what's pharm school like?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
S

smrtypntz

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
What's pharmacy school like? Do you have class 8-5 M-F? Is attendance required? Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing? Do all schools require gross anatomy? If so, are the cadavers prossected or are students required to do the dissection? Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?

What about during your rotation years? any book work?

I know its a lot of questions but I'd appreciate any info!
Members don't see this ad.
 
smrtypntz said:
What's pharmacy school like? Do you have class 8-5 M-F? Is attendance required? Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing? Do all schools require gross anatomy? If so, are the cadavers prossected or are students required to do the dissection? Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?

What about during your rotation years? any book work?

I know its a lot of questions but I'd appreciate any info!
Click to expand...
This is going to vary greatly from school to school but I'll answer the best I can. (Also, you might want to look through some old threads as I think this type of thing has been discussed before)

Do you have class 8-5 M-F? Is attendance required? I think a lot of schools have long hours like you mentioned, but with my school we were usually done around noon and then had an elective or lab a few days a week in the afternoon. We had plenty of free time outside of class to study or relax.

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing? We had over 100 people in our class but by the end of the year pretty much everyone knew everyone else. There were still cliques like in any large group... I think typically at our school you were closer friends with the people you sat next to in class. :laugh: There were also fraternities (guys/girls) that allowed people to get to know each other.

Do all schools require gross anatomy? From what I've gathered this isn't all that common in pharmacy school, but I could be off on that. We certainly didn't have gross anatomy lab. I'm not sure if I would have been able to make it through it. :scared:

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists? I am guessing 95% of our profs were pharmacists. (most clinical or researchers)

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? We didn't have all that many big papers, thankfully! We did have some projects and things like that but the biggest part of the grade in pharmacy school is exam performance.

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
 Most of my rotations have had a final exam, but it's typically over things you've covered during the month so you don't have to study as hard as you would for a normal exam. Some rotations require lots and lots of reading and self-teaching. It all depends on your preceptor.

Hope that helps!
 

What's pharmacy school like?
It is fabulous.

Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
My current schedule is:
Monday- 10-12 and 1-4
Tuesday- 8-10
Wednesday-10-2
Thursday-8-12
Friday-8-2

We have to find the time to fit site visits as well. I usually go in for about 6 hours on Tuesdays.

Is attendance required?
In some classes. All classes are taped at OU, and posted online, so in theory, you don't have to go to anything. But, there are classes that give quizzes all the time, so you don't want to miss those. Also, if you rely on the videos, it is very easy to get behind.

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
It's pretty much like high school. We do have the people who come to school and leave, but we are a really close group, and we take up for each other. There is drama, though. It spices up the day.

Do all schools require gross anatomy?
We don't take that class in school, if that is what you are asking.

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Yes, except for in Biochem and Physiology. They are all PhDs in their respective fields. We have 13 Biochem professors and 7 (I think) Phys professors.

We have a lot of tests, not many reports. Last week, we had 4 tests and 3 quizzes in the matter of 8 days.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I'm a P-1, so i havn't had too much experience, but this is how it goes for me:

What's pharmacy school like?
Its hard

Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
I'm scheduled
Monday: 9-4 (usually get out around 3ish or so)
Tuesday: 10-12, go to my experiential site 2-5
Wednesday: 10-4 (again, get out around 3ish)
Thursday: 10-12
Friday: 9-1 (but we usually get out before around 11:30 or earlier because my teacher likes to golf)

Is attendance required?
Not really...most teachers just read directly off their slides and don't add any additional information (but apparently the upcoming anatomy teacher is a talker...we'll see). They don't really care if you're there or not..except for one class...they like to shove pharmaceutical care down your throat and test/quiz you to death

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
well, there is only 108 of us, so we pretty much are getting to know each other fairly well. We tend to stay in our own little groups, but those groups also tend to combine into big groups, so yea, everyone kinda knows everyone, and we all get along (except for the few annoying ones)

Do all schools require gross anatomy?
Don't know...Pitt doesn't :)

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Most have been at one point, many have their Ph D's and are just there for research, and teach the section of a class that they actually know.

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write?
No major projects yet, just did a druglog the other day. A few papers so far...lots of tests. I've had a test every week for the past 3 weeks, and it continues until the week after Thanksgiving (oh joy!)
 
Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
Our schedule is:
T-R: 8-3
F: intern at pharmacy ~9-5
M-R: 8-3
F: assessment
M: re-assessment for those who did not pass on friday

Is attendance required?
No

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
There's several students I know pretty well (maybe like... 25% by now??); I imagine by second year I will pretty much know almost everyone.

Do all schools require gross anatomy?
Mine does not. Anatomy and physiology was a pre-requisite.

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Yes, almost all of them.

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
It is mostly testing at my school; a few presentations--one so far this year. There is no labs at my school.... thank god.

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
I know the entire 3rd year we are on rotations, but I would imagine that you have to turn some paper work in during that year, like a report of how you are doing. I know that there are no exams, or if there is (since I am not actually in 3rd year or know anyone personally, I am not 100% sure on this), then they must not be very frequent, because you can do your rotation out of state anywhere in the country that year.
 
cycloketocaine said:
All classes are taped at OU, and posted online, so in theory, you don't have to go to anything.
Click to expand...

Careful because that won't be true for your spring semester. You'll have no videos (or at least none for the most important classes i.e. PDA I and immunology) Nor will it be true for the next 2 years. You'll find that some classes do offer it (e.g. PDA 2 and OTC) but modules will not have videos.
 
wow your schedules aren't as crazy as i thought! sure the material is probably a billion times harder than undergrad...but at least you're not in class all day 5 days a week
 
Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
It's long and complicated, but
1st half of the semester 8-12 M-R
8-3 F
Except: IPPE 4 weeks, adds 1 add'l class on either M or T 1-4 and hospital or community experience W-R 1-6

2nd half of 1st semester 10-12 M, R
8-12 T,W
1-3 F

2nd semester, I'm not sure, but I imagine it'll be 8-12 M-R 8-3 F, + IPPE again as before.

2nd year 1-5 M-F, IPPE 7-12am for 6weeks on IV rotation (may not happen for us though, something to do with logistics and remodeling IV room??)

3rd year 8-5 M-R

Is attendance required?
Not really, but the ones that come generally do better, and some instructors record, others don't, others make a lecture time decision based on attendance.

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?

I do my own thing, but I guess some people may be a little more involved in other people's business.

Do all schools require gross anatomy?
No, mine doesn't, therefore not all do.:smuggrin:

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Not 1st semester, but the ratio will increase as we move into more pharmacy related topics. So far two PhD's in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2 MDs, 2 PharmDs, the rest I couldn't say what the lecturers degrees are. Most of the course coordinators are PharmDs though.

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
I've had 3 presentations associated with my IPPE, 1 case study, and a few homework assignments associated with the Pharmacy practice class. I don't know how this will change in 2nd-4th years. All the other projects are associated with extra-curricular activities (P&T competitions, Health Fair presentations, etc)

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
Not there yet, can't say.
 
What's pharmacy school like?
It is busy with lots of work.
Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
Monday: 8:30am-12:20pm
Tuesday: 8:30am-12:20pm 1:30pm-4:20pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-12pm 1:30pm-4:20pm
Thursday: 10:30am-12:20pm
Friday: 8:30am-12:20pm
Is attendance required?
You get attendance points for recitation, and some of the courses have surprise quizzes.
Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
You know everyone. My pharmacy class is about the same size as my middle school class.
Do all schools require gross anatomy? If so, are the cadavers prossected or are students required to do the dissection?
Anatomy is a required pre-pharm course. For basic Anatomy lab at UIC, you will not be dissecting. That is a course onto itself. I knew a lot of people who wanted to take the advanced course for that reason.
Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
It depends on what topic. Med Chem is normally taught by PhDs. Most of the therapeutic portion is taught by pharmacists. I go to a research school, and so, the numbers might be different than others.
Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
You have one large drug consult paper. You'll have some SOAP notes to write. Testing is the majority of your grade. For P-3 year, you have a good number of presentations.
What about during your rotation years? any book work?
For rotations, you have a lot of case presentations and journal clubs. What you do somewhat depends on your preceptor and which rotation.
 
What's pharmacy school like?
It's too craazzyy......can't say for everybody else tho'...

Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
Mon 8-4
Tue 9-12 physio 12-5 (yes, it's really 5 hours!!)
Wed 8-4
thur 8-11
fri 8-4

Is attendance required?
Yes...it is a percentage of the final grade, except for our biochem. We get a 10 point quiz on drug informatics every session..u miss, too bad!

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
We are few.....I know my entire class already..everybody is cool..and there are subdivisions of cliques with common interests....which kinda transitioned into permanent..study groups...I think we are still new for drama..we really haven't had any, although we've been on for 3 months...

Do all schools require gross anatomy?
Basic anatomy only .....taken together with nursing, PA, and PT students
If so, are the cadavers prossected or are students required to do the dissection?
Have the opportunity upon request to mess with cadavers with the medical students if u have the time ( with that schedule...yea right)

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Yes, Pharm.Ds and PhD's.....but for P1...the professors are countless..We are taught by specialists in every topic....every organ system in physio....topic in biochem and micro has a different prof, who are mostly MDs with PhDs from the school of medicine

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
I hate those.....sometimes in drug informatics....not that serious tho'....just checking whether u are acquiring skills on how to use resources....

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
Only book work here P4 year is ethics.. on fridays

I know its a lot of questions but I'd appreciate any info!:thumbup:
 
What's pharmacy school like?
Tough, but somewhat fun, mine is a commuter campus, so it's a lot different than my undergrad was

Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
No, but most days start between 8-10 depending on what year and what semester you're in. Unless you have a lab on a particular afternoon you're done by 1 or 2


Is attendance required?
No, but some classes have quizzes, so miss at your own detriment

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
Not exactly, everyone is familiar with everyone, but mostly people stick to their various friend groups. But everyone gets along (at least here)


Do all schools require gross anatomy? If so, are the cadavers prossected or are students required to do the dissection?
Not at all schools, but yes at mine. It is not a prereq (even though i took it in undergrad with a cadaver dissection. We have a cadaver lab here, but we just use the med-school's cadavers to view various ...things, it's not really necessary, but good exposure for most anyway.

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
it's about half and half (PharmD's and PhD's). Like in our pharmacotherapy classes, PhD's teach the science and pathophys, while PharmD's teach the clinical uses and implications

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
No lab write ups, but a good number of projects in some classes. In others it's just 3-4 tests and that's it. P4 year you have to do a grand round each semester (think of it as an abbreviated dissertation)

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
P3 year yes, you have 2 rotations a semester along with a lightened class load. P4 year is just rotations beginning May after P3 year.
 
how are your summers?
i understand most pharmD students will work, but is there room for vacation (2-4 weeks), etc? i know we have to finish a certain # of hours before we graduate for some schools
 
Members don't see this ad :)
My summer is about 14 weeks long and i think I will be working at the pharmacy for 11-12 of those weeks. I don't start until a week after schools ends and then a week or two off before school starts.
 
Hi!
I have an additional question about what pharm school is like. How difficult is it to find work in a pharmacy during pharm school? I'm having difficulty deciding between two pharm schools. One is really involved with students and offers help to place you in an intern position so you can get your hours. The other seems to be completely unaware of where or how many of their students are working to get their hours. Should I choose between the two schools based on this, or is it really easy to get hours so I shouldn't worry about it?
Thanks!
 
so i was randomly checking out the NSU school of optometry facebook group that my friend is in and i came across a picture of the entire class standing reading from a piece of paper with their right hands up..seems like they were pledging to something, etc.

anyways, i found that odd but they were ALL wearing white lab coats...so my question is:
what's the general attire in pharmacy school? i understand that on rotations youu would wear a shirt and a tie, etc...but what about in class
 
nerv12345 said:
so i was randomly checking out the NSU school of optometry facebook group that my friend is in and i came across a picture of the entire class standing reading from a piece of paper with their right hands up..seems like they were pledging to something, etc.

anyways, i found that odd but they were ALL wearing white lab coats...so my question is:
what's the general attire in pharmacy school? i understand that on rotations youu would wear a shirt and a tie, etc...but what about in class
Click to expand...

Well...are you asking about NSU's dress code? Or pharmacy schools in general? Because they differ pretty drastically...some will let you walk in with your flannel pj bottoms and birkenstocks. But yeah, NSU's COP requires professional dress (i.e. tie for men) + labcoat, or scrubs.

Pharmacy students will read the oath too at the white coat ceremony...and then at graduation.
 
nerv12345 said:
ahh...varying dress codes slipped my mind...i will have to look into the dress code at my school. thanks for the info
Click to expand...
I gave you a link to my school's dress code when we were talking about plugs :cool:, and I think I even told you to find out if your school has a dress code :idea: You must have been too busy looking at Alba pics, so you forgot :p.
 
i remember all that now! haha
TJU is a new school...i don't even know if they have those rules set up/official yet...i guess i'll email the dean or something

PS: i like your sig. i need some shoes as well. i'm thinking some reebok reverse jam high tops (the accented version)
 
This is going to sound really, really stupid, but what is the "R" that everyone seems to have classes on? I saw on a website of a pharm school I'm interested in out in the midwest that they had Rs listed in their sample schedules as well... I'm lost, lol. :)
 
Priapism321 said:
Why not?
Click to expand...


Good question. Did you major in philosophy? :p :laugh: :) I'd personally pick Th or just H if you could only choose 1 letter, simply because it is usually the identifying letter that distinguishes T from Th (Tuesday from Thursday).
 
nerv12345 said:
i remember all that now! haha
TJU is a new school...i don't even know if they have those rules set up/official yet...i guess i'll email the dean or something

PS: i like your sig. i need some shoes as well. i'm thinking some reebok reverse jam high tops (the accented version)
Click to expand...
I wouldn't email the dean. You might put ideas into his/her head :scared: if you do that. Maybe you can casually call the admissions office and ask them if there's a particular type of dress required.

Post a pic of the shoes. I bet they're funky in a retro kind of way. What color? The bright green ones remind me of watermelons :D
 
they can't have two T's since tuesday = T and i'm guessing they don't do Th because it's 2 letters as opposed to 1 letter like the rest of the days. it's like that at my university too

PharmDstudent said:
Post a pic of the shoes. I bet they're funky in a retro kind of way. What color? The bright green ones remind me of watermelons :D
Click to expand...

these are the shoes:
http://i3.tinypic.com/8bfcvid.jpg

tight black jeans + those shoes + white graphic tee + purple american apparal zip up hoodie = :thumbup:

i'm rockin these right now..(i took this picture while i was bored in hawaii lol)
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v169/132/14/15105375/n15105375_31144895_3970.jpg
 
nerv12345 said:
these are the shoes:
http://i3.tinypic.com/8bfcvid.jpg

tight black jeans + those shoes + white graphic tee + purple american apparal zip up hoodie = :thumbup:

i'm rockin these right now..(i took this picture while i was bored in hawaii lol)
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v169/132/14/15105375/n15105375_31144895_3970.jpg
Click to expand...
You get those, and I'll get these (as long as they're synthetic ;)). I'll have to wear long jeans with them so that I don't blind my professors, because they're bright pink.

images



I like those Adidas. They remind me of hot soccer guys.
 
do you current pharmacy students have time to cook a good meal?
i'd love to learn how to cook (not only because i don't want to eat crappy food while i'm away from home..but also, i think it would be fun)

i hope it's not one of those things where you come home from class/rotation so hungry that you boil up some cup noodles and that's your dinner (as you can see, i've done my undergrad commuting from home haha.)




PharmDstudent said:
You get those, and I'll get these (as long as they're synthetic ;)). I'll have to wear long jeans with them so that I don't blind my professors, because they're bright pink.
I like those Adidas. They remind me of hot soccer guys.
Click to expand...

btw i found a new pair i have fallen in love with. too bad they were limited edition and aren't on sale anymore!!i have some sort of fetish for pumas even though i don't own a pair. i'm heart broken:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g289/liam27/IMG_3663.jpg

i'm really leaning for these...i think they're nicer than the reverse jams..i'm going shopping on friday, if i come across them i am going to buy them:
http://www.zappos.com/images/R/Reebok1/11780-p.jpg
 
Everyday when you wake up in the morning, that is the worst day of your life.






















j/k!

Its really no different than before pharm school, just a LOT more studying and a LOT LESS free time. Oh and a stress related ulcer that is showing no signs of remission.
 
Pharmacy school is Hell. It is a lot of work especially when there are cutoffs that you need to meet in order to pass.

It's like highschool, gossip galore etc etc



but it's all worth it in the end..I can truly say that this degree is the best thing ever
 
What's pharmacy school like?
It can be quite stressful. You tend to get close with your classmates as they are really the only ones that understand what you have going on.

Do you have class 8-5 M-F?
We had class M-F for about 4 hours a day the first 2 years then m-th our 3rd year with exams on Friday.

Is attendance required?
We had quizzes that counted in some classes so u had to go for those. Other teachers didnt care, however a lot of tests were based on side notes you only would have gotten in class.

Is it like high school where everyone knows everybody else or does everyone just do their own thing?
Its just like high school. Lots of gossiping, cliques etc.

Are the majority of your professors pharmacists?
Pharmacy Practice professors yes. Our pharmaceutical science teachers however were usually not (P1 classes like anatomy) they were doctors in their particular subject.

Do you have a lot of projects/or papers to do and write.? lab write ups?
presentations? or is it mostly just testing?
We had things like a research protocol, a major topic presentation for P4, a finance project, and various presentations throughout.

What about during your rotation years? any book work?
We had to write formal DI's, do case presentations, journal clubs, prepare topic presentations, and I drafted a proposal for changing MSR policy at the hospital I worked at.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

E
What's The Market Like For A Compounding Pharmacy?
Replies
1
Views
832
RXDOC1986
R
M
  • Question
Just applied at Walgreens as a pharmacy tech apprenticeship, what’s it like?
Replies
2
Views
2K
BC_89
BC_89
N
What is a Pharmacy Residency for Neurology Like? How Do I Make Myself Competitive?
Replies
13
Views
915
BC_89
BC_89
methaqualone
(P5) I feel like I'm in the wrong field
Replies
47
Views
2K
rph3664
R
soapjala
Pharm Tech Qualifications
Replies
1
Views
382
owlegrad
owlegrad
Top