Is holding down a job possible while in the pharm d. program??

[pharmguy13]

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Hello all,

I was a high 80's student in high school and generally don't have too much difficulty understanding/learning the sciences. I start the 6 year pharm d. program in September and I was curious about if anyone has any insight as to whether or not it is possible to hold down a part-time job while in school. Normally, I would think it should be no problem, but some people I have spoken to have worried me a bit, telling how rigorous the work load is and what not.

I figured the best way to go about this is to ask people who are currently, or have recently been in this program. I'd appreciate any opinions from people with experience on this matter.

Thanks everyone,

Marc

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I did 35 hours/week.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I hardly ever work. But I do have a child. That takes up a lot of my time. I'm going to work this summer.

 

[twester]

I don't work, but I'm insistent on having a social life. I recommend trying 25 hours or so a week and cutting back if you need to (especially as your academic load increases). Some of us require more study time, more socializing time or time for family responsibilities; so tolerable work hours will vary.

Some studies have shown that students who work part-time are more motivated to keep up with school. I certainly got better grades when I worked 30 hours per week in addition to a full load at school. It's hard to say, but it could have been my desire for pharm school admission that made the difference.

 

[McZyprexalynn]

My plan is to work 16 hours a week while in RX school. I have been working anywhere from 32 to 36 hours a week during my pre-pharm years, but I've only taken 7 to 13 credits a semester. Working 32 hours/week and taking 13 credits (the current semester) has been tough, but doable. I do not have a social life to speak of though. I work until 11pm both Friday and Saturday night.

I certainly think working during school is feasible. I really don't have much of a choice as I would like to eat and pay the rent. If you work in a pharmacy, I actually think it helps out with school somewhat as you are up-to-date on the issues and new drugs and such, plus you'll have a working knowledge of drug names, classes, etc. Plus, I find that keeping a fairly tight schedule actually means I procrastinate less.

 

[nixnix]

It's possible. And I think that it sometimes keeps me on task. I work about 15 hours during the week and then 12 hours over every other weekend. I'll work full time over the summer. I think you'll be fine as long as you explain to your employer that if things get out of control, you may have to reduce your hours.

 

[Leb]

It's possible. And I think that it sometimes keeps me on task. I work about 15 hours during the week and then 12 hours over every other weekend. I'll work full time over the summer. I think you'll be fine as long as you explain to your employer that if things get out of control, you may have to reduce your hours.

I have a question:
When pharmacy schools require 1500 hours of internships, where are these hours spent? And do students get paid for them? What if you are working as a technician in a pharmacy and getting paid, do your hours count for your internship?

 

[dumediat]

As far as working during school, I've never met anyone who had a problem getting their studying done while working. You'll be shocked at how much free time you have your freshman year compared to high school, so working might keep yourself in line as far as study habits go. Plus, the extra spending money always helps out for the weekend. 😀

I have a question:
When pharmacy schools require 1500 hours of internships, where are these hours spent? And do students get paid for them? What if you are working as a technician in a pharmacy and getting paid, do your hours count for your internship?

At least for Ohio, they stopped requiring pharmacy students to report their intern hours. The Board figured that the hours spent on rotations during the last year of school was plenty of experience, so they dropped that requirement. But, to answer your questions, they are bascially used as a requirement that students have a certain amount of experience before stepping into the workplace as a full-time pharmacist. In order to report hours, you need to print off a preceptor form from the Board of Pharmacy's website and have the pharmacist you want to work with sign it. Once you send that in, you can start reporting hours. Any hours you work at the store your preceptor works at regardless of whether they're on-duty or not, can be reported to the Board. Make sure you follow the rules on the report sheet, though, because they can get pretty nasty if you don't...but I wouldn't know anything about that. 🙄

 

[beccala33]

At my school we have a 2 credit class every year that involves ~80 hours of interning plus a once-a-week class discussion and some assignments. The school places us, and we do not get paid for any of it. We have to go at least once a week every week of the semester (half the class does it first semester, half second), and they recommend that we do 4-6 hours at a time. First year we do community pharmacy, second year we do hospital pharmacy, third year we put hours in at a practice site. For me, it was a huge help this year because I had never worked in a pharmacy. I felt like it gave me a lot of experience that I really needed. People complain about it - and it is a lot of extra work - but when all is said and done it was good experience for people like me.

 

[DrgsRmyLife]

Out here you pretty much have to or you will be 900 hours short. The school gives us around 600 hours so those other 900 have to come form somewhere. The most important thing I think is getting a job that is flexible and willing to work with your schedule. I have a job that requires me to work every weekend for a at least a total of 17 hours. This sucks because I dont have a full day to study or just rest. So from my point of view your gonna have to get a job, but find one that is going to help you.