Woohoo! Got an interview for pharmacy school

[SpookyPistolero]

Weehaw! It's shouldn't be as big a deal as it feels like to get an interview, since it's still a far cry from actually getting accepted, but I'm elated to finally get news about my application. It's the only school I've yet applied to, and the only one I have real interest in attending. I applied a bit late in the game, so I wasn't even sure I'd get this far.

But I'm extremely excited and very nervous about the interview process itself, since it's lots of public speaking and spotlight time on me, neither of which are strong suits. I do feel like I'm well qualified to get in, so assuming they haven't already filled their rooms to capacity I think I have a good chance.

This has certainly improved what has been an otherwise rocky month. Thanks for letting me share!

Oh, anyone have any handy, even cleshe, interview advice to offer up? No using my tie as a kleenex or talking about how I can't wait to get my hands on all them xanax's?  

[El Tejon]

Good luck!  Which school?

[charby]

well be very personable, but not the point of talking about what you and your buddies did last Friday night at the bar. I think a lot of medical area schools are looking for intelligent people with a nice personality, not some stuck up snobbish person or introverted book worm. A pharmacist has to interact with all sorts of people and are the last line of contact with people who require prescription drugs.

Charby

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Over do the "sociable guy" persona.  
Most geeks, whether IT, MD, or ?Engineering, have difficulty putting two words together and relating to the world and other humans at large.  

It's a breath of fresh air for recruiters to see someone who is actually FUN to have a conversation with.

Be that guy, show some moments of brilliance w/r/t the intended field, and you're in.

[Balog]

Interesting. I've considered a career as a pharmacist after I get out of the Corps. I'd never considered it might be as stressful to get into a pharmaceutical program as it would be for other types of med students. I wonder if the costs of the degree are also equivalent?

[Guest]

Interesting. I've considered a career as a pharmacist after I get out of the Corps. I'd never considered it might be as stressful to get into a pharmaceutical program as it would be for other types of med students. I wonder if the costs of the degree are also equivalent?

Most pharmacy schools are significantly more difficult to get into than medical schools.

[SpookyPistolero]

School is the University of Kentucky, I just finished my undergrad there. It was ranked somewhere in the top 5 pharm schools, but since they let in a bit more people than the program can hold that well, it dropped to 8. Not that it's troublesome.

My post won't sound like it because I'm exhausted right now, but I'm a very upbeat and personable guy, I rarely meet someone I can't get along with really well. I've got a good amount of drug research under my belt, and a degree, and very many applicants are only sophomores, so hopefully I'll have enough to keep me a cut above the rest, if my personality seems to be up to par.

I've also been working in a pharmacy for a few months, so I won't be too ignorant when asked specific questions. As enticing as retail is monetarily, there are a lot of other neat careers you can pursue with the Pharm. D., like critical care work, infectous disease stuff, etc.

Thanks for the interview tips, I'll be keeping them in mind without a doubt!

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Re: the money...it's really only one of the perks involved in being a pharmacist.
You can work almost anywhere in the world, just pick up and go on a whim, and be working within a few days.
You can do fill-ins and make lots as an indy contractor (but you pay your own taxes and benefits)
You can work creative shifts like 3 - twelve hr. shifts per week,
You can work in retirement homes (most often a VERY low-key position, since Ph Techs or LPN's usually deliver the daily doses)
And then there's the other things you mentioned, critical care, etc.

HOWEVER, if you find a town or part of a larger city that's being underserved, and you open an independent pharmacy, you can make some BIG money.

A friend's parents own a local pharmacy.  He says that when his dad was a corporate pharmacist, he made somewhere in the neighborhood of 60k/yr.  They've owned their place for about 8 years now, the building is paid off, and they pull in about 350k/yr. in personal income.  Not bad for a barefoot Tennessee hillbilly! hahaha

[SpookyPistolero]

Hehe, very very true. One of the main reasons it appealed to me was just that: the demand is so high that you can pick where you work. I also love the fact that I could pick a position and then also work a couple of extra 12 hr shifts a week (as a single guy) and make bank. I haven't decided if owning my own is something I'm interested in. But let's get past the interview first, I suppose.

[Antibubba]

Well, when we need hyest cwalty VIAGRA, we'll know who to ask.

[DrAmazon]

Think about those annoying interview questions

-What was a challenge you faced, and how did you meet the challenge?  This one is a great one that let's you cast any blemishes on your transcript in a different light.

-Think about your interpersonal skills. Pharmacy requires you to interact with medically literate people (doctors, PAs, NPs) and non medically literate people (customers, insurance wonks, doctor's receptionists, store managers etc).  

-Think about your lab skills.  Know what density is, how to calculate a dilution, how to read a graduated cylinder etc.  

-Some knowledge of current events is a plus-general overall knowledge and any common news items hitting the industry  (Pfizer shutting down their consumer products division, restrictions on cold medicines, the new medicare stuff etc).  Don't necessarially share your opinions, but know what some of the issues are.

-Try not to use "dude", "doobie" or "stoned" in answering any questions!

Dr. A.

Sorry about the spelling.  It's been a long day in the classroom and lab.

[Balog]

Hmm, let me outline my situation a bit and mayhaps ya'll can help me out.

I'm 22, married, in the Marine Corps until 2008. Prior to enlisting I was homeschooled in a very remote area and at a time when it wasn't exactly legal, so I have a GED. I've never taken an SAT or ACT, but I do have several semesters of community college experience. Sadly, those transcripts aren't uniformly clean and sparkly. The last semester was a total wash academically, altho I did learn that getting an average of 0-4 hours of sleep per night and not, you know, studying or anything is a very poor way to accomplish anything in life. A valuable but hard won lesson.

Given these circumstances, what would be the best way to prepare for a pharmaceutical career?

[SpookyPistolero]

Most schools will require that you have somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 credit hours worth of prerequisites before you can apply. These courses will be specifically outlined on most university websites. The best way to really get a feel for what you need to do is to pick a few colleges that you'd like to go to, and then research those programs. You'll be getting into general chemistry, organic chemistry (labs for both), physics, general biology, cell bio, genetics, etc, as well as a few oddballs like economics. Through this you'll most likely need to get above a 3.6 GPA or so (the stats of the average applicant are usually also on their websites, the avg at UK is a 3.8 I believe).

After you've got those courses under your belt, you'll need to take the PCAT, which is the Pharmacy College Admission Test. It's going to cover  biology, chemistry, physics, basic math (trig, some calc, etc) and verbal ability. Average score here at UK, as an example, is above the 90th percentile.

Your GPA and PCAT scores will be the main things that get your foot in the door for an interview. All of it is very doable if you can get a study discipline going. Being a non-traditional student, in that you have a military background, is likely to be a plus, certainly. While in school, if you have the opportunity to do anything that sets you apart from other applicants, like research experience and DEFINITELY working in a pharmacy, it will be a big help.

[Balog]

Interesting. Thanks for the detailed response. I wonder how many of those pre-reqs I might be able to take as distance learning prior to getting out?

Oh, and as for study discipline.... I should do alright. Both being married and in the service are wonderful ways of fostering maturity and responsibility.