Can you work while in pharmacy school?

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Pharmdiva,

I'm going to try to work Tues., Wed., and Fri. mornings from 430-600 and a full shift on Friday night (I'm currently on night shift which is from approx. 11 pm to 9am, or whenever we finish the work). That way, I'll still get my shift differential every day I work. I'm going to try this schedule out the first few weeks and see how it work. I can cut more hours if I need to.

It would be too hard to work weekends. Weekend shift is from 9am to 3am Sat. and Sun.

By the way, what department do you work in? I'm in Hematology/Urinalysis.
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Hey all,
I'm a pre pharmer, and i was wondering if any of you work 16 to 20 hours a week, and still excel in school???? and if so, do you have any tips???? Please share your experiences, tips, advice, anything. Thanks!!!

Dreezy10

p.s: also trying to study for the june pcat while doing all of this. Any advice??
 
I managed to pull that off in my P2 spring quarter and last 2 quarters of my P3 years so far. If it's possible to do during pharmacy school then yes its definitely doable in undergrad. It all comes down to self-discipline and study habits.
 
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This is kind of a silly question! Obviously every person is different so if you think you can than go ahead and try. If it's not working decide what's more important for you (probably getting good grades)! I worked about 30 hours a week during most of undergrad and graduated with over a 3.8 gpa. Then again, I could do this, because I'm one of those people who only has to study for like an hour for an organic test and will ace it! Like I said, it all depends on who you are!
 
vupharm09 said:
This is kind of a silly question!
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I appreciate your advice, but it is definatly not a silly question. I have not been in this situation before, so i obviously don't know.

I am looking to see if others have done it before, and how they did it, and what advice they would give someone in that situation.

I know each person is different, but at the same time, a lot of people have similarities. i am just listening to peoples experiences and advice so i can follow good techniques and avoid try to avoid bad ones.

What's silly about that?
 
xiphoid2010 said:
I managed to pull that off in my P2 spring quarter and last 2 quarters of my P3 years so far. If it's possible to do during pharmacy school then yes its definitely doable in undergrad. It all comes down to self-discipline and study habits.
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are you the one who posted "4.0!!!!!!YES!!!!!!!!!!!" on the pharmacy forum???

:rofl::rofl::rofl:haaaaahaaaaaaa:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
I have worked about 30 hours a week during the majority of my undergrad (excluding one semester where I reduced my work load to approximately 18 hours a week) and was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. My success can be attributed to poor study habits, non-attendance in several pre-requisite courses, and an insatiable addiction to hallucinogens and opiates.
 
dreezy10 said:
are you the one who posted "4.0!!!!!!YES!!!!!!!!!!!" on the pharmacy forum???

:rofl::rofl::rofl:haaaaahaaaaaaa:rofl::rofl::rofl:
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yeah, lol..:D I got a little too excited. But hey, it feels great to see your efforts pay off. Wait a minute... I'm getting a new contact hiiiigh....aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :laugh:
 
dreezy10 said:
I appreciate your advice, but it is definatly not a silly question. I have not been in this situation before, so i obviously don't know.

I am looking to see if others have done it before, and how they did it, and what advice they would give someone in that situation.

I know each person is different, but at the same time, a lot of people have similarities. i am just listening to peoples experiences and advice so i can follow good techniques and avoid try to avoid bad ones.

What's silly about that?
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Ok, it's doable as long as you are average intelligent.

The key for me was:
(1) actually spend the 3:1 outside class study:lecture time. This got me 4.0's in pharmacy school. 4.0 in undergrad probably just need 2:1 ratio. Spend the first half of the time studying the material after the lecture, the other half refreshing the days before the test.

(2) be efficient. e.g study flash cards while jogging; use grocery shopping as study breaks. Basically down 2 birds with 1 stone as much as you can.

(3) strategize. Know where you stand in each class, and how much effort each class need for an A. Do well on the mid terms which you can tackle each seperately -- so you got points to blow on the 5 finals that gangs up on you.

(4) if you can plan work hours, then work more on easy weeks, less on test weeks. If work hour is rigid, then you need to plan to study further ahead.

(5) lots of coffee. :laugh:
 
did it for 2 years solid including summer semesters.

Just takes a bit of prioritizing on your part.
 
dreezy10 said:
Hey all,
I'm a pre pharmer, and i was wondering if any of you work 16 to 20 hours a week, and still excel in school???? and if so, do you have any tips???? Please share your experiences, tips, advice, anything. Thanks!!!

Dreezy10

p.s: also trying to study for the june pcat while doing all of this. Any advice??
Click to expand...
I'm going to be in a similar situtation as you very soon...working and going to school FT...

My suggestion is to buckle down and get ready to not have a life...and also get between 4-5 hours of sleep a night...

Thats what I'm preparing myself for...It will be worth it in the end though :)
 
I work 30hrs/week and still manage to get 3.5

Study at work if you can. Stick some notecards in your pockets and study whenever possible.
 
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i work fulltime and do school fulltime and am getting a 4.0 sci and 3.6 gpa overall....its simple and ive been doing this since i was 17
you either do because you have to (me) or your doing it to build......something...either way do it and get it done...
 
Thanks everyone for posting (even the sarcastic ones :thumbup:) I will work harder and prove myself.

Dreezy10


xiphoid2010 said:
Ok, it's doable as long as you are average intelligent.

The key for me was:
(1) actually spend the 3:1 outside class study:lecture time. This got me 4.0's in pharmacy school. 4.0 in undergrad probably just need 2:1 ratio. Spend the first half of the time studying the material after the lecture, the other half refreshing the days before the test.

(2) be efficient. e.g study flash cards while jogging; use grocery shopping as study breaks. Basically down 2 birds with 1 stone as much as you can.

(3) strategize. Know where you stand in each class, and how much effort each class need for an A. Do well on the mid terms which you can tackle each seperately -- so you got points to blow on the 5 finals that gangs up on you.

(4) if you can plan work hours, then work more on easy weeks, less on test weeks. If work hour is rigid, then you need to plan to study further ahead.

(5) lots of coffee. :laugh:
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Thanks for the tips, congrats on the good grades!

Dreezy10
 
It is definitely possible if you remain focused. You need to plan your day out hour by hour knowing what will have to be done at what period. You cannot schedule work a day before a quiz nor can you do it two days before any test in your are in pharmacy school. Just remain stress free so you do not get mentally tired. Try to get one full 8+ hour shift on the weekend and ony 5-6 hour shifts on weekdays (no more than two in a M-F period). This will prevent work from cutting up your day too much.
 
I am going to have the dissenting opinion here, I think.

It seems to me that this discussion is ignoring a lot of subjective factors! Such as what is an acceptable social life, overall talent for a particular subject, study-environment stressors/distractors, extrinsic life factors (e.g., parents with bad health, child out of wedlock), time management skills, school curriculum difficulty (Ex: Does School A require as much of its students as School B does?) and even more that simply comparing people across schools, geographic areas and ages is totally unfair.

It's really a horrible sample bias, and I think judging your own ability to get the grades you want with how much you need to work should be decided only by you.

If you NEED to work in order to survive, and your grades suffer a little, then you can either work less and beg/borrow/examine your life's choices (Do you need that mocha every day?) OR you can find other ways to bolster your slightly lower GPA, by volunteering, etc.

I hate these kinds of questions, and in my prior career's field (mental health), they came up constantly. You had the super-gifted students saying, "Sure, heck yea I work 35 hours a week and I have a 3.95, will graduate Summa with an honors thesis AND I go out every Saturday night", then there's the middle of the road and the bottom the pack student. Everywhere in between, too... There's the students who don't work, but do poorly on standardized testing, but still get into schools because they're quite intelligent and know how to do the work, and show it through ECs/LoRs.

TL;DR - Be fair to yourself and look objectively at your OWN life. I love SDN, but this kind of topic is, imo, disingenuous.

Cheers,

Anthony
 
Hell, I graduated with a girl that worked 25-30 hours a week during pharmacy school and got summa cum laude. It's doable...you just have to be willing to have a minuscule social life...
 
I did it, worked not one but 2 jobs non-stop with full-time school including summer semesters, even made hall of fame and few other awards, it's doable for sure.:D
 
Passion4Sci said:
Top 2% of the population on a test of some sort I think.

Whether that's "exclusive" or not is up to interpretation.
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It's on an "acceptable" IQ examination. The exact score required depends on the standard deviation for that particular exam. It's all pretty much stupid...the only reason I know my IQ is because I'm probably various levels of crazy and various child psychologists just kinda wanted to know back in the day. You know...why is this kid doing so poorly...maybe he's ******ed...wait, he's not...ooooh, he must not be challenged in the classroom, that's it. *****s...I just thought school was lame...
 
Since I've been working in the pharmacy, I've gotten straight A's and worked ~24 hours a week
 
I worked 20-30hrs and still manage to pull straight A's. It's all about time management.
 
I was planning on working just one day a week during pharmacy school. I wanted to work during pharmacy school at Target b/c I heard it will increase my chances of getting a pharmacist position after graduation. However the pharmacy manager want me to work at least 15 hours a week during school. She wants me to work 8 hours every Wednesday and she wants me to work every other weekend! That sounds like a lot of hours! :eek:

So my question is: Is it even "smart" to work during pharmacy school? Or is it dumb b/c the workload will be too much already?? Anyone know? Is it possible to work 15-20 hours a week and still get 3.5+ GPA in pharmacy school? anyone here going to work during pharmacy school? If so how many hours?

thanks for the opinions! :)
 
SHC1984 said:
I was planning on working just one day a week during pharmacy school. I wanted to work during pharmacy school at Target b/c I heard it will increase my chances of getting a pharmacist position after graduation. However the pharmacy manager want me to work at least 15 hours a week during school. She wants me to work 8 hours every Wednesday and she wants me to work every other weekend! That sounds like a lot of hours! :eek:

So my question is: Is it even "smart" to work during pharmacy school? Or is it dumb b/c the workload will be too much already?? Anyone know? Is it possible to work 15-20 hours a week and still get 3.5+ GPA in pharmacy school? anyone here going to work during pharmacy school? If so how many hours?

thanks for the opinions! :)
Click to expand...

I think it depends on how determined you are at working and maintaining a high GPA, and what's more important to you. If you're really committed, I think working 15 hours a week and maintaining a 3.5 or better can be done. If you know you'll come home and slack, then I don't think you should work. You seem really determined to work at Target though, and that experience can get your foot in the door. I'd say start off and see how you manage. If you start to see work getting in the way, I would request lesser hours.

I'm still debating if I'll work during school or not.
 
SHC1984 said:
I was planning on working just one day a week during pharmacy school. I wanted to work during pharmacy school at Target b/c I heard it will increase my chances of getting a pharmacist position after graduation. However the pharmacy manager want me to work at least 15 hours a week during school. She wants me to work 8 hours every Wednesday and she wants me to work every other weekend! That sounds like a lot of hours! :eek:

So my question is: Is it even "smart" to work during pharmacy school? Or is it dumb b/c the workload will be too much already?? Anyone know? Is it possible to work 15-20 hours a week and still get 3.5+ GPA in pharmacy school? anyone here going to work during pharmacy school? If so how many hours?

thanks for the opinions! :)
Click to expand...

I don't have a choice - my loans aren't enough to support me. I think it's very doable; it's just a balancing act between school, work, social life, and sleep. You'll figure out what works for you.
 
charfdorn said:
I don't have a choice - my loans aren't enough to support me. I think it's very doable; it's just a balancing act between school, work, social life, and sleep. You'll figure out what works for you.
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You can always take out a bunch of grad plus loans, but its NOT recommended b/c those loans charge an insane amount of interest.

How many hours a week do you work? Are you doing well in pharm school? (if you don't mind answering that.)
 
GoldfishPharmD said:
I think it depends on how determined you are at working and maintaining a high GPA, and what's more important to you. If you're really committed, I think working 15 hours a week and maintaining a 3.5 or better can be done. If you know you'll come home and slack, then I don't think you should work. You seem really determined to work at Target though, and that experience can get your foot in the door. I'd say start off and see how you manage. If you start to see work getting in the way, I would request lesser hours.

I'm still debating if I'll work during school or not.
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Yeah I am pretty much working to "hold" my spot in Target. There is already a huge surplus of pharmacists out there. Would hate to be left without a job after graduation. How many hours are you wanting to work?
 
2 of the 5 techs (may be interns as well) where I work at are pharmacy students, so I would say it is not uncommon at all.
 
SHC1984 said:
Yeah I am pretty much working to "hold" my spot in Target. There is already a huge surplus of pharmacists out there. Would hate to be left without a job after graduation. How many hours are you wanting to work?
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I'm thinking no more than 2 days a week, maybe 12-15 hours a week. I rather do one week day and one day on the weekend, that way my entire weekend is not being used up by work. Gotta have a break sometimes. :D
 
I plan on working too. I work at Target, and got another job at Rite Aid. I really like both places, so I am going to try to work one day at Target and one day at Rite Aid. We'll see what happens :)
 
GoldfishPharmD said:
I'm thinking no more than 2 days a week, maybe 12-15 hours a week. I rather do one week day and one day on the weekend, that way my entire weekend is not being used up by work. Gotta have a break sometimes. :D
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They are making do every Wednesday from 1pm to 9pm and every other weekend. (NOT every weekend THANK GOODNESS!!!)

I hope this schedule doesn't overwhem me!

I hoping to work full time during the summers too! I want to work full time NOW but I only have like 15 to 20 hours a week! Its funny. I want 40 hours a week NOW and they give me 15 and I want 5 hours a week during school and they want to give me 15 again! freaks! :rolleyes:
 
alenadoma said:
I plan on working too. I work at Target, and got another job at Rite Aid. I really like both places, so I am going to try to work one day at Target and one day at Rite Aid. We'll see what happens :)
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Wow you like Rite Aid? This is the FIRST time I heard someone say that! LOL...where do you want to work at when you are a pharmacist?
 
How are you liking Target by the way? I know you said you use to work at Walgreens, I did too, and I hated it. I was looking at applying to Target and Costco
 
SHC1984 said:
Wow you like Rite Aid? This is the FIRST time I heard someone say that! LOL...where do you want to work at when you are a pharmacist?
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Well I've only been there for a week, and the store isn't THAT busy..prob like 1400 scripts a week or so. But after Target and PDX, I'm just amazed by Rite Aid's computer system, it's so efficient. And the people I work with are pretty cool, so I'm happy!

You know that Target has tuition reimbursement while you're in pharmacy school btw? That's why I want to keep my job at Target for now. After I'm done with school, I'm not sure where I want to work -- not even positive I want to do retail.

How busy is your Target? Mine only does about 800 a week.
 
Working while attending pharmacy school is indeed challenging. I had several friends who did just that, worked about 15 hours per week and is doable while maintaining whatever GPA they got, several off them where made Rho Chi. However, she rarely had time to do any thing else but work and study. As for me, I quit b/c I knew I was going to be working full time after graduation anyways and you will be adequately exposed to pharmacy during rotations during the final 2 semesters. Regards, to the advantages in securing a job... will not too sure how it is now.. but when I graduated in 02, it was not even a problem, and if there is a surplus where you want to live, well, "one must move where there is demand"....and on a final note, your employers is not going to care if you can handle school with work, in the end they will only concern about their daily work at the pharmacy so, you must watch out for yourself with your best self-interest in mind....
 
GoldfishPharmD said:
How are you liking Target by the way? I know you said you use to work at Walgreens, I did too, and I hated it. I was looking at applying to Target and Costco
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Target so far is a lot better than Walgreens, You actually get all your 15 minute breaks!!!! :D No drive thru which is the BIGGEST PLUS! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: And its NOT busy! but I have only been in the pharmacy twice so far and I haven't master their computer system yet. :(
 
alenadoma said:
Well I've only been there for a week, and the store isn't THAT busy..prob like 1400 scripts a week or so. But after Target and PDX, I'm just amazed by Rite Aid's computer system, it's so efficient. And the people I work with are pretty cool, so I'm happy!

You know that Target has tuition reimbursement while you're in pharmacy school btw? That's why I want to keep my job at Target for now. After I'm done with school, I'm not sure where I want to work -- not even positive I want to do retail.

How busy is your Target? Mine only does about 800 a week.
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I will have to agree that Target's computer system isn't as good as Walgreens. Walgreens updates their computer system like every 3 years and they pretty much have the fastest and best computer system. I don't know much about Target's system yet, but I can already tell its not as well organized, fast or convient as Walgreens.

The Target I work at does about 130 to 150 scripts a day during the weekdays and 70 to 90 scripts during the weekends. Their record score is 210 I believe.

How much is Target's tuition reimbursement???? What do you have to do to get it?

Walgreens has tuition reimbursement too, but Rite Aid and CVS does NOT.

I will either work at Target or a mail order. I haven't decided yet.
 
Seouldds said:
Working while attending pharmacy school is indeed challenging. I had several friends who did just that, worked about 15 hours per week and is doable while maintaining whatever GPA they got, several off them where made Rho Chi. However, she rarely had time to do any thing else but work and study. As for me, I quit b/c I knew I was going to be working full time after graduation anyways and you will be adequately exposed to pharmacy during rotations during the final 2 semesters. Regards, to the advantages in securing a job... will not too sure how it is now.. but when I graduated in 02, it was not even a problem, and if there is a surplus where you want to live, well, "one must move where there is demand"....and on a final note, your employers is not going to care if you can handle school with work, in the end they will only concern about their daily work at the pharmacy so, you must watch out for yourself with your best self-interest in mind....
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What is Rho Chi?

I am not doing it to impress the employers, but your chances of getting hired at Target as a pharmacist will GREATLY increase if you work there as an intern first. Companys are more likely to hire an intern than someone who knows nothing about retail pharmacy. Thats my guess at least. LOL..

Dental student?
 
SHC1984 said:
What is Rho Chi?

I am not doing it to impress the employers, but your chances of getting hired at Target as a pharmacist will GREATLY increase if you work their as an intern first. Companys are more likely to hire an intern than someone who knows nothing about retail pharmacy. Thats my guess at least. LOL..

Dental student?
Click to expand...

http://www.rhochi.org/
 
SHC1984 said:
You can always take out a bunch of grad plus loans, but its NOT recommended b/c those loans charge an insane amount of interest.

How many hours a week do you work? Are you doing well in pharm school? (if you don't mind answering that.)
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I'd be happy to answer that in a few months... I start in August.

I'm maxing out my federal loans but it still isn't enough. I guess I could get those crazy private loans but I'd rather give up some sleep.
 
SHC1984 said:
What is Rho Chi?

I am not doing it to impress the employers, but your chances of getting hired at Target as a pharmacist will GREATLY increase if you work there as an intern first. Companys are more likely to hire an intern than someone who knows nothing about retail pharmacy. Thats my guess at least. LOL..

Dental student?
Click to expand...



well, i noticed that you're going to mercer. I hope to get in there and I'm currently appyling. However, i work at a pharmacy where all 4 of the pharmacist graduated from mercer and we have 4 interns who ALL attend mercer. lol the pressure is on for me to get in! But they all work about 20 hours during various days in the week and they all say that they have PLENTY of time to study. This has been told to me by p1, p3, p4, and one intern that just graduated this past summer and he also worked at the pharmacy during school as well. I think that you will have no problem. You may just have to kind of play it by ear and see how much you can handle as you go. good luck!
 
SHC1984 said:
I will have to agree that Target's computer system isn't as good as Walgreens. Walgreens updates their computer system like every 3 years and they pretty much have the fastest and best computer system. I don't know much about Target's system yet, but I can already tell its not as well organized, fast or convient as Walgreens.

The Target I work at does about 130 to 150 scripts a day during the weekdays and 70 to 90 scripts during the weekends. Their record score is 210 I believe.

How much is Target's tuition reimbursement???? What do you have to do to get it?

Walgreens has tuition reimbursement too, but Rite Aid and CVS does NOT.

I will either work at Target or a mail order. I haven't decided yet.
Click to expand...

Sounds like my Target as far as script count!
And you'll learn PDX, it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

I think the reimbursement is something like $3 or $5k/year? I don't know all of the logistics of it yet, but I will be finding out soon, because I definitely want to take advantage of it!
I'll let you know when I find out more.
 
alenadoma said:
Sounds like my Target as far as script count!
And you'll learn PDX, it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

I think the reimbursement is something like $3 or $5k/year? I don't know all of the logistics of it yet, but I will be finding out soon, because I definitely want to take advantage of it!
I'll let you know when I find out more.
Click to expand...

I hope so I hate working and not knowing everything. LOL....another thing about Target I like better than walgreens is the fact that sometimes there are more than one tech working. The walgreens I worked at is consider a "slow" store b/c it only does 200 to 250 scripts a day and therefore only has ONE tech working all the time!!! So I never get my breaks and sometimes don't even get lunch either. However the Target I am working at is slower than Walgreens and have 2 or 3 techs sometimes! gotta LOVE Target!

You should quit Rite Aid and work at Walgreens...that way you can get DOUBLE tuition reimbursements b/c BOTH Walgreens and Target have it. ;)

And thanks alot! Definetly let me know about Target's tuition reimbursements. PM me. :)
 
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Tatodotcom said:
well, i noticed that you're going to mercer. I hope to get in there and I'm currently appyling. However, i work at a pharmacy where all 4 of the pharmacist graduated from mercer and we have 4 interns who ALL attend mercer. lol the pressure is on for me to get in! But they all work about 20 hours during various days in the week and they all say that they have PLENTY of time to study. This has been told to me by p1, p3, p4, and one intern that just graduated this past summer and he also worked at the pharmacy during school as well. I think that you will have no problem. You may just have to kind of play it by ear and see how much you can handle as you go. good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks alot for the information!!!! I HOPE YOU GET IN TOO!! :xf: Make sure to keep your GPA above a 3.75 so you can get a $5000 dean's scholarship from Mercer!!!! ;)

If you are a GA resident, you should go for UGA though...its cheaper.
 
charfdorn said:
I'd be happy to answer that in a few months... I start in August.

I'm maxing out my federal loans but it still isn't enough. I guess I could get those crazy private loans but I'd rather give up some sleep.
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Yeah, definetly don't get private loans!!! I thought Grad Plus loans are unlimited???
 
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