New Member Seeking Pharmacist Advice!

[Txsbred]

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Hi everyone,

I just joined this forum and I need some guidance please! So I'm really at a crossroads in my life, I majored in biology and thought I was going to go to vet school or do something else really ambitious in a health profession but I realized at the end that I wasn't cut out to be a doctor. I'm pretty down on life right now because I have no idea what I'm going to do for a career, the only thing I can really see myself getting into at this point is pharmacy, but I don't know if I'm astute enough to master the chemistry and the last thing I want to do is make the mistake of getting in over my head. I'd like to consider pharmacy since it’s pretty cool, but I'm just nervous if it's the right thing for me to pursue if I'm not confident in my abilities. Anyways I was hoping someone could answer some general questions.

1) I understand that the program has to be rigorous in chemistry, but how much of the nitty gritty details do you have to actually use as a retail pharmacist once you graduate from school? I would think that mostly you need to know the physiological effects of the drugs and what drugs not to combine.

2) I managed to do pretty well in most of my biology classes but I choked with ochem and physics, which I'm afraid would bar me from entry to school. What are the minimum grades typically needed in those classes?

3) Who is ultimately more responsible in a situation where negative drug interactions occur? The doctor who didn't know this would happen or the pharmacist? If you filled a prescription the doctor ordered, and it reacted badly with something else the patient was on, would you legally be the responsible party even though the doctor prescribed both medications?

4) Do licensure exams have to be retaken to be renewed throughout your career or do you just do continuing education?

5) What could one expect to make in the Washington DC area at a typical retail pharmacy?

6) Are there any Virginia Pharmacy Schools that offer Distance Learning if I need to stay in my current living situation and can't travel to and from class that much.

7) Is the structure of pharmacy school similar to that of medical school with the latter half focusing primarily on working in different clinical settings?

Sorry to ask so many questions, even answers to a few would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Its Z]

1) I understand that the program has to be rigorous in chemistry, but how much of the nitty gritty details do you have to actually use as a retail pharmacist once you graduate from school? I would think that mostly you need to know the physiological effects of the drugs and what drugs not to combine.We have computers that tell everything so you don't really need to learn the drugs.



2) I managed to do pretty well in most of my biology classes but I choked with ochem and physics, which I'm afraid would bar me from entry to school. What are the minimum grades typically needed in those classes?2.2 to 2.5 should do

3) Who is ultimately more responsible in a situation where negative drug interactions occur? The doctor who didn't know this would happen or the pharmacist? If you filled a prescription the doctor ordered, and it reacted badly with something else the patient was on, would you legally be the responsible party even though the doctor prescribed both medications? We usually blame the technicians.

4) Do licensure exams have to be retaken to be renewed throughout your career or do you just do continuing education? yes but if you flunk it once, then twice a year.

5) What could one expect to make in the Washington DC area at a typical retail pharmacy?200k to 400K per year average as living expense is higher in DC area

6) Are there any Virginia Pharmacy Schools that offer Distance Learning if I need to stay in my current living situation and can't travel to and from class that much. Yes, J Sargeant Reynolds College in Richmond Va. That's where I got my PharmD..and it only took me 2 years part time.

7) Is the structure of pharmacy school similar to that of medical school with the latter half focusing primarily on working in different clinical settings?oh no...pharmacy dare not have any similarities to Medicine

Sorry to ask so many questions, even answers to a few would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

HTH!👍

 

[rxlea]

1) I understand that the program has to be rigorous in chemistry, but how much of the nitty gritty details do you have to actually use as a retail pharmacist once you graduate from school? I would think that mostly you need to know the physiological effects of the drugs and what drugs not to combine.We have computers that tell everything so you don't really need to learn the drugs.



2) I managed to do pretty well in most of my biology classes but I choked with ochem and physics, which I'm afraid would bar me from entry to school. What are the minimum grades typically needed in those classes?2.2 to 2.5 should do

3) Who is ultimately more responsible in a situation where negative drug interactions occur? The doctor who didn't know this would happen or the pharmacist? If you filled a prescription the doctor ordered, and it reacted badly with something else the patient was on, would you legally be the responsible party even though the doctor prescribed both medications? We usually blame the technicians.

4) Do licensure exams have to be retaken to be renewed throughout your career or do you just do continuing education? yes but if you flunk it once, then twice a year.

5) What could one expect to make in the Washington DC area at a typical retail pharmacy?200k to 400K per year average as living expense is higher in DC area

6) Are there any Virginia Pharmacy Schools that offer Distance Learning if I need to stay in my current living situation and can't travel to and from class that much. Yes, J Sargeant Reynolds College in Richmond Va. That's where I got my PharmD..and it only took me 2 years part time.

7) Is the structure of pharmacy school similar to that of medical school with the latter half focusing primarily on working in different clinical settings?oh no...pharmacy dare not have any similarities to Medicine

Sorry to ask so many questions, even answers to a few would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

HTH!👍

In a crabby mood today?

 

[Its Z]

In a crabby mood today?

Not at all..in a very jovial mood as always!

 

[rxlea]

I am only heading into second year but I can answer a couple of these...

1) I understand that the program has to be rigorous in chemistry, but how much of the nitty gritty details do you have to actually use as a retail pharmacist once you graduate from school? I would think that mostly you need to know the physiological effects of the drugs and what drugs not to combine.

Depends on what you mean by nitty gritty... if you mean mechanisms then no. If you mean drug-drug interactions, adverse reactions, accuracy, and optimal care, then yes. It can be a very detail oriented career. People might argue with me, though.

2) I managed to do pretty well in most of my biology classes but I choked with ochem and physics, which I'm afraid would bar me from entry to school. What are the minimum grades typically needed in those classes?

If you can't do o-chem, then forget about med chem/pharmacology. Minimum GPA requirements vary across schools. If you have absolutely ZERO pharmacy experience, you want to be right around 3.3 and up + extracurriculars + good LORs. There is no "minimum GPA guarantee" to get in. I have seen people with 4.0s get rejected and people with sub 3.0 get accepted. But, you DO have to PASS your classes. If you are getting C's across the board in those classes, then you're going to have a much harder time gaining acceptance. Apply broadly.

3) Who is ultimately more responsible in a situation where negative drug interactions occur? The doctor who didn't know this would happen or the pharmacist? If you filled a prescription the doctor ordered, and it reacted badly with something else the patient was on, would you legally be the responsible party even though the doctor prescribed both medications?

Depends on the situation. If you completely ignored a drug interaction or allergy or something, then yeah, your ass could be on the line. If you brought something like that up to the doc and they said, "screw you pharmacist, fill it", then you document that convo and it falls on the doc. This is why getting the complete picture is VERY important, regardless of setting. One of the most annoying things, IMO, is not knowing the diagnosis when docs write a script. At a hospital, you can just access the chart. In retail, if you see something "funny" like a really high dose of abx or something, you have to use your best judgment/call. If you just dispense something like that and don't ask questions, your ass may/may not be on the line. But, that's why we have liability insurance.

A practicing pharmacist will be able to better answer this question though because my experience is limited.

6) Are there any Virginia Pharmacy Schools that offer Distance Learning if I need to stay in my current living situation and can't travel to and from class that much.

Don't know about virginia but Creighton offers distance learning.

7) Is the structure of pharmacy school similar to that of medical school with the latter half focusing primarily on working in different clinical settings?

for 4 year school: first three years is didactic plus "introductory pharmacy practice experiences" where you go to different rotation sites to learn how a pharmacy operates. The quality of these rotations varies by the school, site, and preceptor, though. fourth year is rotations - 6 weeks at a time - and that's where you are supposed to learn to be a pharmacist. There is at least one school I know of that does 2 years didactic and 2 years rotations.

I don't know much about 3 year schools.

 

[rxlea]

Not at all..in a very jovial mood as always!

I was invited to go to In and Out with a friend today. Thank goodness I won't have to wait 4 hours in line

 

[Its Z]

I was invited to go to In and Out with a friend today. Thank goodness I won't have to wait 4 hours in line

One on Broadway? Holy..y'all got 7 of em..

 

[rxlea]

One on Broadway? Holy..y'all got 7 of em..

Nope. The one on Frank Lloyd Wright. I am in Phoenix working.