PBA vs. NOVA (Which better prepares for Hospital Residencies?)

[prepharmanewb]

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HELLO ALL!

I WOULD LIKE TO REACH OUT TO CURRENT NSU OR PBA PHARMACY STUDENTS (PREFERABLY P3 AND P4)

1) WHICH INSTITUTION BETTER PREPARES FOR HOSPITAL RESIDENCIES? (WHICH STUDENTS SEEM TO HAVE A BETTER GRASP OF THINGS)

2) DO PBA STUDENTS HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY GET INTO RESIDENCIES IN JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OR THE CLEVELAND CLINIC?

3) DETAILS OF EXPERIENCES ( PROFESSORS, COURSE MODULES, EXAM SPREAD (HOW MANY PER WEEK), RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES) IN EITHER WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED !!!


(I have been accepted into both programs but need to make a quick decision due to a lack of financial resources)
I am interested in working in the hospital setting and perhaps research as well.

 

[fauxden]

let me put this in terms you can understand:

I ASSUME YOU CAN ONLY READ CAPS, AND THAT IS WHY YOU WROTE YOUR POST THAT WAY.

ALL PROGRAMS TEACH YOU THE SAME CRAP. GO TO THE CHEAPEST SCHOOL YOU CAN FIND. YOU WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND A JOB, LET ALONE HOSPITAL, BY THE TIME YOU GRADUATE.

 

[prepharmanewb]

Why the animosity? There really was no need for that. But I guess we all have bad days.

Just reaching out for some help and guidance.
But obviously I (+ possibly others) would appreciate it if we could keep useless and tiresome comments (such as the one above me) to a minimum.

THANK YOU

 

[gwarm01]

We get a lot of NSU students at my hospital and they... uh.. aren't always that great. A number of our pharmacists went there and said the education was good, but the general consensus is that the quality has dropped quite a bit in recent years.

All I know about PBA is that the students have a Jesus fish on their jackets and the tail forms into an "Rx." That alone is enough for me to steer clear.

 

[NejixRockS]

We get a lot of NSU students at my hospital and they... uh.. aren't always that great. A number of our pharmacists went there and said the education was good, but the general consensus is that the quality has dropped quite a bit in recent years.

All I know about PBA is that the students have a Jesus fish on their jackets and the tail forms into an "Rx." That alone is enough for me to steer clear.

"Recent years" as in when? It's true that back in 2008-2010 things were pretty bad, but they got a new dean and I heard things have changed for the better. I volunteered in a hospital where NSU students were doing rotations and they seemed well prepared (or so I was told by the pharmacists). In that same hospital I saw two UF students that were completely lost during a presentation...
When it comes to PBA, I totally agree with you lol... First thing that comes to mind when I think about PBA is the religious crap they make you do (even though its only a small part of their curriculum) I want nothing to do with that...

 

[gwarm01]

"Recent years" as in when?

I'm thinking of a few students doing their rotations in 2013 and 2014, so maybe they were in the middle of their didactic portion during a bad period at the school? I have no idea, this is all anecdotal. I'm not from the area so I'm just hearing stories from my colleagues.

It may not even be the school. Each year more schools are accepting lower quality students. We see plenty of incredibly bright and motivated students, but a large portion of them just don't cut it.

 

[hpamazing]

HELLO ALL!

I WOULD LIKE TO REACH OUT TO CURRENT NSU OR PBA PHARMACY STUDENTS (PREFERABLY P3 AND P4)

1) WHICH INSTITUTION BETTER PREPARES FOR HOSPITAL RESIDENCIES? (WHICH STUDENTS SEEM TO HAVE A BETTER GRASP OF THINGS)

2) DO PBA STUDENTS HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY GET INTO RESIDENCIES IN JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OR THE CLEVELAND CLINIC?

3) DETAILS OF EXPERIENCES ( PROFESSORS, COURSE MODULES, EXAM SPREAD (HOW MANY PER WEEK), RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES) IN EITHER WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED !!!


(I have been accepted into both programs but need to make a quick decision due to a lack of financial resources)
I am interested in working in the hospital setting and perhaps research as well.

PBA students tend to get a little more depth in some courses compared to NSU. your toughest year is your P2 year in NSU. My PBA colleagues have all matched to VA's around the nation and NSU kids have matched at other places. NSU is a research institution so, you've got more than ample opportunity for research. It's up to you to explore it. PBA has alot of out of school activities. When you think of legislation or national members at large of pharmacy organizations you should think PBA.

You did not specify your NSU campus. There are 3 campuses. Your degree of professor interaction depends on the campus you apply for. The least in Puerto Rico and the most in Fort Lauderdale. West Palm is in the middle.

When it comes to rotations, every site is fair game. NSU has a program where you do 6 months of clinicals at Jackson (you have to apply for this program) and there are block rotations offered at Cleveland clinic and a few other hospitals.

Pharmacy school does not prepare you for a residency. You prepare yourself. You take what it provided, understand it and it's up to you to apply it.

 

[kvl1027]

The correct answer in Florida is University of Florida, I'm biased of course! As a preceptor for NOVA and UF, UF students seem to be better prepared, clinically speaking. You get good ones and bad ones from each school, but that's the general consensus. Have you tried applying to UF, it's cheaper too!

 

[BidingMyTime]

My eyes are tired....I read this thread as PBS vs Nova and was thinking, but isn't Nova a PBS show, and is it true one can now get a pharmacy degree from watching TV?

 

[NejixRockS]

The correct answer in Florida is University of Florida, I'm biased of course! As a preceptor for NOVA and UF, UF students seem to be better prepared, clinically speaking. You get good ones and bad ones from each school, but that's the general consensus. Have you tried applying to UF, it's cheaper too!

I heard UF's dean left, they closed one of their satellite-campuses and are completely changing their curriculum. If everything is so good, why change it? Like you said, there are good and bad students in both schools. I chose NOVA over UF because it will be cheaper for me, and I will still get a good education. Both schools provide good rotations, and you will also have a good chance to get into a residency program. So no, UF is not always the correct answer for Florida residents 🙂
I still think UF is a freaking great school tho 😛 Gooo Gators lol! 😀

 

[kvl1027]

I heard the Dean left to start a Pharmacy program at Miami, that's just hearsay though. Closing one of the 4 distance education campuses is the best thing that could happen to pharmacists in Florida. We do need to graduate that many pharmacists, people are having a hard enough time finding jobs. I for one would prefer a program that changes over time. In an ever changing industry, it's important to continually update the curriculum and keep things fresh. But again, I'm biased.

And BTW, NOVA is cheaper the UF now!!!! What the hell?

 

[NejixRockS]

I heard the Dean left to start a Pharmacy program at Miami, that's just hearsay though. Closing one of the 4 distance education campuses is the best thing that could happen to pharmacists in Florida. We do need to graduate that many pharmacists, people are having a hard enough time finding jobs. I for one would prefer a program that changes over time. In an ever changing industry, it's important to continually update the curriculum and keep things fresh. But again, I'm biased.

And BTW, NOVA is cheaper the UF now!!!! What the hell?

UF is around 26.5k and NOVA is around 29.2k. I live pretty close to NOVA (around 30 mins) So ya... The rent I will have to pay in UF makes it more expensive for me 🙁

 

[kvl1027]

Ah, that makes sense. It's crazy they are that comparable in price. Tuition rates seem to never have a ceiling! It's really out of hand.

 

[owlegrad]

Ah, that makes sense. It's crazy they are that comparable in price. Tuition rates seem to never have a ceiling! It's really out of hand.

Yeah, when I was at UF the tuition went up year after year till they were almost the same as NOVA. WTF is right. Crazy.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Go the the cheapest

that is the best answer you will get

 

[prepharmanewb]

PBA students tend to get a little more depth in some courses compared to NSU. your toughest year is your P2 year in NSU. My PBA colleagues have all matched to VA's around the nation and NSU kids have matched at other places. NSU is a research institution so, you've got more than ample opportunity for research. It's up to you to explore it. PBA has alot of out of school activities. When you think of legislation or national members at large of pharmacy organizations you should think PBA.

You did not specify your NSU campus. There are 3 campuses. Your degree of professor interaction depends on the campus you apply for. The least in Puerto Rico and the most in Fort Lauderdale. West Palm is in the middle.

When it comes to rotations, every site is fair game. NSU has a program where you do 6 months of clinicals at Jackson (you have to apply for this program) and there are block rotations offered at Cleveland clinic and a few other hospitals.

Pharmacy school does not prepare you for a residency. You prepare yourself. You take what it provided, understand it and it's up to you to apply it.

Thank you!!! 😀 Best answer yet

That 6 months of clinicals in Nova sounds great!
But you said you have to apply? Is it just a program offered at Jackson? If I were to go to PBA, would I be able to apply to this?
Thank you again in advance

 

[Dred Pirate]

Thank you!!! 😀 Best answer yet

That 6 months of clinicals in Nova sounds great!
But you said you have to apply? Is it just a program offered at Jackson? If I were to go to PBA, would I be able to apply to this?
Thank you again in advance

no - mine is the best

 

[hpamazing]

Thank you!!! 😀 Best answer yet

That 6 months of clinicals in Nova sounds great!
But you said you have to apply? Is it just a program offered at Jackson? If I were to go to PBA, would I be able to apply to this?
Thank you again in advance

No, its a program offered by a faculty at NSU in Fort Lauderdale. Let me explain: one of the faculty members at NSU is an ID pharmacist at Jackson. He took on an initiative called the ACE program which provides 6 months of heavy set exposure at jackson in your final year. You apply in your third year (or whenever he sends out the email to apply) and the 6 students are then selected. This is a highly competitive program and it is not applicable to PBA.

I concur with Dred Pirate though, the cheaper is the better option. If you're making your decision based on this one clinical program offered, you need to put more thought into it. You can get great experiences and clinical exposure at both institutions. One is a highly religious institution and the other is a highly watered down institution. IMO.