Staff Pharmacist --> Resident

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Sparda29

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If I'm concerned that my GPA is too low to make it through any of the screenings, is it a better option to go directly into practice as a hospital staff pharmacist and then go back for a residency after a year?

Like, would the work experience as a staff pharmacist be enough to offset a low GPA in pharmacy school? Or should I forget about residency, work as a staff pharmacist and then go for a BCPS after a few years?

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If I'm concerned that my GPA is too low to make it through any of the screenings, is it a better option to go directly into practice as a hospital staff pharmacist and then go back for a residency after a year?

Like, would the work experience as a staff pharmacist be enough to offset a low GPA in pharmacy school? Or should I forget about residency, work as a staff pharmacist and then go for a BCPS after a few years?

It is harder to go back...I did, but I was only 9mo out of school and I had my sights set on residency. It depends on what your goals are. If you can get a staffing job and enjoy it, then there becomes less of a reason to need a residency. If you want to specialize, you almost need one. Having experience as a pharmacist would be a good thing for residency, but you also need to get involved in other projects, committees, etc to help out as well.
 
It is harder to go back...I did, but I was only 9mo out of school and I had my sights set on residency. It depends on what your goals are. If you can get a staffing job and enjoy it, then there becomes less of a reason to need a residency. If you want to specialize, you almost need one. Having experience as a pharmacist would be a good thing for residency, but you also need to get involved in other projects, committees, etc to help out as well.

I don't wanna be doing staff pharmacy forever. Optimally, I'd wanna be an ID/Cardio/Pediatric specialist/assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at a school.
 
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I don't wanna be doing staff pharmacy forever. Optimally, I'd wanna be an ID/Cardio/Pediatric specialist/assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at a school.

In the same boat Sparda. I think a lot of students this time around who dont get residencies will sit out a year and then reapply. The residency hunt is super competitive this time around because there are not enough residencies. I wouldnt sit out too long, 1 year. That is 1 year you have under your belt as a practicing pharmacist and makes you a better candidates than most of the new graduates who have never practiced before. I know someone who did this. If you sit out too long, you may never end up doing a residency because you will become complacent.
 
Some professors at my school warned me against doing this though because I'll get used to the money. Basically was told the only way to do it would be to save half of the money and learn to live off of the rest, which would be about what residents make.

Otherwise I was told to work as a staff pharmacist for a few years, get involved in clinical projects (definitely possible if at a smaller hospital), and then take the board certification exams.
 
I don't wanna be doing staff pharmacy forever. Optimally, I'd wanna be an ID/Cardio/Pediatric specialist/assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at a school.

So youre getting ready to graduate from a mediocre mill school with a mediocre gpa with questionable work ethics and habitual tardiness yet you want to specialize and teach?

Very nice.
:smuggrin:
 
So youre getting ready to graduate from a mediocre mill school with a mediocre gpa with questionable work ethics and habitual tardiness yet you want to specialize and teach?

Very nice.
:smuggrin:

Somebody finally said what everyone is thinking!! Nice work!!
 
So youre getting ready to graduate from a mediocre mill school with a mediocre gpa with questionable work ethics and habitual tardiness yet you want to specialize and teach?

Very nice.
:smuggrin:

why is that so hard to believe :)
 
why is that so hard to believe :)

Not hard to believe at all. i see punks like that all the time. they try to smooth their way in with their bs. sometimes it works but mostly it eventually catches up with them.
 
If I'm concerned that my GPA is too low to make it through any of the screenings, is it a better option to go directly into practice as a hospital staff pharmacist and then go back for a residency after a year?

Like, would the work experience as a staff pharmacist be enough to offset a low GPA in pharmacy school? Or should I forget about residency, work as a staff pharmacist and then go for a BCPS after a few years?

I was class president and had an excellent GPA, but I stumbled across a staff-clinical position immediately out of school and abandoned my plans to do a residency. I plan on studying for the BCPS this year. I don't have a desire to specialize in any particular clinical area so the route I have taken has been ideal. I don't believe residencies are right for everyone. You need to be realistic about your future career goals and what your current clinical training and knowledge i and go from there.
 
One thing I will say is that typically hospital rotations will rate a hospital intern higher than a practicing retail pharmacist on their rubrics. So being retail pharmacist is better than an intern, but you are still lower on their totem pole than a hospital intern. a hospital pharmacist would rank the highest on their rubric.
 
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