Pharmacy volunteer help!

[paperiswhite]

Hi,
so I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask or if it’s even allowed, but I’m in Southern California and I really need to find a pharmacy to volunteer at. I have shadowed 2 pharmacists, but they would not allow me to ask for a LOR. Now I am really desperate, and I am having a hard time finding a place to volunteer, so here I am asking for your help. I would be great if anyone knew a good place for me to ask about volunteering, preferable hospitals. I am in the northern OC area but driving out is not a problem. Please and thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[megandupe]

Hi,
so I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask or if it’s even allowed, but I’m in Southern California and I really need to find a pharmacy to volunteer at. I have shadowed 2 pharmacists, but they would not allow me to ask for a LOR. Now I am really desperate, and I am having a hard time finding a place to volunteer, so here I am asking for your help. I would be great if anyone knew a good place for me to ask about volunteering, preferable hospitals. I am in the northern OC area but driving out is not a problem. Please and thank you!

vet pharmacy. there's no HIPAA concerns which is the biggest plus. Look up mail-order vet pharmcacies in the area, vet hospital, or even a vet school. It worked like a charm for me! Also call up all the local hospitals and learn to tolerate being on hold for 20 mins.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Hi,
so I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask or if it’s even allowed, but I’m in Southern California and I really need to find a pharmacy to volunteer at. I have shadowed 2 pharmacists, but they would not allow me to ask for a LOR. Now I am really desperate, and I am having a hard time finding a place to volunteer, so here I am asking for your help. I would be great if anyone knew a good place for me to ask about volunteering, preferable hospitals. I am in the northern OC area but driving out is not a problem. Please and thank you!

Call or e-mail every single hospital in your area. You may need to start in a gift shop or other non-pharmacy related area for a few mos. while they vet you out, but once you've proven you're more than someone who just wants quick access to pharmaceuticals. I know when I was lead volunteer coordinator at a large hospital, we rarely, if ever, took anyone directly into a pharmacy volunteer position.

 

[JJVmom]

Hi,
so I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask or if it’s even allowed, but I’m in Southern California and I really need to find a pharmacy to volunteer at. I have shadowed 2 pharmacists, but they would not allow me to ask for a LOR. Now I am really desperate, and I am having a hard time finding a place to volunteer, so here I am asking for your help. I would be great if anyone knew a good place for me to ask about volunteering, preferable hospitals. I am in the northern OC area but driving out is not a problem. Please and thank you!

Contact the American Red Cross on Camp Pendleton. I had a great experience volunteering there. It is a long process to get started, though, so I don't know if there's be enough time to get a LOR for this cycle.

 

[peeps1234]

Usually the pre-pharmacy society at your school can help you out. Or look up faculty at your school who do clinical pharmacy (see their bios). E-mail a handful of them explaining that you're interested in their specific field (hospital). Ask if you can volunteer and/or for any advice as to how you could go about looking for a volunteering position. They might be able to refer you to someone else. If you e-mail a handful, hopefully you'll get a response from at least one!

Or you can take the pharmacy tech exam (I heard it's really easy) and apply for tech jobs.

 

[bruin0289]

I would recommend getting your pharmacy technician license. I couldn't find a volunteer position in SoCal until I got my pharmacy technician license(LICENSE not just certificate). The test was super easy(I studied less than a day for it). If you decide to get your license, make sure you apply for the pharm tech license right after you get your certificate because it takes a couple months for the paperwork to go through.

As for finding volunteer opportunities, I seriously just googled "Pharmacy volunteer Los Angeles" or if you know a pharmacist (or your parents do...etc) you can try asking them.