Pharmacy Experience Questions!

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if you just want to observe a pharmacist then tell them you would like to "shadow" a pharmacist. if you want to work in a pharmacy, then you would apply for a job as a pharmacy technician.
 
Okay, I thought I could get some experience as a pharmacist before heading to pharmacy school but I guess not. It's okay though, I'll learn from my mistakes 🙂. Maybe volunteer at a local pharmacy of some sort. Thanks.

Stevey: You shouldn't discourage new members about becoming a pharmacist by laughing at them. What you should do is give them advice 🙂
 
By the way, would volunteering at a local pharmacy be better than getting a position as a pharmacy technician or vice versa? And wouldn't pharmacy technician be required to take the pharmacy technician license before they can even apply for a position?
 
i think it depends on what state you live in. anyone can work as a tech in georgia. you don't have to be certified or licenced with the state.
 
Bascer, I don't think Steve was trying to discourage you or any other new members from becoming a pharmacist; I just think he found it really strange that you thought you could be a pharmacist intern when you're not a pharmacist (and so do I). I don't know of any career that lets you "intern" without some type of relevant experience...teachers, policemen, doctors, nurses, etc...none of these let people walk in off the street and intern because it endangers people's lives. At any rate, try to research independent pharmacies as well as retail and hospital pharmacies for any volunteer opportunities that may exist in case you have difficulty finding a job as a pharm tech. Good luck with everything.
 
I by no means meant to evoke any type of discouragement or bad intentions.

Reason i thought it was funny is I've been volunteering for a year and am not allowed to even do some of the simple things that a tech does, like put labels on stuff. I don't even think about tryng to do what a pharmacist does. Thats just VERY VERY wishful thinking.
 
oy!! lol.. well anyways... i just wanted to say that volunteering or working as a pharm tech (if possible) or even shadowing a pharmacist are great experiences to put down on paper when applying for pharm school. but i also want to let you know that other extracurriculars are also good that dont have to be pharm-related. show that you have a passion/commitment and that you want to ultimately contribute to community. i was a tutor and a leader for a youth group at my temple and i think that it helped my application. so those are just ideas.
 
The reason why I thought I could actually intern as a pharmacist is because my sister is taking pre-med courses and she got a few paid internships at VCH. I just don't understand how my sister can get paid internships as a pre-med student. I thought she did internships as a doctor, but that's nuts for a pre-med student. I really didn't think it through :laugh: But anyhow I have learned that I need to get into pharmacy school before even interning as a pharmacist.

The good news is VCH called about 3 minutes after I emailed the recruiting coordinator and he suggest I call them back once I get into a pharmacy school 🙂

But what I'm most concerned about is making my application stronger and prevailing as an applicant to UCSF, USC, etc. Maybe I'll try to find a volunteering position at a local retail pharmacy and find some ways to make my extracirriculars at good standing. Would you guys mind sharing some tips about getting good volunteering and extracirriculars experience? Some examples would help alot.

Sorry for the misunderstanding about pharmacy internships. I'm still learning, thanks guys.

Kind regards,


BascerPharm4
 
The reason why I thought I could actually intern as a pharmacist is because my sister is taking pre-med courses and she got a few paid internships at VCH. I just don't understand how my sister can get paid internships as a pre-med student. I thought she did internships as a doctor, but that's nuts for a pre-med student. I really didn't think it through :laugh: But anyhow I have learned that I need to get into pharmacy school before even interning as a pharmacist.

The good news is VCH called about 3 minutes after I emailed the recruiting coordinator and he suggest I call them back once I get into a pharmacy school 🙂

But what I'm most concerned about is making my application stronger and prevailing as an applicant to UCSF, USC, etc. Maybe I'll try to find a volunteering position at a local retail pharmacy and find some ways to make my extracirriculars at good standing. Would you guys mind sharing some tips about getting good volunteering and extracirriculars experience? Some examples would help alot.

Sorry for the misunderstanding about pharmacy internships. I'm still learning, thanks guys.

Kind regards,


BascerPharm4

i think in terms of volunteering, you are on the right track, but in terms of extras, its really up to you. my advice is to do something that is worthwhile and have personal meaning to you. dont join a club for the sake of writing it down on paper. they want to see the commitment by staying with the activity for years if possible or something that you feel makes a contribution to the community.
 
I by no means meant to evoke any type of discouragement or bad intentions.

Reason i thought it was funny is I've been volunteering for a year and am not allowed to even do some of the simple things that a tech does, like put labels on stuff. I don't even think about tryng to do what a pharmacist does. Thats just VERY VERY wishful thinking.

Aww Stevey ~ they won't let you put labels on? What state are u in?
I volunteered at a hospital over winter break, and I have to say, pulling tablets and putting lables on them is a pretty boring job. I rather wish the pharamcists on duty had time to teach me something exciting. It would have been awesome if I learned how to read some of the stuff the doctors write; it's nothing like the Rite Aid prescriptions I get at work.
 
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I've been reading a lot of posts and many students say they have "a lot" of pharmacy experience. What does that mean? I guess what I am trying to say is how do you think schools determine who has a lot, some, more or less pharmacy experience than others. Does it have to do with the type of pharmacy you work at, the years, volunteer vs. clerk or tech, or how well the pharmacist knows you. In other words, since you can't quantify this (or can you) like a GPA or PCAT, how do you guys think schools view and compare which students have a lot of or good "experience"
 
I've been reading a lot of posts and many students say they have "a lot" of pharmacy experience. What does that mean? I guess what I am trying to say is how do you think schools determine who has a lot, some, more or less pharmacy experience than others. Does it have to do with the type of pharmacy you work at, the years, volunteer vs. clerk or tech, or how well the pharmacist knows you. In other words, since you can't quantify this (or can you) like a GPA or PCAT, how do you guys think schools view and compare which students have a lot of or good "experience"

Well, I know on PharmCAS, you list your extracurricular/volunteer experiences and give a brief description of your duties (although I remember it was very limited because I had to cut down my descriptions to fit the character limit). Maybe your description of what you do, plus how many hours you've committed to it, shows the admission committees the quality of your experience. But, I want to say that they also might assess how good your experience is by what you write in your essays. I'm sure most people talked about their pharmacy job/activity in their essay. They can probably see from that whether you were, for example, just counting pills or really observing what goes on.
 
For the longest time, I wasn't able to find any pharmacy experience type work, volunteer or paid, no matter how hard I looked/asked, so I got a job in a physician's office instead, because I didn't just want to sit around doing nothing. In the past month or so, I've started doing pharmacy volunteer work, and I still work at the physician's office. Will that look good/bad to a pharm school? (especially UT Austin, if anyone happens to know, because that's where I've really got my heart set on) Thanks!
 
oh, yeah, and I will be applying to pharmacy schools in the fall
 
For the longest time, I wasn't able to find any pharmacy experience type work, volunteer or paid, no matter how hard I looked/asked, so I got a job in a physician's office instead, because I didn't just want to sit around doing nothing. In the past month or so, I've started doing pharmacy volunteer work, and I still work at the physician's office. Will that look good/bad to a pharm school? (especially UT Austin, if anyone happens to know, because that's where I've really got my heart set on) Thanks!

Um...are you serious? of course that'd look good to a pharm school...any job would look pretty good because it shows you can juggle school with work, let alone a medical job AND pharmacy volunteer work
 
If you are refering to my comment about not being a people person:

That will come with time and experience. I didn't mean that I hate people, I just meant that I'm not the most outgoing person and that I don't handle public speaking that well. I'm working on improving both of those, and like I said they will both improve with time. I was just asking how everyone else got their first exposure to the field of pharmacy.
 
I just walked into a chain pharmacy and asked for a job application. I also didn't have any pharmacy experience when i started working. As long as you are willing to learn, you will be fine. Just walk into a store and ask for an application. At least from where i am from, there is a great shortage of pharmacy technicians.
 
I shadowed pharmacists in a variety of settings: family practice clinic, hospital, anticoag. clinic, infusion clinic, and a retail setting. Didn't get paid, but I got about 80 hours of shadowing...which was good enough for most schools! If you find one pharmacist that will let you shadow, generally they will have names of several others that would let you shadow as well!
 
My school posts up positions available in different fields and I saw one for pharm techs, cashiers, interns at a cahin pharmacy. So I called and then went to apply. They hired me as a pharmacy cashier. I have been working there now for three months. Since the pharmacy is usually slow on Sundays, the pharmacist takes time to show me how to count the pills and actually type and fill prescriptions. I love this because I get to be a "tech-in-training" on Sundays.

Keep your eyes open and just walk in and fill an application. You never know what could be offered to you....
 
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thanks for all the replys. I'm gonna start applying, and maybe I'll get lucky
 
I just volunteered to get my pharmacy experience. I volunteered for a total of 100 hrs or so.
 
I applied and applied and applied for 9 months before I landed a job as a pharmacy technician in the hospital. It was hard to get that job since I had no pharmacy experience prior to that, and hospitals don't like to hire people that have no prior experience. Some even require that you're certified. They kept sending me "rejection" letter telling me that my application would be on file for 3 months. But I kept trying and finally got it. After that hospital pharmacy job, it was easy to get other pharmacy jobs.
 
I had no pharmacy experience when I applied. I went to CVS and asked for the PIC (pharmacist in charge). I explained my situation and asked how to go about applying. I applied online and got the job fast b/c he was looking for my application (and all are faxed to the pharmacy automatically in our district). I have been working there since last summer and I am a certified tech now. I have learned so much b/c it is busy and the pharmacists show me so much. Both of my pharmacists wrote me LOR's and love me to death... I didn't realize how valuable working in a pharmacy would be. good luck!!
 
I volunteered at the hospital pharmacy for about a year. It was pretty easy to get a position: I just contacted a volunteering services coordinator at the hospital.
 
I volunteered at my local hospital pharmacy for about 5 months before I got a tech job in retail. I didn't find it difficult to get the volunteer job either. Like janeno, I also contacted the volunteer co-ordinator at the hospital and they were able to set me up with no problem. I applied to several pharmacies before I was able to get the job I got at Osco. I think having volunteer experience helped me get a tech job, because I didn't have any other previous pharmacy or other related medical-field experience besides that.
 
Try to be very persistent. I tried to use the yellow pages to get local & family-owned pharmacies and went to each one of them and asked if they have positions for pharmacy clerks/tech or volunteerings. I am now working as a pharmacy clerk at a retail store.
 
I have applied to pharmacy school. I have an average GPA (3.4-3.5) and an average PCAT score (76)- totally bombed the math. I am what is considered nontraditional. I have been out of school for three years and am a school teacher. I have no pharmacy school experience but as a Junior High School teacher I have tons of people experience. Do you think that will be enough? I have thought about getting a tech job but I tutor in the evenings and with a mortgage, it is not possible for me to give either up right now. Any words to make me feel better about my chances to getting in. I applied at UAMS.🙁
 
I have applied to pharmacy school. I have an average GPA (3.4-3.5) and an average PCAT score (76)- totally bombed the math. I am what is considered nontraditional. I have been out of school for three years and am a school teacher. I have no pharmacy school experience but as a Junior High School teacher I have tons of people experience. Do you think that will be enough? I have thought about getting a tech job but I tutor in the evenings and with a mortgage, it is not possible for me to give either up right now. Any words to make me feel better about my chances to getting in. I applied at UAMS.🙁

Given that you applied to UAMS I'm assuming you're an AR resident. At least until recently, said essentially, "If you're not an AR resident, don't bother." I'd say that alone would give you a good shot. I can't really speak for the school since I'm no longer an AR resident and therefore haven't applied, but I have absolutely 0 pharmacy/healthcare/medical experience and have interviewed at 3 schools out of 4 I applied to. I do customer service for a utility, so I'm going in with the same "I have people skills" mentality. I do have some cross-training taking supervisor calls which helps my application I think, but I'd say not having experience is not an application killer. The GPA is decent and if the Math score is all that brought your PCAT down, I'd say you're still okay. Three years out of school doesn't help, but if you teach high school science (Biology/Chemistry especially) then you have the "not out of practice" thing going for you.

Now that I've rambled for a paragraph, I'd say chances aren't that bad for you.:luck:
 
I just got into Creighton with zero actual pharmacy experience. However, I was able to compensate that deficiency with experience in other areas like volunteering, leadership, and research. For you, being a teacher is a demanding job that many people in the profession are underpaid. That certainly works in your favor and you should talk about it in your interviews.

Your GPA is fine as it is around average for many pharmacy schools. Your PCAT isn't that bad. I would apply to as many schools as possible as different schools look at factors differently.
 
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Given that you applied to UAMS I'm assuming you're an AR resident. At least until recently, said essentially, "If you're not an AR resident, don't bother." I'd say that alone would give you a good shot. I can't really speak for the school since I'm no longer an AR resident and therefore haven't applied, but I have absolutely 0 pharmacy/healthcare/medical experience and have interviewed at 3 schools out of 4 I applied to. I do customer service for a utility, so I'm going in with the same "I have people skills" mentality. I do have some cross-training taking supervisor calls which helps my application I think, but I'd say not having experience is not an application killer. The GPA is decent and if the Math score is all that brought your PCAT down, I'd say you're still okay. Three years out of school doesn't help, but if you teach high school science (Biology/Chemistry especially) then you have the "not out of practice" thing going for you.

Now that I've rambled for a paragraph, I'd say chances aren't that bad for you.:luck:

I'd agree with Farmercyst. You've got a good GPA and a decent PCAT. And since you can teach science, it will be assumed that you can still learn science. I think you probably have a good chance of getting in somewhere. I would shadow a pharmacist a few times so that you get a feeling for how pharmacy works. This also gives you the benefit of experiencing it first hand and finding out if it's something that you truly want to do.
 
During your interview, be prepared to answer the question, "Since you don't have any pharmacy experience, how do you know pharmacy is right for you?". It seems to be a favorite question among interviewers.
 
It really depends. Do you have good GPA and PCAT score? If you can't get a job as a pharm tech, then try to see if you can volunteer, or at the very least, shadow a pharmacist. It will make you a better applicant and more importantly, you won't have a hard time at the interviews. What if they ask you, "you've never worked a day in the pharmacy, how do you know this is right for you?" or something like that.

If you've never worked a day in the pharmacy before, they're not going to hire you right away. Keep applying until they hire you.
 
How many people don't get any experience prior to entering pharmacy school. I plan on entering in the Fall of 08 and I plan on getting a job in a pharmacy. I've been applying to all the pharmacy in my area. I haven't heard from anyone yet. In case I dont get a call back from any of them--How necessary is it to have prior experience? Will I be really behind, and not know what Im doing, when it comes to rotations?

Thanks

If you are asking will it hurt you during admission time, yes i think it will. Having pharmacy experience is one more thing to make you more competitive on your application and give you something to talk about during your interview. Volunteer, shadow or get a tech job if possible but do something so you have experience for admission time.
If you are just worried about being behind for rotations..I think you would be fine in that regard. Most schools will place you throughout your didactic years and you will probably have an easier time finding a job in a pharmacy for a few hours week once in Pharmacy School. Rotations are a ways away, just worry about getting experience that looks good to get into to school!
 
Look, most people view pharmacy experience as a "requirement" and for most schools, it' might be an unspoken one. But view it as a favor for yourself.

I bet 90% of the people who regret pharmacy school are the ones who had no idea what they were getting themselves into. You will be doing this as a career for the next 30-40 yrs of your life so you better know what the heck you're actually doing before investing $100k plus in school.

The "funny" thing is, the reason why schools require this is so they won't accept someone who doesn't know what they're getting themselves into. It wastes everybody's time and money.

But to answer your question, you can definitely apply and get in, but it will indeed hurt your chances, but not by much. But how can you honestly answer the questions "Why do you want to do pharmacy?" when you have never stepped inside of one before.

With that being said, I have ~10 friends currently in pharmacy school and 8 of them had no prior experience.
 
Look, most people view pharmacy experience as a "requirement" and for most schools, it' might be an unspoken one. But view it as a favor for yourself.

I bet 90% of the people who regret pharmacy school are the ones who had no idea what they were getting themselves into. You will be doing this as a career for the next 30-40 yrs of your life so you better know what the heck you're actually doing before investing $100k plus in school.

The "funny" thing is, the reason why schools require this is so they won't accept someone who doesn't know what they're getting themselves into. It wastes everybody's time and money.

But to answer your question, you can definitely apply and get in, but it will indeed hurt your chances, but not by much. But how can you honestly answer the questions "Why do you want to do pharmacy?" when you have never stepped inside of one before.

With that being said, I have ~10 friends currently in pharmacy school and 8 of them had no prior experience.

I've never stepped foot behind a pharmacy counter, passed the PTCE and have interviewed at 2 (3 as of 3/17 :luck: ) and the why pharmacy question has been asked, nobody has ever brought up that I've never had experience. I have yet to get in, but I have yet to be rejected. (Though I understand LLU doesn't have that many slots left and I haven't heard from them yet.)
 
you really have to call around the pharmacy stores for volunteer...thats what i did some days ago and i got a volunteer job at a local pharmacy store...
 
Assuming that I don't bomb this last semester, I will be in pharmacy school this fall without any direct pharmacy experience. I have two acceptances, another admissions decision to be made, another interview offer I could take, and a few more schools still processing my application. So, it can be done if your credentials that make up for that lack of experience like a good GPA, PCAT, volunteer service, work experience, etc.

The key to convincing the admissions committee that you know what are you are getting into is to convince yourself that you can see yourself being happy doing pharmacy ten years in the future. If you have to contrive reasons and/or can't come up with true reasons, then you've got a problem if you decide to continue into pharmacy school anyway.
 
Most of the schools I am applying to either require, or look favorably on any kind of pharmacy experience. I dont plan on getting my pharm tech certification bc I looked into a few schools in my area and the tuition to these place is absolutely absurd. Will retial pharmacies or hospitals hire you without a certification?
 
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Depends on whether they are legally allowed to or not.
In California to work as a tech you must be certified. So no, they won't hire you without certification. However, that doesn't mean you need to go to some class and pay $1000 or go to JC and take classes for a year. If you're in a state that allows you to use the PTCE as a certification method then you can sign up of the test without experience and as long as you're decent at math and know a few drugs/what they do you're almost certain to pass. If you're not in a state that requires certification you may be able to just walk in and fill out an app.

Just check with your state board of pharmacy to see what the requirements are.
 
I agree with Farmercyst.

I took the PTCE and it was incredibly easy. I read one book and studied that for about 3 days. I also have never worked at a pharmacy before that. It was all math.

Those pharm tech schools are complete rip offs. People at the exam were talking about how they have been going to school for 1 year and paid thousands and thousands of dollars. I don't understand why someone would pay like $15,000 to be placed into a job that starts at around $8-$12/hr. I don't know. I just think that is overkill. The stats for the exam is like 90-95% of the test takers pass.

Some states now require pharm certs from their pharm techs. So you may need to be certified. I say buy a ~$50 book and pay the PTCE fee of ~100. Worst that could happen is that you lose ~$150 and some time studying.
 
Texas doesn't require a test or a class. It's just a lengthy application/registration procedure-requiring background checks.
 
I agree with Farmercyst.

I took the PTCE and it was incredibly easy. I read one book and studied that for about 3 days. I also have never worked at a pharmacy before that. It was all math.

Those pharm tech schools are complete rip offs. People at the exam were talking about how they have been going to school for 1 year and paid thousands and thousands of dollars. I don't understand why someone would pay like $15,000 to be placed into a job that starts at around $8-$12/hr. I don't know. I just think that is overkill. The stats for the exam is like 90-95% of the test takers pass.

Some states now require pharm certs from their pharm techs. So you may need to be certified. I say buy a ~$50 book and pay the PTCE fee of ~100. Worst that could happen is that you lose ~$150 and some time studying.

What was the name of the book you studied? Was it more than just practice exams; did it have actual material, like a textbook?
 
I live in GA and they do not require techs to be certified. I' am going to be taking the tech test next month which is $129 eventhough I'll be starting pharm school next fall I do get a raise and a $500 bonus so I'm going to take that. I' am studying the Mosbys text book, which I think is going to prepare me more than what the tests will require you to know. It is an in depth book. I recommend it.
 
i think having pharmacy experience would help you get into pharm school. I myself will also look at becoming a pharm tech before entering pharm school. I live in texas and heard it doesn't require a test or class.
 
I'm a midcareer prepharm student, age 36, who is trying to figure out the best way to gain work experience in a pharmacy. I've thought about obtaining a pharm tech license and working for a retail pharmacy -- is this a good way to go? Will it be an advantage when I apply to schools in 2-3 years? The only drawback that I can see is the pay: I've heard it's not that great ($13-$15/hour here in Cali).

What are the alternatives? What is shadowing, and how can I get started with that? Anyone have any recommendations about finding a volunteer job in pharmacy? Is it just as simple as walking in and saying, "I'm here and ready to work"?

Thx! 😀
 
Work experience can really help or hurt your application. I think it played a big factor in my getting accepted in Wingate, but my interviewers, much like most interviewers want to know that you know what you're getting yourself into. So it doesn't have to be a paid gig. You can volunteer at a hospital or retail pharmacy ("Shadowing" the pharmacy staff). Getting your CPhT shows dedication. Even if you can't afford to work as a technician, obtaining that license shows not just dedication, but also an aptitude for the profession- I've heard that some of the information on the CPhT exam is similar to a professional crash course in pharmacy. In my case, I started out in retail which is where most people do, because retail is willing to train you and pay for your certification exam, and even bump you up in pay and give you a bonus once you're certified (Walgreens anyway). From there I moved to Blue Cross as a tech, and then switched over to Hospice Pharmacy benefits management. While I was in the Army I volunteered at the local base hospital to gain exposure to that aspect as well. Yes, I hopped around, but I got a feel for what I like about pharmacy and that pleased my interviewers.
 
Work experience can really help or hurt your application. I think it played a big factor in my getting accepted in Wingate, but my interviewers, much like most interviewers want to know that you know what you're getting yourself into. So it doesn't have to be a paid gig. You can volunteer at a hospital or retail pharmacy ("Shadowing" the pharmacy staff).

I did not realize that volunteering was "shadowing". I'm about to start volunteering (doing unpaid work) at a small pharmacy today. The pharmacist promises to teach me some stuff, and answer questions in return for my unpaid services (probably cleaning maid? 😕 ). 😎 I feel that this opportunity is a great way for me to get some experience in a pharmacy setting, and gives me a foot through the door in terms of getting a paid job in a pharmacy in the near future.

My only question is, do I put this on my resume? Do I have the pharmacist sign a form showing that I've been there for so-and-so many hours? How do I keep an official track of how much pharmacy experience I've got? 😕

And what do you mean by work experience either hurting or helping your application?
 
I'm a midcareer prepharm student, age 36, who is trying to figure out the best way to gain work experience in a pharmacy. I've thought about obtaining a pharm tech license and working for a retail pharmacy -- is this a good way to go? Will it be an advantage when I apply to schools in 2-3 years? The only drawback that I can see is the pay: I've heard it's not that great ($13-$15/hour here in Cali).

What are the alternatives? What is shadowing, and how can I get started with that? Anyone have any recommendations about finding a volunteer job in pharmacy? Is it just as simple as walking in and saying, "I'm here and ready to work"?

Thx! 😀


To me, volunteering work is bs-ing work (applicant who wants an easy way out with experience-related)...there are some who have connections with privately own pharmacy or hospital-based..that's the way to go with volunteering, and it's not very consistent as to a regular job. Also, I find more tech or clerk "working" in a retail , and according to your salary, the more you work the greater the pay :luck:
 
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