Hello,
I have been a pharmacy technician for the last 2 1/2 years (since freshman year college). I was just wondering if medical schools count this as clinical experience? i would be willing to argue with anyone who says it is not. The disconect between what happens when a pt. leaves their docs office and come to the pharmacy is faw to large. MANY doctors have no idea/ dont care what happens to their patients after they leave the office (drug cost, lack of ins., drugs not covered, high copays when a lesser drug can be sub, ect... the list goes on). If it is not concidered clinical experience any ideas as to were i can get some this late in the game? also on a side note my freshman year was less then steller (2.7 gpa, two C's in general chem) i have since then been above 3.5 every semester. Should i retake general chem this late in the game to replace the 2 C's and increase my gpa? or will medical schools look past my freshman year and see my A's in uper level courses (A's in advanced organic, intro to pharma/toxicology, biochem ect...) I will retake if i have to.....
Thanks for ur time and help.......
I could make my Pharm Tech experience look like clinical experience. I work for a major corporate retailer, too. But there is something unique that makes my pharmacy tech experience legitimate clinical experience:
I'm in a rural area in Illinois. All the doctors and pharmacists know each other. I've shadowed several of the doctors here in town. In fact, all of my shadowing opportunities have come because my direct interaction with a variety of physicians in the pharmacy.
Two of the pharmacists, including my boss, also take time to teach me stuff that is well beyond any knowledge I would ever need in my current position.
Many patients come in and can't afford the medicine the doctor prescribed to them. I get to witness the pharmacist and physician interact to find a better and more affordable treatment option. Nothing teaches you more about the economics of medicine than retail pharmacy. Shadowing in the ER, volunteering (which I've done both), etc. don't hold a candle the lessons about patient care I've learned in the retail pharmacy setting. I've also gained a much greater appreciation for other members of the health care team. You hear a lot about the important role that nurses play but no one ever talks about the pharmacists (who save more lives preventing errors than most people realize). Did you know that nurses and pharmacists are the two most trusted professions?
So... here is what I gained from shadowing and volunteering that I did not gain from working in retail pharmacy:
- I witnessed doctors treat patients directly
- I got to converse with doctors about specific cases they've had, the challenges of primary care, watched a few surgeries, etc.
Here is what I gained from retail pharmacy that I did not gain from shadowing and volunteering:
- Very rudimentary knowledge of pharmacological treatment for a variety of ailments.
- Small things here and there ... how to take someones blood pressure, how to check your blood sugar, how to calculate doses of Lovenox, what the purpose of various medications are, how to calculate childrens doses by using height and weight, etc. etc.
- The harsh realities of our health care system: the income disparity of care. The most rich and the most poor get taken care of while the middle class gets absolutely shafted. The rich can afford better access to care and their drug regimens. While you would think the poor would be the worse off in our capitalist system, the truth is that the poor get free access to care and free medicine that would cost the average Joe an arm and a leg. The poor have better health insurance than the most rich of individuals. I've also learned how badly abused the medicaid system is and how incredibly easy it is to take advantage of the system (at least in our state). If the rich get sick, they go to the doctor. If the medicaid recipient gets sick, they go to the doctor (sometimes the ER, even for minor ailments, since it is free). The middle class family with two $40,000 incomes who support children think 10 times before seeing a specialist (like a dermatologist) and 100 times before going to the ER (i.e. it better be a real emergency). This is something that I learned in the pharmacy through the testimonials of hundreds of patients. Volunteering and shadowing doctors only reinforced this.
- Economics of medicine, in-depth knowledge of how insurance companies work, in-depth knowledge of how medicare/medicaid works.
- The interaction of various members of the health care team: nurses to pharmacists, pharmacists to doctors (and optometrists, podiatrists, advanced practice nurses, etc.) Given me an appreciation for other members of the health care team and the important roles that they play.
- How patients feel about their prescribed care
- The different types of patients doctors have to deal with: 1.) The elderly, 2.) The non-compliant, 3.) The drug addict, 4.) The school teacher (aka, the know-it-all who always questions everything the doctor says because they think they know everything), 5.) The crazy parents (pediatricians nightmare), 6.) The hypochondriac, 7.) The self-entitled patient, 8.) The average Joe.
- How patients feel about their doctor (you'd be amazed at some of the things they say to pharmacists and the pharmacy staff... both good and bad, about their perceived level of care). Some of their expectations are unreasonable and laughable (some want their doctor to be at their every beck and call with thousands of other patients). Some have legitimate concerns. I've seen the challenges primary care physicians face and how each manage and deal with those problems. I have now seen how their patients respond to their different strategies for dealing with the "assembly-line" health care system we have. This has given me a much more well-rounded experience.
Also, as
LizzyM would define clinical experience, this position definitely meets her criteria. I have smelled some pretty aweful things in the course of my duties as a pharmacy technician
. I see hundreds of patients over the course of two or three shifts. It is true that I don't learn anything by handing someone a bottle of pills but there is always a good portion of them who need something - an insurance issue resolved, a call to their doctor for a refill, a problem with their medicine, etc. While I don't (and unlike some technicians, never will) try to answer of their medication questions, I'm always there to witness the whole consultation.
I guarentee that I could pursuade the majority of admissions committees and interviewers that my particular experience in retail pharmacy is legitimate clinical experience. Sure it is not the only clinical experience I will have but it certainly counts.
