Pharmacy students, how much of your undergrad do you think is actually used in pharmacy school? Does it carry over, or is it completely new stuff? Just curious. Thanks!
Pre-Req's, really?
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it's not so much the knowledge, it's the process of acquiring knowledge that you hone in during your undergrad years. It also just forms a working background so when a professor makes reference to a pyrimidine, you're not immediately thinking of something the egyptians built.
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Or understanding the concept of polarity/solvency and how it would apply to pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, blood brain barrier, etc........) The concept of polarity is introduced when? High school chem? Its hammered countless times in bio classes, chem classes, etc. It takes that much to master the idea so that it becomes simple common sense, not something you have to wrap your head around to answer a question. Thus by the time your in pharmacy school, you just would assume that a small highly non-polar drug would have a longer half life, higher Vd, and better penetration into the CNS because it just makes sense scientifically.
Pharmacy school would be impossible without having a background in chemistry and general biology, even if your not applying these basic principles, because the whole concept of how drugs work in the body and how the body affects the drug is based on chemistry and biology.
Pharmacy school would be impossible without having a background in chemistry and general biology, even if your not applying these basic principles, because the whole concept of how drugs work in the body and how the body affects the drug is based on chemistry and biology.
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I have been in pharmacy school longer than I have had any undergrad education. I can tell you quite honestly that I remember very little, if any, of the information I was taught relating to chemistry(which most people assume is the BIG ONE to remember when you transition over). I still can't understand acids and bases fully and can't do organic synthesis problems to save my life. With that being said, if you DO remember anything you are taught in undergrad chem, it will be a big advantage. Me, I had to re-memorize all the chem stuff and still can't really figure it out.... lol. But I am alive and passing classes!
You should be familiar with everything you learn in undergrad, though. You don't have to know it through and through, but to be familiar with it is a major plus. At our college, they basically reteach it to you the first year, but more in depth and more related to the biochemical aspect of things.
So, basically, for pre-pharm, try to know it all. If you can't memorize all the bones/muscles/tendons or pHs of every chemical, don't fret... 99% of us didn't either and we're doing a-okay.
You should be familiar with everything you learn in undergrad, though. You don't have to know it through and through, but to be familiar with it is a major plus. At our college, they basically reteach it to you the first year, but more in depth and more related to the biochemical aspect of things.
So, basically, for pre-pharm, try to know it all. If you can't memorize all the bones/muscles/tendons or pHs of every chemical, don't fret... 99% of us didn't either and we're doing a-okay.
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Very interesting question! Let me look at this, course-by-course:
General Chem I & II; Organic Chem I & II - very important in that they build off each other. The content leads into biochemistry which leads to medicinal chem, which leads to therapeutics, then finally clinical application.
Lots of the content in the chem pre-reqs also has direct clinical applications. Example: I know that Tums is a stronger antacid than sodium bicarbonate cuz the conjugate acid of calcium carbonate is more stable.
Physics - never really found a use for this one, although there was one law of thermodynamics that had to do with enzyme kinetics.
Anatomy & Physiology I & II - Not a pre-req at many schools but certainly much more useful than biology. I mean seriously, in A&P you learn about th HUMAN body. In general biology you learn too much about botany and zoology.
General Biology I & II - mentioned above. Honestly, most of this stuff I learned in high school.
Microbiology - obviously has applications with antibiotics, which constitute a large volume of drugs.
Economics - useful in understanding pricing and the overall healthcare market, ie healthcare is an inelastic demand.
Statistics - great for interpreting research
Calculus - helps for pharmacokinetics.
Electives - obviously no use
There's more but those are the only ones that come to mind without looking at the list of pre-reqs.
General Chem I & II; Organic Chem I & II - very important in that they build off each other. The content leads into biochemistry which leads to medicinal chem, which leads to therapeutics, then finally clinical application.
Lots of the content in the chem pre-reqs also has direct clinical applications. Example: I know that Tums is a stronger antacid than sodium bicarbonate cuz the conjugate acid of calcium carbonate is more stable.
Physics - never really found a use for this one, although there was one law of thermodynamics that had to do with enzyme kinetics.
Anatomy & Physiology I & II - Not a pre-req at many schools but certainly much more useful than biology. I mean seriously, in A&P you learn about th HUMAN body. In general biology you learn too much about botany and zoology.
General Biology I & II - mentioned above. Honestly, most of this stuff I learned in high school.
Microbiology - obviously has applications with antibiotics, which constitute a large volume of drugs.
Economics - useful in understanding pricing and the overall healthcare market, ie healthcare is an inelastic demand.
Statistics - great for interpreting research
Calculus - helps for pharmacokinetics.
Electives - obviously no use
There's more but those are the only ones that come to mind without looking at the list of pre-reqs.
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