Interested in pharmacy... how do I start?

[mahnster13]

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I just started college at the University of Washington and I have become interested in pharmacy. I love chemistry and biology, so the required coursework shouldn't be too taxing for me. I used to want to be pre-med, but that lifestyle just seems a little too hectic for me. I still want to be able to help people in the health field, but I think with my love for chemistry and such I would be better suited for pharmacy. As such, I have some questions...

What kind of experience do I need to be able to apply to pharmacy school?
Is the University of Washington SOP the only pharmacy school in Washington?
How hard is pharmacy school itself? As crazy as med school or even harder?

Any help here would be awesome!

 

[PharmacyNut]

What kind of experience do I need to be able to apply to pharmacy school? Most people do volunteer work, work as pharmacy technicians (very popular), and/or do some lab research.

Is the University of Washington SOP the only pharmacy school in Washington? No, WSU is the other.

How hard is pharmacy school itself? As crazy as med school or even harder? About the same for the basic sciences, except med school rotations might be harder on your schedule.

Overall, find out if pharmacy is really something you should get yourself into. Keep a good GPA and have a well-rounded background. The switch from pre-med to pre-pharm doesn't mean you can finally start slacking, because many pharmacy schools are raising their standards for admission. So try your best to stay competitive if your goal is to go to pharmacy school. Best of luck to you!

 

[avuong]

Hi OP,
welcome to pharmacy,
www.pharmCAS.org is the central application service you will be using to apply to US pharmacy schools and it has all the information you need on applying including information specific to each school.

Each school will have its own pre-requisite requirements, similar to medicine, but including more specific courses like microbiology, statistics, economics, public speech, whatever.

You will need to sign up and take the PCAT exam, analogous to the MCAT, but much easier. lkjlsdf

You will need 2-3 letters of recommendation from your college professors and/or work supervisors/practicing pharmacists.

You will need to write a personal statement detailing why you chose pharmacy as a career.

Dropping medicine for pharmacy is like selling out. First aiming for a gold medal, but realizing the Gold is too difficult and settling then for Silver. Indeed Gold metal is far more pricy and more difficult to attain as it costs nearly 1200 USD per ounce whereas silver falls near a paltry 20 dollars per ounce. Youve got to seriously think this decision through. THe choices you make now will impact you for the rest of your life, and you know what the saddest part of life is?
Wasted Talent.

 

[mahnster13]

I'm not doing it to get out of going to med school, and I realize it still isn't going to be easy. Unfortunately I am going to be working quite a bit to pay for rent and tuition at the University of Washington. I plan on majoring in chemistry, but I just don't know if I will have enough time to do everything I need to do to be competitive for medical school :/
For me, pharmacy is still a way to help people in the health field but with a schedule that would be easier to have a family with. I realize I won't be making anywhere near what a physician would make, but making a ton of money doesn't matter to me if I don't have any time with my family to enjoy it. I would love to go to medical school and become a physician, but with my family moving to Pittsburgh, leaving me to stay out here and finish up school on my own, I just don't know if I would be able to do it :/

 

[docss26]

nothing will help you more than experiencing what the job of a pharmacist is like. I recommend shadowing as many positions that interest you as possible. Who knows you might even get hired as you shadow. Thats how I got my job.