Question about internships...

[HenryH]

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I might be starting pharmacy school this fall, and I have a question regarding internships that is probably going to sound pretty dumb to most of you (just providing a fair warning!). Is it true that there are both post-graduate internships as well as those that are completed while someone is still a pharmacy student? I was previously under the impression that there were only "during pharmacy school" internships, but apparently this assumption is incorrect.

Generally speaking, what are the differences between the two types of internships? Are interns who happen to be pharmacy students treated essentially as techs? And how are post-graduate interns utilized?

Also, I live in an area with several Wal-Marts, a Target, a bunch of grocery stores (Publix, Winn-Dixie, etc.), and the usual range of pharmacy chains (CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc.). Is it common for pharmacy students to do internships at chains such as those aforementioned, or are these internships more frequently sought with hospitals/nursing homes?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Sugoi Travis]

Are you referring to grad interns and pharmacy student interns? AFAIK, grad interns have graduated pharmacy school but have yet to get their licenses and your standard intern is a pharmacy student.

I can only speak a limited amount for retail, but expect to be treated like a tech or cashier. The "supposed" hierarchy of the pharmacy is pharmacist > intern > lead tech > tech but it's more like pharmacist > lead tech > tech >>>>>> intern, at least that's how it is for me. In general, do not come into a retail internship thinking that you're gonna be doing pharmacist duties because you will be sorely disappointed. For my first two months of my internship, I did nothing but ringing up people for my entire shift (7-10 hours at once). I'm starting my 6th month at the same location and I'm still the guy who does the vast majority of cashier duties (not that I have a problem with it). I can't say anything about post-grad interns because my store doesn't employ one.

As for other students taking up internships at chains, yeah, it's pretty common. My class had a large wave of students apply for CVS and another wave applied for a large hospital nearby. In so far as clinical internships, I'd say they're rare for a P1 to grab.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I don't speak for anyone else except myself.

 

[HenryH]

Are you referring to grad interns and pharmacy student interns? AFAIK, grad interns have graduated pharmacy school but have yet to get their licenses and your standard intern is a pharmacy student.

I can only speak a limited amount for retail, but expect to be treated like a tech or cashier. The "supposed" hierarchy of the pharmacy is pharmacist > intern > lead tech > tech but it's more like pharmacist > lead tech > tech >>>>>> intern, at least that's how it is for me. In general, do not come into a retail internship thinking that you're gonna be doing pharmacist duties because you will be sorely disappointed. For my first two months of my internship, I did nothing but ringing up people for my entire shift (7-10 hours at once). I'm starting my 6th month at the same location and I'm still the guy who does the vast majority of cashier duties (not that I have a problem with it). I can't say anything about post-grad interns because my store doesn't employ one.

As for other students taking up internships at chains, yeah, it's pretty common. My class had a large wave of students apply for CVS and another wave applied for a large hospital nearby. In so far as clinical internships, I'd say they're rare for a P1 to grab.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I don't speak for anyone else except myself.

Thanks for the explanation. In general, do you know how common it is for pharmacy students to work as interns during the school year (fall, spring)? I've read that most students work as interns during the summer, but the school I may be going to requires their students to attend classes/labs during the summer, so I would only be able to work during the fall/spring.

 

[zelman]

Thanks for the explanation. In general, do you know how common it is for pharmacy students to work as interns during the school year (fall, spring)? I've read that most students work as interns during the summer, but the school I may be going to requires their students to attend classes/labs during the summer, so I would only be able to work during the fall/spring.

Working will help you in classes. Try to work at least one day per week year-round. Try to work in both retail and hospital. Recognizing the drugs' names while you are learning about them makes it a much less abstract endeavor.

 

[HenryH]

Working will help you in classes. Try to work at least one day per week year-round. Try to work in both retail and hospital. Recognizing the drugs' names while you are learning about them makes it a much less abstract endeavor.

Thanks. Generally speaking, do you know if chains/hospitals are willing to hire an intern to work only 1 or 2 days per week? Or is it normal for interns to work that (in)frequently?

 

[zelman]

Thanks. Generally speaking, do you know if chains/hospitals are willing to hire an intern to work only 1 or 2 days per week? Or is it normal for interns to work that (in)frequently?

What you want to do is start in the late spring/early summer and work more, then come August, tell them you need to cut back next month because of school. That way you can get trained in a reasonable amount of time, and show them the value of keeping you on.

 

[owlegrad]

Consistently working one day a week would be more than what many interns in school work. A lot of interns only work during breaks.

 

[zelman]

Consistently working one day a week would be more than what many interns in school work. A lot of interns only work during breaks.

People who work less than one day a week are terrible. It's simply a matter of skill atrophy. I saw it in myself as a tech/intern: first day back from vacations I was always off my game.

 

[sakigt]

Thanks. Generally speaking, do you know if chains/hospitals are willing to hire an intern to work only 1 or 2 days per week? Or is it normal for interns to work that (in)frequently?

Not only are you more likely to get hired working a stready schedule but youre more likely to get called back, scheduled more hours when you want them and learn the process better. When I worked random days at the hospital I was in constant wtf mode....until I worked a good 3-4 days in a row. From then on coming in once a week was no biggie and I could pick up where I left off.

 

[owlegrad]

People who work less than one day a week are terrible. It's simply a matter of skill atrophy. I saw it in myself as a tech/intern: first day back from vacations I was always off my game.

I agree about skill atrophy. Still, how many students keep a consistent schedule during pharmacy school? I had a few classmates who did it but I don't recall many.

 

[Rouelle]

I agree about skill atrophy. Still, how many students keep a consistent schedule during pharmacy school? I had a few classmates who did it but I don't recall many.

I would say somewhere around 1/2 of my classmates work at least once a week. Most do a couple of evenings (~6 pm - close) per week or every (or every other) weekend. I would say maybe 1/4 don't work anywhere at all and maybe 1/4 only work on breaks.

I do about 15 hours/week during the school year and ~40 hours per week on breaks. It's not particularly tough to manage that schedule, IMO.

 

[Sugoi Travis]

Thanks for the explanation. In general, do you know how common it is for pharmacy students to work as interns during the school year (fall, spring)? I've read that most students work as interns during the summer, but the school I may be going to requires their students to attend classes/labs during the summer, so I would only be able to work during the fall/spring.

For my school, I think around 1/3 of the class (~35 students) work as interns during the school year. The amount they work is something I don't know, however the general consensus is around 10 hours per week; 20+ hours/week is rare for my class.