

But anyhow I have learned that I need to get into pharmacy school before even interning as a pharmacist. 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 throughBut 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 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.
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"
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!
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.![]()
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
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.
) 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.)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.
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'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! 😀
