Shadowing a Pharmacist

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I shadowed at a CVS in the fall to get an idea of a different type of pharmacy setting other than the one where I work. I simply asked the pharmacist and she checked with her supervisor. I imagine for each pharmacy it depends on the pharmacist and whether they are willing to allow you to shadow. I shadowed for a few hours on two separate days. That was enough time for me to get an idea of the workplace and to ask questions. I didn't do any work, so I think shadowing any longer would have been overstaying my welcome because I wasn't contributing by helping fill perscriptions. However, if you volunteer in a place where you actually help I think it is okay to return on a weekly or monthly basis. To me, shadowing was a time for me to expose myself to a different type of environment. You should stay as long as you need to learn about that specific pharmacy setting, but leave when you feel you have a good idea of the job. Good luck!
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yea hopefully shadowing leads to some sort of volunteering so you can stay their longer
 
I am currently 'back to school' where I am taking pre-reqs. I am transitioning from a different career field and have been kicking around several health care career options.
I have continued to be drawn back to pharmacy based on your forum, description of jobs, and what I envision as a rewarding career.

Over the next year I want to solidify that PharmD is the best option for me and I am looking to get some exposure/shadowing - I would appreciate your recommendations on lesson's learned and/or recommendations on how to accomplish this.

I have seen that the walgreen/rite-aid area offer job shadowing opportunities. My current plan is to job shadow at their location and possible conduct online pharmtech cert in order to gain exposure over the next year and to provide a small income.

I appreciate your recommendations and to all effort people put into this forum - I have learned a lot just by lurking over the past year, Thanks!
 
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PharmDtoB said:
Yea, I was wondering the same thing. Walgreens has gotten on my bad side. Since I have decide to become pre-pharmacy I have applied at Walgreens a total of three times, and they never have given me a call back. I haves spoken with the district hiring manger, and even a local pharmacist about shadowing, and they were no help. I guess you get no respect from them until you are actually in pharmacy school. If that is the case that is fine because that their right as a company, but now I am at the point where I am about to start pharmacy school, and when the time comes for me to decide where I’m going to work I will more than likely look over Walgreens now because they were so unhelpful in the past.:(
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You’re in an area where there's a pharmacy school so unfortunately you’re going to get over looked by every retail chain. I've worked at Walgreens for 4 years now & I would probably have a hard time transferring out there. As far as shadowing, ask the Pharmacy School admissions staff if they have a list of contacts or any information regarding shadowing. You've got great hospitals…John Hopkins… and I know a pharmacist that did nuclear pharmacy out there before signing with Walgreens. Just be nosey... you'll stumble into the right place.
 
Is there opportunities to shadow a pharmacist for couple days before u commit to a pharm tech job? my bf whom is interested in pharmacy keeps bugging me all night so i figure i would ask the prepharm experts
 
Depends on the pharmacy manager. I've seen it done before at the major chain I worked previously but they had to sign a non-disclosure form, and get permission from the DM and pharmacy manager. So yes, it can be done.

Although I wouldn't ask them to shadow a pharmd because you don't know whether or not you want to commit to a pharm tech. job. I would rather say you are interested in a career in pharmacy, blah blah blah...etc.
 
Hi everyone , i am going for shadowing tomorrow and i was just wondering the kind of questions you ask the pharmacist or the workers during the shadowing time or at the end of the day????? . sorry if its a dumb question but i need a reply pls ..... can't seems to think of anything as at now .
 
there are many generic questions you can ask them...how many hours do you work a day, week. is this job stressful? what do you like most about this job? dislike? etc...usually i don't ask these types of questions though until they come in conversation. remember...you are shadowing not interviewing....so just follow the pharmacist around and if you have questions about what he is doing specifically, ask away! have fun tomorrow!
 
Thank You . It was'nt bad as to what people said . My shadowing wasnt boring ; he explained to me wat they basically do at each station and i had a brief tour of the pharmacy . i enjoyed it !!!!!!!
 
was it retail or hospital?
 
It will help in your interview when they ask you what you know about pharmacy.
 
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i'm actually doing the same thing on monday for two days at an inpatient pharmacy in hospital. Aside from the generic questions is there any specific ones that I should ask?
 
What are hospital pharmacies doing to minimize mistakes? Such as the case with Heperin. What do you think needs to be done?
 
so my coordinator told me to dress professionally for shadowing. What should i wear? THIS ISN"T AN INTERVIEW its a shadowing so i know i don't need a suit or anything.

I'm guessing wearing Khaki+blue dress shirt is ok with say sperry? or do I need dress shoes?
 
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Wear a plain colored polo shirt, some khakis, and some tennis shoes. That's all you need. That's all I pretty much wore during the time I volunteered, but I never shadowed any of the pharmacists. I should have done that.
 
Kaxa2000 said:
Wear a plain colored polo shirt, some khakis, and some tennis shoes. That's all you need. That's all I pretty much wore during the time I volunteered, but I never shadowed any of the pharmacists. I should have done that.
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i wear that during volunteering but this is different.
 
You could always wear a button up shirt, nice slacks, and a tie. I don't know about shoes. It seems like a lot of male pharmacists wear that.

Does anyone have any advice about what a female should wear? I never know what type of shirt to wear.
 
I plan to shadow a Pharmacist soon and I have a few questions. What exactly will I be doing and should I dress like I would for any interview. Will shadowing a Pharmacist lead me into a job as a Pharmacy clerk or Pharmacy tech with no previous job experience?
 
ok so I plan to shadow and volunteer at a Pharmacy soon and I'm just wondering where should I go. Would I be better off going to a retail pharmacy like walgreens or a independent Pharmacy?
 
I also plan to get a job as a Pharmacy tech, I have no experience. So I was wondering would it be in my best interest to call and speak with the Pharmacy manager an just say "I'm considering a career as a pharmacist and will like to get the opportunity to work as a Pharmacy tech to get a feel for the career field"
 
I've volunteered/ worked at both retail, and independent. my experience says that if you want actual time to speak to the pharmacist, shadow at an independent pharmacy. I've found that pharmacists at retail pharmacies are so busy that it's really difficult to talk to them since they are often trying to juggle 5 things at once. Also, if you plan to open your own pharmacy one day, Independent pharmacists are ususally own the actual pharmacy, and are great people to talk too. I've also found that they are much more knowledgable and more involved in the pharmacy field.
 
Has anyone had any luck with getting a day of shadowing with a clinical pharmacist? If so, how did you go about getting it? Thanks.
 
rphfan2009 said:
Has anyone had any luck with getting a day of shadowing with a clinical pharmacist? If so, how did you go about getting it? Thanks.
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I volunteered in a Hospital pharmacy 2 days a week for about 3 months. I just contacted the volunteer coordinator at my local hospital and had to fill out an application to volunteer. I know some hospitals aren't too fond of having volunteers in the pharmacy, but all you can do is ask. Good Luck!
 
rphfan2009 said:
Has anyone had any luck with getting a day of shadowing with a clinical pharmacist? If so, how did you go about getting it? Thanks.
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I also volunteered in a hospital pharmacy. After awhile, I became friends with the pharmacists and asked a few of them if they'd mind if I tagged along on their rounds. Such a good experience!
 
When you guys are talking about clinical pharmacy, is it inpatient pharmacy or outpatient pharmacy? I am volunteering at a hospital right now, but the pharmacy in hospital is kinda like retail pharmacy, just towards patient. So how do I get clinical pharmacy experience? and would you guys mind sharing what do you experience when you volunteer at hospital pharmacy? Thanks!!!
 
it depends on the hospital, but i'm sure that there should be an inpatient pharmacy. the one in my city has the pharmacy in the basement, so you might have to ask where the pharmacy is.

i personally couldn't volunteer at the pharmacy because of liability reasons, but i did have a chance to shadow a couple of pharmacists in different fields, ranging from peds to oncology.

basically i followed the pharmacist around, got to see what they did, and asked them questions on why they pursued pharmacy. not only did i observe how they interacted with patients, i put myself in the pharmacist's shoes, and i asked myself whether or not if this is something i would physically and mentally be able to do.

i would first talk with the pharmacy manager or go through with the hospitals community involvement / volunteer office and see what they can set up for you.

if that doesn't work, just call them! most of the pharmacists i've met, regardless if i shadowed them or not, we're absolutely the most down to earth people. ask them if you could just shadow for a couple of hours, since their work day is pretty busy.

hope this helped. :)
 
pinktea said:
When you guys are talking about clinical pharmacy, is it inpatient pharmacy or outpatient pharmacy? I am volunteering at a hospital right now, but the pharmacy in hospital is kinda like retail pharmacy, just towards patient. So how do I get clinical pharmacy experience? and would you guys mind sharing what do you experience when you volunteer at hospital pharmacy? Thanks!!!
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I pretty much do the same thing the techs do at the inpatient pharmacy I volunteer at but I think it all depends on the hospital. The pharmacists I work with rotate between the inpatient pharmacy and the different units of the hospital every other week so I was lucky and shadowing just sort of fell into my lap. There are a lot of techs on SDN but shadowing in other areas of the field is so important! The different areas of pharmacy can be very different and someone who fits well in retail might not be able to make the transitition as well as they think to other areas of pharmacy.
 
I always hated that word, "shadowing." It implies a passive role. I'm glad to see most of you did what I did and "volunteered." Smart move, there's no learning like doing. Whether it's order entry in the centralized pharmacy (affectionately referred to as the "pit"), interventions on patient rounds on the oncology wing or slinging meds at retail while handling difficult patients...all that diverse experience really helped me solidify my goal of pharmacy practice. Oh, I almost forgot the least glamorous of the lot...bubble packing meds for skilled nursing facilities! Woot, go pill line!

Seriously though, I loved it all ;-)
 
Do hospitals generally have flexible volunteering hours? Like if I wanted to go in every Sunday or something?
 
How would someone go about asking to shadow a pharmacist, maybe a clinical pharmacist. I volunteer, and is a pharm clerk (soon). is shadowing a clinical pharmacist different than these? How would u write this on a resume?
 
SYPHARMACY said:
How would someone go about asking to shadow a pharmacist, maybe a clinical pharmacist. I volunteer, and is a pharm clerk (soon). is shadowing a clinical pharmacist different than these? How would u write this on a resume?
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We do shadows every month at my hospital. Typically, we shadow a pharmacy resident in his or her 4th year (or 3d year in some cases) as s/he does rounds and such.

Basically, the idea is you walk around with the Pharmacist/Student and observe their behavior, the kind of things they do, and get a feel for the environment. You are, essentially, his/her shadow. You don't get involved (unless you're allowed to) at all, you're a silent observer.

I would write it just like it sounds on a resume. If you volunteer at a hospital already, I think you'd find it easy to shadow a Pharmacist or resident. Just ask your supervisor if s/he can set you up with someone - no problem.

Sounds like you're on the right track.
 
So i just ask the pharmacist? do clinical pharmacists work in inpatient? I volunteer in one now so do i just have to look for one in the inpatient and ask him/her
 
SYPHARMACY said:
So i just ask the pharmacist? do clinical pharmacists work in inpatient? I volunteer in one now so do i just have to look for one in the inpatient and ask him/her
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Hell yeah, just ask the pharmacist! I would, at least. You know your hospital's pecking order better than I do. Where I "work", it's a very friendly atmosphere and even the chiefs of X department will have a water cooler conversation with you about health care/the hospital.

If yours is more by-the-book and button-down, then ask your volunteer coordinator. But, I think you'll be OK just asking the Pharmacist. If it's not against hospital regulations, of course. I know that I had to undergo a full background check + fingerprinting, etc to be able to walk the patient floors and interact with pt's. If you haven't done that yet it might create an obstacle.

I'd just be as forthright and honest as you can be. They're pharmacists so they've done all this before!
 
TeRRaNoXiC said:
Sorry is this has been asked before, or if this is sometime that one should just "know," but what exactly is shadowing? I know it has something to do with following a pharmacist around the pharmacy and learning what goes on in there but are you only allowed to observe? Also, how should one ask a pharmacy if he could shadow the pharmacist? Talk to the pharmacist directly? And do you take notes? It seems like a lot of people already somewhat "know" the pharmacist at a pharmacy before shadowing them. I don't have any networks, so would it be weird if I just walked in a random pharmacy and asked if I could shadow their pharmacist? Thanks :D
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You hit it right on the spot with your description. As for walking in to a random pharmacy and asking, I say "why not?" I know it can be sort of strange and intimidating but just tell yourself, "the worst thing that can happen is that they say NO." You got nothing to lose! Best of luck! Also, I would ask the pharmacy manager in person rather than on the phone (if possible). It's always harder to say no in person.
 
I didn't know a single pharmacist that I shadowed. I think that I want to go in to long term care, so I simply searched long term care pharmacies in my state on google, and I started making phone calls to see if I could set anything up. I spent an entire day with the VP of the company, following him around. He showed me their pharmacy and how it works, and I got to follow him on his round to the nursing home. I've also walked into Walgreen's and asked the pharmacist, but they often don't know much and tell you to go through corporate. He gave me the number to contact them at and told me to come back and let him know it went. I never made the phone call because I got too busy, but the pharmacists will try to help you out most likely. It doesn't hurt to try. Maybe look into being able to volunteer at a pharmacy or the local hospital. Also ask your academic advisor (they often have good ideas, if they are a pre-pharmacy advisor. For instance, mine recommended I walk upstairs and shadow a pharmacist in the toxicology department). It's definitely not weird! If anything, they'll admire your interest in the profession.
 
Hi everyone,
I've just called about more than 20 pharmacists in my area, and all have said that I can't shadow them due to liability issues. I'm so unbelievably discouraged right now. How were other students able to shadow a pharmacist, and later receive a letter of recommendation?
Thank you.
 
Really? I've never heard of that before, we used to have people come and shadow all the time.

What type of places were you asking at?
 
PineapplePeach said:
Hi everyone,
I've just called about more than 20 pharmacists in my area, and all have said that I can't shadow them due to liability issues. I'm so unbelievably discouraged right now. How were other students able to shadow a pharmacist, and later receive a letter of recommendation?
Thank you.
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Please try independent pharmacies. The chain drug stores don't entertain people who want to job shadow or to gain volunteer experience.
 
vasoolraja said:
Please try independent pharmacies. The chain drug stores don't entertain people who want to job shadow or to gain volunteer experience.
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Yeah, at CVS we can't let people back there unless they work for us, or are sent to do some repairs or something. Look at it from their point of view, it's simply a liability.
You gotta try independent pharmacies, that's how my friend got to volunteer and that's how most do it.
PS, ask to volunteer for a bit, not just shadow.
 
PineapplePeach said:
Hi everyone,
I've just called about more than 20 pharmacists in my area, and all have said that I can't shadow them due to liability issues. I'm so unbelievably discouraged right now. How were other students able to shadow a pharmacist, and later receive a letter of recommendation?
Thank you.
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More than likely if you ask retail pharmacies they might say no due to liability issues. Check out a few nearby hospitals, that's what I did. Also, maybe you can find an independent pharmacy that may allow you to volunteer or shadow the pharmacist. Maybe you can look into registering with your state's BOP as a Pharm. Tech. trainee
 
Me too! I thought I was the only one having trouble.
I called about 15 pharmacies yesterday and all said no (both retail and independents) because of liability issues or just that they were too busy. A few of the independents told me to call back in 3-6 months, but I'm going to see if I can shadow at the hospital.
Just curious, can pre-pharm advisors help students find a place to shadow/volunteer?
 
I tried to shadow at Kroger once, and the pharmacist called me after I left my contact info with her, and said that in order to let me shadow, she would have to train me like she was going to hire me to work as a pharm tech.
 
Strange...I just had a friend do a job shadowing at a Walgreens in a small town not to far from me. Maybe each company has its own policies or something. I know he wasn't a licensed pharmacy tech or anything.
 
schamj01 said:
Strange...I just had a friend do a job shadowing at a Walgreens in a small town not to far from me. Maybe each company has its own policies or something. I know he wasn't a licensed pharmacy tech or anything.
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Did he have to call the district manager?

I did, but mine rarely calls people back :(
 
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