written exercise

[scotch is good]

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hello all,

the pharm school i am applying to requires all applicants to go to their building and write an essay on a given topic.

from what i hear this usually involves ethics. we are given one hour and asked to write between 300-500 words.

my goal is to try and write on a few of these topics before i do the real deal. anyone have an example of an topic that would be good practice.

thanks

 

[Monalyce]

Use search function...this has been discussed before, many times.

 

[weetzie00]

Also take a look at the interview feedback. Many times, people will share their essay questions from their interviews.

 

[bozeefus]

only 1 out of 3 i applied required it.

my topic for midwestern was:
"you are a pharmacist and a patient hands you a prescription. after inspection, you see that there are harmful interactions/side effects with the patient's other medication. you call the doctor and inform him/her but the doctor insists that the prescription remains unchanged and to dispense as written. what do you do?"

 

[PharmOl]

only 1 out of 3 i applied required it.

my topic for midwestern was:
"you are a pharmacist and a patient hands you a prescription. after inspection, you see that there are harmful interactions/side effects with the patient's other medication. you call the doctor and inform him/her but the doctor insists that the prescription remains unchanged and to dispense as written. what do you do?"

Wow, that was in interesting question. I wish they had that kind on the PCAT instead of problem solving.

 

[rxlea]

Search function! ^^^^^

 

[Passion4Sci]

Wow, that was in interesting question. I wish they had that kind on the PCAT instead of problem solving.

You can't dispense it.

You could end up killing the pt. and losing your license. Worst-case scenario, the pt. goes to another pharmacist and makes him lose HIS license. Hopefully there'd be some middle ground, though.

 

[busyizzy]

I asked my aunt, who is a pharmacist, that question once, in prepping for my interviews. She said she would call the doctor, and get a written confirmation that she explained the dangers of prescribing the medication from the doctor and then go ahead and give it. She would also make the patient fully aware of the dangers before they took it.

I didn't have any ethic questions for my essays.

Hmm, for U of MD, they gave us a short blurb about pharmacogenetics, and then asked about the advantages and disadvantages of using it, both in the nation and in the world. I think there was an additional question in there, but I don't remember.

For UCSF, they had 3 different topics you could choose from. One was to pick two different friends and compare and contrast them. Another was to argue in favor of or against nations helping other nations in need (the example they specifically used was Haiti). And the last one was to argue in favor or against the phrase that technology both helps and deteriorates humanity. They specifically said that they were testing writing and communication ability, and they wouldn't count the content against you - but really, I want to see if they do that seriously - I was tempted to argue how nations SHOULDN'T help other nations in times of crisis just to play the devil's advocate but I didn't want to gamble with my admissions on the line. I chose the technology one.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I would never be comfortable dispensing something with a known intxn.

 

[rxlea]

I would never be comfortable dispensing something with a known intxn.

+1

Unless the doctor gave an explicit reason for it that was evidence based. Sometimes we do unusual treatments and dosing where I work but every time they do something like that, they have to have literature to back it up.

 

[Charlene]

I asked my aunt, who is a pharmacist, that question once, in prepping for my interviews. She said she would call the doctor, and get a written confirmation that she explained the dangers of prescribing the medication from the doctor and then go ahead and give it. She would also make the patient fully aware of the dangers before they took it.

I didn't have any ethic questions for my essays.

Hmm, for U of MD, they gave us a short blurb about pharmacogenetics, and then asked about the advantages and disadvantages of using it, both in the nation and in the world. I think there was an additional question in there, but I don't remember.

For UCSF, they had 3 different topics you could choose from. One was to pick two different friends and compare and contrast them. Another was to argue in favor of or against nations helping other nations in need (the example they specifically used was Haiti). And the last one was to argue in favor or against the phrase that technology both helps and deteriorates humanity. They specifically said that they were testing writing and communication ability, and they wouldn't count the content against you - but really, I want to see if they do that seriously - I was tempted to argue how nations SHOULDN'T help other nations in times of crisis just to play the devil's advocate but I didn't want to gamble with my admissions on the line. I chose the technology one.

Great to see these from you.

What kind of interview questions you got at UCSF (ethical/situational?) ? How do you like the school?

 

[IceScrewball]

written exercise

When I first saw this topic, I thought it might have something to do with a doctor writing a prescription for the patient to exercise. I think this would be an excellent idea for patients that have high blood pressure/diabetes/cholesterol issues, just write them an rx for exercise. Not sure how we would fill that though...

 

[Passion4Sci]

Much easier to Rx a Statin and call it good.

 

[PharmOl]

You can't dispense it.

You could end up killing the pt. and losing your license. Worst-case scenario, the pt. goes to another pharmacist and makes him lose HIS license. Hopefully there'd be some middle ground, though.

Well, I'll learn more about laws of this sort in school, but from where I am at now, I'd dispense it and tell patient exactly the risks he's facing. Tell them about the consequences and send them back to the doctor telling him he needs to reconsider.

 

[rxlea]

Well, I'll learn more about laws of this sort in school, but from where I am at now, I'd dispense it and tell patient exactly the risks he's facing. Tell them about the consequences and send them back to the doctor telling him he needs to reconsider.

You might scare the patient into not taking the medication at all. The responsibility falls on the practitioners here. The patients are not exactly well-versed in risks/drug interactions. They might also get confused because one provider is saying one thing and another is saying a different thing. It is best to clarify the reasons for such a dosage/therapy and have a conversation about your concerns. Then you tell the doctor whether or not you are willing to dispense it. Most of the time, docs realize their mistake and correct it or they take your recommendation. Other times they are adamant and you gotta hold your ground (provided you have enough information to make such a case). Evidence based medicine! As P4Sci said, why risk your license?

 

[PharmOl]

You might scare the patient into not taking the medication at all. The responsibility falls on the practitioners here. The patients are not exactly well-versed in risks/drug interactions. They might also get confused because one provider is saying one thing and another is saying a different thing. It is best to clarify the reasons for such a dosage/therapy and have a conversation about your concerns. Then you tell the doctor whether or not you are willing to dispense it. Most of the time, docs realize their mistake and correct it or they take your recommendation. Other times they are adamant and you gotta hold your ground (provided you have enough information to make such a case). Evidence based medicine! As P4Sci said, why risk your license?

I'm sure everyone has an opinion on this, that's why it'd be such a good topic. Why would you lose your license over this? You didn't make a mistake, you dispensed it the way it was written, you saw the risks, you consulted with the doctor about it and you fully informed the patient. The patient can decide against taking it- but it won't be my decision. Or if I'm radically against it, I can just say, "I'm sorry, but I will not dispense this medication due to overwhelming risks to your health".
However, as one of the deans at one of schools I interviewed at said, in not so distant future, pharmacists will be given prescribing powers (limited to certain categories). This will, of course, involve more schooling with regard to diagnosis. Until then, I don't think pharmacists have complete scope of this area.