What class material would help me prepare for the incoming pharmacy school?

[PillMan777]

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Hey all,

I will be attending pharmacy school this coming fall and I was wondering which materials should I review to help better guide me before school starts. Let me just add, all though I love chemistry I am actually a biologist at heart. With that being said, I know all the basic concepts of organic chemistry but totally for got all the reactions, since I taken chem 4 years ago. Would it be worth it studying the reactions all over again?? Most, if not all schools, require students to take up to Calc I for math I recently was informed that if I wanted to pursue research and/or take pharmcogenomics I will need to take Calc II is that true?? Just curious what level of math do you mainly work with?🙂

 

[DrWrong]

Hey all,

I will be attending pharmacy school this coming fall and I was wondering which materials should I review to help better guide me before school starts. Let me just add, all though I love chemistry I am actually a biologist at heart. With that being said, I know all the basic concepts of organic chemistry but totally for got all the reactions, since I taken chem 4 years ago. Would it be worth it studying the reactions all over again?? Most, if not all schools, require students to take up to Calc I for math I recently was informed that if I wanted to pursue research and/or take pharmcogenomics I will need to take Calc II is that true?? Just curious what level of math do you mainly work with?🙂

What level math? Algebra at most except for Kinetics and biopharmaceutics...a little bit of calculus there, but full competency in calculus isn't detrimental to your understanding of the equations. No, you don't need to review all the organic reactions. Just know the basic concepts.

I couldn't tell you anything to study without seeing what classes you'll be taking. The top 200 drugs would never hurt, though.

 

[eightball]

pillman...do something fun, dont even think about studying it up before school. You will soon realize that 4 (or 3) years is heck of a long time to learn stuff that will make you wanna stick your pinkie into a pencil sharpener.

Take it easy.

 

[pharmwannebe2]

pillman...do something fun, dont even think about studying it up before school. You will soon realize that 4 (or 3) years is heck of a long time to learn stuff that will make you wanna stick your pinkie into a pencil sharpener.

Take it easy.

i agree! Then you will be having sleepless nights like all of us on here.

 

[crazybob]

i agree! Then you will be having sleepless nights like all of us on here.

Yup and also on the weekends where you can't help but sleep without even eating dinner from the lack of sleep during the week.

 

[PillMan777]

You know I always figured that the only way you get burned out so easily is when your stuck working hard and hearing how everyone else around you is having way more enjoyable life. But if your isolated in a location where you don't have any distractions and only your studies to look forward too, I don't think it's that bad. What do you think am I wrong?? Also that still doesn't answer my question in terms of pharmcogenomics and calcII, anyone doing research in your careers down the line, have any insight??

 

[crazybob]

You know I always figured that the only way you get burned out so easily is when your stuck working hard and hearing how everyone else around you is having way more enjoyable life. But if your isolated in a location where you don't have any distractions and only your studies to look forward too, I don't think it's that bad. What do you think am I wrong?? Also that still doesn't answer my question in terms of pharmcogenomics and calcII, anyone doing research in your careers down the line, have any insight??

I think most of us felt that way in undergrad also. There was a pharmacist who was a speaker one time at our school, and he seemed to understand that when we had to work hard in undergrad, there were times when everyone else would be playing outside and we were the ones stuck in lab or in the library studying.

If you want to review anything, I would recommend reviewing these:

• A&P
• Biochemistry
• Organic I and II
• Calculus I and II
• Genetics
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Economics

Ones that I've bolded are the most important.

 

[evilolive]

You never use calculus, and everything you will really centers around physiology (big picture rather than the details). As long as you have a really good understanding of that, everything in pharmacy school falls into place.

 

[crazybob]

You never use calculus, and everything you will really centers around physiology (big picture rather than the details). As long as you have a really good understanding of that, everything in pharmacy school falls into place.

What about pharmacokinetics (I haven't had it yet) and nuclear pharm (I'm taking only an intro course right now)? There's at least some calculus there.

 

[evilolive]

What about pharmacokinetics (I haven't had it yet) and nuclear pharm (I'm taking only an intro course right now)? There's at least some calculus there.

All basic algebraic equations mixed with understanding/application of physiology. Ironically you never use any of the calculations in pharmacokinetics - it only provides the background for the clinical pharmacokinetics that's taught in therapeutics. We weren't tested on the derivations as it didn't really make a huge difference for us, but it may be different at other schools like UB who obsess over PK in the curriculum 🙂

 

[eightball]

didnt really use much calculus at UB as far as PK is concerned. In my experience, If I would suggest anything it would be physio and biochem. Physio more than biochem but the good foundation knowledge comes in handy across the board.

 

[smileyangel11]

There is no need for systemic review of any science class notes.

What I do recommend is to train your mind back into somewhat critical thinking mode. Our brain actually prefers not to work if it doesn't have to. That's why when people come back in the Fall, they feel sluggish until 3 wks into the courses.

So do what it works for you. Find something interesting and stimulates yourself back into learning mode.

 

[luckyphooey]

Have a good working knowledge of A&P.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I would work on finding a good way to BS papers and presentations. That seems to be all the P3 year is about. I would love to have a freakin' exam sometime instead of all these pharmacoeconomics reflection papers and presentations every other week.

 

[rxlea]

bump

 

[Praziquantel86]

I would work on finding a good way to BS papers and presentations. That seems to be all the P3 year is about. I would love to have a freakin' exam sometime instead of all these pharmacoeconomics reflection papers and presentations every other week.

Sounds like a fellow UB student to me...thank God that's over.

 

[Sparda29]

We're getting attacked by either exams or projects or FARM/SOAP cases, it's a never ending wave right now. Thank god only 1 more week and then finals, and then I'm off for two years of rotations.