Volunteering @ Pharmacy > Volunteering @ Hospital?

[jackal head]

I'm going to start volunteering at a hospital this week and they have a pharmacy but no volunteer positions for it.

Would it really be any better to have pharmacy volunteer experience as opposed to hospital volunteer experience?

My school says that volunteering isn't even a requirement but that it'll help (and I know that it does help).

Personally, I think that it doesn't really matter. What's far more important is what you take away from the experience.

Furthermore, I've heard that a volunteer can't really do much at most pharmacies due to legal regulations. Therefore simply shadowing a pharmacist would probably be good enough.

Can anyone else chime in on this?

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[R2pharmD2]

I'm going to start volunteering at a hospital this week and they have a pharmacy but no volunteer positions for it.

Would it really be any better to have pharmacy volunteer experience as opposed to hospital volunteer experience?

My school says that volunteering isn't even a requirement but that it'll help (and I know that it does help).

Personally, I think that it doesn't really matter. What's far more important is what you take away from the experience.

Furthermore, I've heard that a volunteer can't really do much at most pharmacies due to legal regulations. Therefore simply shadowing a pharmacist would probably be good enough.

Can anyone else chime in on this?

Pharmacy volunteer experience > random hospital volunteer experience, but finding yourself a tech position would be a heck of a lot better than either option. Since you're reapplying, you really need to go all out to do everything you can to improve your application, and I honestly don't think that a little bit of volunteer work is going to make a substantial difference for you.

 

[pharm B]

I think hospital experience of any kind is valuable. Your comfort on topics seen in a hospital during your admissions interviews will definitely shine through. I volunteered in an Emergency Department as a go-fer for a summer and worked as a tech part time during undergrad. Of the two experiences, I think I enjoyed and learned more from my time in the ED.

Being a tech in retail was just a good enough exposure to let me know I didn't want to do retail after graduation.

 

[jackal head]

Pharmacy volunteer experience > random hospital volunteer experience, but finding yourself a tech position would be a heck of a lot better than either option. Since you're reapplying, you really need to go all out to do everything you can to improve your application, and I honestly don't think that a little bit of volunteer work is going to make a substantial difference for you.

Alright but why is working as a tech so much better than volunteering at a hospital?

Most places here require you to take a 1 year class in order to be certified. I have 6 months left to prepare.

Although there are a few places that don't seem to require any certificate but it would be a long shot.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Alright but why is working as a tech so much better than volunteering at a hospital?

Most places here require you to take a 1 year class in order to be certified. I have 6 months left to prepare.

Although there are a few places that don't seem to require any certificate but it would be a long shot.

Like you mentioned, as a volunteer you're severely limited in what you can do. It's also tough to get a feel for what it's really like to work in a pharmacy by just observing, although observing is better than nothing. It might be a long shot, but you could always stick with your volunteer work and try to get a tech job in the meantime. Or do both.

I don't want to suggest that you shouldn't volunteer or that it's useless (you might really have an enjoyable experience like pharm B did) but it's hard for me to see where non-pharmacy experience is going to be the difference between getting in and not getting in. That's just my opinion though.

 

[thecoolpharmboi]

Like you mentioned, as a volunteer you're severely limited in what you can do. It's also tough to get a feel for what it's really like to work in a pharmacy by just observing, although observing is better than nothing. It might be a long shot, but you could always stick with your volunteer work and try to get a tech job in the meantime. Or do both.

I don't want to suggest that you shouldn't volunteer or that it's useless (you might really have an enjoyable experience like pharm B did) but it's hard for me to see where non-pharmacy experience is going to be the difference between getting in and not getting in. That's just my opinion though.

At least get a shadowing experience in a pharmacy. I think if you can't get any of the things mentioned above, at least shadow a pharmacist.

 

[xtsukiyox]

R2PharmD2 & pharm B have already given you great advice... but one thing you said stuck out to me:

Most places here require you to take a 1 year class in order to be certified. I have 6 months left to prepare.

Where exactly are you that you're required to take a 1 year class in order to be certified? A certified tech by definition is certified by the PTCB, by simply taking the exam.

If your state requires you to take a recognized class to become licensed, that's an entirely different proposition, but I reject that it's a year program.

 

[jackal head]

R2PharmD2 & pharm B have already given you great advice... but one thing you said stuck out to me:



Where exactly are you that you're required to take a 1 year class in order to be certified? A certified tech by definition is certified by the PTCB, by simply taking the exam.

If your state requires you to take a recognized class to become licensed, that's an entirely different proposition, but I reject that it's a year program.

In Canada, only way to be certified for my province is to take a 40 week class.

 

[xtsukiyox]

In Canada, only way to be certified for my province is to take a 40 week class.

Whut. I hope starting salaries for pharm techs are higher than they are here in the States! What province? Perhaps with a little more detail someone can provide a better suggestion.

PS, The nitpicky side of me wants to again question "certification" instead of "licensure," but it's a very small point.

 

[dreaming4hope]

My question is how much volunteer hours is needed for pharmacy school? I know that admissions looks at the whole package and there isn't a set amount of hours you need but it is good to have. My dilemma is with a full schedule and a part time job (at a pharmacy) is it okay not to have a lot of hours? I have been hearing from advisors that you need at least 5 hours of volunteering a week and I heard from others that you won't get into pharmacy school without any volunteer hours. So what do you guys think?

I have very minimal hours (volunteering at a soup kitchen only a few times) and spent the whole summer (okay maybe not the whole summer but I had work and summer school to deal with) filling out applications to different places. Basically either no one gets back to me (even though I have contacted a couple of times), they don't like my availability, or they are filled....the search continues.....

So basically if I don't have a lot of volunteer hours (but the rest of my application is good/decent) is that okay?

(And does donating money count?)

 

[thecoolpharmboi]

My question is how much volunteer hours is needed for pharmacy school? I know that admissions looks at the whole package and there isn't a set amount of hours you need but it is good to have. My dilemma is with a full schedule and a part time job (at a pharmacy) is it okay not to have a lot of hours? I have been hearing from advisors that you need at least 5 hours of volunteering a week and I heard from others that you won't get into pharmacy school without any volunteer hours. So what do you guys think?

I have very minimal hours (volunteering at a soup kitchen only a few times) and spent the whole summer (okay maybe not the whole summer but I had work and summer school to deal with) filling out applications to different places. Basically either no one gets back to me (even though I have contacted a couple of times), they don't like my availability, or they are filled....the search continues.....

So basically if I don't have a lot of volunteer hours (but the rest of my application is good/decent) is that okay?

(And does donating money count?)

Donating money does not count as volunteering. I would say that volunteering is good to have, but since you are full time student and work part time at a pharmacy, I'm sure you'll be fine. Unless your school states you need volunteering hours, then you are not required to. So don't sweat it!