Wondering About Pharmacy....

[vornskr1030]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be a junior in the fall at UCB, majoring in Integrative Biology. Lately I've been trying to figure out what to do after I graduate. All I've decided so far is pre-health, but not premed. I've looked in optometry (did some shadowing), and I'm a little bit curious about pharmacy. I know I should do some shadowing for pharmacy as well, but I'm less familiar with the field. So I have a few questions/concerns I hope you guys can help me out with:

1) I've known pharmacy as the "pill-counting" stereotype, and though I keep hearing it's more than just that, I still don't have a clear picture of what exactly a pharmacist does. Also, what about retail vs. hospital? (I know even less about the hospital role) Where is (or will be) the demand?

2) Is it true pharmacy is more chemistry-based? I've taken both semesters of the prereq ochem and got A's, but I still consider myself more of a biology person.

3) Though I have a pretty nice GPA (for now, heh; ~3.7), I don't have much work experience, and nor do I have much extracirriculars. I've volunteered a few semesters at the Student Health Center at school (Urgent Care, Physical Therapy), one summer at a pet hospital, joined a pre-opt club last semester (to check it out), and shadowed two optometrists. I feel this would be my weakest part on my application to any health grad school.

4) How's job saturation/demand? I know that for optometry, it is difficult to get a job in CA because of such high saturation. I'm from the bay area and would love to stay here. Also related, how easy/difficult is it to get a job coming out of pharmacy school?

Sorry for such a long post, and would greatly appreciate any replies. Thanks!

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[ZpackSux]

I'm having a de ja vu.. I saw this thread before.. I'm going to close my eyes and make a wish.

 

[Glycerin]

This topic belongs in the pre-pharmacy forum. Moving...

 

[LVPharm]

Two resources to help guide you in your decision:

http://www.pfizercareerguides.com/pharmacy.html

http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/

Although it wasn't the case when I applied, pharm tech experience is a plus for admissions.

As far as the job market is concerned, the shortage has been alleviated a bit in some major metropolitan areas (still a slight shortage in Vegas, NV...turned down a few job offers before I moved to do residency). There is still a shortage in rural areas. You can look at this for more info: http://www.pharmacymanpower.com/

North Carolina has the most severe shortage according to their data (leading to stories like this: http://www.wral.com/news/4709911/detail.html) Ha! Look at Hawaii...great place to put a pharmacy school!

There are other resources available in the FAQ sticky (click on the link in FutureRxGal's signature), and from searching previous topics that asked a similar question to yours. Good luck!

 

[vornskr1030]

Thanks for the links and info, LVPharm. They were very helpful.

Just curious....Why/how did you decide on pharmacy over the other health fields? I would love to hear everyone's answer.

 

[LVPharm]

Thanks for the links and info, LVPharm. They were very helpful.

Just curious....Why/how did you decide on pharmacy over the other health fields? I would love to hear everyone's answer.

It took a brief stint as an EMT to realize that "hands-on" healthcare professions weren't exactly my thing. Besides, I get the benefit of knowing I'll make a difference in the lives of patients with good pay and job security without the added number of years of training I would need to practice medicine.