Switching from Business to Pharmacy

Question

Could anyone who took up Pharmacy please explain to me your experience in school to become a Pharmacist? I'm thinking of switching to pre-pharm after one year of Business, but I'm afraid that it might be too late for me to make such a drastic change. Any input would be appreciated, but in particular I'm curious about how difficult it was, what it took to get into Pharmacy school, what major you needed study in to be considered "pre-pharm," how much Pharmacy school cost, and I guess how life is as a Pharmacist.

Sorry this is such a long-winded question, but I feel like if I want to make the move, I should make it now before I feel it's really too late. Any helpful answers would be appreciated!

Answer 1

pre-pharm mainly consists of harder math classes than you would have already taken within your first year, bio classes, Lots of chem classes, physics, and labs. SInce you already missed a full year you would be considered to be a year behind. Hopefully some of the classes that you already took will count towards your GE. You have to be prepared for the classes. Make sure you read the books before and after the lectures to full understand the topic. You can major in anything to get into pharm school but you must have certain classes fulfilled such as chem, physics, bio, math, speech.... etc.. you can probably find a list provided online by the grad school. Most pharm schools require a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Pharmacy school usually cost around $40 K a year but it really depends on which school you attend. The life of a pharmacist is pretty easy. I volunteer at a hospital pharmacy dept. and the pharmacist really just kinda sit around until orders arrive. They have pharm techs that help them out with fulfilling the order and then they check the orders to see if they are correct before sending them out to the patients. Hope this helps.  

Answer 2

You've only been in school for one year, so its not too late to change.

I went to pharmacy school where I did two years of pre-pharmacy. I had to complete a biology, calculus,physics, chemistry and organic chemistry prerequistes along with complying with the universities core curriculum. then I applied to pharmacy school and completed  three additional years to get a bachelors in pharmacy.

A few things have changed in the 14 (gads!) years. For one, the standard pharmacy degree is now a PharmD.(a doctor of pharmacy) Pharmacy school is 2 years pre-pharmacy and 4 years professional studies (the last of it being rotations/internships). Some schools have a straight through program, in particular, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Once you are accepted, you go straight through your six years. Others, you do two years then apply to pharmacy school. You also have to take a test (kind of the SATs) and that score will be used along with your grades for admissions. You should contact the schools you feel like you might want to apply to get an idea of what the requirements are (classes, GPA, test score). PHarmacy is a great paying job and the great part time oppurtunities attract alot of women to the profession. (for when they have kids) Most pharmacists getting out make between $85,000-$105,000 a year.Because of this, it is really competitive.

Pharmacy school is some chemistry, alot of physiology, therapeutics and some compounding of drugs. You will do a year of rotations where you will visit various sites to get hands on pharmacy experience. When you are in pharmacy school, you will also need to get a job at a pharmacy. This is to get intern hours so you can sit for the boards. You basically need a certain number of hours, some come from  your school internship and some come from a job you obtain on your own. After you graduate and complete your hours, you sit for you pharmacy boards. Its a pharmacy test and a state law exam. When you pass, you get your license! This license has to be renewed every two years and you will need to keep up with continuing education credits to get a renewal.

Once you graduate, you have alot of options. If you want a more clinical path, you could go a residency. You will spend 1-2 years in a specialty area of pharmacy (cardiology, oncology, drug info, pediatrics, ect) You won't make alot of money but you will gain experience that will get you a clinical job. Not all jobs require a residency. You could work in a retail pharmacy (like Walgreens). These pharmacists tend to make more because the demand for these pharmacists are good. The jobs tend to be stressful so alot of people burn out after a few years. Hospitals also have pharamcists. Drug companies hire pharmacists for salesmen and drug information. Home health companies. Nursing homes.

Sorry this is long. Pharmacy is a good idea if you enjoy health/science. The demand for pharmacists is good, so the pay is good and there is usually no problem finding a job.

Good luck with your decision.

Answer 3

It's never too late. Are you good at biology? Chemistry? How about math? Pharmacy is one heck of a hard degree, so prepare yourself.

However, it's a solid career. You're not too late. You may just have to spend an extra year at your undergrad. Remember that the first 1-2 years of ANY major is spend working on the general education requirements.