Dr. A: Richard, tell me about yourself
R: Im from Harrisburg, work at Harrisburg Hospital full-time, lived in Harrisburg for 18 years.
Dr. A: Now, you graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Biology?
R: Yes.
Dr. A: Why did you not go straight through? Most people apply in their junior year of college.
R: I fell behind in collecting the things you need to apply
letters of recommendation, taking the PCAT late, etc.
Dr. A: Your parents, what do they do?
R: My mother works the night shift at Fry Communications. My father works as an assembler at American Air Filters.
Dr. A: When did they come to this country?
R: 1980. From Vietnam.
Dr. A: So they are Vietnamese? North or South?
R: North. They lived in the North during the war.
Dr. A: Why did you decide on pharmacy?
R: Pharmacy is something I thought I would like to do. Theres a lot to do, you have your hands full. You have a lot of responsibility and I like responsibility.
Dr. A: Tell me about your upbringing. Was it difficult being in your situation?
R: Yes, at times. Up through high school, probably 80 to 90% of my classmates were African-American, so I was actually in the minority. Anytime youre different, youll catch some hard times. And Im not saying that
Dr. A: No. I know what you mean. Anytime youre different, kids can be cruel. How do you react to that?
R: *nods.* When I was younger, the gut reaction is to be bitter and angry. But as I get older, I start to understand why I was treated that way. Kids are cruel anywhere, but the kids I was around didnt have fathers, were poor
Dr. A: What makes you different? There are lots of talented applicants out there. Why should I accept you?
R: I think Im resilient. Ive been through a few things in life and I dont panic when difficulty arises. I started at the bottom, my parents started at the bottom, so I can appreciate being in this position.
Dr. A: What would you criticize about yourself?
R: Im cautious. If I could change something about myself, I would make myself more
Dr. A: Adventurous?
R: Yes.
Dr. A: What other weaknesses do you have?
R: *himming and hawing* There are some others, but I cant think of them right now.
Dr. A: Richard, let me change the subject. From what you have read or seen in the news, what do you think is the major problem in health care today?
R: I think the major problem is that care is not available to a certain part of the population.
Dr. A: The poor?
R: Yes.
Dr. A: How many people do you think there are in this country who dont have medical care?
R: Um, Id guess anyone below the poverty line and everyone around that line.
Dr. A: A number?
R: 250 million in America, so Id say 20 million?
Dr. A: Its 15%, so 45 million people. How do we change that?
R: Were a very separated society. We separate ourselves in many ways, where we live, who we associate with. The separation has to be brought down.
Dr. A: How do you get people to do that, practically?
R: You have to make people care. Most of the power in this country is in the middle and upper classes. Poor people dont vote. Somehow, we have got to make the upper classes care about poor people.
Dr. A: And how do you do that? Why would someone do that?
R: In the long term, taking care of the poor benefits the upper classes themselves. Youll have less crime, less tension
Dr. A: And how do you help the poor?
R: You have to put good things back into the poorer sections. The best teachers, schools
you need to bring mainstream America into the poor areas.
Dr. A: That costs money. Where does it come from?
R: Youre right. Money talks, and everything else walks. You just have to make people care (*weak!*). Convince people to let you take their tax dollars and put it back into the poor.
Dr. A: *bored with my sucky answers.* Do you have any questions for me?
R: Yes. I can see youve been in practice many years. What differences did you find between your starting ideal of pharmacy and the reality of pharmacy?
Dr. A: Pharmacy should be a right, not a privilege. And that makes me angry
.Any other questions?
R: What advice would you give to someone in my position, as an applicant new to the field?
Dr. A: Work hard, keep an open mind, have balance
Thank you, Richard, good luck to you. (*times up*).
9:30 am. Escorted to second interview by Dr. As secretary.
Dr. M: Well, Richard, it took me a little bit to make it out to you, because this file doesnt come to me until you come to me. *chuckles* It has your letters of recommendations in it. You have some solid letters; they didnt pull any punches.
R: Thanks!
Dr. M: How it works is, Ive got a list here. I just want to go down through the list and if anythings wrong, correct me! You graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
.uh, a PCAT score of 99. Thats a solid score. Keep that score. You dont want to take that again. Right now, you work at Harrisburg Hospital in pharmacology?
R: Im a pharmacy technician
a little different from pharmacology!
Dr. M: Why did you choose to do that?
R: Mainly a practical thing. I knew I would have an interim between the end of undergrad and pharmacy school application. I had two choices: to find a job in Philly, or to come back to Harrisburg, where I had family.
Dr. M: *nods, constantly smiles in an endearing grandfatherly sort of way* Sure. I also saw you were a library assistant?
R: Yes, that was just a school job. Practically, just to have some money during school.
Dr. M: OK, I also see you worked in a warehouse for one summer? Didnt one to do that again, right?
R: No, I liked it. It was an American Expressor Financial Advisors warehouse. When you go see your financial advisor, theres a lot of documents, forms, and such. Thats what we packed, in bulk. I would have worked there again, but I took the PCAT the next summer. And I think theyre out of business now.
Dr. M: I thought this was interesting. Music reviewer? For the campus arts magazine? You didnt play an instrument, did you?
R: No. I just critiqued them. I liked it, although I didnt do it for that long, because the music I was asked to review wasnt really my kind of music.
Dr. M: And last, sportswriter, for fantasy football. What is fantasy football?
R: In fantasy football, you have a dream team, where the goal is to pick guys who put up big numbers of statistics. So, each week, youll have two dream teams match up, and the team that piles up the most statistics win. So the strategy is to pick guys who will rack up the biggest numbers. So, instead of picking a running back from a good team, you might pick a running back on a bad team with a bad passing offense.
Dr. M: Sure =) Well, Richard, Im going to try to sell you on UB. The strength of UB, I believe, lies in the first two years. I dont know how we stack up with other schoolsreally, all the schools are goodbut I really think highly of the quality of the first two years. The rotation year
is solid. Youll have to go outside of here to really get the experience with the poor and such that youll need. How many schools did you apply to?
R: Eight.
Dr. M: That seems to be on the low end, although theres no wrong or right. Youre a solid applicant. Do you have any questions for me?
R: If Im having trouble in school, what kind of support can I expect?
Dr. M: I dont know the specifics, but the faculty, everyone is there to help. Were betting on the people we accept, and we want to see you succeed.
R: I have to ask this question before we end, and I asked the other interviewer too. What advice do you have to someone in my position?
Dr. M: Well, I think the main thing that goes into success as a pharmacist is a rapport with your patients. If they know youre there and youll work hard for them, its quite rewarding. Well, Richard, I wish you luck! (*times up*)
