Pharmacy Biochemistry

[DoctorRx1986]

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As an incoming P1 student, I'd like to know what pharmacy biochemistry is like. As a pre-pharmacy student, general chemistry and organic chemistry courses focused on problem solving and using one reagent and reaction condition to get from product A to product B. This was the general format of questions in organic chem and general chem involved equations and math. Likewise, what exactly is biochem in pharmacy school like? Will it involve those types of questions involving figuring out the product to a reaction or what? Will it simply consist of learning about properties of biomolecules without actual questions similar to organic? I guess what I'm trying to say is whether pharmacy biochem is more of a problem-solving course such as the undergrad chemistry or more of a biology course involving memorization, understanding concepts, and not as much problem solving.

 

[patmcd]

Its more about learning about cellular process (ie: respiration), cell structures, and receptor s.

 

[mike36]

Ours was heavy on enzyme mechanisms and metabolic pathways.

 

[rxlynn]

Virtually no problems - very heavy on metabolism, cells, enzymes, etc.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

It probably depends how your school sets up biochem and the profs. I took the biochem taken by pharm students here because it was required for my major. The first half of the course was applied questions (what happens in this case, draw a graph, etc), but the second half was pure regurgitation of pathways and diseases (like enzyme A activates enzyme B and does this).

 

[firefighter9015]

Ours was about 99% memorization and then a few cases thrown in for good measure. But it probably varies from school to school.

 

[amartins02]

Yea it's definitely based on the professor. Ours was the nicest guy. He would tell us what to study for and only teach us what we needed to know. He wasn't about having us remember mindless info. He would say he didn't want us to remember now and forget later so he only taught us the important topics.

 

[b*rizzle]

Virtually no problems - very heavy on metabolism, cells, enzymes, etc.

Ditto...that's why people who barely pass orgo don't fail out of pharmacy school because of biochem, thank goodness.🙂

 

[Knipps]

Ditto...that's why people who barely pass orgo don't fail out of pharmacy school because of biochem, thank goodness.🙂

Supposedly Biochem is even worse than Orgo at my school

 

[RxWildcat]

memorize, dump, repeat.

 

[firefighter9015]

memorize, dump, repeat.

Glad I wasn't the only one doing that! 😛

 

[Alkylholic]

memorize, dump, repeat.

HA, that sounds like my Organic Chem classes. I kept hearing these horror stories about that course, but I had me a pen and some flash cards and it went pretty damn smooth actually.

Does pharm school have a lot memorization like that involved?

Also is there a lot of info that you can afford to just dump? I figured I would actually try to put full effort into KNOWING everything, instead of half assing it like in OChem. Or is that even possible with the amount of info you learn at one time?

 

[RxWildcat]

There are some classes that are straight memorization like that, but usually there is only one or two courses a year like that. As far as knowing everything, I'm pretty sure knowing every step of the electron transport chain isn't going to help me in my daily practice, so I figure I can afford to forget most of it.

 

[Fuzzychickens]

Yea it's definitely based on the professor. Ours was the nicest guy. He would tell us what to study for and only teach us what we needed to know. He wasn't about having us remember mindless info. He would say he didn't want us to remember now and forget later so he only taught us the important topics.

You know, more teachers should follow that tactic. You know what to study for, what to learn, and in the end you forget less of what you learned over time.