Becoming A Pharmacist Tips

A lot of people today want to become a pharmacist.  In many respects, it’s like the Gold Rush of the 19th century.  Folks know there is money to be made.  So people are flooding to it.

Applications to the nation’s pharmacy schools have skyrocketed over the last eight years.

Traditionally, at the turn of the last century schools would see 20,000 to 25,000 applicants nationwide.

As of the last year measured (2006) that number is approaching 100,000.

Fool’s Gold

The point of this site is two-fold.  First, to show you what I think are the best ways to improve your chances of being accepted, surviving and eventually graduating from pharmacy school.

Secondly, and maybe more importantly, I want you to be prepared for what pharmacy really is and not let the lure of the dollar cloud your judgment.

Also, I want you to make the decision to go into pharmacy because it is the right fit for you.

As The Millionaire Next Door series states, the millionaires attributed much of their success in life to finding a vocation that allowed them to take full advantage of their talents and attributes.

Sure, the money is nice.  I knew full well that pharmacy paid well before I got into it.  However, when I got into pharmacy the pay is nothing like it is now.

In fact, pharmacists were paid just slightly more than refinery workers in my local community.

That has changed.  I now make tens-of-thousands of dollars more a year than those same refinery workers 12 years ago.

So, money was part of my decision.  But, it was a small part.  I came to find that I really liked school.  In fact, I loved pharmacy school when I was in it.

The point is, you have to have a desire to practice in a field irregardless of the money.  Don’t go chasing fool’s gold.

We’ll get into specifics later.

Other Information

There are other sites and books on this subject that you could be reading.  So why did I write these articles and put them online for free?

Because, although they say many things that are correct in my opinion – they also are non-committal about too many subjects.

They come off to me as afraid to take a stand on any subject that might make pharmacy look like it’s a bad decision for some folks.

Also, they are very academic.  By that I mean they are stiff and stilted in their writing.  I want this site to come off as you sitting down with someone over a nice meal and picking their brains.

I do my best not to mince words but to give you the information that I think is vital to you making the best decision for you.  This will be the same information I would give my own sons if they were contemplating a career in pharmacy.

Your next step

The following posts will give you the low-down (from my perspective) on the field of pharmacy so you can make a decision about whether or not pharmacy is right for YOU.

I’ll show you how to prepare to apply to pharmacy school.  I’ll show you what I did 12 years ago, and what I would change now to make myself more appealing to schools inundated with applications.

I’ll also talk about the students I take nowadays as an off-site instructor.  Usually, I can tell which ones stand a good chance of getting in and others who would be better off not applying.

Granted, it’s not an exact science.  I’ve been proven wrong before.  But, generally I’m correct in my predictions.
The point is a desirable student has certain characteristics.  As you read along you may find yourself identifying with some of those.

If you don’t…don’t worry.  Perhaps pharmacy school isn’t for you?  If so, you should be happy.  This site has just saved you years of hard work and, quite possibly, tens of thousands of dollars and additional years of being very dissatisfied with your vocation.

I’m not spouting useless rhetoric when I tell you life really is too short to do something you don’t enjoy.  A big part of this site will help you be honest with yourself, the profession of pharmacy and if it may be the right fit for you.

Other tips you’ll discover

Remember, nowadays you really have to be able to stand out.  But, temper that with the fact that a lot of applicants are simply applying just because they think they can make some good coin when they get out.  So, standing out won’t be as hard as you may think.

We’ll talk about how to survive pharmacy school.

Believe it or not, I have had doctors who tell me that they don’t know how ‘I did it’.  By that, they mean graduate from pharmacy school.

I always found this odd until they explained that their hardest class in medical school was pharmacotherapy.

Pharmacotherapy is the study of how certain drugs act in the body to treat disease states.

Doctors get one semester of basic pharmacotherapy.  You will get 4 semesters of detailed pharmacotherapy in pharmacy school.  Not to mention a whole slew of other challenging classes.

Even after passing the rigorous entrance re-quirements – students still drop out of pharmacy school.  I’m going to do my best to show you how to avoid that.

Finally, we’ll look at what you can expect after graduation.  The good news, if you are willing to move pharmacy can be a very rewarding profession.  We’ll get into specifics then, but you’ll have more opportunities to find your niche than most jobs offer.