pharmacy for a year while applying to medical school. I think it's all a matter of how you spin it... being a pharm tech is a great way to learn pharmacology, interact with patients, see healthcare as a community effort, etc. Use it to your advantage 🙂

 

[45408]

I don't know much about a pharm tech beyond what my fiance told me (she worked as one for over a year). All she did was ring up the cashier, put pills in bottles, put bottles in bags, answer the phone, etc. Nothing real "patient oriented" if you will.

I'd try to find something else if possible.

 

[calcrew14]

Any job should help. Otherwise, you may need a doctor (parent or family friend) with you there. But that probably makes it an MD shadowing instead. Why didn't I think of this when it happened?

 

[calcrew14]

Yeas, it how you would spin it. You have an opportunity to witness an extended phase of medicine there. Some patient might be unable to afford medication that the doctor prsecribed; another might prefer generic drug over brand name drug or vice versa. At this time, there are all kinds of medicine available for all common conditions without precription. A patient might not need to see his or her doctor asap like before. There are many more to talk about. But some adcoms may over look or even ignore them out of their demanding habit. They may not have much time for a second thought like this post.

 

[2badr]

Yeas, it how you would spin it. You have an opportunity to witness an extended phase of medicine there. Some patient might be unable to afford medication that the doctor prsecribed; another might prefer generic drug over brand name drug or vice versa. At this time, there are all kinds of medicine available for all common conditions without precription. A patient might not need to see his or her doctor asap like before. There are many more to talk about. But some adcoms may over look or even ignore them out of their demanding habit. They may not have much time for a second thought like this post.

Definitely how you spin it. I'm a pharm tech and I don't see how it could hurt. I have a personal spin to it and how I became a pharm tech instead of any other helathcare field. I will use this in my personal statement when I apply next year. We'll see if it works. 😉

*However, I also plan to get some shadowing, volunteeering etc in as well. I don't think you should use pharm tech as your only source of patient interaction.

 

[2badr]

sorry for the double post! 🙄

 

[angel03]

I don't know much about a pharm tech beyond what my fiance told me (she worked as one for over a year). All she did was ring up the cashier, put pills in bottles, put bottles in bags, answer the phone, etc. Nothing real "patient oriented" if you will.

I'd try to find something else if possible.

As a pharm tech, I get plenty of "patient oriented" experiences. I would take rxs and put them in the comp and make sure the insurance went through, fill the meds, check people out, and also clear up (at least try) any insurance problems or problems with the doctor's office dealing with refills and the like. If anything went wrong, we would talk with the customer and explain what was going on as well as contact the insurance company. Also when the pharmacist had "consultations, I would be right there and able to listen to what his advice was to the customers. Although it may not be directly related to the medical field, it certainly teaches you about a lot that you wouldn't learn otherwise.

 

[Propofol482]

I have been a Pharmacy Tech. for almost 4 years and worked in the retail, hospital, and a compounding enviroment. Retail SUCKED, your a robot that is used as a stress reliever for patients who had a bad day and think the pharmacy is like McDonalds. Hospital pharmacy was awesome. I could use this in my personal statement because I was able to interact with patients and doctors. While working in the hospital, some of the experiences I had changed my career path from a professional bmx racer to wanting to be a doctor. Compounding was boring to me, but you get to make a lot of cool stuff. I guess you could use it to your advantage if you worked in hospital pharmacy. Retail, most techs. were either at the register, in the assembly line, or having their heads bitten off because the person who got 400 Vicodin 4 days ago, can't get 400 more today.

 

[PhillyEaglesFan]

I work hospital pharmacy full-time now.

Lot of interaction with nurses and a pretty good intro into what healthcare *environment* is like. I think it's been more helpful to me than any volunteer experience because...it's a real job. I'm expected to do certain things,and if I don't do them, both co-workers and the patient suffer. Same goes for any marginally healthcare-related job really.

But that's as far as I'd go--it's a good intro to the healthcare environment and the real work that goes behind it. All in all, I think working as a hospital pharmacy tech is a decent option if you're taking a year or two off. My starting salary was $11 an hour. Took the easy certification test and upped that to $13 + evening shift differential, and I'm doing okay. There's also opportunity for OT because a lot of people call off. Good way to get some experience under pressure and pretty good pay.

 

[MochaMD]

I've been a pharmacy tech for over 2 years now (just got certified recently). It definitely doesn't hurt to get a job like this. There's no magic formula to get into med school. Any experience can be meaningful if you are seriously involved in it. I learned so much from my experience at the pharmacy from learning about the inadequate health coverage to just simple patient interaction and I used all that in my med school applications and my interview.