Pharmacy Tech transition to Pharmacist??

[adrian13764]

okay dont judge or talk **** because im taking a 2 yr community college of pharmacy technician (A.A.S ). i wanted help, guidelines, steps to take to become a pharmacist after i complete my 2 yr of community college. i would like to transfer to a university and finish another 2 years of school to earn my bachelors but what program of (B.S) do i need to take?

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[Z-Qualizer]

It doesn't matter what your bachelor's is in, as long as you complete the pre-req courses required by the program you're applying to. Almost all pharmacy schools require G-Chem, Bio, O-Chem, Calc, Stats, A&P... many also require Micro & Physics... some even require Biochem & Genetics.

The problem is, you won't take all (or even most) of these in your pharm-tech AAS program. Also to obtain a bachelors degree, the school will likely make you take a bunch of general ed courses (English, History, Econ, Psych, etc.) It will be tough to take all those in 2 years.

Do you know what schools you're interested in? If so, look at their requirements and plan your next few years accordingly. Also, many pharm schools don't require a bachelors, so see if the schools you're interested in do.

Hope this helps...

 

[PharmHealth_KI]

You have to look at the pre-reqs required by the pharmacy schools that you will be applying to. Most pre-pharm students are either Bio or Chem majors, but you can choose anything as long as you are able to fulfill the pre-reqs.

As long as you satisfy the requirements for a specific school and are a competitive applicant, you'll be good to go.

 

[adrian13764]

You have to look at the pre-reqs required by the pharmacy schools that you will be applying to. Most pre-pharm students are either Bio or Chem majors, but you can choose anything as long as you are able to fulfill the pre-reqs.

As long as you satisfy the requirements for a specific school and are a competitive applicant, you'll be good to go.

i was planning on getting a bachelors on chemistry but i just didnt know if that would be a right move. but thank you for replying.

 

[adrian13764]

It doesn't matter what your bachelor's is in, as long as you complete the pre-req courses required by the program you're applying to. Almost all pharmacy schools require G-Chem, Bio, O-Chem, Calc, Stats, A&P... many also require Micro & Physics... some even require Biochem & Genetics.

The problem is, you won't take all (or even most) of these in your pharm-tech AAS program. Also to obtain a bachelors degree, the school will likely make you take a bunch of general ed courses (English, History, Econ, Psych, etc.) It will be tough to take all those in 2 years.

Do you know what schools you're interested in? If so, look at their requirements and plan your next few years accordingly. Also, many pharm schools don't require a bachelors, so see if the schools you're interested in do.

Hope this helps...

oh **** i forgot all about my core classes lol. only core classes theyre making me take in this pharm tech program is college algebra, composition and rhetoric, and literature and composition. im not looking to rush school since im very young but how long do you think it would take to complete my bachelors degree? thank you for replying btw

 

[pms_testosterone]

@adrian13764 Unless your community college has a transfer credit agreement with a university, you are unlikely to get any transfer credit at all. On the bright side, your experience and education as a tech will be looked upon very favourably when you're applying to pharmacy programs.

 

[nutripharma]

oh **** i forgot all about my core classes lol. only core classes theyre making me take in this pharm tech program is college algebra, composition and rhetoric, and literature and composition. im not looking to rush school since im very young but how long do you think it would take to complete my bachelors degree? thank you for replying btw

You can get your bachelors in 2-3 years if you push hard enough and focus. It might be a struggle at first, but you'll be fine once you settle in. Pre-reqs don't change but they differ from school to school. Some schools do not take many transfer credits from people with A.A.S's. I don't know why, but you can call each school to find out. Your state may have a transfer policy, like New Jersey. If they do, you may be in luck. Do some research regarding that.

 

[adrian13764]

@adrian13764 Unless your community college has a transfer credit agreement with a university, you are unlikely to get any transfer credit at all. On the bright side, your experience and education as a tech will be looked upon very favourably when you're applying to pharmacy programs.

so you're saying that i may not be able to go straight for a bachelors when i complete my community college? i read about where some or most of the credits earned in the pharm tech program wont be transferable but does that mean i wont be able to go for my bachelors right away when trasnferring to a university?

 

[PharmHealth_KI]

so you're saying that i may not be able to go straight for a bachelors when i complete my community college? i read about where some or most of the credits earned in the pharm tech program wont be transferable but does that mean i wont be able to go for my bachelors right away when trasnferring to a university?

If you credits don't transfer from your program to the 4-year university, then you will have to start as a freshman (year 1) again.

It depends on the community college that you're going to/what you're studying there/and if the university that you're transferring to will accept those credits/courses upon transfer.

 

[adrian13764]

If you credits don't transfer from your program to the 4-year university, then you will have to start as a freshman (year 1) again.

It depends on the community college that you're going to/what you're studying there/and if the university that you're transferring to will accept those credits/courses upon transfer.

yeah that's what i was exactly worrying about

 

[Z-Qualizer]

Ok here's the thing... a bachelor's degree generally takes 4 years. It CAN be completed faster by taking summer courses and/or extra courses during the fall & spring semesters. However, you are not taking the "typical" route to a bachelors in Bio, Chem, or whatever. A few of your courses may transfer, but I imagine most of your pharm tech courses will not because that is a specialized program. Another thing to consider: a heavier course load could have a negative effect on your GPA and hurt your chances of ultimately getting into a pharmd program. But, like I said before, unless the pharmacy school you want to go to requires a bachelor's, it's not necessary. Start researching schools...

 

[adrian13764]

Ok here's the thing... a bachelor's degree generally takes 4 years. It CAN be completed faster by taking summer courses and/or extra courses during the fall & spring semesters. However, you are not taking the "typical" route to a bachelors in Bio, Chem, or whatever. A few of your courses may transfer, but I imagine most of your pharm tech courses will not because that is a specialized program. Another thing to consider: a heavier course load could have a negative effect on your GPA and hurt your chances of ultimately getting into a pharmd program. But, like I said before, unless the pharmacy school you want to go to requires a bachelor's, it's not necessary. Start researching schools...

do you suggest that i should just transfer to a university afterwards and go for an associate degree on pre-pharm and after that transfer to a pharm school? instead of going for a bachelors degree and do extra work after finishing community college

 

[PharmHealth_KI]

do you suggest that i should just transfer to a university afterwards and go for an associate degree on pre-pharm and after that transfer to a pharm school? instead of going for a bachelors degree and do extra work after finishing community college

You can't get an "associates degree in pre-pharm". If you really want an associates degree, you should check and see which courses you can take that will count towards pharmacy school pre-reqs/successfully transfer to a 4-year school if you choose to go for a bachelors.

What is the reasoning behind you wanting to complete the AAS? Some/all of your courses may not transfer (unless you have already checked that they will) and you can get a pharm-tech position without this, as it is not a requirement.

You can apply to most pharmacy schools after completing two years of pre-reqs (without a bachelors degree) either at a community college, which credits will be accepted from, or at a 4-year school.

If you really want to get a bachelors degree first, go ahead, but remember that if your AAS courses do not transfer you will need to complete another 4 years of schooling (where you complete your pharmacy school pre-reqs and/or bachelors degree requirements) if your courses don't transfer

 

[adrian13764]

You can't get an "associates degree in pre-pharm". If you really want an associates degree, you should check and see which courses you can take that will count towards pharmacy school pre-reqs/successfully transfer to a 4-year school if you choose to go for a bachelors.

What is the reasoning behind you wanting to complete the AAS? Some/all of your courses may not transfer (unless you have already checked that they will) and you can get a pharm-tech position without this, as it is not a requirement.

You can apply to most pharmacy schools after completing two years of pre-reqs (without a bachelors degree) either at a community college, which credits will be accepted from, or at a 4-year school.

If you really want to get a bachelors degree first, go ahead, but remember that if your AAS courses do not transfer you will need to complete another 4 years of schooling (where you complete your pharmacy school pre-reqs and/or bachelors degree requirements) if your courses don't transfer

im doing this community college not because i wanted too but i had to. 1 year of my life was wasted because i couldnt go to school either due to location or lack of service in school that gives you false information. i thought it would be easy to transfer to a university and go straight to my bachelors but someone told me that i will have to do extra course work which will not take 2 years but maybe 3 years instead due to non transferable credits. on the school i was looking at to transfer, not for my bachelors degree, it says associate degree for pre-pharmacy (A.S)
Thats why i was wondering if it would be better if i just transfer to a university afterwards and complete the pre-pharmacy associate degree program and then switch over to a pharmacy school because i doubt i can go from a community college straight to a pharmacy school.

 

[Z-Qualizer]

Some pharmacy schools accept credits from CC, some prefer or even require that the pre-reqs be taken at an accredited 4-year institution - especially the science courses. Do you know which pharmacy school(s) you're interested in?

 

[adrian13764]

Some pharmacy schools accept credits from CC, some prefer or even require that the pre-reqs be taken at an accredited 4-year institution - especially the science courses. Do you know which pharmacy school(s) you're interested in?

a pharmacy school somewhere in Texas thats for sure. i wanted to know if it would be best if i should just transfer to a university and go for the "pre-pharmacy associate degree" after i finish this fall semester in community college. because the pharmacy schools i was searching at talks about pre-pharm and the university near me has pre-pharm. so i was just wondering if it would be best to just transfer to a university, after this fall semester, and do that instead of waste 2 years in community college studing pharmacy tech when most credits won't even transfer.

 

[UrbanPharm]

Ditch the pharm tech courses. They likely won't help you get where you wanna go. I just got my pharm tech license without taking classes or ever working in a pharmacy.

Research which school you want to go to and take pre-pharm courses at your local community college that YOU KNOW will transfer. CC is usually much cheaper to go to, more convenient, and willing to give out more scholarships. However, there are benefits to going to a university as well. This will take 2 yrs minimum and you'll probably need to take summer courses too. You'll need to account for getting not so good grades and retaking some classes too. Pre-pharm classes are not the easiest.

Meanwhile, after about a year, you'll need to start studying for/atleast thinking about the PCAT. 70th percentile or better is preferred usually.

This is what I did. I went straight from CC to the pharmD program. I start in a few weeks. I live in TX, so I knew my credits would transfer. They have a state wide core curriculum transfer rule.

 

[adrian13764]

Ditch the pharm tech courses. They likely won't help you get where you wanna go. I just got my pharm tech license without taking classes or ever working in a pharmacy.

Research which school you want to go to and take pre-pharm courses at your local community college that YOU KNOW will transfer. CC is usually much cheaper to go to, more convenient, and willing to give out more scholarships. However, there are benefits to going to a university as well. This will take 2 yrs minimum and you'll probably need to take summer courses too. You'll need to account for getting not so good grades and retaking some classes too. Pre-pharm classes are not the easiest.

Meanwhile, after about a year, you'll need to start studying for/atleast thinking about the PCAT. 70th percentile or better is preferred usually.

This is what I did. I went straight from CC to the pharmD program. I start in a few weeks. I live in TX, so I knew my credits would transfer. They have a state wide core curriculum transfer rule.

thats the thing the community college around me only has pharmacy tech as their program. if i were to take pre-pharmacy program i would have to go to a university. which is what i was asking to everyone if i should just complete this fall semester taking pharmacy tech and then transfer toa university and take pre-pharm.

 

[UrbanPharm]

My CC didn't have pre-pharm either. I was a double major in chem and bio. It's not necessary to obtain a degree, but it makes it a little more worth it in my brain.

 

[adrian13764]

My CC didn't have pre-pharm either. I was a double major in chem and bio. It's not necessary to obtain a degree, but it makes it a little more worth it in my brain.

so you think this option is the best for me: complete my first semester (this fall semester) in community college taking pharmacy tech (since im already accepted and paid) and after this semester is over transfer to a university and take the pre-pharmacy program which is an associates degree. because i really dont want to be wasting so much time and money by doing something thats unnecessary.

 

[UrbanPharm]

No, I think you should immediately go try to change your major at your CC to chemistry and start working on your pre-reqs. I've never attended a university, but I can say that CC is significantly cheaper which is why I went where I did.

You don't need a degree to get into a lot of pharmacy schools. You just need the pre-reqs.

If you can't change your major, that sucks. I think you're wasting your time even doing one semester of pharm tech.

Here's the link with the prerequisites for University of Houston. Your pharm tech courses are most likely not on this list.

http://www.uh.edu/pharmacy/prospective-students/pharmd/_pdfs/UHCOP-PharmD-Prerequisites.pdf

 

[adrian13764]

No, I think you should immediately go try to change your major at your CC to chemistry and start working on your pre-reqs. I've never attended a university, but I can say that CC is significantly cheaper which is why I went where I did.

You don't need a degree to get into a lot of pharmacy schools. You just need the pre-reqs.

If you can't change your major, that sucks. I think you're wasting your time even doing one semester of pharm tech.

Here's the link with the prerequisites for University of Houston. Your pharm tech courses are most likely not on this list.

http://www.uh.edu/pharmacy/prospective-students/pharmd/_pdfs/UHCOP-PharmD-Prerequisites.pdf

my community college is a technical school :/ and no my pharm tech courses are nothing like the link you sent me. this is the pre-pharm pre-requisites that look almost exactly like the link you sent me. http://www.clayton.edu/science/Pre-Pharmacy-AS

 

[UrbanPharm]

Aaaahhh. I see. Well then yes, your best bet is to probably transfer and do the pre pharm program at your university. I didn't realize your community college was a technical school.