Pharmacist studying for MCAT

[Mps1]

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Hey all, just looking for some advice reguarding the MCAT. It has been only a few years since pharmacy school, but it seems like so long ago that I was doing first year chem,physics, bio etc. I was wondering if anyone had any good advice about homestudy prep books. I am basically looking for something that help jog my memory about the basics (ie balancing chemical equations etc) and will give me what i need for the MCAT. If anyone has any advice, it would help me alot. Thanks for all your help in advance!

 

[canjosh]

Examkrackers books. You can find them online.

 

[avatarftw]

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[Mps1]

Thanks for the help, it is really appreciated

 

[AvocadoLover]

Hey Mps I'm also a pharmacist, graduated in 07 and taking the MCAT in April. I've started studying mostly using Berkeley Review and a schedule similar to what SNDed suggests (look into the MCAT forum). I was actually really shocked how much I remembered. good luck!

 

[MiniMoo]

I was actually really shocked how much I remembered. good luck!

Really? I felt like I was relearning almost everything. OChem made me almost cry. I survived though, so it can be done. 😛

 

[Tygacil]

I took it just a couple years into pharmacy school and the only thing I remembered from physics was F = MA... totally doable though 🙂

 

[Mps1]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I have started studying for the MCAT and shockingly I do remember some of the stuff. I went with TBR books, and the study guide in the MCAT forums. It works well for me as the pharmacy I currently am employed at is quite slow, so I am able to studyn at work !!

 

[Fridko]

Me too, Pharmacist studying for MCAT...

Its a lot harder than I thought it would be to study while working full time. I get home and I am just beat. I've tried studying at work, but find I cannot maintain my concentration for more than a couple minutes with scripts and questions coming my way.

Do you guys find certain books have helped jog your memory more than others? I have picked up TPR and am looking at buying EK. I've cracked an old text book once or twice, and found that this really helped bring things back... But theres way too much in a text book to cover.

 

[MiniMoo]

Me too, Pharmacist studying for MCAT...

Its a lot harder than I thought it would be to study while working full time. I get home and I am just beat. I've tried studying at work, but find I cannot maintain my concentration for more than a couple minutes with scripts and questions coming my way.

Do you guys find certain books have helped jog your memory more than others? I have picked up TPR and am looking at buying EK. I've cracked an old text book once or twice, and found that this really helped bring things back... But theres way too much in a text book to cover.

I used TPR exclusively. Seemed to work for me, and it had been a good 8 years since taking any of my pre-reqs.

 

[AvocadoLover]

Me too, Pharmacist studying for MCAT...

Its a lot harder than I thought it would be to study while working full time. I get home and I am just beat. I've tried studying at work, but find I cannot maintain my concentration for more than a couple minutes with scripts and questions coming my way.

Do you guys find certain books have helped jog your memory more than others? I have picked up TPR and am looking at buying EK. I've cracked an old text book once or twice, and found that this really helped bring things back... But theres way too much in a text book to cover.

🙁 Working full-time and studying for the MCAT must be really tough. Any way you can cut back your hrs? Since I also had to take Physics II (did not take pre-pharm since it was not required) I cut back to two-three 10s a week and am taking the physics class and studying for the MCAT. Even this seems overwhelming!

I also just wanted to say good luck to all of you pharmacists responding! It's good to see so many pharmacists making the move... def an exciting time in our lives...

 

[7starmantis]

Me too, Pharmacist studying for MCAT...

Its a lot harder than I thought it would be to study while working full time. I get home and I am just beat. I've tried studying at work, but find I cannot maintain my concentration for more than a couple minutes with scripts and questions coming my way.

You can do it, its really tough but doable. Just dont get frustrated and keep after it. I was working full time and made a stupid mistake so I was taking a full load including three lab science courses two of which were pre-reqs. All while trying to graduate and study for the MCAT. So just know people have been there and made it through, I didn't do so hot on the MCAT but thats all behind me now!

Good luck!!

 

[Mps1]

Yea, working fulltime and studying is not fun. I have found that if I get up an hour or so earlier in the morning, I am able to get in some book time. I personally am using TBR and the EK 1001 questions. I did quite bit of research on these forums and it seems like if you can deal with TBR's archaic ordering process they are one of the best! Good luck to everyone !

 

[Got Em]

I'm in a similar situation like most of you guys. I'm working about 50 hours per week and try to study for MCATs every other day. It's just really tough with a full time job. I took the pre-reqs 7 years ago and don't remember anything. EK didn't really work for me (1001 questions are pretty good though) , but I'm getting TBR soon.

 

[J ROD]

Use BR or PR for the sciences....EK verbal 101 for verbal.

Also, taking alot of practice tests are key. I underestimated this the first time and did not have the BR books!!

But, it can be done...just look at me!! 🙂

 

[Bobby Mercer]

I am in another health care profession and was considering going to pharmacy school. Why are there so many pharmacists looking to not do pharmacy and go to medical school? (The question is basically what is the problem you are having with pharmacy, not the reasons you would rather go to medical school)

 

[austinblnd]

I'm in a similar situation like most of you guys. I'm working about 50 hours per week and try to study for MCATs every other day. It's just really tough with a full time job. I took the pre-reqs 7 years ago and don't remember anything. EK didn't really work for me (1001 questions are pretty good though) , but I'm getting TBR soon.

Are you going to work part time as a pharmacist while (hopefully) attending medical school?

 

[Mps1]

For me it has alot to do with the fact that our profession just keeps selling itself out. Our colleges and assoications are run by the corporate giants who have no interest in the future of pharmacy. Things like selling cigarettes in pharmacies, drive through windows, and buying presciption transfers make us laughable in the eyes of not only healthcare professionals, but also the public. Retail is ruining the profession, and it is my opinon that unless pharmacists choose to not be so apathetic we will be replaced with pharmacy techs.

 

[Bobby Mercer]

MPS1,

I can understand the doubt you feel, I get it with my profession too, but I have all the respect in the world for you pharmacists and you should be proud of what you do. People who think otherwise are just naive. You will never be replaced. Never. Drugs, prescriptions, insurance claims, formulating medicines, everything you guys do is so essential and can never be replaced by a tech or anything else. A job this important always requires human supervision and the expertise of a pharmacist. Its like having a pilot in a plane. Planes can easily fly on their own, but good luck getting passengers on a plane with no pilot. Always need to keep professionally trained humans in the loop. Good luck in all your endeavors.

 

[Mps1]

Thanks for the words of encouragement Bobby, it just sucks to see a profession that I feel has so much potential flushed down the tubes by corporate bigwigs. I do appreciate the respect, from yourself and other HCP's and i truely hope that pharmacists will be around in the future. I do not want to discourgae you from becoming a pharmacist, I think it is a great profession, we as pharmacists just need to learn not to be so apathetic. Good luck with what ever path you choose.

 

[AvocadoLover]

I am in another health care profession and was considering going to pharmacy school. Why are there so many pharmacists looking to not do pharmacy and go to medical school? (The question is basically what is the problem you are having with pharmacy, not the reasons you would rather go to medical school)

Hey Bobby, I think there are lots of different reasons that pharmacists are leaving their profession, but I can only speak for myself. I personally love being a pharmacist. I completed a residency and have been working as a clinical pharmacist ever since. The thing for me though is I never feel like I truly get enough. I always want to spend more time with the patients. I want to be able to help them more and I want to understand the full story and not just look at them from a pharmacotherapy standpoint. Anyhow, if your interested in pharm and you've done your research by all means- go for it! It truly is a wonderful, and rewarding career!

 

[bigpharmD]

I personally like my job..work with a transplant program and I am fullfilled for the most part. For me I dont think going to medical school would add much but headaches, financial problems, and less time with my family. I think it is over rated by other people. There are a lot of opportunities for pharmacists but most dont take advantage of them and go for the first job out of school.

 

[Pharm2MD]

Hey everyone,

I am also a PharmD studying for the MCAT currently and planning on returning to medical school. I cannot speak for others, but my major reason for going back is "lack of fulfillment" with pharmacy. I am actually in the middle of a pharmacy residency right now in a hospital doing lots of "clinical pharmacy" things, however, it is not enough for me. My guess is that most pharmacists who are returning to medical school have similar feelings as I do.

There is a degree of disillusionment that goes on in pharmacy school. I heard many stories in my pharmacy classes about clincal pharmacists being the "leaders" on the medical team and physicians being clueless about drug therapy. What I have found is that in practice that is very much not the case. Medical interns and residents and to some degree hospitalists or internal medicine physicians often are clueless about a lot of drug therapies, however, specialists are not. Cardiologists are far more knowledgeable about cardiovascular drugs than I am, eventhough I am the "drug expert" because that is their job. The fact of the matter is that despite what you are told in pharmacy school..the role of the clinical pharmacist is still fairly limited, and that may be okay for many.

For me, I have found myself wanting to do more than just manage a patient's medications or make a couple interventions or recommendations on drug therapy here or there. Throughout the course of this year I have become extremely interested in the diagnosis and inital patient work-up and care plan, things that pharmacy cannot and will not ever offer me.

The key is to understand that the role of the pharmacist is to only manage drug therapy (and sometimes it is a limited role at that). If that is what interests you most then pharmacy is an awesome career with a great salary and flexible hours and I say go for it. I think that pharmacy professors and pharmacy school that try to sell clinical pharmacy as the leader of a medical team or as a profession that is making loads of medication interventions daily are doing a disservice to the profession and to the students.

I wish all the pharmacists who are deciding to go back, like myself, good luck in their quest. Don't let people try to tell you are foolish for going further in debt and giving up 100K+ jobs. The important thing is that you end up with a career that is meaningful and fulfilling to you.

 

[Mps1]

Well said Pharm2Med.

 

[Got Em]

Are you going to work part time as a pharmacist while (hopefully) attending medical school?

I would like to work once or twice a month, but PRN jobs are pretty hard to find in big cities. I know many pharmacists that still float in stores and sometimes the market scheduler can't even find them a shift.

 

[AvocadoLover]

Hey Pharmacists! Just wanted to check in and see how you all are doing with the studies! Personally, I've been having a lot of good study days, but of course there are some bad ones (particularly with gen chem! what gives?) Also, I hope you all have signed up for the exam at this point. I was hoping to change my date. I scheduled it for April before the semester started but once I got my syllabus I realized I have a physics exam the day before I the MCAT (figures!) Anyhow, when I tried to reschedule there was not a SINGLE Cali spot open until June 17th!! So, I think I'm taking a road trip...
Anyhow, keep up the good work guys!

 

[bassvp]

bigpharmD....satisfied with pharmacy, but pre-optometry. What is it that YOU are still looking for since you are mostly satisfied? Just wanna hear the opinion of someone who is defending pharmacy, yet looking for something different. Thanks!

 

[PharMed2016]

Hey everyone,

I am also a PharmD studying for the MCAT currently and planning on returning to medical school. I cannot speak for others, but my major reason for going back is "lack of fulfillment" with pharmacy. I am actually in the middle of a pharmacy residency right now in a hospital doing lots of "clinical pharmacy" things, however, it is not enough for me. My guess is that most pharmacists who are returning to medical school have similar feelings as I do.

There is a degree of disillusionment that goes on in pharmacy school. I heard many stories in my pharmacy classes about clincal pharmacists being the "leaders" on the medical team and physicians being clueless about drug therapy. What I have found is that in practice that is very much not the case. Medical interns and residents and to some degree hospitalists or internal medicine physicians often are clueless about a lot of drug therapies, however, specialists are not. Cardiologists are far more knowledgeable about cardiovascular drugs than I am, eventhough I am the "drug expert" because that is their job. The fact of the matter is that despite what you are told in pharmacy school..the role of the clinical pharmacist is still fairly limited, and that may be okay for many.

For me, I have found myself wanting to do more than just manage a patient's medications or make a couple interventions or recommendations on drug therapy here or there. Throughout the course of this year I have become extremely interested in the diagnosis and inital patient work-up and care plan, things that pharmacy cannot and will not ever offer me.

The key is to understand that the role of the pharmacist is to only manage drug therapy (and sometimes it is a limited role at that). If that is what interests you most then pharmacy is an awesome career with a great salary and flexible hours and I say go for it. I think that pharmacy professors and pharmacy school that try to sell clinical pharmacy as the leader of a medical team or as a profession that is making loads of medication interventions daily are doing a disservice to the profession and to the students.

I wish all the pharmacists who are deciding to go back, like myself, good luck in their quest. Don't let people try to tell you are foolish for going further in debt and giving up 100K+ jobs. The important thing is that you end up with a career that is meaningful and fulfilling to you.

Well said.

 

[rxlea]

I stumbled in on this thread and now I feel somewhat discouraged 🙁 I was just accepted to a Top 10 pharmacy school and it is a clinically focused program. I really enjoy working with patients and I see that the roles of the pharmacist are expanding (however slow that might be). I want to do clinical work and maybe specialize in critical care. The pharmacists I work with at the hospital are very much involved with patient care and get a lot of "face time" with patients, and are an integral part of the medical team. But, I am starting to think that the hospital in which I work is somewhat of an "outlier" in this arena...maybe we are an exception? I like patient care, pharmacology, chemistry, and everything that goes along with pharmacy...but, I am afraid that if I jump into this, that at the end of 4 years, I might end up wanting to do medicine; especially if the pharmacist organizations don't grow a frickin' backbone and start speaking up for pharmacists. I believe retail is ruining this profession.

 

[PhoenixR25]

I appreciate this thread and all of the input that has been given, but I am in a little bit of a predicament myself because I have been accepted into a top pharm and medical school... After working in a clinical setting, I felt as though pharmacy was more in my favor; better hours, less insurance, great pay, leader of a team, but I have been wrestling with this decision for a while. With all of you guys making the switch, it sure isn't helping 😳. I hope I don't regret my decision later on, and have to start all over, in either direction!

 

[DavidMD2B]

I appreciate this thread and all of the input that has been given, but I am in a little bit of a predicament myself because I have been accepted into a top pharm and medical school... After working in a clinical setting, I felt as though pharmacy was more in my favor; better hours, less insurance, great pay, leader of a team, but I have been wrestling with this decision for a while. With all of you guys making the switch, it sure isn't helping 😳. I hope I don't regret my decision later on, and have to start all over, in either direction!

So, let me get this right. You have been accepted to both Pharmd and MD/DO programs? I would definitely recommend that you take the MD/DO route. I went to pharmacy school for two years. Wasted $60K!!! One day I just walked out as one of the pharmacist professors was going on and on about how he knows so much about patient care and that most physicians are idiots.

I have been contemplating leaving after my first semester but I don't like to quit. I figured I should just complete the program. However, after spending hours in the OTC section. Basically standing there like an idiot asking customers if I can help them. I decided that may be this isn't for me. I think pharmacy is for people who have some experience working in retail and have an appreciation for that. Otherwise, it can be very limiting.

Now, I am in graduate school and will be completing my degree this December. I will be taking the MCAT in July. One of my PhD professors (@ pharmacy school) told me...just follow your passion and you will never go wrong. Good luck to all of you.

 

[rxlea]

So, let me get this right. You have been accepted to both Pharmd and MD/DO programs? I would definitely recommend that you take the MD/DO route. I went to pharmacy school for two years. Wasted $60K!!! One day I just walked out as one of the pharmacist professors was going on and on about how he knows so much about patient care and that most physicians are idiots.

I have been contemplating leaving after my first semester but I don't like to quit. I figured I should just complete the program. However, after spending hours in the OTC section. Basically standing there like an idiot asking customers if I can help them. I decided that may be this isn't for me. I think pharmacy is for people who have some experience working in retail and have an appreciation for that. Otherwise, it can be very limiting.

Now, I am in graduate school and will be completing my degree this December. I will be taking the MCAT in July. One of my PhD professors (@ pharmacy school) told me...just follow your passion and you will never go wrong. Good luck to all of you.

...eh, I would feel the same way except that not all of pharmacy is retail. I work in a top notch institution where the pharmacists are a direct part of patient care. It is interesting and enjoyable to work here as a tech and seems just as interesting and enjoyable to be a pharmacist. I hope I work here after I graduate.

 

[PhoenixR25]

...eh, I would feel the same way except that not all of pharmacy is retail. I work in a top notch institution where the pharmacists are a direct part of patient care. It is interesting and enjoyable to work here as a tech and seems just as interesting and enjoyable to be a pharmacist. I hope I work here after I graduate.

May I ask what area of pharmacy do you work in? I'm really at a loss for which school to attend, One concern is the length of education vs debt. Medical school is 5X the debt of Pharm school..I know you shouldn't base a decision off money, but it is a contributing factor. I have found posts where pharmacists go to medical school, and visa versa...I really need to make a decision soon 😳.

 

[rxlea]

May I ask what area of pharmacy do you work in? I'm really at a loss for which school to attend, One concern is the length of education vs debt. Medical school is 5X the debt of Pharm school..I know you shouldn't base a decision off money, but it is a contributing factor. I have found posts where pharmacists go to medical school, and visa versa...I really need to make a decision soon 😳.

Inpatient hospital pharmacy. The front lines, baby!! lol

 

[bassvp]

I graduated in 2007. The problem that I see with pharmacy is that if you are a free spirit...then you aren't going to like having the clinical knowledge and always having to filter it through the doctor. That's not to say that that isn't the way it should be, but your scope of practice will always be limited on whether the doc wants your opinion or not...which may not be in any way correlated to how good your opinion is. 🙂 If you find the right setting and the right docs, then I'm sure it can be fantastic! My favorite doctor I encountered in pharmacy school had been a pharmacist himself (before he settled on cardiothoracic surgery). It's because he thrived on making full use of a multi-disciplinary team. I think it made him better and it made his team better. But many of these individuals ARE outliers.

I went into retail for 3 years and became dumber because of it. I'm in hospital right now, but still see some of my older, experienced colleagues really struggle with not having their opinion heard and are unfulfilled b/c of it.

 

[bassvp]

On the debt note...don't worry about it! The real problem is when you get out of school how much you think you deserve. If you deserve a phat house and a sweet Mercedes, then you may have a problem (or maybe your significant other feels like they deserve a little something for all the crap you put them through while in school). However, if you can watch your spending for a couple of years, then all that debt doesn't have to own your life. Clean it up and move on. It's just a necessary evil.

 

[SamwisetheBrave]

...The problem that I see with pharmacy is that if you are a free spirit...then you aren't going to like having the clinical knowledge and always having to filter it through the doctor. That's not to say that that isn't the way it should be, but your scope of practice will always be limited on whether the doc wants your opinion or not...which may not be in any way correlated to how good your opinion is. 🙂 If you find the right setting and the right docs, then I'm sure it can be fantastic!...

You really hit the nail on the head. For those of us who would prefer to "grab the bull by the horns," it is a challenge to channel our thoughts through a third party. That said, in all of the inpatient settings that I have worked, physicians are very receptive to the recommendations that pharmacists make (I would say that at least 75% of the interventions that pharmacists make are accepted at my institution). That being said, the pharmacist intervention process is still duplicative, which is frustrating. Also, I think that there are many pharmacists who want to know and do more than our scope of practice currently and probably will ever allow.

I am quite sure that there are niches in pharmacy (probably non-traditional settings), which would be more appropriate for individuals with the previously mentioned personality traits; I have to say that I'm still looking though. Getting back to the topic of this post, one of the options that I am also weighing is medical school because I do think that I would probably be more satisfied with a career as a physician.

 

[stoptouchingme]

Inpatient hospital pharmacy. The front lines, baby!! lol

Whether its inpatient pharmacy or retail @ Walmart, pharmacy is just a very limited field. You will spend a large part of your job dispensing. I think pharmacy schools like to tell students that they are going to be a very huge part of the medical team but the reality is that you are there as someone who will get the medication in a bottle and make sure the patient gets it with instructions. It is a great profession for someone who likes monotony and has experienced pharmacy as a tech.

 

[wagmanager]

let me put in my 2 cents. as a retail pharmacist your scope of practice or the knowledge you actually use is vey limited. you spend most of your time recommending cough medication, calling on insurance problems and directing customers to different aisles for paper plates and the like. if you have the opportunity to go to medical school I would take it and run.Even in clinical settings you are under the md and he can choose to accept your advice or discard it.(i've been a pharmacist for 10 years)

 

[SamwisetheBrave]

Whether its inpatient pharmacy or retail @ Walmart, pharmacy is just a very limited field. You will spend a large part of your job dispensing. I think pharmacy schools like to tell students that they are going to be a very huge part of the medical team but the reality is that you are there as someone who will get the medication in a bottle and make sure the patient gets it with instructions. It is a great profession for someone who likes monotony and has experienced pharmacy as a tech.

In many situations (particularly for retail pharmacy) this is true. In other practice settings, your statement is patently false. As an inpatient pharmacist at a midwestern academic medical center, I have no dispensing responsibilities at all. Granted, my work enviornment and responsibilities are not the norm for pharmacists.

You raise a couple of very good points:

1. There is a massive disconnect between what a graduating pharmacy student thinks he can/should be doing and what his role will actually encompass.
2. While my duties may be less monotonous than the average pharmacist, I still find that I am bored a significant amount of time at work.
​

 

[rxlea]

Stoptouchingme,

The pharmacists I work with don't dispense as much as you say. They are always doing clinical work up on the floors and they rotate through the various areas including the OR satelite. They all go on rounds, too. Some give presentations and attend conferences (not the pharmacist ones). Our research pharmacist has traveled to attend research meetings. I have asked them if they like what they do and they all say they do. They don't seem bored at all, especially the critical care pharmacists. They all mention how much they are part of the medical team. They know all the doctors and surgeons. They all have access to the same information that the doctors do. They attend codes and help doctors to "diagnose". So they do more than a typical staff pharmacist. Of course I work at an institution that seems to be different than most and I hope to get hired here after I graduate. You make it sound like I don't know what I am talking about...

 

[stoptouchingme]

Stoptouchingme,

The pharmacists I work with don't dispense as much as you say. They are always doing clinical work up on the floors and they rotate through the various areas including the OR satelite. They all go on rounds, too. Some give presentations and attend conferences (not the pharmacist ones). Our research pharmacist has traveled to attend research meetings. I have asked them if they like what they do and they all say they do. They don't seem bored at all, especially the critical care pharmacists. They all mention how much they are part of the medical team. They know all the doctors and surgeons. They all have access to the same information that the doctors do. They attend codes and help doctors to "diagnose". So they do more than a typical staff pharmacist. Of course I work at an institution that seems to be different than most and I hope to get hired here after I graduate. You make it sound like I don't know what I am talking about...

I didn't mean any disrespect. The reason I decided to chime in is that I used to be a pharmd student. I decided to leave after completing my second year. As Samthebrave mentioned above, pharmacy students are usually led to believe that they are going to have a bigger role in managing patients than what reality has in store.

It is however, a great profession for someone who have had the opportunity to work at a pharmacy and feel that getting a pharmacy degree will help them strengthen their knowledge base and perhaps have better career opportunities.

I am glad that you are in a very fulfilling situation. You are very fortunate.