What don't you like about pharmacy school?

[Sparda29]

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My least favorite thing here is that whenever I plan something like a pick-up football game followed my hitting the bars and watching some pros play football on Sunday, people don't wanna do anything since they "have to study for exams". Get the **** out of here, 9 hours of not studying for an exam on a Sunday isn't going to kill your GPA.

 

[TemSirolimus]

what dont I like about pharmacy school...eehh, Pharmacy School...

just a freaking means to an end, nothing more.

 

[crazybob]

People complaining about something because it isn't perfect. On ideas like fundraisers, social events, etc, some of them don't attend if they don't like one thing about it.

People who give any excuse for not calling, talking, or even hanging out. On those times when they say they're busy studying, what are they doing? Gossiping with their friends with their books and notes out, which don't get touched for a while.

 

[pharm B]

what dont I like about pharmacy school...eehh, Pharmacy School...

just a freaking means to an end, nothing more.

I'm starting to feel this way. I wish I'd looked closer at 3 year programs. Sure, it'd be less free time to spend with the family, but it's a whole year of my life back...

 

[Sparda29]

Even when we have vacation, it's hard to plan something with the people here because a lot of my classmates go back home for their months off. (I would say that about 80% of my class is not from NYC.)

 

[homeslice]

I'm starting to feel this way. I wish I'd looked closer at 3 year programs. Sure, it'd be less free time to spend with the family, but it's a whole year of my life back...

Jaded already, eh? Right there with you.

 

[pharm B]

The wonder of it all has quickly been replaced by busy work and classes that, on average, aren't as engaging as any of the classes I took in undergrad.

 

[gtpederson]

I'm only in first year, but so far my list of gripes:

Busy work (reflection papers, how does it make me feel, etc)
General disorganization of the program
About 10% of my classmates I can't stand
Being the guinea pig for experimental programs that I'm sure looked nice in a thesis and a grant proposal but ridiculous in practice

Maybe next year when we get to learn about drugs it will get better

 

[tungsten87]

I'm only in first year, but so far my list of gripes:

Busy work (reflection papers, how does it make me feel, etc)
General disorganization of the program
About 10% of my classmates I can't stand
Being the guinea pig for experimental programs that I'm sure looked nice in a thesis and a grant proposal but ridiculous in practice

Maybe next year when we get to learn about drugs it will get better

this is my experience exactly. do we go to the same school?

 

[Praziquantel86]

My least favorite thing here is that whenever I plan something like a pick-up football game followed my hitting the bars and watching some pros play football on Sunday, people don't wanna do anything since they "have to study for exams". Get the **** out of here, 9 hours of not studying for an exam on a Sunday isn't going to kill your GPA.

Not to be an ass...but didn't you say you have a sub-3.0 GPA? They might have something going there.

 

[rxlea]

The cliques and the busy work.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Not to be an ass...but didn't you say you have a sub-3.0 GPA? They might have something going there.

I was thinking this too.

 

[quartel]

-they make you take electives just to needlessly waste your money.
-they tell you a bunch of feel-good rhetoric which is 90% bs that most mindlessly swallow
-they continually lower admission standards making my degree progressively worthless.

 

[coffee4drug]

Whenever we are told that "everything in the slides/handouts is a fair game on the exams."

 

[DAW2]

When ac is a priviledge, not a right. Uber ghetto, my man

 

[owlegrad]

When ac is a priviledge, not a right. Uber ghetto, my man

Air conditioning?! Oh this would never fly in Florida. No AC = No Students

Or did you mean to say a C? 😉

 

[tungsten87]

Air conditioning?! Oh this would never fly in Florida. No AC = No Students

Or did you mean to say a C? 😉

UF actually has dorms that lack AC... 😱

 

[Sparda29]

Not to be an ass...but didn't you say you have a sub-3.0 GPA? They might have something going there.

Yes, but I didn't study on the weekends at all. Wouldn't be an effective comparison. These guys study all weekend long. Difference between not studying for a few hours and not studying all weekend.

However, it seems that a lot of them are fine with going out at night on weekends to the bars, parties and whatnot, but they don't wanna play sports.

 

[owlegrad]

UF actually has dorms that lack AC... 😱

Oh my God! It's not that I don't believe you, but how is that possible?

 

[bullsfan1986]

All of the above + 34234234 other things

 

[Rubisco]

Oh my God! It's not that I don't believe you, but how is that possible?

During my undergrad at UF, i lived in the dorm that had no AC. Terrible, terrible, terrible... especially on nights when the air was very humid and you feel all sticky (makes it hard to sleep). However, A year or two after i left that dorm they renovated it and i believe now they are all AC capable (either through central air or little AC units). Sigh.

 

[owlegrad]

To be honest, I think pharmacy school can be completed in at least 2-3 years. I don't think we need all these drawn out curriculums.

Major classes needed are Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Patient Counseling/Communication, Medicinal Chemistry , Pharmacy business and Management


Majority of students go into retail; it would be good to have a 2 pathway system.. those who want to work in retail environment or those who want to work in a clinical environment.

Don't leave pharmacokinetics off your list.

We almost have a two pathway system now, if you believe that residencies are required for clinical jobs. Those who want retail may skip them, those who want clinical go for them. I agree with your main point that the curriculum is overloaded and could easily be trimmed down to allow for faster graduation.

 

[tungsten87]

To be honest, I think pharmacy school can be completed in at least 2-3 years. I don't think we need all these drawn out curriculums.

Major classes needed are Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Patient Counseling/Communication, Medicinal Chemistry , Pharmacy business and Management


Majority of students go into retail; it would be good to have a 2 pathway system.. those who want to work in retail environment or those who want to work in a clinical environment.

bring back the BSPharm for retail... plz.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I hated all of it.

I want to move away so I don't even have the remote chance of running into someone I went to school with.

👍

 

[Sparda29]

To be honest, I think pharmacy school can be completed in at least 2-3 years. I don't think we need all these drawn out curriculums.

Major classes needed are Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Patient Counseling/Communication, Medicinal Chemistry , Pharmacy business and Management


Majority of students go into retail; it would be good to have a 2 pathway system.. those who want to work in retail environment or those who want to work in a clinical environment.

Uhh, you're forgetting a lot of stuff. Pharmacogenomics, pharmacokinetics, extemporaneous compounding, biostatistics and epidemiology, etc.

 

[Farcus]

To be honest, I think pharmacy school can be completed in at least 2-3 years. I don't think we need all these drawn out curriculums.

Major classes needed are Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Patient Counseling/Communication, Medicinal Chemistry , Pharmacy business and Management


Majority of students go into retail; it would be good to have a 2 pathway system.. those who want to work in retail environment or those who want to work in a clinical environment.

Yeh don't forget clinical pharmcokinetics. I actually sort of agree with the two pathway system.

 

[bullsfan1986]

Yea, I think PK is the only class where i've actually learned something. Everything is else is just rote memorization and regurgitation. The joys of pharmacy school.

 

[tungsten87]

Yea, I think PK is the only class where i've actually learned something. Everything is else is just rote memorization and regurgitation. The joys of pharmacy school.

just like any other professional program. I should also add another thing I don't like about pharm school is students like sparda

 

[crazybob]

just like any other professional program. I should also add another thing I don't like about pharm school is students like sparda

That reminds me: one thing I don't like is there is always that group of students who always think they're better than everyone else in the world. When you talk to other classmates about them, that clique is full of people who make fun of classmates, spread rumors, and other crap. Does anyone else notice this too?

 

[pharm B]

I hate the stress on touchy-feely crap like communication and personality types. Being tested on medical terminology that's never been discussed in class seems like a slap in the face, especially after dedicating whole hours to learning about the "tank" and the "sniper" and how to "disarm" them in a discussion.

 

[jrf794]

One thing that has recently come up with me is that you can't give a dissenting opinion about certain programs. We were had an assignment that asked us to talk about something we had learned in a component of one of our classes and I said that it was not a very efficient use of our time. Because of the conversation we had about the assignment, my professor is going to file a professional misconduct statement. Brilliant.

 

[SHC1984]

I still wish I did NOT have to give immunzations next week. 🙄 but other then that pharmacy school is going very well for me. I might be able to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. 😎

 

[SHC1984]

That reminds me: one thing I don't like is there is always that group of students who always think they're better than everyone else in the world. When you talk to other classmates about them, that clique is full of people who make fun of classmates, spread rumors, and other crap. Does anyone else notice this too?

Why do you even bother with other people in your classes? just work hard, do very well and graduate and make big $$$...don't worry about other people...I don't even notice anyone except for like 2-3 people in my class. Why worry about people that don't even matter?

 

[crazybob]

Why do you even bother with other people in your classes? just work hard, do very well and graduate and make big $$$...don't worry about other people...I don't even notice anyone except for like 2-3 people in my class. Why worry about people that don't even matter?

No friends = no fun. Working without being able to have conversations with others about something other than work can be boring or stressful.

And when they talk about job situations or classes, I think I'd want to know what to expect if they're talking about new ways of studying or which teacher they recommend for electives. And I think I'd like to know which person to talk to about potential connections for jobs.

 

[pandapharmer]

I don't know about pharmacokinetics...it's the biggest pain right now and I feel like half of it is the fact that it is the first time this particular professor has taught it and half that I just don't find it all that interesting/way too detailed for me. The only thing that worries me is that if I end up in a more clinical role (which is the direction I'm thinking right now) I will need to use/understand this more...however some older students assure me that I would only use a couple equations regularly anyway so it isn't a big deal.

The touchy-feely class right now is a bit of a pain as well, since one of the professors is a pharmacist at a family practice and I feel like he wishes he was a cardiologist and is trying to instill that in all of us. While I understand learning to take blood pressure is an important skill, learning where all the different types of pulses and the ins and outs of that does not seem to be very practical right now. The class could be good but I think it needed to be organized better.

 

[bullsfan1986]

I don't know about pharmacokinetics...it's the biggest pain right now and I feel like half of it is the fact that it is the first time this particular professor has taught it and half that I just don't find it all that interesting/way too detailed for me. The only thing that worries me is that if I end up in a more clinical role (which is the direction I'm thinking right now) I will need to use/understand this more...however some older students assure me that I would only use a couple equations regularly anyway so it isn't a big deal.

The touchy-feely class right now is a bit of a pain as well, since one of the professors is a pharmacist at a family practice and I feel like he wishes he was a cardiologist and is trying to instill that in all of us. While I understand learning to take blood pressure is an important skill, learning where all the different types of pulses and the ins and outs of that does not seem to be very practical right now. The class could be good but I think it needed to be organized better.

Not sure if your bookstore sells it, but this book is great:

http://isbnlib.com/isbn/0781779030/...netics-Basic-Clinical-Pharmacokinetics-Winter

If you're lucky, you may be able to download an older edition via torrent.

 

[Naidim]

why do you even bother with other people in your classes? Just work hard, do very well and graduate and make big $$$...don't worry about other people...i don't even notice anyone except for like 2-3 people in my class. Why worry about people that don't even matter?

qft

 

[owlegrad]

No friends = no fun. Working without being able to have conversations with others about something other than work can be boring or stressful.

And when they talk about job situations or classes, I think I'd want to know what to expect if they're talking about new ways of studying or which teacher they recommend for electives. And I think I'd like to know which person to talk to about potential connections for jobs.

Couldn't agree more Bob. I hate when I am working with someone who doesn't want to talk. Just makes the day crawl by.

I wonder if those people hate working with "chatters". They probably think the same thing about it making the day feel longer.

 

[crazybob]

Couldn't agree more Bob. I hate when I am working with someone who doesn't want to talk. Just makes the day crawl by.

I wonder if those people hate working with "chatters". They probably think the same thing about it making the day feel longer.

If you at least have coworkers who want to talk to you, you can talk to them about just anything. Then laugh if they say something funny (including unintentionally funny because they said something the wrong way)

Most of the time, I see it as my own choice to respond or talk to my coworkers if I personally want to. If you decide that you don't really want to talk to your coworkers, it is your choice and people might understand, but IMO, you might also assume that you may never like your coworkers. You never know if the coworker you talk to at work can turn out to be someone who can keep your secrets and give you great advice.

 

[owlegrad]

If you at least have coworkers who want to talk to you, you can talk to them about just anything. Then laugh if they say something funny (including unintentionally funny because they said something the wrong way)

Most of the time, I see it as my own choice to respond or talk to my coworkers if I personally want to. If you decide that you don't really want to talk to your coworkers, it is your choice and people might understand, but IMO, you might also assume that you may never like your coworkers. You never know if the coworker you talk to at work can turn out to be someone who can keep your secrets and give you great advice.

I was once working with a technician at CVS. We had been working together for several weeks at this point. She called out (loudly) some question at a busy point in the day. After several minutes of no one answering her, I called back "She asked herself". She laughed so hard she cried. Moments like this are what make the day fly by for me.

The pharmacist did not appreciate all the laughing in front of the customers though.

 

[owlegrad]

If you at least have coworkers who want to talk to you, you can talk to them about just anything. Then laugh if they say something funny (including unintentionally funny because they said something the wrong way)

Most of the time, I see it as my own choice to respond or talk to my coworkers if I personally want to. If you decide that you don't really want to talk to your coworkers, it is your choice and people might understand, but IMO, you might also assume that you may never like your coworkers. You never know if the coworker you talk to at work can turn out to be someone who can keep your secrets and give you great advice.

I would be very, very careful about sharing secrets with anyone from work. I mean I love a pleasant work environment, but I wouldn't call my coworkers friends, they are just people I work with, better to separate work from personal life, imo.

 

[crazybob]

I was once working with a technician at CVS. We had been working together for several weeks at this point. She called out (loudly) some question at a busy point in the day. After several minutes of no one answering her, I called back "She asked herself". She laughed so hard she cried. Moments like this are what make the day fly by for me.

The pharmacist did not appreciate all the laughing in front of the customers though.

Hmm... maybe at independents we just laugh a bit more at stuff we do and say when customers are not there.

Sometimes we tell each other about funny youtube videos, like the bed intruder song, and we say stuff like "you know, if I did this at Walgreens or Target, they'd probably give me weird looks"

 

[owlegrad]

Hmm... maybe at independents we just laugh a bit more at stuff we do and say when customers are not there.

Sometimes we tell each other about funny youtube videos, like the bed intruder song, and we say stuff like "you know, if I did this at Walgreens or Target, they'd probably give me weird looks"

I showed the evo vs iphone at CVS and everyone loved it. Of course it was during a slow point in the day.

I don't "get" the bed intruder song. It is not funny.

 

[crazybob]

I showed the evo vs iphone at CVS and everyone loved it. Of course it was during a slow point in the day.

I don't "get" the bed intruder song. It is not funny.

I looked it up on youtube, and saw the one where you make movies with text and animations. Is that it?

 

[owlegrad]

I looked it up on youtube, and saw the one where you make movies with text and animations. Is that it?

Yes! Hilarious.

 

[charfdorn]

I'm only in first year, but so far my list of gripes:

Busy work (reflection papers, how does it make me feel, etc)
General disorganization of the program
About 10% of my classmates I can't stand
Being the guinea pig for experimental programs that I'm sure looked nice in a thesis and a grant proposal but ridiculous in practice

Maybe next year when we get to learn about drugs it will get better

-they make you take electives just to needlessly waste your money.
-they tell you a bunch of feel-good rhetoric which is 90% bs that most mindlessly swallow
-they continually lower admission standards making my degree progressively worthless.

Whenever we are told that "everything in the slides/handouts is a fair game on the exams."

To be honest, I think pharmacy school can be completed in at least 2-3 years. I don't think we need all these drawn out curriculums.

Major classes needed are Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Patient Counseling/Communication, Medicinal Chemistry , Pharmacy business and Management


Majority of students go into retail; it would be good to have a 2 pathway system.. those who want to work in retail environment or those who want to work in a clinical environment.

Entitled students like these. The school doesn't owe you anything. Put your head down, do the work, and try to enjoy it as you go. They don't create curricula out of thin air or on a whim. Most of that stuff is in there for a reason, and even if it is stupid, whining about it just makes you feel like you're being cheated. If you actually try to find the benefit in every aspect of the program, you're going to find yourself enjoying it, and you might even learn some skills beyond counting by 5 and working 12-hour shifts without a break.

 

[Sparda29]

Entitled students like these. The school doesn't owe you anything. Put your head down, do the work, and try to enjoy it as you go. They don't create curricula out of thin air or on a whim. Most of that stuff is in there for a reason, and even if it is stupid, whining about it just makes you feel like you're being cheated. If you actually try to find the benefit in every aspect of the program, you're going to find yourself enjoying it, and you might even learn some skills beyond counting by 5 and working 12-hour shifts without a break.

This man. We had a lot of people in our first semester bitching about professors going way too fast. They knew they were coming to a 2+2 program and that the didactic portion would rush by. Someone actually wrote an anonymous letter to the state board like within the first 2 weeks. It pissed off everyone in the class.

Thank God that the letter was an incoherent mess. It was just filled with nonimportant complaints like professors going too fast, or professors using Blackboard too much. The guy from the state board came down, asked some questions, seemed like the claims on the anonymous letter were baseless. He asked us some questions and then we never heard from the guy again.

 

[medicalCPA]

I'm in grad school, and the lab I'm in right now is a pharmacology/toxicology lab. In all the time I've been in grad school, there has been only ONE class that I actually liked, and it had almost nothing to do with the degree I'm getting.

And yet, even as I've progressed (as much as one can progress within 1.5 years), those "useless" classes have actually turned out to be useful. Now I sometimes regret that I didn't pay as much attention to those classes as I should have.

 

[tungsten87]

I'm in grad school, and the lab I'm in right now is a pharmacology/toxicology lab. In all the time I've been in grad school, there has been only ONE class that I actually liked, and it had almost nothing to do with the degree I'm getting.

And yet, even as I've progressed (as much as one can progress within 1.5 years), those "useless" classes have actually turned out to be useful. Now I sometimes regret that I didn't pay as much attention to those classes as I should have.

ohhh I absolutely LOVE cancer biology. what are you guys working on? i'm about to start drafting an IRB for a project I came up with for the honors degree (at my school you have to do a research project to graduate with honors). It involves possible epigenetic induced changes in CML patients started on imatinib... about 30% of these patients develop multi drug resistance due to imatinib treatment for 6 months. "pharmacoepigenetics"... new field that has the possibility to explode.

 

[quartel]

Entitled students like these. The school doesn't owe you anything. Put your head down, do the work, and try to enjoy it as you go. They don't create curricula out of thin air or on a whim. Most of that stuff is in there for a reason, and even if it is stupid, whining about it just makes you feel like you're being cheated. If you actually try to find the benefit in every aspect of the program, you're going to find yourself enjoying it, and you might even learn some skills beyond counting by 5 and working 12-hour shifts without a break.

I hope you do realize the irony of posting this in the "What don't you like about pharmacy" thread. If you think criticism of pharmacy school is whining then I'll just ask you to stop your whining about my whining. Stop whining dude~ the people on this forum don't owe you anything, just try to enjoy yourself while you are here man~