Pharmacy Experience Questions!

[Schnotty]

You don't necessarily have to go to school to become a certified tech. You can do it yourself. Check out ptcb.org for info on the exam.

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[annievu]

i don't know if they have boston reed college in your area...but that's the program that i enrolled to that give you a chance for externship at retail pharmacy stores or hospital pharmacy...the whole program cost only $2000 and they allow you to get loans too if you have someone co-sign

 

[bottlecap1990]

I got a call back from a local hospital saying that they might not be able to take any volunteers for the pharmacy. I was wondering if I could still volunteer at the hospital but at a different area related to pharmacy?
I asked all the retail stores and they all said no.

any ideas?

 

[cheeseboy2]

IMO the two biggest reasons you would want to volunteer is to get a reputable letter of recommendation and get experience in the area of pharmacy.

those are the two things that actually count on your application. most pharmacists wont write you a LOR unless you work under them in some capacity... you might try to get a tech license and work.

i would advise not to take a volunteering position in another area other than pharmacy (ie dont take one just to get into the hospital). Adcoms may look at your app and question whether you really want to do pharmacy or maybe you were trying to get experience under a medical doctor or as a nurse.

be patient in finding a position in a pharmacy and keep asking around. be willing to drive too... i drove 30 minutes each week each way for my volunteerng position.

 

[rxlea]

IMO the two biggest reasons you would want to volunteer is to get a reputable letter of recommendation and get experience in the area of pharmacy.

those are the two things that actually count on your application. most pharmacists wont write you a LOR unless you work under them in some capacity... you might try to get a tech license and work.

i would advise not to take a volunteering position in another area other than pharmacy (ie dont take one just to get into the hospital). Adcoms may look at your app and question whether you really want to do pharmacy or maybe you were trying to get experience under a medical doctor or as a nurse.

be patient in finding a position in a pharmacy and keep asking around. be willing to drive too... i drove 30 minutes each week each way for my volunteerng position.

I disagree. As someone who works in the inpatient pharmacy, I can tell you that some of our volunteers started in other areas (like the gift shop) and then moved into pharmacy when a spot opened. It shows that you are committed if you are willing to wait until a spot opens. If they offer you a spot elsewhere in the hospital, TAKE IT. Trust me...it will be worth it. Besides, you may be exposed to some really interesting areas in the hospital where you can interact with patients (like the PACU). This will look GREAT on your app. It also shows your dedication to the health profession and patient care in general.
EDIT: another reason it is worth the wait: LORs. Our pharmacists have written LORs for some of the volunteers who were consistent and genuinely interested in the profession. They got to know the pharmacists a bit so the pharmacists were more than willing to not only share their expertise, but give tips on the process (like interviewing) in addition to the LOR. One volunteer I know of went to UIC and another went to a Cali school. I urge you to take the spot in the hospital.

 

[tsicamrahp]

I got a call back from a local hospital saying that they might not be able to take any volunteers for the pharmacy. I was wondering if I could still volunteer at the hospital but at a different area related to pharmacy?
I asked all the retail stores and they all said no.

any ideas?

You mentioned that the local hospital MIGHT not be able to take volunteers. Does that mean the pharmacy is full with volunteers at the moment and there are no openings? That was the situation with me when I was applying for a volunteer position. I inquired in August of last year and was told there would not be any openings til spring. I went ahead and agreed to volunteer anyway in any department until there was openings. That way all of my paperwork (long process - a couple of months due to background check, more paperwork, orientation, and TB tests-2 of them) would be complete and that once there was an opening, I could jump right in. It also helped too that I was in the process of applying for a pharm tech license. I was told that without the license, I could not volunteer directly in the pharmacy and that without one, I'd be in the admin office doing paperwork. By the way, I was in the admin office doing data entry my first four weeks in pharmacy.

Or did you mean that the pharmacy MIGHT not take volunteers period? If that's the case, keep persistent and keep asking if they will take you.

 

[rxlea]

You mentioned that the local hospital MIGHT not be able to take volunteers. Does that mean the pharmacy is full with volunteers at the moment and there are no openings? That was the situation with me when I was applying for a volunteer position. I inquired in August of last year and was told there would not be any openings til spring. I went ahead and agreed to volunteer anyway in any department until there was openings. That way all of my paperwork (long process - a couple of months due to background check, more paperwork, orientation, and TB tests-2 of them) would be complete and that once there was an opening, I could jump right in. It also helped too that I was in the process of applying for a pharm tech license. I was told that without the license, I could not volunteer directly in the pharmacy and that without one, I'd be in the admin office doing paperwork. By the way, I was in the admin office doing data entry my first four weeks in pharmacy.

Or did you mean that the pharmacy MIGHT not take volunteers period? If that's the case, keep persistent and keep asking if they will take you.

Curious...what state are you in? (I am on my phone so I can't see your info/avatar or anything). We don't require the volunteers to have a license or anything.

 

[cheeseboy2]

I disagree. As someone who works in the inpatient pharmacy, I can tell you that some of our volunteers started in other areas (like the gift shop) and then moved into pharmacy when a spot opened. It shows that you are committed if you are willing to wait until a spot opens. If they offer you a spot elsewhere in the hospital, TAKE IT. Trust me...it will be worth it. Besides, you may be exposed to some really interesting areas in the hospital where you can interact with patients (like the PACU). This will look GREAT on your app. It also shows your dedication to the health profession and patient care in general.

meh.. i really dont think its worth it to work 6 months in a gift shop for a chance at volunteering in the pharmacy. id rather be improving my pcat or gpa during that time.

@OP if theres a waitlist, put your name on it for sure. maybe I am lucky since I got two different volutneering positions rather quickly, but I think you can be patient and wait for some openings. youre basically free, slave labor. i think you deserve some dignity rather than selling flowers and cough drops.

Besides, you may be exposed to some really interesting areas in the hospital where you can interact with patients

agreed. just in case youre not totally set on pharmacy yet, just getting in the door will expose you to different career options in health care.

 

[bottlecap1990]

I have all my paperwork done and I just need to decide which area I want to volunteer at. The manager just sent an email to the pharmacist but I am pretty sure they are not accepting any volunteers at the pharmacy. Should I take the spot and do something else? Can anyone think of an area related to pharmacy at the hospital

 

[tsicamrahp]

RXLEA, I live in California.

I have all my paperwork done and I just need to decide which area I want to volunteer at. The manager just sent an email to the pharmacist but I am pretty sure they are not accepting any volunteers at the pharmacy. Should I take the spot and do something else? Can anyone think of an area related to pharmacy at the hospital

How about the pharmacy administrative office, if your hospital has one. Even if it's doing paperwork, you may get the chance to meet some of the pharmacists through there. Or at least if you are there and they get to know you they might be willing to place you in the pharmacy at a later date.

 

[bn43py53]

Volunteering at least in retail is not allowed because to be inside the pharmacy one does need to get paid by the company. But I dunno about independents which have their own policies. Understand that for someone new to pharmacy work the pharmacist and his techs much be willing to devote significant time to training which for someone volunteering their time and then moving on is not worth it. Especially when you say oh, I am headed to pharmacy school thereafter you'd be giving the wrong impression to them whereas you want to bond with the people on a professional level. In you they see a raw recruit which they can train from the ground up as someone without baggage or maybe they just want to offer an opportunity for someone to experience a new field. It's going to work for them because while they train you'd soon see they expect to get work out of you such as like when it starts to get busy around the pharmacy.

 

[annievu]

I totally understand why retail don't take in volunteers. Because everything you do in there deal with medicines...we do have paper works but that is the last thing we ever wanted to touch because a lot of other things are more important...pharm techs at cvs where i do externship at do everything from dealing with customers to dealing with insurance to dealing with medicines (except counseling) so i do not see any available roles for volunteers at retails...i agree with other pple mentioning about independent pharmacy stores (the ones where they're not big chains like walgreens or cvs)...the slow small one...they're more accepting volunteers and i dont really know why...but aware that being a volunteer, some pharmacists tend to pick on you...so be careful with that also...good luck! and if you can, why not try out with taking ptce (70% easy math and 30% of general pharm tech roles n other stuffs) to become a tech and apply for pharm tech license? more opportunities will be open for you out there...

 

[Sparda29]

Just don't volunteer in the Orthopedics section, biggest ****ing waste of time of my life.

 

[aboveliquidice]

The title of this thread is painful to read...

To the OP - you need experience in the pharmacy - for all of the reasons listed above - this can come through work experience or volunteering. Either way, the goal is the same (see above listed reasons)

 

[Ian148]

The title of this thread is painful to read...

I agree. i get this twitch to edit it.

 

[annievu]

actually i was like bottlecap1990 back then where i kept asking myself, "why must i have pharmacy experience? it's a pain to get a volunteer position...and why must i volunteer in pharmacy just to get a letter of recommendation? i know i wanted to become a pharmacist and that is all that matter...and i don't even have time to become a pharm tech"...however, once i started my externship after i graduated (im in pharm tech program) and be able to touch medicines at the retail store i work for, i can clearly see why i should work in the pharmacy...and i can clearly see my role of an extern...i can clearly picture myself as a future pharmacist and the challenges s/he had to face by seeing what a pharmacist does so far...and i can clearly see people need my help...the important thing is when you're able to touch medicines and understand the pharmacy system (you know what safe and what not when dealing with drugs/confidentials), you fit in more than just being a volunteer (a volunteer can be anyone who is interested or not interested in pharmacy so the pharmacist might think the volunteer is not that serious in the field...plus you don't touch medicines or work with medicines, but just touch paper works so they can't really evaluate how you perform in pharmacy roles)....hence, a pharmacy tech/pharmacy tech extern has more chance of getting in the pharmacy...just think of that to understand why it makes sense to become more than a volunteer...don't get discouraged getting a volunteer job at the same time thou because it is an opportunity to set one foot in the door like others said...so why not? i can also understand why you're wondering just like me back then cuz it was so hard to have opportunity to volunteer...so think of alternatives and think smart...

 

[bottlecap1990]

So what am I supposed to do? Should I take any position at the hospital? Or ask around again

 

[Sugadarlin]

So what am I supposed to do? Should I take any position at the hospital? Or ask around again

Have you looked into any small, independently own pharmacies? I was in your situation but there was an area in my town where there were a lot of smaller, non-chain pharmacies and I was able to volunteer at one of them.

 

[busyizzy]

So what am I supposed to do? Should I take any position at the hospital? Or ask around again

Not to come off as harsh, but many people made different suggestions to you and explained their reasoning. You're an adult now. It's up to you to read through it all and make the best decision for YOU after weighing the pros and cons of each possible option.

 

[Filler]

So what am I supposed to do? Should I take any position at the hospital? Or ask around again

I would ask around...

My personal experience with volunteering was pretty laid back. I practically called the hospital pharmacy (around 4 times), finally they asked me to come in, gave me a quick tour and asked when I could start volunteering. After around 6 months of volunteering they offered me a tech position per diem. Anyway, instead of local hospitals try inner-city hospitals, especially private hospitals, there's no such thing as too much free labor.

It also depends on how you go about it, persistence is one thing, but also make sure to get the point across that you really want/need the experience because your leaning toward pharm school.

 

[annievu]

So what am I supposed to do? Should I take any position at the hospital? Or ask around again

it seems like ur rushing for a specific answer...have u even start trying to make phone calls? start going around and asking around?

 

[bottlecap1990]

LOL I am not rushing for an answer. I just don't know what I am supposed to do and I have to give a quick response back to the hospital if I want to take the position or not. As I said, I have asked around at retail stores (Walgreens, Stop and Shop, CVS, etc). I am however, will try to ask at this one private pharmacy store. It seems like hospital is the only place I can volunteer at but they are not taking any volunteers at all.

 

[bottlecap1990]

Should I just take an online pharmacy tech program? I am a fulltime student and I work about 12-14 hours a week

 

[Passion4Sci]

Should I just take an online pharmacy tech program? I am a fulltime student and I work about 12-14 hours a week

If they offer you an internship/externship, then yes. If not, might as well just study on your own and get your C.PhT that way.

 

[pharm B]

If they offer you an internship/externship, then yes. If not, might as well just study on your own and get your C.PhT that way.

If you search the forum, you'll find there are a significant number of threads dedicated to passing the exam with just self-study. Those threads will have book recommendations, etc.

I know it's not directly pharmacy-related, but you might be able to volunteer in the Emergency Department. I had a chance to spend a lot of time doing that over a summer and it was definitely an enriching experience.

Granted, you'll spend a lot of time restocking towels and handing out meals/drinks to patients, but you'll also get to see a lot of things happen. If you get established as a volunteer there, you might even have an in-road to shadow a clinical pharmacist (if there are any) at that hospital.

 

[bottlecap1990]

If you search the forum, you'll find there are a significant number of threads dedicated to passing the exam with just self-study. Those threads will have book recommendations, etc.

I know it's not directly pharmacy-related, but you might be able to volunteer in the Emergency Department. I had a chance to spend a lot of time doing that over a summer and it was definitely an enriching experience.

Granted, you'll spend a lot of time restocking towels and handing out meals/drinks to patients, but you'll also get to see a lot of things happen. If you get established as a volunteer there, you might even have an in-road to shadow a clinical pharmacist (if there are any) at that hospital.

thanks for the advices guys.

 

[bottlecap1990]

I have asked around (Hospital, CVS, Walgreens, Private Pharmacies, Stop & Shop) to volunteer and they all said no. Then I was planning on studying to get certified (I just spent 60 bucks for a book that will help me pass the test) and I am told by many people here that a certification still won't be enough to be a pharmacy tech because people also want to see experience. How can someone gain experience if he/she is not allowed to work at all? I don't understand. What am I supposed to do now? The only way I could get experience is to volunteer at the hospital at a non-pharmacy related area but I don't think that is a good idea.

Should I just still get my certificate and ask around for a pharmacy tech job? or start volunteering at any area of the hospital?

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I have asked around (Hospital, CVS, Walgreens, Private Pharmacies, Stop & Shop) to volunteer and they all said no. Then I was planning on studying to get certified (I just spent 60 bucks for a book that will help me pass the test) and I am told by many people here that a certification still won't be enough to be a pharmacy tech because people also want to see experience. How can someone gain experience if he/she is not allowed to work at all? I don't understand. What am I supposed to do now? The only way I could get experience is to volunteer at the hospital at a non-pharmacy related area but I don't think that is a good idea.

Should I just still get my certificate and ask around for a pharmacy tech job? or start volunteering at any area of the hospital?

That's the catch 22 of careers. You can have a degree, certificate, license, etc, but people still prefer to hire someone with experience so the new grads are usually out of luck. That's not always the case, but apparently it is with pharm techs, lol.

 

[gknee]

try shadowing. Call a couple pharmacies and ask to shadow. I'm sure hospitals will let you also. Just say you want to do it for a couple hours. This will give you experience, so when you go to get a job-a clerk/tech, you can use that as experience.

 

[cAMP]

For the life of me, I've never understood how someone can dedicate so many years of their life to a profession they've never even worked in.

Get the experience anyway you can. I have known far too many people, a lot of P2s to be honest, who found pharmacy to be nothing like what they thought it would be and they end up regretting their decision.

Working in a Pharmacy as a "tech" or "clerk" would not provide experience sufficient to work in a Pharmacy as a "Pharmacist" just as working as a Medical Assistant does not prepare a person to work as a Physician....

 

[greenteaflava]

Besides not knowing a lot of the common drugs through pharmacy experience, is there anything else in particular that may be a further disadvantage? For me personally, I feel that being out of school for quite some time would be more of a disadvantage because it takes a lot to jump back into the studying mode...and to bring back good study habits. On the other hand, I think knowing/memorizing common drugs is an easier task to do. Ultimately, a person with good study habits will outperform someone who simply has the common drug knowledge (but with poor study habits) when in pharmacy school.

For the OP, because you've been out of school for 3 yrs....maybe you should ask someone who's already in pharmacy school for their list of drugs and just begin reviewing those? This list of drugs is something they need to learn within a semester..and you'll practically have 3+ months (assuming that u start soon) to learn or at least become somewhat familiar with it. I can't imagine learning a drug or 2 everyday until school begins will take too much of your time lol This will somewhat help stimulate your brain back into "learning mode" and i'm sure you'll still be able to have enough time to also "relax". haha

 

[rxlea]

Working in a Pharmacy as a "tech" or "clerk" would not provide experience sufficient to work in a Pharmacy as a "Pharmacist" just as working as a Medical Assistant does not prepare a person to work as a Physician....

I think what he means is that working as a tech allows you to see what a pharmacist does everyday. Having worked in pharmacy for almost 6 years, I can tell you the knowledge gained is invaluable. The pharmacists I work with now have taught me so much. They teach me about dosing and kinetics, various treatments, unusual cases, etc. I can recognize unusual doses, I know treatments for various illnesses, and I have learned a lot about chemo. I have even caught a few mistakes. I know that pharmacy is what I want to do. Some students go into pharm school not even knowing what a pharmacist does. Some then decide it is not what they want to do. I think that is important to point out.

 

[Monalyce]

For the life of me, I've never understood how someone can dedicate so many years of their life to a profession they've never even worked in.

Get the experience anyway you can. I have known far too many people, a lot of P2s to be honest, who found pharmacy to be nothing like what they thought it would be and they end up regretting their decision.

+1

People are not going to like this...but if I was on the admissions committee I would not accept people without pharmacy experience. I don't care what it is, if you were a tech, volunteer, etc. etc. I would never know that pharmacy was for me if it were not for the amazing pharmacists I have worked with in research and clinical practice. When people in my class don't know what a statin is, I take issue with that...

 

[GJLaw]

+1

People are not going to like this...but if I was on the admissions committee I would not accept people without pharmacy experience. I don't care what it is, if you were a tech, volunteer, etc. etc. I would never know that pharmacy was for me if it were not for the amazing pharmacists I have worked with in research and clinical practice. When people in my class don't know what a statin is, I take issue with that...

Being able to do a job after four years of schooling has nothing to do with having prior experience in the environment. You could have three years of experience as a pharm tech and still be a lousy pharmacist afterwards.

 

[Monalyce]

Being able to do a job after four years of schooling has nothing to do with having prior experience in the environment. You could have three years of experience as a pharm tech and still be a lousy pharmacist afterwards.

I didn't say anything about being competent. And I didn't say you need to be a pharm tech. I said that having experience in the field of any kind, and applying to pharmacy school, says that you know what you're getting in to and that you have some idea of what pharmacy is.

 

[pharmwannebe2]

For the life of me, I've never understood how someone can dedicate so many years of their life to a profession they've never even worked in.

Get the experience anyway you can. I have known far too many people, a lot of P2s to be honest, who found pharmacy to be nothing like what they thought it would be and they end up regretting their decision.

so what if she/he has never worked in a pharmacy before. it isn't like the experience you get as a tech will correlate to what a pharmacist does. Pharmacist has a totally different set of responsibilities then counting by 5's. Plus there are so many different types of pharmacy. People on here always say "I want to be a clinical so and so and do a residency" but if they haven't taken any pharmacotherapeutics how can they decide if it is for them or not. That is why rotations are made.

I agree that having experience is benefital. Try your hardest to get an internship at least in your first year. It will help you out in latter years. Such as, for our P&T test, our teacher taught in generic names for antihypertensive medication. We thought the exam was only going to have generic names on it. Little did more than half of the class learn that she did it in brand names. It helped to have worked in a pharmacy to get those brand names without guessing. The people without that experience just kinda guessed on the questions.

 

[rxlea]

so what if she/he has never worked in a pharmacy before. it isn't like the experience you get as a tech will correlate to what a pharmacist does. Pharmacist has a totally different set of responsibilities then counting by 5's. Plus there are so many different types of pharmacy. People on here always say "I want to be a clinical so and so and do a residency" but if they haven't taken any pharmacotherapeutics how can they decide if it is for them or not. That is why rotations are made.

I agree that having experience is benefital. Try your hardest to get an internship at least in your first year. It will help you out in latter years. Such as, for our P&T test, our teacher taught in generic names for antihypertensive medication. We thought the exam was only going to have generic names on it. Little did more than half of the class learn that she did it in brand names. It helped to have worked in a pharmacy to get those brand names without guessing. The people without that experience just kinda guessed on the questions.

Then maybe you haven't worked in a pharmacy. Read my post above^^

We do many things that pharmacists have to do and that many pharmacy students don't learn until they are into school- like making chemo, IVs, doing compounding, etc. Technicians do more than just counting pills, especially if you work outside of retail. Furthermore, I have learned A LOT working as a technician, particularly in a hospital setting. I am familiar with what happens in the inpatient pharmacy, what the pharmacists have to do, and what is going on with many of the patients (disease states and associated therapies). In addition, I have had the opportunity to round with the pharmacists and I KNOW I want to work in a clinical setting. Experience in pharmacy is more than just being able to know more brand vs generic names than other incoming students. You have the competitive edge by already knowing many of the nuances of working in this field- whether dealing with annoying insurance companies, learning how the pharmacists counsel patients, the various therapies patients get for whatever illness they have, proper dosing and levels of drugs, the side effects, and the importance of creatinine clearance, etc. It is all something you get from exposure to the field. I am with Monalyce on this. Pharmacy experience should be required whether tech or volunteer. My pharm school requires at least 6 months of experience in the field before you can even apply and I like that.

 

[diastole]

I had a limited amount of experience before I entered pharmacy school. I volunteered at an Air Force base and I handed out the drugs. I just scanned them and gave them to the patients so I didn't learn much at all. I could have been handing out the food at a fast food restaurant and it wouldn't have been much different. I did get to see what it is like in a pharmacy but the military version is very different than regular retail so even that wasn't super valuable.

I am at a disadvantage over some of my friends who worked as techs. I have more work to do when learning the drugs but I'm a good student so that isn't a big deal. Where I really feel it is in my IPPE which for the prepharms who may not know, that is where you practice in a pharmacy. I'm learning basic tech skills while my friends, if they are lucky enough to have a good preceptor, are learning the things that pharmacists actually do. But even that is hit or miss. Some of my friends with tech experience think their IPPE is a total waste of time because they don't get to do much beyond tech work and they already know how to do that. Some are resentful that they aren't getting paid to do something that they normally do for pay. I, on the other hand, need the experience so I'm not a quick to disparage my day in the pharmacy.

 

[diastole]

I agree that having experience is benefital. Try your hardest to get an internship at least in your first year. It will help you out in latter years. Such as, for our P&T test, our teacher taught in generic names for antihypertensive medication. We thought the exam was only going to have generic names on it. Little did more than half of the class learn that she did it in brand names. It helped to have worked in a pharmacy to get those brand names without guessing. The people without that experience just kinda guessed on the questions.

This never would have happened at my school. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked if we have to know brand and generic, I could have paid for a whole week of pharmacy school by now. Whenever we get a new drug, I count down the seconds until someone raises their hand and asks. It is kind of annoying.

 

[Monalyce]

so what if she/he has never worked in a pharmacy before. it isn't like the experience you get as a tech will correlate to what a pharmacist does. Pharmacist has a totally different set of responsibilities then counting by 5's. Plus there are so many different types of pharmacy. People on here always say "I want to be a clinical so and so and do a residency" but if they haven't taken any pharmacotherapeutics .

I don't even think you need to be in a pharmacy. But you sure as hell should recognize the names of top 200 drugs (which you can basically do by reading about pharmacy and medicine, watching the news, and talking to people about the medications they take) and have SOME pharmacy experience. My tech experience taught me that I do not want to work in retail. My intern and shadowing experience taught me what else is out there...and why I want to be in pharmacy school.

 

[rxlea]

This never would have happened at my school. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked if we have to know brand and generic, I could have paid for a whole week of pharmacy school by now. Whenever we get a new drug, I count down the seconds until someone raises their hand and asks. It is kind of annoying.

That would annoy the crap outta me, too.

 

[Sugadarlin]

Good question OP! I was wondering the same thing myself and the responses in here have been really helpful. I volunteered in a small independent pharmacy for a short while but that's it as far a pharmacy experience goes.

I have worked in healthcare in other capacities, mainly as a case worker for people who have had strokes and brain injuries and am hoping some of the things I have done in that capacity might help me such as writing treatment plans, and dealing with insurance companies and managing teams of clinicians.

 

[weetzie00]

Techs do a LOT more than just counting pills. Everything RxLea said is evidence of that enough. I even work retail and can definitely say what I've learned is invaluable. I can at least identify most drugs and know their typical doses. I know what classes they are and to which receptor or chemical they affect. And I have caught A LOT of mistakes. I can look at a script and see it's dose and question it immediately. I think that type of knowledge will at least give me a leg up at the beginning of school.

 

[sungieality]

To current pharmacy students - besides learning the top 200 drugs, what subjects are good for self-study before entering pharmacy school?

Obviously there's nothing like actual experience, but surely there's some studying that can be done on your own?

 

[RxHusband]

To current pharmacy students - besides learning the top 200 drugs, what subjects are good for self-study before entering pharmacy school?

Obviously there's nothing like actual experience, but surely there's some studying that can be done on your own?

I do not have a lot of pharmacy experience, either. Just like you, I prepare myself by learning the top 200 drugs. Also, it depends which school you'll go to, the curriculum varies from school to school. I found that most schools will require you to learn medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical formulations and calculations, so I start reading those books whenever I have the time. Also, I've been brushing up on my biochemistry, anatomy and physiology. Hopefully, some current pharm students will fill us in a little more on what we could start doing.

 

[mimi45]

I am kind of confused...I'm not trying to be rude BUT OP, how do you even know that you want to be a pharmacist?? Have you spent time with pharmacists for advice, tips, etc. but you just haven't mentioned this?

Once upon a time, I thought that I wanted to be a PA. Well, I shadowed one in surgery for only 2 days and decided immediately that was not for me. I spent countless hours trying to figure out what I wanted to do simply by shadowing someone in the profession. I can not stress enough that without actual working experience it is quite difficult to be dedicated to an intense program such as pharmacy school.

Given you have the entire summer, I would spend as much time as you can in a pharmacy. Volunteer at a local community pharmacy or hospital..they are usually better at letting students volunteer in a timely fashion. It is your life but I think it would be important to find out if it is even worth the effort before you spend tons of $$ to find out in your first IPPE that you hate it.

 

[vasoolraja]

Hi Friends,

I work full time as a fisheries professional. I want to switch careers to pharmacy and become a pharmacist. How do I go about getting some experience or job shadowing. Some people say I should become a pharmacy technician to get experience in retail stores. Since I work full time and since this is a decent paying job I don't want to quit this job to pursue a pharmacy technician job. I am the major provider of my family at present and so I don't want to quit my present job altogether. I only have weekends to spare for getting experience. What is your advice for me?

Thanks!

 

[FredDurst]

You check local hospitals? A lot of them have volunteering opportunities in the different departments. The hospital I volunteered at scheduled volunteers in one, 4-hour block each week.

 

[lauradiddle]

I think what he means is that working as a tech allows you to see what a pharmacist does everyday. Having worked in pharmacy for almost 6 years, I can tell you the knowledge gained is invaluable. The pharmacists I work with now have taught me so much. They teach me about dosing and kinetics, various treatments, unusual cases, etc. I can recognize unusual doses, I know treatments for various illnesses, and I have learned a lot about chemo. I have even caught a few mistakes. I know that pharmacy is what I want to do. Some students go into pharm school not even knowing what a pharmacist does. Some then decide it is not what they want to do. I think that is important to point out.

Exactly. I've only been a tech at my hospital for a few months and I already feel like I've learned a lot. The pharmacists know I'm applying next year, so they're really nice about teaching me little things here and there. I was hesitant about pharmacy before starting this job, and now I know for sure it's what I want to do.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

For the life of me, I've never understood how someone can dedicate so many years of their life to a profession they've never even worked in.

Plenty of people do it everyday.

Guys become cops at the ripe old age of 21 and retire 30 years later. There's no other line of work where they could've been exposed to it prior to being old enough to do the job. Even college grads do it, and in a few states people under 21 do it.

People dream about becoming fighter pilots, go to college, study X major, finish, go to OTS, and then on to flight school. Likely, they've never been exposed to that profession either.

Go up to Detroit and get a job out of high school working in an auto assembly factor. I doubt they've ever built a Ford before.

It's doable. The whole "experience the profession before getting paid to do the real thing" is mostly a fantasy demonstrated by the healthcare community. You don't have to do something firsthand to know you'll like it or be good at it when you finally get the opportunity to.