Pharmacy Professional Organizations

[koercive]

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Just curious, how many of you pharmacy school applicants are in professional organizations such as APhA, etc.? If I had known I could join before gaining acceptance, I probably would have (going to conferences, meeting pharmacists, publication access, etc.)

Lastly, are all of the national ones (AMCP, NCPA, etc.) open to non-PharmDs?

 

[confettiflyer]

Just curious, how many of you pharmacy school applicants are in professional organizations such as APhA, etc.? If I had known I could join before gaining acceptance, I probably would have (going to conferences, meeting pharmacists, publication access, etc.)

Lastly, are all of the national ones (AMCP, NCPA, etc.) open to non-PharmDs?

none. my pharmacist friends/mentors advised me to not join and instead focus on grades + gathering relevant work experience + meaningful networking (not necessarily within the confines of a pharmacy acronym group). The one person who advised me to join something told me to join CSHP. The conference they all pointed me to was ASHP midyear, but i do not believe you have to be a member to attend (double check this...guest rate is most likely a bit higher).

Those interested in academia should probably check out ACCP's conference in july...try to get the wal-mart scholarship for that.

professional orgs come more into play as a resident/pharmacist and is setting dependent (again source = my preceptors/mentors).

i'd love to hear an argument from current residents/pharmacists and not students promoting any organization for the sake of promotion.

 

[koercive]

I'm just figuring out if the people I know applying next year should join an organization and get involved to show dedication for the profession. They are lacking in ECs since graduating, and I thought it would be a good avenue for them become involved again.

A few of my classmates now were in organizations before applying, and it seemed like they knew more about the profession from the get-go/used their experiences in their personal statements.

 

[crazybob]

The only national organization close enough to pharmacy that I was involved with was American Chemical Society. I think that's about the closest the applicants can get to APhA and NCPA.

 

[pharm B]

I'm a member of the Texas Pharmacy Association. While it's not a national group, it's still a good thing to be a part of. Free dinners, drug presentations, and networking!

 

[globalruns]

none. my pharmacist friends/mentors advised me to not join and instead focus on grades + gathering relevant work experience + meaningful networking (not necessarily within the confines of a pharmacy acronym group). The one person who advised me to join something told me to join CSHP. The conference they all pointed me to was ASHP midyear, but i do not believe you have to be a member to attend (double check this...guest rate is most likely a bit higher).

Those interested in academia should probably check out ACCP's conference in july...try to get the wal-mart scholarship for that.

professional orgs come more into play as a resident/pharmacist and is setting dependent (again source = my preceptors/mentors).

i'd love to hear an argument from current residents/pharmacists and not students promoting any organization for the sake of promotion.

FWIW, after talking to several pharmacy students, they said that 1st year is usually when people try to get on the same page academically with the sciences, so it will be the "easiest" year and the year to get involved in terms of extracurriculars or to go out and get some work experience. In fact, it was HIGHLY recommended to work part time, and balance the books. Even if it means just weekends or 10 hours per week. Because each year gets more difficult and then by that point in 2nd or 3rd year, you can hopefully be in a better position to negotiate hours. Also, you remember better what you just studied by working and applying that knowledge in various settings ie hospital or community practice.

Others have also insisted that its important to join ASHP because you do get to network the most through that venue and if anything, this is the one organization you should join in pharmacy school. People have said that pharm school is do-able in terms of the work load, but that it is pretty easy to get behind. Being involved is basically something that IS recommended. You do want to get great grades of course, but compared to medical school where no one should work, people have said pharmacy is still a challenge, but there is room to squeeze in things that will help you out for either residency/jobs. And just for anyone who reads this in the future, I was also told that if you're thinking about residency grades matter and you should ideally be getting serious about it during your P2 year or 1.5 year before you apply. Think earlier about it, because 3rd/4th year rotations are occurring and so P2 is a good time to seek it out after most of the grades have fallen into place.

Note: I'm still in the process of interviews. So this is just the advice I have heard.

 

[confettiflyer]

FWIW, after talking to several pharmacy students, they said that 1st year is usually when people try to get on the same page academically with the sciences, so it will be the "easiest" year and the year to get involved in terms of extracurriculars or to go out and get some work experience. In fact, it was HIGHLY recommended to work part time, and balance the books. Even if it means just weekends or 10 hours per week. Because each year gets more difficult and then by that point in 2nd or 3rd year, you can hopefully be in a better position to negotiate hours. Also, you remember better what you just studied by working and applying that knowledge in various settings ie hospital or community practice. Others have also insisted that its important to join ASHP because you do get to network the most through that venue and if anything, this is the one organization you should join in pharmacy school. People have said that pharm school is do-able in terms of the work load, but that it is pretty easy to get behind. Being involved is basically something that IS recommended. You do want to get great grades of course, but compared to medical school where no one should work, people have said pharmacy is still a challenge, but there is room to squeeze in things that will help you out for either residency/jobs.

Note: I'm still in the process of interviews. So this is just the advice I have heard.

I've also heard that the one to join is ASHP.

I just remember getting hoodwinked as an undergrad and getting over-involved that it killed other prospects for me. You know, those lines that people in clubs use like, "it'll look good on your resume!" etc... when in fact there's a lot of subtleties with that line.