Pharmacy Tech recommended?

[TheDrugMan]

I called my local Pharmacy college and they said that I do not have to have the Pharm tech certification or experience to apply. Alot of people here are saying that it helps. If I have a near 4.0 GPA and a really high PCAT score, Will it matter? I am a non-traditional applicant in my early 30's and really do not have time and cant afford to work as a tech.

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[patmcd]

There are plenty of people that get in w/o any pharmacy experience.

 

[KellyBean]

A lot of people can get in without the experience, but if you have time, you can try to shadow a pharmacist. Maybe 2-3 hours a week or something like that.

 

[quique]

I've heard that some schools actually prefer not to accept experienced pharmacy techs into their PharmD programs. Perhaps they feel that some techs are jaded from working in pharmacy for a long time?

Before I got accepted I spoke with several pharmacy students and a pharmacy prof and all of them gave me perplexed looks when I mentioned I was planning to get my tech license as a means to help my application.

It's definitely NOT a necessity to be a tech to get into a PharmD program. However, the experience may strengthen your application (e.g. shows dedication and exposure/experience in the field).

 

[UTfarmer]

At UT Austin, you are required to complete 200 hours of pharmacy experience before your P3 year. For people who don't have experience, they just work as an intern fulltime during the summer, and for those who have worked at a pharmacy can waive those required hours and have the summer off. It was worth it for me to complete my hours before I started school b/c I can really enjoy the only summer I'll ever have off until graduation.
As far as getting in, no experience necessary with your gpa and pcat. Just read the Pharmacy Times to be on top of the latest issues.

 

[Leb]

I got accepted with no pharmacy experience what so ever.
I think you will be fine.

 

[Mistysmoke]

When I talked to a recent graduate about this very thing, she said not to bother going for tech, to just focus on getting my prereq's done and maybe try to shadow a pharmacist. She went to Univ or Arizona, if that helps any.

 

[StringTheorist]

That's odd..what pharmacy school was this? That should not be required, but reccomended. Maybe what they were trying to say is that it is not REQUIRED for applying, but they might not really look at your application unless you have experience.

 

[TheDrugMan]

I will probably just try the shadowing thing. Thanks for the advice