Pharmacy Experience Questions!

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I had a hard time finding a place to volunteer at as well, but after going through all the pharmacies in the yellow pages, I found a small pharmacy that would let me volunteer.

I needed a letter of recommendation for UOP. As it turned out, the pharmacist there graduated from UOP. Unfortunately, after visiting the school and the counselor I was discouraged and gave up that goal. I don't have a BA/BS, and only 2/100 transfer students accepted by UOP didn't have a degree. SuX!! Oh well, I always had USN.

You might want to try calling some small pharmacies. You can try to trick them by making them feel sorry for you...so they'll let you come by a few hours a week.

DON'T GIVE UP!!!

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Hello everyone, Im new to this forum. I was recently accepted into a 3-year PharmD program, and I had a question about experience. I tried searching for an answer, but couldn't find it. All the previous posts were about "is experience required to get accepted?" My question is....would you say that beginning pharmacy students are at a big disadvantage by having no experience prior to starting school. Im just worried, since its an accelerated program, if some of the classes would almost need prior experience.

Also, what will we be required to do during our first year of experience? Will having no experience hurt me with this as well. Thanks for your time. Happy new year!!
 
I am in a similar situation here....no pharmacy experience. I have been trying to find a job near home with no luck yet. I have a friend in his second year of pharmacy school now and he says that I won't be at a disadvantage. Most of the stuff pharm techs do revolve around customer service, insurance, and other random tasks.
 
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Not really necessary at all, but it's useful in knowing if this is an environment you're interested in pursuing.
 
Not really necessary at all, but it's useful in knowing if this is an environment you're interested in pursuing.

Yeah, and being a theater major is going to provide a great environment for that decision too. But whatever the case, many students pursue careers in which they don't really know what the work environment will really be like. We'll just use engineers for an example: there aren't really any jobs undergrads can pursue where they assist with "real" engineers. You find out when you make it out to the real world.
 
I used to laugh at theater majors, but what they can do is really quite extraordinary. In college, it's not what you know, but how you learn it and utilize it. They can extract huge quantities of information and commit it to memory for recitation in short periods of time. If they are completely capable of also performing well in science, it's an added bonus that they have communication skills as well as composure under stress and role play. I think that, in itself, is admirable. Not every pharmacist you meet is the same; just because I might have an excellent background in music doesn't preclude me from being an excellent clinician nor choosing this career path.
In reference to your comment about the real world, I agree, but no one said it's mutually exclusive in understanding. No one *must* become a lab tech in order to understand the function within retail, but if that's something one wants to see, then by all means, see.
 
hope you dont mind me asking but im just curious, which 3year program did you get accepted into? :)
 
How do you know that you want to go to pharmacy school without experience in a pharmacy?

I think you'll be in for a rude awakening.

Hopefully you don't want to go into retail pharmacy. People who work in retail without experience as a cashier or a technician, like you, make my job more difficult. They are slow, inefficient, and unbearably particular.
 
I got into PU


For the last poster...people like you make me laugh. You don't need to have experience to know what career path if right for you. It definetly helps, but its not absolutely required. I worked in a hospital, and starting talking more and more with the pharmacist and stuck my interest. Every doctor, veternarian, or pharmacist had to start somewhere. I hope I never have a fellow pharmacy student or co-worker like you. Grow up
 
As some of the above posters noted, experience is to get a good feel for the field of pharmacy. If it was really necessary to succeed in Pharmacy school, the school would require (which some do..) prior pharmacy experience.

People may think that you will get into the practice and hate it with a passion, but they overlook that maybe you'll get to the practice and love it.

Congratulations on the acceptance and good luck in school!
 
I used to laugh at theater majors, but what they can do is really quite extraordinary. In college, it's not what you know, but how you learn it and utilize it. They can extract huge quantities of information and commit it to memory for recitation in short periods of time. If they are completely capable of also performing well in science, it's an added bonus that they have communication skills as well as composure under stress and role play. I think that, in itself, is admirable. Not every pharmacist you meet is the same; just because I might have an excellent background in music doesn't preclude me from being an excellent clinician nor choosing this career path.
In reference to your comment about the real world, I agree, but no one said it's mutually exclusive in understanding. No one *must* become a lab tech in order to understand the function within retail, but if that's something one wants to see, then by all means, see.

I was by no means putting down theater majors, it's just not the best choice for pre-professional schooling. My sister-in-law is a theater major and is extremely smart and talented. She is the one that taught me calculus when she was in high school because my teacher was a ding bat. For some reason she chose theater even though she had a natural talent for math and science. She is also extremely busy with tons of extracurriculars, paid and unpaid.
 
How do you know that you want to go to pharmacy school without experience in a pharmacy?

I think you'll be in for a rude awakening.

Hopefully you don't want to go into retail pharmacy. People who work in retail without experience as a cashier or a technician, like you, make my job more difficult. They are slow, inefficient, and unbearably particular.

Whatever blondie or blondie wanna be. My Job that I have had for the last ten years deals with cranky, bitchy, whiny, and other named people everyday. I happen to be the one that has to deal with the worst of them because I am the manager, and i guesss managers get paid to be torn a new a$$hole and have thing thrown at them. The only difference was I was dispensing prescription glasses not prescription drugs. The pharm tech job is also very elementary compared to the scope of my work. I also plan to work in a hospital pharmacy when I practice where there is less of that crap. I am pretty aware of what the environment will be like because my wife's uncle and two of her cousins work in hospital pharmacy and they have given me the scoop.
 
I got into PU


For the last poster...people like you make me laugh. You don't need to have experience to know what career path if right for you. It definetly helps, but its not absolutely required. I worked in a hospital, and starting talking more and more with the pharmacist and stuck my interest. Every doctor, veternarian, or pharmacist had to start somewhere. I hope I never have a fellow pharmacy student or co-worker like you. Grow up
So you looked into hospital pharmacy. Good, but I hope you're not going into retail.

I chose pharmacy after I working in a pharmacy for a year and a half. When I started pharmacy school, I had two years of experience.
I started out as a cashier at CVS in Sep. '04, got my tech in training permit, and I was nationally licensed in Mar. '05 and state licensed in Aug. '05. I worked in at retail and hospital pharmacies before applying to pharmacy school.

It's people like you, who do not have any experience at all IN A PHARMACY, that force the ACPE to make up bs IPPE rotations.
I lost $70/week this past semester at my IPPE rotation, because I couldn't work at my part-time job that day. I will continue to be financially burdened for the remaining 240 hours.

It was a dark day in pharmacy back in 2006 when a pharmacy student on his fourth year rotation couldn't even recommend a cough suppressant. I had to tell him what to recommend, and then the pharmacist affirmed my recommendation. The student was just babysitting his PDA for every answer, but he couldn't find that recommendation!

I guess I'll switch back to Miss Cordial and say, "Good Luck!".
 
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Whatever blondie or blondie wanna be. My Job that I have had for the last ten years deals with cranky, bitchy, whiny, and other named people everyday. I happen to be the one that has to deal with the worst of them because I am the manager, and i guesss managers get paid to be torn a new a$$hole and have thing thrown at them. The only difference was I was dispensing prescription glasses not prescription drugs. The pharm tech job is also very elementary compared to the scope of my work. I also plan to work in a hospital pharmacy when I practice where there is less of that crap. I am pretty aware of what the environment will be like because my wife's uncle and two of her cousins work in hospital pharmacy and they have given me the scoop.
Have you ever heard of prescription insurance?
That can make or break a retail pharmacist!

Retail pharmacy is not only about dispensing medications, but the pharmacist has to be able process insurance claims on the spot if technicians can't figure out a new card or if they don't have time to. They need to be able to manage their time effectively too, and they have to make recommendations quickly.

They have to KNOW what NOT to recommend to pregnant, diabetic, high BP patients, and children. Unless you take an OTC elective in pharmacy school or go to a pharmacy school that incorporates OTC didactics, you will not be able to recommend products to these patients, because you don't have the experience (meaning you don't know what's available OTC without working in a drug store).
 
So you looked into hospital pharmacy. Good, but I hope you're not going into retail.

I chose pharmacy after I working in a pharmacy for a year and a half. When I started pharmacy school, I had two years of experience.
I started out as a cashier at CVS in Sep. '04, got my tech in training permit, and I was nationally licensed in Mar. '05 and state licensed in Aug. '05. I worked in at retail and hospital pharmacies before applying to pharmacy school.

It's people like you, who do not have any experience at all IN A PHARMACY, that force the ACPE to make up bs IPPE rotations.
I lost $70/week this past semester at my IPPE rotation, because I couldn't work at my part-time job that day. I will continue to be financially burdened for the remaining 240 hours.

It was a dark day in pharmacy back in 2006 when a pharmacy student on his fourth year rotation couldn't even recommend a cough suppressant. I had to tell him what to recommend, and then the pharmacist affirmed my recommendation. The student was just babysitting his PDA for every answer, but he couldn't find that recommendation!

I'll guess I'll switch back to Miss Cordial and say, "Good Luck!".

Just because you saw one student who couldn't recommend a cough suppressant doesn't mean that he or she didn't have any previous pharmacy experience - rather, it rather reflects poorly on his pharmacy school or general competency. You seem to have a vendetta towards people getting in the way of working in a retail job, but that doesn't mean that someone who's never been in a pharmacy can't be as effective as you. Also, counting that $70 seems rather petty as it's money that's not entitled to you; it's for experience of others (like students eventually me) who will have to do community pharmacy service.
 
Just because you saw one student who couldn't recommend a cough suppressant doesn't mean that he or she didn't have any previous pharmacy experience, rather, it rather reflects poorly on his pharmacy school or general competency. You seem to have a vendetta towards people getting in the way of working in a retail job, but that doesn't mean that someone who's never been in a pharmacy can't be as effective as you. Also, counting those $70 seems rather petty, as it's money that's not entitled to you, it's for experience of others (like eventually me) who will have to do community pharmacy service.
My rotation was at an institutional setting, not community.
Besides, I have experience in both.

It doesn't seem petty when you're struggling to pay for living expenses. It actually seems like the ACPE is being petty, because they think that these rotations will make it "all better" when students start their fourth year rotations.
Forcing students to do unpaid, IPPE rotations during pharmacy school is ridiculous. That should be taken care of like PT students, before they start the professional programs.

No. The $70/week was entitled to me at my part-time job. I just couldn't be there to make it. I had to stop working on Fridays.
 
I'm not really sure what your problem is. Maybe you weren't hugged enough as a child. You have to be really really really narrow minded to extrapolate one example of a pharmacy student, who may have had little to no experience, onto the abilities of all students who have little to no experience. Its not that students like me don't want to get experience, other obligations have forced us to have little to no time to do so. I won't go into specific details, because your not worth such an indepth explanation. Having no prior experience in retail would not make someone become a inefficient pharmacist. You really make me laugh when you act like your so high and mighty and so much better than everyone else on this forum searching for a beginning. Congradulations, you have experience. Your obviously dedicated to pharamcy. There is no call to TRY and put yourself above all us future pharmacists. Everyone has to start somewhere. Have a nice day:)
 
Have you ever heard of prescription insurance?
That can make or break a retail pharmacist!

Retail pharmacy is not only about dispensing medications, but the pharmacist has to be able process insurance claims on the spot if technicians can't figure out a new card or if they don't have time to. They need to be able to manage their time effectively too, and they have to make recommendations quickly.

They have to KNOW what NOT to recommend to pregnant, diabetic, high BP patients, and children. Unless you take an OTC elective in pharmacy school or go to a pharmacy school that incorporates OTC didactics, you will not be able to recommend products to these patients, because you don't have the experience (meaning you don't know what's available OTC without working in a drug store).

You make it sound sooo difficult. If that is the least of my concerns then I should be easy. My school does have OTC courses. Pharm tech positions are petty. Monkeys can do it. Oh, I start next week working in a pharmacy. That gives me 8 months before school starts. Thats more than enough. Sorry you had to be a pharm tech for so long..must make you bitc#y.
 
lab...I'm in the same position. I have school in 8 months, and Im looking for a job in a pharmacy. Congrads on your acceptance, and best of luck in your new job!!
 
I wouldn't listen to some of these girls. Like you said, they think they are high and mighty because they were little pee-on, probably pharmacist a$$-kissing little female dogs. Just focus on what is important. Oh yeah, they're obviously jealous or something that we got in with out experience.
 
I wouldn't listen to some of these girls. Like you said, they think they are high and mighty because they were little pee-on, probably pharmacist a$$-kissing little female dogs. Just focus on what is important. Oh yeah, they're obviously jealous or something that we got in with out experience.
So you're stooping low, huh?
At least I don't have some scribble tattoo of a DNA helix on my arm. I could just imagine your grandmother thinking "WTF is that?", because the average person has no idea what a DNA helix looks like.

Oh, and by the way, the fourth year student who couldn't recommend the cough suppressant was MALE.

All of these jealousy accusations... it's so frivolous. I only had to apply to ONE pharmacy school, yo!
 
You make it sound sooo difficult. If that is the least of my concerns then I should be easy. My school does have OTC courses. Pharm tech positions are petty. Monkeys can do it. Oh, I start next week working in a pharmacy. That gives me 8 months before school starts. Thats more than enough. Sorry you had to be a pharm tech for so long..must make you bitc#y.
Well... you'll need to take one of those OTC classes.

I'm so happy to know that you, a person without pharmacy experience, know that pharmacy tech positions are petty. I hope you get to supervise horrible technicians. You'll really love your job then!

FYI: I chose to go to pharmacy school rather than medical school. I didn't have to be a "pharm tech for so long", I was actually a pre-med :p for most of the time.
 
I would like to remind everyone to keep this discussion civil. While issues often arouse emotions, everyone must remember to treat each other with respect.
 
you really need to get that chip off your shoulder. This thread was not meant to turn into a competition or a fight for bragging rights. I did not intend to piss anyone off. I myself was a pre-vet student for awhile. Once I decided that pharmacy was right for me, I was finacially unable to quit my job to get one in a pharmacy. I was fortunate enough to get accepted into the only pharmacy school I applied too. Now that I have the oppurtunity to get experience, Im trying to get some. I was only asking the question as a worst case turnout...If i cant find a job before school.
 
you really need to get that chip off your shoulder. This thread was not meant to turn into a competition or a fight for bragging rights. I did not intend to piss anyone off. I myself was a pre-vet student for awhile. Once I decided that pharmacy was right for me, I was finacially unable to quit my job to get one in a pharmacy. I was fortunate enough to get accepted into the only pharmacy school I applied too. Now that I have the oppurtunity to get experience, Im trying to get some. I was only asking the question as a worst case turnout...If i cant find a job before school.
Thanks for clearing that up! I know what you're talking about, financially, because I'm a broke pharmacy tech/student.
Just try your best to get experience. It really will benefit you and your future co-workers.

Mano e Mano (or womano e mano :rolleyes:), I felt like an idiot the other day when I couldn't remember the exact milligram that a certain drug comes in. When my co-worker heard that, she was like, "When you're a pharmacist, I don't want you filling my scripts!" It made me feel like crap, but I have to remember that as I learn more in pharmacy school about the drugs, I will be less knowledgeable in other ways.
I used to know more about the colors of the pills, the drug forms (capsule, tablet, cream, etc.), and even the exact amount of water needed to reconstitute the powdered antibiotics. Now, some of that information seems to be fading. Thankfully though, a lot of it is still there.

You won't learn those details in pharmacy school. They don't tell you that Nuvaring is refrigerated, Allegra is generic while Allegra D is not, or that Fosamax also comes as Fosamax plus vitD.
If my drug trivia is up to date, Fosamax should be coming out in generic in February.

Right now as a pharmacy student, I think in terms of: that's an agonist, that's a beta blocker, that's a COX 2 selective NSAID, that's a prodrug, that's a statin, that's a sympathomimetic, etc.

I could go on forever... but I'll save the bandwidth :D.
Just try your best to get experience before they start filling your brain in pharmacy school. You'll have a better appreciation for the "big picture" when you get to pharmacy school, because you will already know how things tend to work. You might even know what pharmacists recommend when someone with diabetes needs a cough syrup???
 
I appreciate the honest post. I never disagreed that experience would be priceless. I have 8 months before I start pharmacy school. I wont have the knowledge that some other people who have worked in a pharmacy for longer time periods, but thats still a good chunk of time.
 
most of my pharmacists at work have never worked in a pharmacy until maybe 1-2 years after Pharm school started. Experience is overrated, but helpful.
 
I dont doubt anything that anyone said in this thread. Im sure there are plenty of people who start school without any experience. Im sure there are plenty of people who would swear that experience is an unwritten rule to have. The only reason I was concerned was the first year experience. Im sure whereever I do my "rotation", the pharmacist there will have had many other students before me, and wouldn't want to deal with someone who wasn't up to speed. If what Im saying is making sense to anyone....
 
Whatever blondie or blondie wanna be.
We can do some blonde jokes if you want... I've been cleaning all day and SDN is a good outlet for entertainment, i.e. I'm bored.

Here, I'll start it off:
Blondes-Printer.jpg

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Blonde.htm
 
I would like to remind everyone to keep this discussion civil. While issues often arouse emotions, everyone must remember to treat each other with respect.

I am going to agree here and take the advice from knickerbocker.:thumbup:
 
So you're stooping low, huh?
At least I don't have some scribble tattoo of a DNA helix on my arm. I could just imagine your grandmother thinking "WTF is that?", because the average person has no idea what a DNA helix looks like.

Oh, and by the way, the fourth year student who couldn't recommend the cough suppressant was MALE.

All of these jealousy accusations... it's so frivolous. I only had to apply to ONE pharmacy school, yo!

1. I have never had a grandma because they were dead before I was born, and if I did I wouldn't be walking shirtless around them
2. its not a scribble tattoo, and it is better that the average person doesn't know what it is
3. I wasn't trying to start a gender war, I know plenty of men are ding bats. Sounds like you have a female pride issue.
4. People that change the color of their hair all the time must be having self esteem issues.
5. I only applied to ONE school and was accepted too, big deal
6. I think this was pretty civil
 
1. I have never had a grandma because they were dead before I was born, and if I did I wouldn't be walking shirtless around them

that's the best example of pharmacy experience i have ever read, in my entire life
 
i have no experience either..i no it is not required but it is an advantage to have when applying.....my question is..is no experience before applying going to lower my chances of gettin in?
 
i have no experience either..i no it is not required but it is an advantage to have when applying.....my question is..is no experience before applying going to lower my chances of gettin in?

nope, but typing like that most definitely will.
 
nope, but typing like that most definitely will.

Only if you type like that on entrance materials. USC admissions coordinator said he stopped reading SDN a while ago.

Experience isn't necessarily overrated, but if you can't get OJT you can always get some educational background. Tech classes will teach enough to suggest OTC meds, granted experience will hone your skills and allow you to get used to the various product mixes available.

The purpose of IPPE isn't to just assist people without experience, it's also meant to give practical experience with educational assistance in the nuances involved in the transition from tech to intern and from intern to pharmacist. If you're not getting that from your IPPE preceptor, then you should discuss that with your preceptor and/or your office of experiential learning.
 
I appreciate the honest post. I never disagreed that experience would be priceless. I have 8 months before I start pharmacy school. I wont have the knowledge that some other people who have worked in a pharmacy for longer time periods, but thats still a good chunk of time.

8 months is actually a long time! I started out as a clerk, and before I knew it, I learned a lot more than I ever thought I would in that period of time. And that was after working only about 10-15 hours per week, so imagine how much you can learn if you work 8 months and more hours per week :) Even if you may not gain the knowledge level of someone that worked as a pharmacy tech for several years, you can learn quite a bit in those months.

Good luck to you!
 
Yeah 8 months should be a decent amount of time to get a handle on things. Plus working during all four years of school and especially over the summers will bring me up to speed for when I graduate.
 
I would suggest traveling or doing something leisurely...that's actually what all of my interns at work are suggesting to me as a "before pharmacy school activity." They said once school starts, you'll have plenty of time to gain experience and whatnot.

Further, I spoke to a lot of recent graduates...and THEY said to travel/do leisure things BEFORE and DURING school, because once you start working...well, I suppose it's all over from there (unless you choose limited hours and travel a lot).

I guess I can go further and say that my retiring pharmacist is telling me now that I shouldn't work too much and vacation as much as possible while I'm still young.

Hmm there seems to be a continuing theme here...
 
Pharmacy experience is really up to you, but it would be nice to have some before you went into your interviews because you have experience to draw upon to help answer questions. It also really helps you figure out if you want to do this job the rest of your life. For me, working in a pharmacy was what made me decide on pharmacy instead of any of the other medical careers out there.

"I hope you get to supervise horrible technicians. You'll really love your job then!"

I'd hate to have to work for a (future) pharmacist such as yourself. You don't seem to have any respect for others. All techs have to start somewhere and everyone makes mistakes. Why put people down for those mistakes? It's called a self fulfilling prophecy. If you treat someone like an idiot and you're their superior, they'll feel like one and make even more mistakes. Being a person in a higher position of authority, why not help mold those horrible techs into superb techs rather than sit there, lamenting how difficult your job is? You make it sound like helping those that you depend on is a pain in the ass. Also, who's to say that your more senior technicians won't be the ones supervising these supposed horrible techs?
 
2. its not a scribble tattoo, and it is better that the average person doesn't know what it is

Now that I think of it....one of my TA's for organic chem lab had that same tatto. I thought it was pretty cool and thoughfull when he got it.
 
For all you others: I don't really think pharm tech jobs are petty and that monkeys can do the job, they have to be trained monkeys! JK. I was just arguing with pharmD for the sake of arguing...kinda got out of control stupid. I hope i did not offend anybody. I personally can't wait to learn all the insurances and the top 200!
 
I would suggest traveling or doing something leisurely...that's actually what all of my interns at work are suggesting to me as a "before pharmacy school activity." They said once school starts, you'll have plenty of time to gain experience and whatnot.

Further, I spoke to a lot of recent graduates...and THEY said to travel/do leisure things BEFORE and DURING school, because once you start working...well, I suppose it's all over from there (unless you choose limited hours and travel a lot).

I guess I can go further and say that my retiring pharmacist is telling me now that I shouldn't work too much and vacation as much as possible while I'm still young.

Hmm there seems to be a continuing theme here...

I guess that's true for most staff pharmacists, but the pharmacy managers seem to have it a little better. Mine goes on vacation every chance she gets! In the last 8 months, she's probably been to 3 different countries for 4-7 days at a time.
 
I guess that's true for most staff pharmacists, but the pharmacy managers seem to have it a little better. Mine goes on vacation every chance she gets! In the last 8 months, she's probably been to 3 different countries for 4-7 days at a time.

I won't have any problem with that!
 
I've just recently volunteered at a hospital pharmacy this past month and the experience is worthwhile. I used to think that just reading about what pharmacists do on blogs, SDN and on the ACP's website would be enough, but actually seeing what they do (and doing somethings yourself) is much more informative and quite frankly, better overall.
 
I had zero experience prior to pharmacy school and I turned out just fine. I did start working right after my first year in retail.

With that being said...getting experience is only going to help you. It is not always necessary though.
 
I'm a high school and I'm aiming to become a pharmacist. Besides job shadowing and volunteering at a hospital, what can I do to get experience? Are there any summer jobs that high school students can do at a pharmacy?
 
Applying to be a volunteer in the hospital pharmacy will help a lot. Not sure how much they will actually let you do, but just being there will teach you a lot. As far as retail, they would probably start you out as a cashier. Don't apply online. Go to the stores you are interested in working at, talk to the pharmacy manager, explain your situation, and offer to work the crappy (don't say crappy) schedules just to get in the door. Snag a pharm tech exam book and start reading. Being a CPhT increases the chance both areas will let you do more.
 
If you live in a state that doesn't allow you to be a tech until age 18, you can still work in a drug store as a cameraperson or stocker or something. When you turn 18 you can request a transfer, and you'll be given higher consideration than some person off the street.

I think it's great that you want to get experience now - you won't really know what you think of the profession until you try it.
 
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