Some questions for pharmacy

[John Domino]

Any advice for the pcat? Such as study strategies, certain materials to buy, difficulty of the test, etc. Thanks!

Also if you end up doing bad in pharmacy prereqs , does that mean that your chances are over towards getting accepted?
Had to retake orgo 2 after a Withdrawal and an "F".. Gonna finish with a B but my cum pre req gpa will be around 3.23 and science math will be 3.11.

Appliyng for ULM and Xavier (preferably Xavier)

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[uc3]

I would try to get dr. Collins and take Pearson practice tests. Those two will get ya a good score.

 

[BAILEY007]

I failed Ochem II and got a B the second time too. I was accepted to 2 schools and I'm #1 on the wait list at another. So just ace the PCAT and you'll be fine. I would definitely suggest taking mock exams online and take it like the real thing. My school improved each time. Also your GPA isn't that bad either.

 

[Pestle&Mortar]

I got C's on my general Chemistry, got a W on my public speaking, got a 3 on my reading comprehension on the PCAT (I guessed through it so I could take a break from fatigue-I do not recommend), however, I did really well on the sciences and math. My tip would be to grab Dr. Collins and practice till it becomes intuitive then get the PCAT KAPLAN and go through the biology section thoroughly. As for the reading and verbal, get used to reading passages fast and know familiarize yourself with vocabulary.

 

[egyptianmau121]

You still have a chance! Just do your best in your upcoming courses if you have any left, try to get A's from now on.

For the PCAT I second everybody else - definitely get the Dr. Collins book and study the chemistry and math section thoroughly. For reading comprehension I would just read some online scientific journals and the newspaper, it's very important to get into the habit of reading critically because that skill is built up over time (like over the course of several months. To practice reading comprehension I would rely on persons practice tests. But if you don't have time for reading comprehension I think you should focus most on chem, bio, and math and try to do extremely well on those sections.

For essay strategies and the biology section study the Kaplan book, the Kaplan biology section should be sufficient enough. Very helpful for essay too.

And last of all, you'll be fine. Don't stress too much and have fun and relax when you can. Balance is key

 

[John Domino]

Does anyone know where I can get the dr Collins 2016 and Kaplan 2016? (preferably for a low price) Taking the pcat in july; I looked at amazon and the dr Collins 2016-2017 was $280 and the Kaplan 2016-2017 was 32. Is that the best price out there? And should I get any other books to study?

 

[khoanguyen1512]

Hi John,
I took the PCAT and I got 74 composite but I get above 90 on all science test. I study with Princeton and Kaplan 2014 version. I also bought the PCAT handbook from the PCAT website.
I think the most important part is not just the material. It is a three part testing in my opinion. I will be brief but if you need more information, you can message me.
1st. They test your knowledge of science and English verbal skills. This is where your study coming to play.
2nd. They also test your response timing. A lot of questions can be answer in 30 seconds if you know how to. Some books show you how to study a certain ways to sufficiently answer so pay attention to how to answer the problem in addition to the material.
3rd. They test your stamina. The test is 4 hours long, your brain will work very well for the first hour or so. This is where practicing PCAT everyday come in handy. Some people think they can just do the 1st and 2nd and they are set. I strongly recommend set aside 4 hours everyday on the last 2 weeks before the test to actually sit down and do the whole test by yourself. Make it as real as possible. Take headphone to cover your ear to keep it quite. Sit by yourself in library with no distraction. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. You will see how easy it is once you do the actual test if you are well prepared.
Good luck to all who will take the test or retake the test.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Hi John,
I took the PCAT and I got 74 composite but I get above 90 on all science test. I study with Princeton and Kaplan 2014 version. I also bought the PCAT handbook from the PCAT website.
I think the most important part is not just the material. It is a three part testing in my opinion. I will be brief but if you need more information, you can message me.
1st. They test your knowledge of science and English verbal skills. This is where your study coming to play.
2nd. They also test your response timing. A lot of questions can be answer in 30 seconds if you know how to. Some books show you how to study a certain ways to sufficiently answer so pay attention to how to answer the problem in addition to the material.
3rd. They test your stamina. The test is 4 hours long, your brain will work very well for the first hour or so. This is where practicing PCAT everyday come in handy. Some people think they can just do the 1st and 2nd and they are set. I strongly recommend set aside 4 hours everyday on the last 2 weeks before the test to actually sit down and do the whole test by yourself. Make it as real as possible. Take headphone to cover your ear to keep it quite. Sit by yourself in library with no distraction. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. You will see how easy it is once you do the actual test if you are well prepared.
Good luck to all who will take the test or retake the test.

Just curious. It says you are from Cali. Where do you plan on working when you get out of school? You don't have to be very specific, but I am curious.

 

[Hot Pharmacist]

pharmd fake doctor, i like that

where u student at??? have some tips to apply to which pharm schools?

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Definitely not Cali. I am in a red state in the middle of BFE. Tuition is cheap here.

Avoid any schools with tuition above 20K a year. If you go 35 or above, that is med school territory. 60-70K is dental school territory.

Not worth it if you have to pay that much for a PharmD degree.

 

[Hot Pharmacist]

remove

 

[Hot Pharmacist]

how do u study ? what was yr gpa and pcat. im trying to gauge myself, whats yr pharm gpa?
is pharmd curric harder than md curric? what career route pharmd u do later?

 

[khoanguyen1512]

Hi Pharmd = Phake Doctor,
I plan to do PGY1 and PGY2 after pharmacy school specifically on compounding pharmacy or clinical pharmacy. I plan to move back to California after residency. I strive to get as many connections as possible in pharmacy school to land me a good job in California.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Hi Pharmd = Phake Doctor,
I plan to do PGY1 and PGY2 after pharmacy school specifically on compounding pharmacy or clinical pharmacy. I plan to move back to California after residency. I strive to get as many connections as possible in pharmacy school to land me a good job in California.

California is super-saturated. It is probably the most competitive pharmacy market in this country. A lot of posters on this forum seem fixated on living in California. I suspect that it has something to do with the very high percentage of Asian students enrolled in pharmacy schools (almost 1/3rd of those enrolled). Even people who have attended a pharmacy school outside of California are trying to get into that state.

Do not take the idea of PGY-1 or PGY-2 lightly. It is basically a one- to two- year training program in which you will be paid 1/3 the salary of a pharmacist. And you may not get your desired job. California now has 13 pharmacy schools and counting... There are pharmacists who took this path and still had to settle for retail or staff pharmacist at a hospital not in California.

More and more people who have no experience eat this residency BS. Ten years ago, no one contemplated doing a residency. Anyone could get a hospital job out of school. But now there is a saturation. So to increase your chances of getting a hospital job in a desirable location, students have increasingly gone on to do residencies.

And remember, doing a PGY-2 means you are training for six years. That is one year less than a family physician and pediatrician with way less pay and a more limited scope of practice. This is the same amount of time it takes a nurse to go through a NP program, but they get paid to see and diagnose a patient; they get to prescribe meds too. This is also triple the time it takes to get through a PA program, and they have a similar scope of practice to NPs. Six years is also the time it would take for a nurse to get three years of ICU experience, then go through CRNA school; when they are done, they get paid a ton more than a clinical pharmacist.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

chyeah pimp you right, excuse me but where is big red state , i dont get lingo. my parents say get yr pharmd then go cali, need not get cali pharmd, they right right?

im applying out of state cause i didn't get accepted to my in state school. Umaryland, cost 40K and 25K 2,3,4th year. i truly cant find schools with yr price tag. u know some?

BFE is shorthand for the boonies AKA flyover states. Red state is any state that reliably votes for the republicans in the elections, also the flyover states. Read my post above about California. You have an infinitely better chance of living in California as an MD, software engineer than you do as a PharmD.

 

[Sine Cura]

When people say California and they are Asian, they are looking toward LA/OC/SD or the Bay Area, maybe Sacramento if they really have to settle. Settling for chain retail or working in the San Joaquin Fever Valley or the Methstate is unfathomable.

Chain retail is full of recent grads bitter about their unfulfilled "dreams." Literally the last 6 pharmacists (who aren't new grads) hired by my chain are Asian. New grads are from Touro or Northstate. TBH some of the Northstate grads are ****ing lazy and entitled.

Good luck with that PGY-1 in compounding.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Hi Pharmd = Phake Doctor,
I plan to do PGY1 and PGY2 after pharmacy school specifically on compounding pharmacy or clinical pharmacy. I plan to move back to California after residency. I strive to get as many connections as possible in pharmacy school to land me a good job in California.

Just wanted to make another comment about this question. PGY-1 is a residency for getting hospital experience. So you won't need it for compounding pharmacy. Networking and family connections will give you a better chance of landing a job at a compounding pharmacy than a PGY-1 experience.

IMO I think compounding pharmacy is more interesting than clinical pharmacy. You actually get paid for a tangible skill rather than playing pretend doctor. And there are several compounding pharmacies here in BFE. Of course it could go the way of community pharmacy and become more commercialized.

 

[TimmytranRX]

use Dr. Collin for the PCAT prep, guarenteed 80 or higher composite