Timeline after Pharmacy School

[Rutgers2015]

I have a few practical questions. I know my Pharmacy School commencement takes place about mid-May. What happens after that? When do students take the NAPLEX and MPJE? Is it one set date or do you have a choice? If you have a choice, when is it recommended to take it? When do most pharm grads actually start working? (post licensure I guess) What do they do after graduation and before they get licensed? Just study all day? Work as a tech because they are not licensed pharmacists?

Finally, how practical do you think it is to get married right after graduation from pharmacy school? Is it a total must to wait like a year or so or can it be done if you believe it is worth the sacrifices you will make? (just to help answering this one, the prospective spouse will have 1 year left of graduate (health professional ) schooling by the time I graduate).

Thanks for all the help!

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[patmcd]

You will take the NAPLEX/MPJE anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months after graduation. After graduation you generally need to submit a bunch of paperwork to the state board to get your authorization to test (ATT). The various state boards vary dramatically in how quickly they process everything and give you your authorization to test. Once you've have your ATT, you schedule your NAPLEX/MPJE. There are a variety of dates available on a first come, first basis.

Some people will study constantly prior to taking their tests and others will work as an intern/grad intern.

You can get married whenever you like technically. That said many companies wouldn't be thrilled about you taking a bunch of time off right after you start. If you're considering residency, most programs won't allow you to take off more than a couple days at one time (i.e. a Friday and Monday to make a four day weekend). Also, you will need to consider if your prospective spouse could take time off during rotations (assuming they are part of whatever program they are in).

 

[RoyalBean]

It depends, some people in my class studied for like a month and then scheduled their boards and got licensed in late July. Other people just scheduled them as soon as possible. I scheduled mine to give me about 2-3 weeks to study, I ended up not even cracking a book for the Naplex, but studied about a week for the law exam and I did just fine.

As far as a timeline, I graduated on May 14th, took my Naplex on June 5th, took the law exam June 13th, and had my license on June 17th.

My first day working as a pharmacist was June 18th, which I believe is pretty common in retail, you can start that day or the next day as a pharmacist.

From about May 15th to June 15th I worked as a "Grad Intern:" You can do anything a pharmacist can but you can't be alone (state laws may vary). I was only making $25, but I know of some people at the big chains that were making near $50 as a Grad Intern and milked it for MONTHS before getting their license (Near-pharmacist pay with less responsibility and you are never the only pharmacist there, it is a sweet deal....)

I don't have much advice about the marriage thing, but I am sure if you wanted to you could do it, especially if it was a smaller wedding.

 

[Rutgers2015]

Thanks for the responses! When do most people end up taking the exam? And how soon do people usually start working as a pharmacist after graduation (like, month-wise).

Also, I can have more info about working as a Grad Intern. Is that only in retail? What if I don't sign a contract with my retail pharmacy to work as a pharmacist? How easy is it to pick your own start date for work ?

I also want to hear your experiences the first few months after graduation please.

This is very helpful to me! Thanks again!

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

Thanks for the responses! When do most people end up taking the exam? And how soon do people usually start working as a pharmacist after graduation (like, month-wise).

Also, I can have more info about working as a Grad Intern. Is that only in retail? What if I don't sign a contract with my retail pharmacy to work as a pharmacist? How easy is it to pick your own start date for work ?

I also want to hear your experiences the first few months after graduation please.

This is very helpful to me! Thanks again!

This is all speculation, but in 4 years I think it will be a battle for retail positions.

Really getting ahead of yourself...😉. I felt the same way when I started and wanted to find answers to these questions but it will not help you with anything. In 4 years, things will be a little different and as you work as an intern you will find answers to these questions and how sites vary. Worry about school for right now, not the 3-4 months following graduation. Priorities my friend!😉

 

[pharmschooler]

Finally, how practical do you think it is to get married right after graduation from pharmacy school? Is it a total must to wait like a year or so or can it be done if you believe it is worth the sacrifices you will make? (just to help answering this one, the prospective spouse will have 1 year left of graduate (health professional ) schooling by the time I graduate).

Thanks for all the help!

You can get married over a weekend if it's a really simple wedding, and go back to school/work the next Monday. You could even do it now, if you wanted.

I don't have any practical advice about the rest of your post, but if you want to get married, go for it! Just realize it might not be practical to have an elaborate or big wedding, and a honeymoon may have to wait.

 

[fattunesy]

I would recommend getting licensed as fast as possible, or at least as fast as you feel comfortable. The Naplex is not very tough (IMO), and most people I knwo felt like they studied too much for it. The law is harder (at least in IL, I can only assume it is elsewhere). The reason I recommend this is based off experiences my wife had with Walgreens. She graduated in early May and had her license before the beginning of June. She ended up getting scheduled for 40 hours as a pharmacist. The other people in her class who took longer to get licensed ended up getting taken down to only 32 hours per week. I am not saying this will happen to you or anyone else again, but if you are comfortable taking the test quickly there is no reason not to.

For myself, I was alose licensed in about a month after graduation and had been working full time as a grad intern before then, but I was also in a hospital pharmacy where things are a little different.

 

[Rutgers2015]

This is all speculation, but in 4 years I think it will be a battle for retail positions.

Really getting ahead of yourself...😉. I felt the same way when I started and wanted to find answers to these questions but it will not help you with anything. In 4 years, things will be a little different and as you work as an intern you will find answers to these questions and how sites vary. Worry about school for right now, not the 3-4 months following graduation. Priorities my friend!😉

I guess because it's summer I have the time to think about all these things, but during the school year I'm sure it'll be a different story! I just want to do my best to prepare myself for the kind of future I would like and I can't help but constantly think about the future. Thank you all for your responses and I look forward to hearing more advice/stories of how you all got started in your pharmacy careers after graduation (I'm just trying to get some second-hand experience/inspiration to keep in the back of my mind). Thanks again!