Experience

[tbase16]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had some good ideas for getting experience before applying to Pharmacy school. Right now i am a senior in HS going to take my pre reqs at Elgin Community College. I want to start getting as much experience as i can. Bottom line i am lost... I want to stick out on an application and i do not know what to do any ideas? Also, if anyone has going/gone to: UIC, Midwestern(downers grove), Chicago State, Roosevelt IL, or Concorida university wisconsin. Could i get in touch with you to get a good understanding of the courswork grades, PCAT, and experience everyone has/had if it is not too much trouble?

Thanks!

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[rxtech2012]

Hey there, I would try and take the PTCB exam which would make you a certified pharmacy technician. I would then cast a wide net and apply to as many pharmacies that you can to start getting experience and building professional relationships with the pharmacists etc. While you are in no way required to be a certified tech or have experience to get accepted, more and more applicants are obtaining that experience. It might be tough at first to land a tech or clerk job but stay persistent. For the exam, I recommend using Mosbys pharmacy technician review book($20-30 on amazon). Also try to seek volunteer experiences, leadership experiences(club officer), etc. As far as the pcat goes, it covers basic sciences such as biology, gen chem and organic chem, math, verbal and two writing sections. It definitely helps to take those courses before taking pcat therefore you have a foundation of that knowledge.

 

[Skrumpy]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had some good ideas for getting experience before applying to Pharmacy school. Right now i am a senior in HS going to take my pre reqs at Elgin Community College. I want to start getting as much experience as i can. Bottom line i am lost... I want to stick out on an application and i do not know what to do any ideas? Also, if anyone has going/gone to: UIC, Midwestern(downers grove), Chicago State, Roosevelt IL, or Concorida university wisconsin. Could i get in touch with you to get a good understanding of the courswork grades, PCAT, and experience everyone has/had if it is not too much trouble?

Thanks!

I'm not going to Concordia but I interviewed there and was accepted, feel free to contact me if you wish. Are you trying to get into the program right out of HS?

 

[tbase16]

No, i am not trying to get into the program right out of high school and okay thank you i would just like to know what the interviews are like... i have heard mixed reviews that they make you write something infront of them and i am just trying to get a good feel for what goes on in there so i can prepare.

 

[tbase16]

Hey there, I would try and take the PTCB exam which would make you a certified pharmacy technician. I would then cast a wide net and apply to as many pharmacies that you can to start getting experience and building professional relationships with the pharmacists etc. While you are in no way required to be a certified tech or have experience to get accepted, more and more applicants are obtaining that experience. It might be tough at first to land a tech or clerk job but stay persistent. For the exam, I recommend using Mosbys pharmacy technician review book($20-30 on amazon). Also try to seek volunteer experiences, leadership experiences(club officer), etc. As far as the pcat goes, it covers basic sciences such as biology, gen chem and organic chem, math, verbal and two writing sections. It definitely helps to take those courses before taking pcat therefore you have a foundation of that knowledge.

I have heard that becoming a pharmacy tech is a waste of time and money... ? Is this true? Even if you do not get a job and have some volunteer experience will the college may still care that youre certified?

 

[syl0sim]

I have heard that becoming a pharmacy tech is a waste of time and money... ? Is this true? Even if you do not get a job and have some volunteer experience will the college may still care that youre certified?

The way I see it, being certified as a pharm tech will only be a waste of time and money if you don't use that do gain experience.
I have volunteered AND worked as a pharmacy assistant before applying, and I think working as a pharm assistant or pharm tech will give you a better idea of what pharmacy environment than volunteer because not a lot of pharmacist will give many responsibilities to a volunteer other than counting pills (and making deliveries to patients if volunteering at hospital). I've heard technician volunteers can do more than assistant volunteers, but honestly not sure about that. Might depend on pharmacies and pharmacists. Volunteer experience is certainly better than no experience though if you take time to shadow and ask questions to pharmacists and learn what they do, how they deal with patients & physicians' office, etc.
If you have enough time to become a pharmacy technician and gain pharmacy experience before applying to pharm school, I would do it. Technicians can do more than assistants so you will learn more. Only reason I worked and volunteered as a pharmacy assistant is because Washington state requires people to complete certified class that is about 10 months long. By the time I completed the program it would have been past school deadlines for me - would've been waste of time & money in this case

Hope this helps and good luck

 

[rxtech2012]

I have heard that becoming a pharmacy tech is a waste of time and money... ? Is this true? Even if you do not get a job and have some volunteer experience will the college may still care that youre certified?

Sure, it's a waste of time and money if you have absolutely no interest in working in a pharmacy someday. By having worked in both retail an hospital pharmacies I will know more about the top 200 drugs, compounding, and other general pharmacy things than those starting with me who have never stepped in a pharmacy. Again, it is not mandatory to have this experience but it feels great knowing I have a leg up on those who have no idea what they're getting themselves into.

 

[Shadowcaster]

I have heard that becoming a pharmacy tech is a waste of time and money... ? Is this true? Even if you do not get a job and have some volunteer experience will the college may still care that youre certified?

from my experience as a tech, the pharmacists who went into pharmacy without any previous experience are the ones who go into the bathroom to cry when it gets overwhelming. you better know what you're getting into, and know how to handle 4 phones on hold, and crackheads screaming at you, all while your tech is holding up 2 bottles asking which one is cefzil, and a printer goes down, then some ******* barges to the counter to ask where cat food is, while you're on the phone with some medical assistant who doesn't know a whole lot, trying to clarify a prescription for lorazepam.

seriously. i think you have to be insane to go into pharmacy without the experience. took me a year of being a tech to decide that i'd be willing to do it for the rest of my life.

 

[rxtech2012]

from my experience as a tech, the pharmacists who went into pharmacy without any previous experience are the ones who go into the bathroom to cry when it gets overwhelming. you better know what you're getting into, and know how to handle 4 phones on hold, and crackheads screaming at you, all while your tech is holding up 2 bottles asking which one is cefzil, and a printer goes down, then some ******* barges to the counter to ask where cat food is, while you're on the phone with some medical assistant who doesn't know a whole lot, trying to clarify a prescription for lorazepam.

seriously. i think you have to be insane to go into pharmacy without the experience. took me a year of being a tech to decide that i'd be willing to do it for the rest of my life.

I couldn't agree with this post more! You hit the nail on the head.

 

[PharmLife4Me]

Lol @ cat food..

 

[Skrumpy]

from my experience as a tech, the pharmacists who went into pharmacy without any previous experience are the ones who go into the bathroom to cry when it gets overwhelming. you better know what you're getting into, and know how to handle 4 phones on hold, and crackheads screaming at you, all while your tech is holding up 2 bottles asking which one is cefzil, and a printer goes down, then some ******* barges to the counter to ask where cat food is, while you're on the phone with some medical assistant who doesn't know a whole lot, trying to clarify a prescription for lorazepam.

seriously. i think you have to be insane to go into pharmacy without the experience. took me a year of being a tech to decide that i'd be willing to do it for the rest of my life.

LOL.. Unfortunately that's a fairly accurate depiction of retail. Although you forgot the person at drive-thru asking if you'd go grab them a family sized bag of snickers bars and Depends while you ring-up their RX for Lipitor.

 

[Shadowcaster]

you forgot the person at drive-thru asking if you'd go grab them a family sized bag of snickers bars and Depends while you ring-up their RX for Lipitor.

I wish I could

and OP, a good thing to think about is the benefit of making a name for yourself within a company as a tech, then they'll see you go on to pharmacy school. write the district manager a thank you note as you leave. you'll have a good chance of being hired as a pharmacist because they'll remember you and you may have a half dozen or so pharmacists who can vouch for you and say you were an excellent tech, and would be a good match for the company.

 

[syl0sim]

from my experience as a tech, the pharmacists who went into pharmacy without any previous experience are the ones who go into the bathroom to cry when it gets overwhelming. you better know what you're getting into, and know how to handle 4 phones on hold, and crackheads screaming at you, all while your tech is holding up 2 bottles asking which one is cefzil, and a printer goes down, then some ******* barges to the counter to ask where cat food is, while you're on the phone with some medical assistant who doesn't know a whole lot, trying to clarify a prescription for lorazepam.

seriously. i think you have to be insane to go into pharmacy without the experience. took me a year of being a tech to decide that i'd be willing to do it for the rest of my life.

I have to agree with everyone else. This is unfortunately a pretty accurate description of retail .... although I was fortunate enough to not personally experience lots of extreme cases
Except I also hate when people ask detailed questions regarding insurance plans ... Used to work at a small pharmacy where lots of overly-curious elderly people came in, and one lady asked "how come so-and-so doesn't have to pay anything even though she has to take twice as many pills?? What kind of insurance does she have??? " .........................