No pharmacy experience, what should I do now?

[Bubblewrap]

Hey everyone, I've been thinking about something and I need your advice. I am going to be a P2 student this coming fall, but I didn't get an internship this summer and I have no previous experience work experience in pharmacy.

I've been told that its really bad to continue my pharmacy education without having any experience and that I should have gotten an internship. I've also been told that I'm really behind without having any.

I've been thinking about working during my P2 year, but I would be in school, so I asked around to see how many hours I can put in. Someone told me that if they wanted to work then they would do 10-15 hours/week, but they told me it will still be really hard to juggle school work and pharmacy work. One of my friends told me that they would recommend working once a month and pick up more hours when I feel comfortable. That sounded like a good idea, however, even though I have an intern status, I still have no experience in pharmacy and I don't think anybody would hire someone like that.

I know the contact info for the intern coordinator for the company I want to work with, but I haven't contacted her yet because my pharmacy school is not located in my hometown or anywhere near my hometown. I would be heading home during the winter and summer breaks, thus I won't be able to work during my breaks.

I wanted to avoid this headache and get some advice first.

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[BidingMyTime]

I've been told that its really bad to continue my pharmacy education without having any experience and that I should have gotten an internship. I've also been told that I'm really behind without having any.

It's not recommended, but I wouldn't say its "really bad". There were a few in my graduating class who had NO pharmacy experience until they started their rotations. They survived and went onto pharmacy careers just fine. The concern is that you will find during your last year that you absolutely hate pharmacy, at a point where you've already invested tons of time and money. Honestly though, there are so many different avenues that you can use a pharmacy degree in, it's pretty unlikely you couldn't find some acceptable path to go down. I would recommend trying to get some pharmacy experience, but I wouldn't overly worry about it, nor would I risk grades for it. One possibility is maybe getting a job with a chain, then you could work minimally during the school year, and when you go home on breaks, potentially be able to pick up shifts at the store closest to your home.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Virtually everyone works while in school. It's not hard to do both.

 

[Bubblewrap]

It's not recommended, but I wouldn't say its "really bad". There were a few in my graduating class who had NO pharmacy experience until they started their rotations. They survived and went onto pharmacy careers just fine. The concern is that you will find during your last year that you absolutely hate pharmacy, at a point where you've already invested tons of time and money. Honestly though, there are so many different avenues that you can use a pharmacy degree in, it's pretty unlikely you couldn't find some acceptable path to go down. I would recommend trying to get some pharmacy experience, but I wouldn't overly worry about it, nor would I risk grades for it. One possibility is maybe getting a job with a chain, then you could work minimally during the school year, and when you go home on breaks, potentially be able to pick up shifts at the store closest to your home.

I've also heard of people getting retail positions without having previous pharmacy experience, but I'm thinking about doing residencies. From what I heard residencies are extremely competitive and students who do not have work experience in a pharmacy don't have a chance in getting a spot. This is why I really want some experience. Plus, I've heard it helps you with your studies as you move forward in pharmacy school.

Virtually everyone works while in school. It's not hard to do both.

I have read some posts on SDN where many students do work during pharmacy school. I'm just worried whether I can handle it because I've never worked before in my life >.< Plus, one of my classmates who is an upperclassmen said not many people in her class work and if they did then they would work only once a month.



I really want to work though but I don't want to risk my grades. If my desire is to work once a month (and considering that I've never worked before), then I'm not sure if I can get the job. I'm wondering if I should try and do 5-10 hours/week......

 

[owlegrad]

Going through pharmacy school without working seems like a really, really bad idea to me.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

If you can't work 10 hours a week on top of school then how are you going to manage to handle residency?

 

[positivesign]

You want to work more than once a month for sure. Not only you're not learning anything, you can't pick up the work flow with such a little time commitment. Protocols may change every once in awhile and you're back to square zero. A lot of internships hire you and then work you hard during breaks to allow you to immerse into the work environment. Working during school...unless they push you hard, will be less than 15-20 hrs/wk in most cases. Even then, these are barely enough to keep the knowledge you got while working harder during breaks.
I would say don't be scared to work. Unlike undergraduate, all the things we do/learn at work actually matters and will apply to things we learn at school and our future as pharmacists.
Keep in mind that the knowledge we gain in school is only good when we know how to use it in the real world.

 

[bacillus1]

You should definitely work. If your grades suffer a little bit, so be it. It's better to have average grades and work experience than amazing grades and no work experience.

 

[spacecowgirl]

. I'm just worried whether I can handle it because I've never worked before in my life >.<

I find this truly harrowing. Not sarcastically so.

 

[Bubblewrap]

You should definitely work. If your grades suffer a little bit, so be it. It's better to have average grades and work experience than amazing grades and no work experience.

If you can't work 10 hours a week on top of school then how are you going to manage to handle residency?

Good point.

 

[ucrx]

If you tell me you work once a month while on a residency interview, I'm going to consider it the same as not working. It would be a huge sign that you couldn't handle working during school and that might translate into not being able to handle the hours/multiple projects of residency.

Also, if you've never worked before and don't work in school you'll be at a major disadvantage looking for any job when you graduate. Try to find a job near school and work 1-2 shifts a week. If you know you're putting in those hours you can plan your studying/social life/etc. around it. It'll be worth it.

 

[MackandBlues]

You should be able to work 10-15 hours a week while in pharmacy school. Its like working every other weekend. Which you will probably be required to do in residency. Some programs are staff every other weekend or every third weekend. And I agree with the comments that you should be able to work 10-15 hours per week and do school if you expect to be able to do residency.

 

[sakigt]

I feel for students....on one hand they hear you should work, on the other people say you should devote yourself to the coursework.

I say, work as much as possible. No. You cannot work 1 day a month. That is unreasonable for an employer and pointless as an employee. You will not gain the experience you need. So that's that. I worked 20-30 hrs/week. My grades suffered. My social life suffered. My sanity suffered. But that is the kind of person I am. (Ive also worked at least 30 hours/week since I was 16).

I am not saying this path is for you, but if you decide not to choose this path, I would suggest you differeniate yourself stellarly in other ways.

 

[Bubblewrap]

Thank you guys for all your input
And I wish you guys the best of luck with everything.

I'm going to see if I can get a job at a nearby pharmacy and work for about 10-15 hr

 

[samisab786]

yea, it's a bit over the top for you to think it's the end of the world without having pharmacy experience. I'm a P4 and I don't have any, and while I did whatever I could to try to get an internship, I never ended up getting one. What I did do is volunteer and get involved in that meantime. My friends worked crazy hours and did just fine in school. After P2 year, you will realize school is not about the "spend 100% of your time studying" mindset and that there are ways to balance work, school and life. Best wishes.

 

[BBW123]

Also you could try volunteering to gain work experience and that can lead to a job.

 

[Bubblewrap]

Also you could try volunteering to gain work experience and that can lead to a job.

I have some volunteer experience in an in-patient pharmacy at a hospital, but I get the impression that employers don't count volunteering as work, but I understand why. Volunteers are only allowed to do so much.

 

[PharmDKat]

entry level positions are non-existent when there is more supply than demand.

https://www.change.org/p/national-a...nd-demand-of-the-pharmacist?just_created=true

 

[anon89]

I had 0 pharmacy experience when I graduated. Finding a job was super tough but I also did move away from my home state.

I think it's doable, just hard. If you can work, and find a job then do it. If not, then it's not the end of the world. It'll just take you longer to find a job most likely.