Working in a pharmacy...

[confuzzled44]

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Do you people out there who got into pharmacy school really think that working in a pharmacy boosts your chances of getting in? I've been working in a pharmacy for about a month and a half as a pharmacy clerk. And hopefully as time goes on, my boss will promote me to pharm tech. I have a 3.4 GPA and studying for my PCATS which are really a pain sometimes. I just need to know if experience and commitment to a pharmacy really gives you a shot in attending a pharmacy school.

 

[googleit]

I just need to know if experience and commitment to a pharmacy really gives you a shot in attending a pharmacy school.

If you're not willing to commit to pharmacy now, then why do you want to go to pharmacy school?

 

[justyliz]

I think experience and commitment to pharmacy are usually reflected during the interview process. There are several people on the boards who have gotten acceptance letters without ANY prior pharmacy experience, so don't feel too pressured to get that pharmacy tech job. There's lots of other ways to show your commitment to the pharmacy profession besides just getting a job related to it. Read about the profession, get to know pharmacists and find out what they do, and express what you've learned in your interview; I'm sure you'll do fine. Your enthusiasm and interest for the profession will be evident with or without actual pharmacy experience.

 

[Mentis]

It's true that pharmacy experience is a plus, especially for certain schools, but it is not necessary to over do it. If you feel you have enough experience and would benefit more concentrating on PCATs, perhaps that's better than gathering 3 years of experience. I only worked at a pharmacy for a month, to get a general idea of what to expect and to get a feel for the profession and I was accepted. If you are short on other stats, you can always try to boost your chances by working as a tech.

 

[PharmacyAdvisor]

You know what, I get asked this question a lot from my students and the thing I tell them is that, working in a pharmacy not only make you a better applicant but it prepares you for your future in pharmacy school.

Working in the pharmacy, prior to getting in, will make you a more prepared and successful pharmacy student. You get exposed to drugs everyday and lthis exposure will make learning the brand, generic names, side effects, precautions and etc. about the drugs more easier.

Hope it helps!

 

[omnione]

Extensive pharmacy experience makes your application stand out and leaves adcoms more confident about your desire to stick with pharmacy. I got into three schools without any pharmacy experience but I would have at least shadowed some pharmacists if I had to do the application process all over again.

You don't want to go into rotations without any experience, so you will want to work in a pharmacy at some point between now and then as a intern or at least a tech.

 

[dragonqueen209]

I think it helps that you've worked in a pharmacy. During the interview, it's great to mention past experiences in the pharmacy and how you resolved problems. It also helps you assess better what exactly a pharmacist does.

 

[Transformer]

Do you people out there who got into pharmacy school really think that working in a pharmacy boosts your chances of getting in? I've been working in a pharmacy for about a month and a half as a pharmacy clerk. And hopefully as time goes on, my boss will promote me to pharm tech. I have a 3.4 GPA and studying for my PCATS which are really a pain sometimes. I just need to know if experience and commitment to a pharmacy really gives you a shot in attending a pharmacy school.

Here is an interesting way of answering your question:

Applying to pharmacy school is like baking a cake--- the cake is your grade trend, GPA, and PCAT scores.
The icing is your pharmacy experience.

Now, let me ask:
What's a cake with lots of icing and very little cake?
(no cake!)

Pharmacy experience can help a lot if you already have terrific grades and PCAT scores.

The truth is having an awesome GPA and PCAT score give you a "real" shot at an interview; hence, a real shot at getting accepted to pharmacy schools.

 

[UBCmicrobi]

Here is an interesting way of answering your question:

Applying to pharmacy school is like baking a cake--- the cake is your grade trend, GPA, and PCAT scores.
The icing is your pharmacy experience.

Now, let me ask:
What's a cake with lots of icing and very little cake?
(no cake!)

Pharmacy experience can help a lot if you already have terrific grades and PCAT scores.

The truth is having an awesome GPA and PCAT score give you a "real" shot at an interview; hence, a real shot at getting accepted to pharmacy schools.

But the icing is the best part! yumm

 

[Gitana]

I started working as a tech recently, and I am really glad I did. I didn't just do it for my application, but at my age (43) I wasn't going to commit 4 years of studying and put who knows how much money into this without being absolutely sure that this is what I want to do. You can love it when you shadow a pharmacist for a day or two, or even for a week or two, and hate it three or four months down the road. I wanted to eliminate the chance of that happening.

I'm not an accepted student, actually I haven't even applied yet, but that's my two cents anyway... 🙂

 

[fungikid]

Gitana, I have a classmate who is in her 40's like you. I really admire you guys for pursuing your dream and making brave, life-changing decisions regardless of age. 🙂

Back on topic. I've never worked/volunteered in a pharmacy before applying and being admitted to pharmacy school, but I think I would if I had to do it all over again.

 

[mike36]

Here is an interesting way of answering your question:

Applying to pharmacy school is like baking a cake--- the cake is your grade trend, GPA, and PCAT scores.
The icing is your pharmacy experience.

Now, let me ask:
What's a cake with lots of icing and very little cake?
(no cake!)

Pharmacy experience can help a lot if you already have terrific grades and PCAT scores.

The truth is having an awesome GPA and PCAT score give you a "real" shot at an interview; hence, a real shot at getting accepted to pharmacy schools.

Nice analogy! Seriously though, it really depends on the school as far as how important pharmacy experience is to the adcoms.

 

[phuang06]

Even if working in a pharmacy doesn't increase your chances of getting into pharmacy school, the experience itself is priceless in getting your feet wet in the pharmacy industry to see if that's really what you want to do and to gauge your interest in the profession after seeing what it really is like on a daily basis. Honestly, the experience in itself is priceless, so if you can get pharmacy experience, I say go for it!