O-CHEM.. how important is it?

[jacketwrestler]

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I'm currently taking the second semester of Organic Chemistry and I just bombed my second test (we have four tests then the final). It really disgusts me just having to review/memorize all these reactions/mechanisms. Frankly, I hate this class. My question is.. how important is organic chem to getting through pharm school and to being a good pharmacist there after? I know I shouldn't trip out bombing just one test but I get mixed information on how O-chem is the foundation of pharmacy while some say besides the basics, its really not applicable.

 

[ZpackSux]

It's very important because it separates men from boys. And it has a bearing on admission.

Once you're in pharmacy, you'll never use it again.

Play the game. Get a good grade.

 

[DownonthePharm]

A lot of the biochemistry I am learning reeks of organic chemistry. It will probably help you IN pharmacy school, but doubtfully as a practicing pharmacist.

I made index cards with each general pathway on them. But dont try to memorize exact reactions, concentrate more on knowing neutrophilic and electrophilic properties and why electrons want to go where they do. This really helped me to figure out the oddball reactions I hadnt seen before. I tried to do the memorization thing when I first took Orgo and failed dramatically.

Organic Chemistry as a Second Language is a very helpful book series. There are two books covering both semesters of Orgo.

 

[dgroulx]

We still had to draw structures and mechanisms in med chem, but there is no synthesis problems. You need to understand what makes a molecule hydrophyllic or lipophyllic and what happens to the hydrogens when exposed to an acidic or basic environment.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

We still had to draw structures and mechanisms in med chem, but there is no synthesis problems. You need to understand what makes a molecule hydrophyllic or lipophyllic and what happens to the hydrogens when exposed to an acidic or basic environment.

Depends what COP you'll attend jacketwrestler; I never saw a chem structure while I was in school...it was all clinical 😳

 

[jacketwrestler]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I just have this fear that as a pharmacist I'll just be looking at chemical structures all day and be expected to know the mechanisms/reactions. Good knowing that won't be the case.


DownonthePharm... I'll take your advice because memorizing specific reactions was exactly what I did. Didn't work out too well for me either.

 

[rxlynn]

I'm currently taking the second semester of Organic Chemistry and I just bombed my second test (we have four tests then the final). It really disgusts me just having to review/memorize all these reactions/mechanisms. Frankly, I hate this class. My question is.. how important is organic chem to getting through pharm school and to being a good pharmacist there after? I know I shouldn't trip out bombing just one test but I get mixed information on how O-chem is the foundation of pharmacy while some say besides the basics, its really not applicable.

I'll echo what the other posters say - if you can get to the point that you have a sense of where the electrons want to go, it will help a LOT in figuring out all the reactions. My general sense so far is that probably what you got in Ochem I is the more important of the two classes to understand and be able to apply in pharmacy school. We've done a lot of stuff so far that you needed to know functional groups and real basic reactions. Also, when you do carbohydrates in biochem, it's helpful to already know how to look at the structures - I found myself going right back to the OCHEM book to review.

 

[twester]

I found myself going right back to the OCHEM book to review.

Ditto, I carried my old o-chem book around all last week to review some general concepts for one portion of a class. There were no reactions involved (except esterification), but some "What's going on in this molecule?" type of issues. Hopefully it will never be more involved than that (and it sounds like it won't be).

 

[pharmforme]

It's very important because it separates men from boys. And it has a bearing on admission.

Once you're in pharmacy, you'll never use it again.

Play the game. Get a good grade.

I agree. I think it is mainly an indicator of how you can handle the hard stuff 🙂

 

[MountainPharmD]

Bottomline? Its important because its a requirement to get into Pharmacy school. You not only have to pass it but you have to do well. I believe the technical term for it is "weed out class". I would stop worring about its importance and and instead worry about studing your butt off and doing as well as you can.