If you were back in pharmacy school, what would you do differently

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

stark3

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
79
Reaction score
29
What are some things I can do as a student now to stand out? Try holding different internships ? Get more involved with clubs ? All advice is welcome and I know some people will say to not go to pharmacy school but its kind of too late for me now

Members don't see this ad.
 
What are some things I can do as a student now to stand out? Try holding different internships ? Get more involved with clubs ? All advice is welcome and I know some people will say to not go to pharmacy school but its kind of too late for me now

Transfer to a cheaper school and stop borrowing student loans
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
What are some things I can do as a student now to stand out? Try holding different internships ? Get more involved with clubs ? All advice is welcome and I know some people will say to not go to pharmacy school but its kind of too late for me now

Please try to remember to have fun and experience life. Become an interesting and memorable person with hobbies outside of pharmacy world (which I imagine is hard to do now since they have turned pharmacy school into an absurd mess.) I was completely unqualified for a new job I started this year, but the guy doing the hiring remembered me from five years ago when we worked a few shifts together. Now he is stuck teaching me the mysterious inner workings of an IV hood...but we have fun at work and he knows he has my loyalty when push comes to shove.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
What are some things I can do as a student now to stand out? Try holding different internships ? Get more involved with clubs ? All advice is welcome and I know some people will say to not go to pharmacy school but its kind of too late for me now

If I could do it again, I would have worked for a chain throughout school, and also tried to get PRN hours at a hospital concurrently. Say what you will about chains, but at the end of the day, the current interns who do a good job have the best chance of getting a job in a good location. Volunteer at every opportunity to get IV room trained in the hospital, and then you will also at least have a shot at a per diem staffing spot when you get out.

You should also try to do your P4 rotations with people who are in a position to directly offer you a job. You should start networking now to set up rotations with various district manager and hospital managers. Most managers are happy to work with a motivated student for a rotation. Your maturity level will go a long way. Do not rely on the lottery system at your school to get rotations set up, you have a high chance of getting screwed. Importantly, know that rotations with a faculty member at the school will not lead to any jobs. Don't waste your time.

Nobody gives a crap about your grades, nor that you were vice president for APhA. If anything, do one community service project in the P3 year that you can talk about on interviews, just so you have something to talk about. Community service is a common question on job interviews. As are examples of leadership and teamwork with your previous employer.

Lastly, don't put all your eggs in the residency basket. Jobs for residency trained RPhs will be beyond saturated in a couple years, and you're better off shooting for a paid job.

Good luck!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I'm waiting for someone to say, "Quit." :)
 
If I could do it again, I would have worked for a chain throughout school, and also tried to get PRN hours at a hospital concurrently. Say what you will about chains, but at the end of the day, the current interns who do a good job have the best chance of getting a job in a good location. Volunteer at every opportunity to get IV room trained in the hospital, and then you will also at least have a shot at a per diem staffing spot when you get out.

You should also try to do your P4 rotations with people who are in a position to directly offer you a job. You should start networking now to set up rotations with various district manager and hospital managers. Most managers are happy to work with a motivated student for a rotation. Your maturity level will go a long way. Do not rely on the lottery system at your school to get rotations set up, you have a high chance of getting screwed. Importantly, know that rotations with a faculty member at the school will not lead to any jobs. Don't waste your time.

Nobody gives a crap about your grades, nor that you were vice president for APhA. If anything, do one community service project in the P3 year that you can talk about on interviews, just so you have something to talk about. Community service is a common question on job interviews. As are examples of leadership and teamwork with your previous employer.

Lastly, don't put all your eggs in the residency basket. Jobs for residency trained RPhs will be beyond saturated in a couple years, and you're better off shooting for a paid job.

Good luck!
I got a program interview but I don't think I want to do it anymore. What do you suggest? I was considering applying to staff pharmacy jobs but i have no experience besides APPES and I've heard staff jobs are becoming difficult to get as well
 
Not borrow extra in student loans. Work more hours at the part-time job. Care more about GPA.
Sparda, you only live once... we all knew what you were doing was reckless with all those cars and hookah, but you graduated anyway, which was for the better in the end, and you weren't all pent up and strung out without any hobbies! How do I know... because I had the time of my life in The Big Easy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Sparda, you only live once... we all knew what you were doing was reckless with all those cars and hookah, but you graduated anyway, which was for the better in the end, and you weren't all pent up and strung out without any hobbies! How do I know... because I had the time of my life in The Big Easy!

Yeah, but it probably wouldn't have taken much effort to get to a 3.0 GPA, which is probably all I would have needed to land a residency.
 
Yeah, but it probably wouldn't have taken much effort to get to a 3.0 GPA, which is probably all I would have needed to land a residency.
Nah I think residencies are looking for greater than that these days I have a >3.0 but still sorta low and only heard back from one out of 10 places; and I think I only heard back from them bc I know somebody who works there who put a good word in for me :/
 
How important are student organizations for residencies? I am in 2. But I feel as though they aren't really beneficial.
 
I would ask about volunteering at a chain if no positions were available. I didn't ask many stores about volunteering but was just looking for an intern job (95% of my class was employed, my assumption would be that I should be a paid intern too). However, while the market is varying from place to place, on the most part, it seems that many interns will have to take unpaid internships until they can move onto a paid one.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
How important are student organizations for residencies? I am in 2. But I feel as though they aren't really beneficial.
those were the same things at my school, so I joined organizations outside of pharmacy school
 
Yeah, but it probably wouldn't have taken much effort to get to a 3.0 GPA, which is probably all I would have needed to land a residency.
I wondered if you might have matched in the time I'd been gone. Did you register for the match this year?
 
Yeah, but it probably wouldn't have taken much effort to get to a 3.0 GPA, which is probably all I would have needed to land a residency.
It seems like you're doing really well with or without it. ;)

I'm at a very, very peaceful point in my career (which unfortunately can not be said about my personal or family life), and focus, dedication, and determination were all it took to get to this point! I actually "party" at work now. :p I don't complain about much anymore except for maybe drug shortages or things that could have been ordered but intentionally weren't. I know you're in a different part of the country and it's undoubtedly more competitive there, but keep at it! Who else gets a hospital job shortly after graduation??? - Sparda!
 
I wondered if you might have matched in the time I'd been gone. Did you register for the match this year?

Nah, now I can't really afford a drop down to half the salary I'm making.

It seems like you're doing really well with or without it. ;)

I'm at a very, very peaceful point in my career (which unfortunately can not be said about my personal or family life), and focus, dedication, and determination were all it took to get to this point! I actually "party" at work now. :p I don't complain about much anymore except for maybe drug shortages or things that could have been ordered but intentionally weren't. I know you're in a different part of the country and it's undoubtedly more competitive there, but keep at it! Who else gets a hospital job shortly after graduation??? - Sparda!

Yeah, it did work out quite well for me considering my GPA. It could have been better with a residency. One of my buddies from LIU graduated in 2011, got a PGY1 residency at the main hospital of health system that I'm with, and after completion he was offered a clinical coordinator position at one of the community hospitals in the health system.
 
If you were back in pharmacy school, what would you do differently

I would immediately get back in the Tardis and go back to just before pharm school acceptance, then choose a profession that isn't making a beeline for the pooper...and then never look back.
 
What are some things I can do as a student now to stand out? Try holding different internships ? Get more involved with clubs ? All advice is welcome and I know some people will say to not go to pharmacy school but its kind of too late for me now

Key is actually getting involved and not just signing up. Its better to only belong to one and be really involved vs. being a member of 2 or 3 and not doing anything for them.

I'm completing my APPEs and looking back would have sought out more opportunities for research in other areas (I did a project in ID looking at our institution's MRSA MICs with vanco and dapto e-test strips). I would have gotten more involved in APhA, AMCP, and SSHP (I was a member of all three, only really did things for APhA). I'm not planning on civilian residency but if I was then I would have gone to more national meetings/state meetings for the previously listed organizations.

Get more clinical experiences earlier on in your school career if you can (shadowing your faculty if you are at a medical center campus, shadowing physicians in the OR, cath lab, family practice, rounding, etc.). I would have volunteered more at our school's free clinic (I did about 40-50 hours total over my 3 IPPE years, but I wish I would have done more).
 
Nah, now I can't really afford a drop down to half the salary I'm making.



Yeah, it did work out quite well for me considering my GPA. It could have been better with a residency. One of my buddies from LIU graduated in 2011, got a PGY1 residency at the main hospital of health system that I'm with, and after completion he was offered a clinical coordinator position at one of the community hospitals in the health system.
There's no sense in comparing yourself to others unless you like being unoriginal!
 
Going back... I would have published when I had the opportunity (basically gave the authorship away because of laziness), signed up for professional orgs, which I did not do at all, and nixed the retail rotations. I also would have believed in myself a bit more. Doing 3 retail rotations was a mistake in retrospect. I ended up not getting the retail offer I wanted and the other offers were with chains I hadnt interned with. In short, I hedged my bets a bit too much. If I had known I would end up in an academic type job, I would have focused on a few additional skills.

I also would have maybe implemented a better organizational strategy. I didnt save anything, notes wise or publication wise, from school.

I would have downloaded the newest dipiro and the last decade of journal articles from the top journals before losing my unlimited library access. Trust me on this...

My advice: follow your passion, do what motivates you and what you have fun doing. And target a specific sector/specialty no later than p2 year. Get as wide a variety of IPPEs as you can.

If I stepped out of a time machine tomorrow and the date was 2009 .. id definitely do it all over again!
 
"QUIT" the school and join another field which you can enjoy..
 
Keep up with my borrowing less than the max that I did during P1. Then again, we had a kid so, meh.

My advice for anyone looking for it: WORK. A lot!
 
Top