Help!!! Tips for success inpharmacy school

[jc1979]

working is the key to remember the important points!

very true...working enforces what you have been learning in classes

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[CNB]

very true...working enforces what you have been learning in classes

do you work?

 

[sozetone]

Hi everyone, (sorry for long post in advance)

I really need some advice...... I am currently a P1 in my first semester of pharmacy school and I am struggling with the material and I don't know why. I have wanted to be a pharmacist since I was in high school and since then have devoted 5 years towards this path. I have always been a serious student with 3.7 GPA in high school graduating Magna Cum Laude and a 3.6 GPA in undergrad so it's not like I have always struggled. This semester for some reason is completely different for me. I currently have all low A's and one B in my classes so by looking at my grades alone you would think I was fine.

Here's my problem: I am having the worst problem with memory and recall. It's frustrating because I study for days for tests and still feel unprepared and feel like I can't remember anything. I don't currently have a job although in the past I worked for Target as a pharm tech for 6 months. All I do is come home and study especially since I live by myself. There are people in my class who can study the night before and get good grades but here I am spending hours upon hours and I make the same grade as them or lower with 10x the work(not that I should compare myself to others). I go to class, take notes, record my lectures, relisten to my lectures, and make 20 page study guides to condense all my notes to study off of for each test. Next biggest problem is memorizing my drugs every week(brand, generic, indications, class). I make flashcards, write them out over and over, and use my whiteboard. It takes me about 3 days to study them because I will look at a card and say it out loud and within 20 secs forget what I just went over so it takes me forever to learn them. I usually get a 100% on those quizzes every week. Problem is a few days to a week later I have completely forgotten them. I look at them and nothing comes to mind. It is as if they are Latin.

Does anyone have any study tips/advice they can give me?



I feel like I am struggling now and it concerns me for future semesters when the information is even more overwhelming and fast paced that I wont make it through the problem.

In your honest opinion, with what I have told you above should I continue in the program or should I drop out? (please don't be mean. I am intelligent enough to make it into pharmacy after all I just don't know what my problem is this semester)

You said you were intelligent enough to get into pharmacy school. Now be intelligent enough to get out. And NO not because your having a slight struggle. I'm sure you will pull through. Because of EVERYTHING you have heard about the field. Do your research, talk to friends and family in the field, go store to store, hospital to hospital, ask around why you should NOT be perusing this career field. It will save your life.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

The OP posted that in 2013, @sozetone. Others are keeping the thread alive to share advice.

 

[sozetone]

The OP posted that in 2013, @sozetone. Others are keeping the thread alive to share advice.

yeah i dont pay attention to all that, i feel bad for all of the newbies going in now. wish i could show them how thins really are. I guess they will have to find out for themselves.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

What people really need to understand is that what their impression of Pharmacy is not going to match the reality of it. Some will be ok because they know exactly what they are getting into. Then you have those who think they do. You can't always prevent the reality check. It'll happen, and what becomes of a career after that is how you handle the reality check.

 

[sozetone]

What people really need to understand is that what their impression of Pharmacy is not going to match the reality of it. Some will be ok because they know exactly what they are getting into. Then you have those who think they do. You can't always prevent the reality check. It'll happen, and what becomes of a career after that is how you handle the reality check.

Hey maybe your right, i wish you the best in 2023. Me personally, through years of wisdom and experience you have yet to gain, am making a well informed decision to exit this field. you can have my spot. I promise you will look back 10 years from now with very different eyes and think back to this post. You'll say, that guy was right....And perhaps you will even wish you had made a different life decision with regard to pharmacy. time will tell. be well.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

I already have a job, but thank you for your concern

 

[pharmBear]

I noticed the post is from 2013 which means congrats to the OP who is most likely reached his/her goals by now.

For students in a similar boat, it took me awhile to realize that there are already fabulous charts available so no need to spend hours laboriously making them. Instead, to spend the time to understand the concept and associated it and apply it.
Great tables are available at : uptodate, guidelines, online, your classmates.

Now, in practice, we don't need someone to spit out info they memorized (that is what lexicomp/micromedex can do, and can do so much better), instead we need someone who can recognize/understand/avoid ddi to help patients lead a safe life.
In hospital: don't just know that normal na is 135 to 145..but know that low/high na can associate w seizure/heart issues and how to avoid it (check if seizure meds is causing) or how to manage it.

Goodluck to all students. Don't memorize..understand!

 

[CNB]

yeah i dont pay attention to all that, i feel bad for all of the newbies going in now. wish i could show them how thins really are. I guess they will have to find out for themselves.

It is easier today to get accepted vs 8 yrs ago

 

[parjn]

How do you remember the important points while working?

 

[BC_89]

How do you remember the important points while working?

Muscle memory with your thought process in retail after repeated repetitions. Some examples:

1) Memorizing top 200 on a “notecard” is different from “seeing” the top 200 Drugs in your store every single day and handing them out.

2) Correlating dosages with specific drugs becomes easier when typing them in 50 different ways per day for patients (example being the typical dosage for a Z-pak or Amoxicillin).

3) Connecting therapeutic effects to specific drugs by reading the rx or hearing the same basic counsel from a pharmacist on new drugs for patients (ie Atorvastatin is for what? After one day in retail you’ll learn that quick)

4) Counting out inventory of your vault meds (controls) every opening and closing each day (or a hand-off in 24 hour stores). You’ll be very familiar with brand - generic names of scheduled medications when counting them out against your daily quantity on hand every...single....day....

5) Understanding the difference of penicillin and sulfa drugs and why it’s recommended to have separate trays for each class of drug next to alcohol wipes in your store.

6) Ordering refrigerated medications and keeping a log every 4 - 6 hours (or opening and closing) of the temperature range making sure your insulin products are not below or above the recommended range (ie what’s the temp range? You’ll know quickly)

7) Looking at a prescription for norco wondering why it says 1 refill while realizing it’s been 28 days since their last pick up of a 30 day supply (ie federal vs state laws).

Some things you learn faster from experience and repeated repetitions of what to look for.

 

[Riddley]

Plan to work in hospital?

i do .....some insight please

 

[CNB]

How do you remember the important points while working?

Test yourself while working!

 

[BidingMyTime]

4) Counting out inventory of your vault meds (controls) every opening and closing each day (or a hand-off in 24 hour stores). You’ll be very familiar with brand - generic names of scheduled medications when counting them out against your daily quantity on hand every...single....day....

This sounds horrible! What state does this? I'll make sure to put it on the bottom of states I would want to practice in. How long does it take to do that? I would think a couple of hours in a store with a big variety of controls.

i do .....some insight please

Eh, just know that most people who plan to work hospital, even those with residency, end up working retail. Otherwise, it's just being in the right place at the right time, and having a lot of connections.

 

[BC_89]

This sounds horrible! What state does this? I'll make sure to put it on the bottom of states I would want to practice in. How long does it take to do that? I would think a couple of hours in a store with a big variety of controls.

the Department of Defense (DOD). Yes, it took a very very long time in some specific pharmacy locations. One of the busiest was at the last Level 1 trauma Center VA hospital I worked at on a Joint Military Base. The good thing for pharmacists is they are not mandated to actually physically do the counting. Two techs can do it and mostly the techs in uniform did it due to not being mandated to have 15 minute breaks or be bound by specific hours.

Oh yes, good memories.

 

[angelsplight]

Honestly, the 1st year of pharmacy school is usually just adjusting. It isn't easy for some but once you get the hang of it and find the best way for you to personally remember stuff, it gets easier. For the most part, listening to lectures and taking exams is doesn't help much in remembering. You just learn to quickly remember stuff that you usually forget within 2-3 days after the exam for the material. The best way to remember pharmacy stuff would be working. Brand and generic? Doctors and patients always mention brands and you remember generics from the computer auto changing it to generic or panicking trying to figure out what drug that patient is referring to. Side effects? Most side effects are usually class specific and you remember a bunch from patients complaining about it. Dosing? You get used to seeing the dose sizes from bottles and entering prescriptions. When I started working as an intern during my P3 year, patients were like...water pill. I was just like..wtf is that. Prilosac? I swear I heard the generic name of that in class...forever ago. Storing amoxicillin suspension? beats me.

I honestly don't even remember what I even learned in my classes but when I went to study for my boards and bought the top 200 drugs book, I went through that book in like an hour cause like 95% of those brand/generics and side effects I've brought up at some point while working in retail. That being said, my pharmacist gave me a LOT of freedom in the pharmacy because I did everything short of verifying, grabbing locked controls and signing DEA 222 forms.

 

[RxEvileye]

Looks like an old thread got revived, but a couple tips that helped me survive were:
1. See if your school has something like a Learning Resources department/counselor who can help you learn how to study more effectively based on your individual needs.
2. Avoid study methods that evidence shows are less effective (re-reading/re-writing/typing out endless study guides)
3. Use study methods that evidence shows are more effective! Use a site like Quizlet or Anki to make flashcards DURING reading/class so you can quickly start testing your knowledge. Come out of your comfort zone by joining a small, focused study group. Do class pre-assignments or readings, even if just skimming, to have context before a lecture. Attend class and participate rather than skip/watch lectures and fall behind.
4. Be efficient on-the-go. Use apps to review study materials. Listen to pharmacy/pharmacology podcasts on your current topic if you have a commute.
5. Take care of yourself and do not be afraid to ask for help if you find you cannot fit in basics like meals/exercise. See if your school has mental health counseling or other student health services for difficult times. Reach out to professors or classmates early if struggling to understand something.

 

[CNB]

This sounds horrible! What state does this? I'll make sure to put it on the bottom of states I would want to practice in. How long does it take to do that? I would think a couple of hours in a store with a big variety of controls.



Eh, just know that most people who plan to work hospital, even those with residency, end up working retail. Otherwise, it's just being in the right place at the right time, and having a lot of connections.

what is the % that we in retail?

 

[sozetone]

what is the % that we in retail?

Too Much..!! i think i would rather wash cars back in florida.....