Questions about pharmacy school & Life advice

[UhtredsonofUHTRED]

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[princeafrica]

(I intend on shadowing a lot to see if this profession is fit for me, I've been aware of the drama surrounding oversaturation and the ominous rhetoric on these forums).

You will get a more valuable experience if you get a job as a tech. Get a job as a tech at Walgreens or CVS or even hospital (may be a bit harder). I shadowed and loved it. I worked and hated it.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I have heard independent pharmacist make less than 105k? Idk if that's worth it considering the debt you will accumulate

 

[Timbo]

Definitely work instead of shadowing. You can work as a tech without any prior training - take advantage of that. As far as application I’m not sure what schools value anymore. I’ve been hearing about students being accepted with no prior pharmacy experience as well as students with low 3.0 GPAs. This may be good for you but alarming for the profession IMO. I’d recommend work experience over getting a good GPA though so you can really see if this is what you want to do.

A few issues with things you said:

• “I like the idea of heping others, but I am not into physical contact” I think this is why pharmacists are in highest danger of being replaced by technology. Our main purpose is being the “drug experts” or being a human “drug encyclopedia” but nowadays anybody can look up what we should know off the top of our heads online. Hospital EHRs are getting better and better at clinical decision support too, reducing the need for pharmacist consults. Meanwhile MDs, PAs, nurses, optometrists, dentists, etc all have diagnosis or procedural skills that aren’t as easily replaceable by a computer. I wish I had thought about this before choosing pharmacy.
• “Money”. Pharmacy school is probably one of the worst financial investments right now. You said you already know about the “ominous rhetoric”. FYI it’s not omnious anymore, it’s already happening: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/summary-of-community-pharmacist-layoff-pay-cuts-other-negatives-oct-2018.1351946/. You said you already know about the oversaturation, so tell me what happens when supply of pharmacists far outweights demand? Not just unemployment, but also decreased wages. You probably already googled pharmacist average salary which is currently $110-120k. Obviously it isn’t going to stay that way. If it drops to $80-90k per year (which I fully expect) while tuition puts you $200k+ in debt, then you would be making less than the average salary for a master’s degree graduate (which is ~$75k/year) if you account for your loan payments. In some cases, less than the median household income too.
• You said you liked being independent. I’m assuming corporate retail pharmacy is out of the question. Independent pharmacies are really struggling right now due to decreased reimbursement by PBMs. Just a few weeks ago, I had two transfers from two different independents who were bought out by CVS. This week I’m heading out to help with a store with overflow because my company just bought out prescription files from this other pharmacy that just closed. If you do end up in an independent then good luck. You’d be fighting the good fight. (FYI independents pharmacist wages are like ~$10/hr lower than corporate with less benefits)

 

[DOOM N GLOOM]

So I'm currently a sophomore in my undergrad at the moment and I've been interested in pharmacy school for a little while now and currently have a shadowing opportunity arranged. This brings to mind, what is the relative importance of shadowing as well as volunteering for pharmacy school applications? Further, how do schools weigh one's experiences vs. scores and GPA? I am sure this likely varies on the school, however, I was curious if anyone could provide some general advice.
(I intend on shadowing a lot to see if this profession is fit for me, I've been aware of the drama surrounding oversaturation and the ominous rhetoric on these forums).

Also, aside from a competitive science GPA, PCAT score, as well as shadowing and volunteering experience, what are some other things that are important for one's applications?

Additionally, what might "volunteer" experiences consist of? To my knowledge, and according to those I've asked so far, this is fairly general and can range from volunteering at a hospital or having invested time in some sort of extracurricular club.

And If you are especially gracious, would anyone here offer general advice to me, an anxious and existentially confused undergrad?
As far as I know here are some reasons I'm interested in pharmacy (as well as some general personality characteristics):
I like the idea of helping others, but I am not into physical contact
Helping others is an inherently productive, meaningful endeavor.
Money Look, I'll be honest, I think the salary of a pharmacist is a nice bonus. We live in a real world with real issues, pure passion won't feed me or any future children.
I would be more interested in being an independent pharmacist or working for an independent pharmacy. I wouldn't mind making less, I'd rather be a valuable asset to someone's community in BFE.
I am a fiercely independent person. I don't want to work for others my whole life. My grandfather ran his own veterinary practice, my father runs his own dental practice, so it would appear it runs in the family.
I like chemistry, biology, and anatomy.

I'm currently a microbiology major (I may switch to chemistry). If pharmacy is meh, I'll probably work in food safety or something. Or water treatment, someone's gotta get the lead out of the water, right?

If you’ve been following this forum then you must already know that to be competitive for pharmacy school all you need is a pulse and eligibility to take out $200k+ in student loans. Listen, there is some dark humor to this often iterated statement but pharmacy schools are really struggling to fill seats so they have been lowering the admissions standards year after year... the deadline for many schools to apply for their program is now June 1. That’s 3 MONTHS prior to the fall semester starting. 3 MONTHS!!! You could literally call up a pharmacy school the week before they start classes and still figure to have a chance of getting accepted into their program. If that doesn’t scare you enough about what kinds of kids are getting into pharmacy schools nowadays then I don’t know what would. I would avoid pharmacy altogether if I were you.

 

[BC_89]

If your certain a healthcare profession is what you want, I’d take prerequisites that cover a majority (if not all) courses required for MD/DO, RRT, PharmD, PA, PT, etc etc. You still have awhile to think of what you really want.

Word of advice for your journey: Annual Salary of a profession does not equate to Take Home Salary. The extreme of these definitions grow when six figure debt is involved.

 

[Melazine]

... It’s becoming more obvious to me that most people asking for advice are not looking for advice but comformation. Those who are open minded for advices would have searched the forum and know that the pharmacy field should be avoided. All valid reasons are already posted. Good luck if you do decide to be a pharmacist. If you are having anxieties, Church help me get through my worries - basically having a support group and focusing your mind on something bigger than yourself.