should I even bother applying this year?

[amy786]

I love hospital pharmacy! I've been working in a community hospital for the past 5 years and I also work retail for the past 6 years (30-40hrs/wk). I attend a 0-6 pharmacy school and the first 2 years I did terrible! I hated all my core classes such as philo theology and so on, plus my parents moved to a different state, lost our home, business, cars etc. It was not an easy first 2 years for me!! However there is an upward trend on my transcript and I did a lot better during my professional years. My current gpa is a 2.8.
I did a couple of in-services, pharmacy dept presentations, 1 publication in a hospital newsletter, 2 MUE's, among other little things here and there. I did not attend midyear or work on a huge research project because I've always doubted that I would match and I couldn't afford the trip. Many of my preceptors have encouraged me to apply because they see how passionate I am about pharmacy and impressed with my knowledge.
I'm going to start working on a research project with a leading peds pharmacotherapist in our region in January because I want to become more of a competitive candidate for next years match.
The programs I've looked at are in NY and FL. I want a big university hospital and I favor programs that have an on-call program, but I don't think I'd have a shot. Any advice? Should I take a job at my current hospital and try to get involved in many projects? One of my previous preceptors told me she doesn't look favorably at those who apply after one year of working.

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[bacillus1]

I love hospital pharmacy! I've been working in a community hospital for the past 5 years and I also work retail for the past 6 years (30-40hrs/wk). I attend a 0-6 pharmacy school and the first 2 years I did terrible! I hated all my core classes such as philo theology and so on, plus my parents moved to a different state, lost our home, business, cars etc. It was not an easy first 2 years for me!! However there is an upward trend on my transcript and I did a lot better during my professional years. My current gpa is a 2.8.
I did a couple of in-services, pharmacy dept presentations, 1 publication in a hospital newsletter, 2 MUE's, among other little things here and there. I did not attend midyear or work on a huge research project because I've always doubted that I would match and I couldn't afford the trip. Many of my preceptors have encouraged me to apply because they see how passionate I am about pharmacy and impressed with my knowledge.
I'm going to start working on a research project with a leading peds pharmacotherapist in our region in January because I want to become more of a competitive candidate for next years match.
The programs I've looked at are in NY and FL. I want a big university hospital and I favor programs that have an on-call program, but I don't think I'd have a shot. Any advice? Should I take a job at my current hospital and try to get involved in many projects? One of my previous preceptors told me she doesn't look favorably at those who apply after one year of working.

I'm not gonna lie to you, 2.8 is very low, especially for big academic hospitals. If you raise it to a 3.0, you may match, but most likely at a smaller community hospital. Just apply broadly and see what happens.

 

[n2cooloh]

Taking my personal academic experiences prior to pharmacy, your GPA does matter to a certain degree. However, it's not to say you wouldn't be looked at altogether. Your saving grace is going to your references. And by that I mean 1. how strong your letters of recommendation are and 2. who is willing to "fight" for you. If you have a mentor who will put in good words on your behalf to a friend at a major teaching hospital, you have a better chance. If you don't have a mentor pulling for you, I am pretty certain you will have to wait until next year. Or, as mentioned previously, go with a smaller hospital and work from there. There are plenty of people who have gone on to high profile positions having done residency training at no-name hospitals. What really matters in cases like that is the effort you're willing to put in and having the right opportunities open up at the right times. Good luck!