Technician before Pharmacist? What did you find helpful?

[rougemarie]

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I'm sure many of you were possibly working as a pharm tech before pursuing a career as a pharmacist. What did you learn as a tech that would help your career as a student in pharmacy school and as a pharmacist? E.g. is it memorizing brand-generic names? Possible interactions? abbreviations? etc.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!

 

[DownonthePharm]

One important thing is that pharmacists who were once techs tend to appreciate their techs more, and know more of what they are capable of than those that never did.

But working as a tech is good for learning about the different drugs, about the patient/pharmacist interaction and for talking to and seeing what the pharmacists duties are.

 

[rxlynn]

I'm sure many of you were possibly working as a pharm tech before pursuing a career as a pharmacist. What did you learn as a tech that would help your career as a student in pharmacy school and as a pharmacist? E.g. is it memorizing brand-generic names? Possible interactions? abbreviations? etc.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!

Well, I won't be in pharmacy school until fall, but I think one of the most beneficial things that I've learned as a tech is how to recognize "normal" dosages for a lot of the common drugs. Also, probably not all techs do/know this, but I spent a good bit of time the first year with a pharmacology text trying to learn generally what all these drugs I was seeing were for. Every time I saw something I didn't know what was, then I would go home and look it up. And, I try to read a few of the current magazines (like Drug Topics) so I know what new things are coming out. By this point, it is rare when I see a drug that is totally unknown to me. So, when I have to study the top 200 drugs or whatever it is in whichever school I attend, I will be able to concentrate on mechanism. Now, of course, since I've only worked retail, I'll have a lot of work to do on anethestics, IVs, etc. 🙂

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Well, I won't be in pharmacy school until fall, but I think one of the most beneficial things that I've learned as a tech is how to recognize "normal" dosages for a lot of the common drugs. Also, probably not all techs do/know this, but I spent a good bit of time the first year with a pharmacology text trying to learn generally what all these drugs I was seeing were for. Every time I saw something I didn't know what was, then I would go home and look it up. And, I try to read a few of the current magazines (like Drug Topics) so I know what new things are coming out. By this point, it is rare when I see a drug that is totally unknown to me. So, when I have to study the top 200 drugs or whatever it is in whichever school I attend, I will be able to concentrate on mechanism. Now, of course, since I've only worked retail, I'll have a lot of work to do on anethestics, IVs, etc. 🙂

From my experience, it wont help you much. My school didnt even require me to memorize the top 200 drugs. You can look up all the drugs you want but you really cant relate to it. I am not sure you can memorize it. Whats more important are the classes of drugs, and how it relates to each other. As I am sure you know, pharmacy school really isnt about . . day one, hypotension medication. . ephedrine works by acting on norephedrine stores through alpa receptors. Day two. . acetaminophen works by . . .

 

[ultracet]

Well, I won't be in pharmacy school until fall, but I think one of the most beneficial things that I've learned as a tech is how to recognize "normal" dosages for a lot of the common drugs. Also, probably not all techs do/know this, but I spent a good bit of time the first year with a pharmacology text trying to learn generally what all these drugs I was seeing were for. Every time I saw something I didn't know what was, then I would go home and look it up. And, I try to read a few of the current magazines (like Drug Topics) so I know what new things are coming out. By this point, it is rare when I see a drug that is totally unknown to me. So, when I have to study the top 200 drugs or whatever it is in whichever school I attend, I will be able to concentrate on mechanism. Now, of course, since I've only worked retail, I'll have a lot of work to do on anethestics, IVs, etc. 🙂

you're right this will help you out...

knowing appropriate doses is important and yeah we had to learn the top 200 in our 3rd year and just the top 50 in our first year...

we also had to know manufacturers and things like that as well...