What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Pharmacy School
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 6. 08. 2024
- Hello Friends! Decided to make a short little video for people that goes over the 3 things I wish I knew before starting pharmacy school. Hope this video is helpful and sheds some light on some commonly discussed questions.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:15 How hard is Pharm school?
1:36 Evolution of Pharmacy
2:48 Exploring Opportunities as a Student
About Me: Hello my name is Robert Thompson-Eshun and I am a graduate student studying pharmacy at St. John's University. Check out my website where I share other cool things about me at www.robteshun.com
How To Contact Me: If you've got a question feel free to leave me a comment on this video or and send me a DM on Instagram (@robert.thompsoneshun). If your question is business-related/personal then send me an email at robteshun@gmail.com.
Mission: This channel is dedicated to helping pharmacy students to reach their full potential in their professional careers. As well as giving prospective pharmacy students an insight into life at pharmacy school. I hope these videos are helpful. If you like the videos you can subscribe here for more: [bit.ly/34bfvMi]
How To Show Support: If you appreciate the hard work that goes into this video. Please show your love by smashing the like button and dropping a comment (I reply to every single oneđ). If you really enjoyed this video you can share this video with your friends!
Hi Brother đthis is the most straight up video about Pharmacy School Iâve seen. You are a blessing and thank you đ for sharing this beautiful message đđ
Hi. I used to be an engineering student two years ago and I withdrew from the programme due to an unending feeling of emptiness and sorrow inside me that kept telling me "you made the wrong decision". Eventually I picked myself up and decided to quit.I am applying for Pharmacy because my heart tells me to and also because I'm undoutably good in biology & chemistry .I have never felt so happier. *Thank you so much for this info!*
Thank you so much Linda! I really appreciate the comment.
Math degree here, physics minor as well (changed majored twice from actuarial science and engineering). Had trouble finding jobs that were related to my field and interested me. I decided to apply to Pharmacy school as well because I met some of the students and they were cool, and medical stuff has always been somewhat interesting to me.
I am in pharmacy school right now, and trust me, what we do there is very different from
The chem and bio I did in undergrad. It is a very challenging program. You have no life
Iâm in your same position. Iâm a electrical engineering student and Iâm starting to find out that I donât like it as much as I thought. My gpa is not bad but it doesnât feel right to me and chemistry and biology seems so much more attractive to me after taking those prerequisites for engineering. I would love to get into pharmacy but feel Iâm too old now (24) because I hear you have to take certain prerequisites in order to get into pharmacy school. I wish I could rewind time đ„Č
@@vincebrown6168 Twenty-four isnât too old if you feel that pharmacy is the best fit for you. Iâm a retired clinical pharmacist. My caution to prospective students is if you are considering a traditional career path, make sure that you are passionate about becoming a pharmacist. Otherwise, consider other non-traditional paths. Burnout is a real problem in healthcare today, particularly in retail pharmacy, so just be aware. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing this information Iâm pursing pharmacy took a long while of careers to narrow it down but I thank God for aligning me.
Happy to hear that Tashiana!
I am a senior this year looking forward to taking a Chem Major that will lead to pharmacy school, iâm excited and happy to know these helpful tips!! thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the video Jaz! Wishing you luck as you begin your college journey.
just subscribed, I just discovered the pharmacy niche on CZcams and Iâm binging all the videos trying to figure out if I want to go to pharmacy school lol
That's cool! Feel free to send me an email or message me if you want to learn more!
I really appreciate you making this video. I recently became interested in pursuing pharmacy school but CZcams only offered me videos about how pharmacist wonât find a job after and how the job growth is decreasing. I learned so much from this video and gained so much hope to pursue what I like. Thank you
No problem. Yeah all my friends that have graduated have jobs. Even though it is competitive I donât know anyone that doesnât have a job after getting their degree
What did you do instead ?
It's worth it in the end guys!
Thank u very much for this, this video is very helpful and definitely gives me a better understanding
glad you enjoyed it!
Going to start my PharmD in 2 months, Hyped!!!!!!
Congrats! You are going to crush it!
Thank you for this video, I start June 24!
Thank you for sharing!
No problem!
Great video Rob!! Wish I knew these points before starting pharmacy school too!
Yeah definitely! It is hard to find the right balance between experiences and exams but too much of either is bad.
@@RobertThompsonEshun what year are you in?
@@user-lu6yg3vk9z I am a 5th year student
Great informative video bro! Same thing in Canada, we used to an exam or quiz almost every week! đ€Ż
Bro, I honestly do not know how I made it through that phaseđđ. Wake up, class, eat, study, sleep every single day then repeat.
Robert Thompson-Eshun I feel you đ. But itâs all worth it in the end!
Current pharmacist here. Just graduated in 2021. One piece of advice I will give is take the financial cost of pharmacy school seriously! Remember the interest on the loans and grad plus loans. Also, wages are stagnant and actually going down with the big chains. The debt to income ratio is atrocious and will put you in financial ruins.
Definitely agree. The cost of school is no joke
Please i need your advice,Zach?
@@acknowledgment2490 go ahead what is your situation ?
Is it really financial ruin if you manage it well. Live like a student after you graduate for 1-3 years and get the debt under control.
@@TheEyerah1I agree. Just live under your means for a while after you graduate.
Immediately buying luxurious cars or homes is ruinous
Great stuff, this was helpful. Definitely subscribing.
Glad you enjoyed the video Adam!
This is so helpful !!! So much anxiety because I start in august đ«
Glad you found it helpful! Wishing you good luck on starting and feel free to reach out if you need anything! You got this!!!
How much does it cost to start
well..how is it? Im a P2..I remember how excited I was just like you are...now? well now, I feel like complete sh**t hahah
ill start this sept
How's it going so far?
Amazing man god bless u
From a student nurse
Thank you Sadeq! I am glad you found the video helpful!
Oh yes...the amount of information to learn is crazyđđ Thanks for the video tho
No problem
Very informative đ„
Thanks for the comment!
Starting pharmacy school August 15 , thank you
No problem Laura! Glad you appreciated the video.
You seem like you really like pharmacy !
I think I like it too :) but I still didn't begin to study it
I know it's very hard, but I still want it.
But the fear inside me is getting bigger, as all people keeps telling me it's not worth it, and there are many people saying the salary is too low, and other people *who didn't like pharmacy from the first* didn't finish studying it and looked for another field
All of that scares me, but I can't stop thinking that's my passion.
So What do you think?
Yeah, I get that Rawda! One of the reasons I started this channel is because I felt the same way. Many people are very negative about pharmacy as a career so I wanted to change the narrative. At the end of the day, it's your choice what career you choose so make sure you pick one that you will enjoy
Thank you.
That really helped
Nice video Robert. Definitely will consider this when I get into pharmacy school. đđżđđżđ Also if you don't mind me asking when you're studying did you have like a study group or do you study by yourself?
I did both. I think having a group is great for motivation but try to keep it small so it is not too distracting. It also helps to explain concepts to each other to make sure you understand the material. But I mostly study alone because it forces you to actually know the material. When you take the exam you are by yourself so if you don't actually learn then you are in trouble lolđ.
@@RobertThompsonEshun oh okay, gotcha. Thanks for responding back. Definitely means a lot. Okay, noted. Yeah, I would assume a smaller study group would be advise. Yeah, thatâs true haha đđ đ€Ł Much appreciated.
@@PeterB03 no problem bro!
Hello Robert. I'm also pursuing pharmacy. I learnt a lot in my first year. It ain't easy but I'm hopeful. Currently in my second year and I noticed you might have a Ghanaian background due to your surname. đ
Hello and congrats on finishing your first year! Also I am Ghanaian đŹđ
Is it possible to balance a job while going to pharmacy school? Also would you suggest becoming a pharm tech while going to school??
Definitely possible! I was a pharmacy tech and then became an intern while going to school. My main advice is to do it but know when to prioritize school more like during finals week.
I neeed encouragment my good fellow me mentors. I am persuading a course in phamacy diploma . How can i manage tha my cource will be successful.
Hey Bud can you tell me what you know about the salary increase from a fellowship? Iâm interested in going through the pharm route and then doing a residency+fellowship but I heard salary wise that itâs all nearly the same.
This is a pretty extensive question. Feel free to email me at robteshun@gmail.com and I could send you some good resources that break this down
can I get a job as a pharmacist in Nigeria without going for an NYSC,am above 40
In morocco we don't have that much of career paths so....yeah, we have retail pharmacist and hospital pharmacist and two other career paths. That's all.
Thanks for the comment! That is very interesting to know. Next time I go to Africa I will definitely be checking this out for myself.
iâm a sophomore in high school and currently interested in pharmacy. I know itâs very hard but itâs rewarding. Currently iâm not in AP classes, so iâm planning to take some junior year. What classes should I aim for?
sorry I did not catch your question. Feel free to reach out if you need anything!
@@RobertThompsonEshun Sorry about the confusion, what I meant was, what courses should I take in high school if I want to pursue in pharmacy?
@@onlyjian669gotchu. Honestly high school courses are really not going to matter too much. But I think chemistry and statistics are great classes to take because they can be great intro classes to pharmacy.
@@RobertThompsonEshun i see, thank you.
Im from the uk and am reconsidering Pharmacy cos Iâm not sure if the oversaturation is going to cause further problems. New pharmacy schools are popping up and it seems like itâs hard to earn much as career progression stagnates. Iâm not sure how it is in the USA but what are your opinions
Yeah in the US it is also very competitive. I think if you want to go to pharmacy school you have to be aware of where you want to do or learn. I do not think it is the right career path if you are mostly focused on money.
It depends what your long term goals are with regards to pharmacy and life in general
Hi! Iâm a junior in HS looking to possibly go to pharmacy school. I do a sport that Iâm looking to do in college but Iâm not sure if it would be possible to tackle both at the same time, would it be a lot?
Hi Julia! I think it is definitely possible. In the beginning, most classes are pretty manageable. But after you start taking all pharmacy classes in the later years it will get a lot more difficult to balance.
Would you say there is more biology or chemistry in pharmacy
And what sort of biology and chemistry do u learn?
Definitely more chemistry. In my school we do general chem, medicinal chem, organic chem and biochem. While also do basic biology.
Iâm currently in my undergrad pursuing Biology. I have to take/am taking General and Organic Chemistry. I have never been good at Chemistry at all and I study a lot for it but I can never do well on the exams- I think partially may be due to my test anxiety! Do you have any advice on how to do better academically or study more effectively? (I go to my professors a lot for help and I also have a Chemistry tutor.) Iâm afraid if I donât do well in my Chemistry courses it will heavily affect my GPA and hinder my chances of getting into the Pharmacy schools I want to apply to.
Same !! Im struggling in chem 2 with the lab right now it might be because I am taking it online . I find myself doubting that I am going to pass this semester.
Yeah, I have a video about how to study effectively on this channel. Here is the link: czcams.com/video/T1LAM020Mww/video.html
Basically, my main advice is to create a system when studying like doing a certain number of flashcards or studying for at least 2-3 hours a day. In my opinion, the best way to get over text anxiety is to do active recall questions. Once you are able to create great questions and do them frequently you will improve your scores.
I was in your shoes too Mary. Try to focus on what you can control and know that if things don't work out, you will still be ok.
Iâve heard that unlike dental school, it has become very easy to enter pharmacy school nowadays. Is that true?
I have heard that too and there are more pharmacy school openings. But I have not really researched this fully to give you a good answer
@robert, am a permanent resident who recently relocated to the US. I hold a bachelor's degree from my mother country, Kenya, and am really interested in pursuing pharmacy here in the US. How do I start it?
I would research schools that offer pharmacy then reach out to the ones that you are interested in. Let them know your situation and they should be able to help you from there Kubai.
Hello, I took the entire General Chemistry sequence and I struggled a ton. I also took Survey of Organic Chemistry and also struggled a ton. Do you think I would be successful in pharmacy school. These courses were the hardest in getting my bachelorâs degree.
Hello Steven! Thank you for the question. I was not the best student in organic chemistry but I just studied harder in classes I was not good at. I truly believe success in pharmacy is more about effort and discipline than past performance.
Hi Steven, I definitely agree with Robert. Chemistry classes are definitely hard but they are doable if you are disciplined and willing to put in the work to keep your grades upâŠ. You can achieve your dream if you want it bad enoughâŠ.. I just gained acceptance into pharmacy school and Iâm bracing myself for the challengeâŠ. Good luck to you !!!!!đđœ
Hello Robert
What pharmacy school did you attend and could you give me a few examples of good pharmacy schools in the US?
Is post pharmacy school employment based on what school of pharmacy you attended or some other criteria? Pls shed some light
Hello Robert
Do you know of any private lenders that offer loans to international students who do not have cosigners?
Hello Okonta, I attended St. John's University in NY. Good examples of pharmacy schools would be based on how much exposure a school has to clinical research, good alumni, NAPLEX pass rate, residency match rate, and quality/quantity of APPE experiences. Which is a lot lol. Post-pharmacy school employment is independent of the school you go to. As long as you have a PharmD you can apply for any kind of employment.
Iâm an high scool student from France with science and physics as specialities and maths as an option can I apply in the us ?
I honestly do not know
Hi, i did chemistry for my first degree and now Iâm my final year for masters chemistry in the US. I am wondering if I qualify for pharmacy school
Yeah you definitely qualify you just need to apply to schools since each one has more specific requirements
Question So I'm a liquid compounder for a manufacture blending essential chemicals in 500+ gallon batch in mixing tanks for animals: puppy shampoos/conditioners , stain and odor removers, aloe water conditioners for aquariums etc, and I love my job. what's the best route to take educational wise to do higher level of compounding and obtaining a higher Job?
Hey! Your job sounds super cool! Honestly, I am not too sure about the compounding landscape in terms of finding a higher level job. But based on my limited knowledge I would probably assume that compounding pharmaceuticals for patients would be considered a higher level of compounding. This would require handling drugs that may have higher toxicity or hazardous profile and IVs that require following sterility procedures.
@@RobertThompsonEshun I appreciate the response ! is that sterile or non sterile practice?
@@oReminiscence It can be both. I just wanted to give some examples.
@@RobertThompsonEshun facts I appreciate you bro. And my job is fun Iâm dealing with the same materials a pharmacy might use o have batch records and recording lot numbers etc but all I needed was a high school diploma and Iâm ready to and willing to take classes to further education which will lead to more responsibilities and more money hoping sterile compounding is a way out of this manufacturer
ok that makes more sense. I would say work backwards. So find a company that will pay more and look at their requirements. Then reach out and ask them what you need to do and they may even pay for some of your education while working.
How many hours do pharmacy students usually work while attending pharmacy school?
Everyone is different. But most of the people that I know that work usually works like 2-3 days a week around 20 hours.
@@RobertThompsonEshun Thank you!
Right now I'm 24 and due to some personal reasons I couldn't write the final semester Biotechnology exam in 2019. I thought of writing this sept but it doesn't gives me any hope to continue as I know I will end being a jobless at the end of the day after my bsc/BS.( As I'm not much into research field).
Since childhood I wanted to open my own retail and do simple job with any specific one. Now I wanted my own pharmacy store so will it be ok if I choose B.pharm at this older age(24)??
Hello Daniel! First I want to say 24 is not old so you have a lot of options still. Also nowadays you need to get a PharmD to do pretty much anything in pharmacy. Lastly I think it would be better for you to talk to people that own retail pharmacies and work/talk to them to get your answer.
@@RobertThompsonEshun Ok Thanks dude...
Hi , I currently have a bachelor degree in pharmacy.
Please how do I apply to become a doctor of pharmacy here in the state
Need to apply to school that has a PharmD program that is usually 4 years
Hello SIr I am in high school right now and I want to get into PharmD so should I choose to do Bachelors or do Pre-Pharmacy ??!
That is a hard question to answer because I went into pharmacy program straight from high school. If you would like send me an email(in the description box) and we can set up some time to talk about it.
@@RobertThompsonEshun Thanks Sir for your kind reply but I am have changed my mind to do Kinesiology and then become a physical therapist in future.
Heyyy.. I chose my major in Biochemistry (Medicinal chemistry). Do I need 8 years of college or can I narrow it down to 4 or 6? And what classes should I take? I am so lost..
What did you take?
I am not actually sure. In my pharmacy program the classes are already chosen for us. So we do not decide how many classes or what classes we take.
@@RobertThompsonEshun Oh but did you need a bachelor's degree in something before going to pharmacy school?
@@coffeebean4141 it depends on the school. I attend Belmont university which has a six year program. 2 years undergrad and 4 years for pharmacy school. Iâm a pharmaceutical major myself. I see a trend in pharmacy schools requiring chemistry, biology, and organic chemistry. I hope this helped.
I saw this video a bit late ik but i wish i could get a reply from you. I want to ask u, many people say pharmacy has very little job opportunity is this true ? And if not what can i do as a pharmacist other than selling medicines ?
I think a pharmacy degree is a very versatile degree. But a lot of the job opportunities will come from doing things out of the normal curriculum like getting internships/experiences in industry, pgx consulting, comprehensive medication reviews. In terms of what a pharmacist can do the results are honestly limitless.
@@RobertThompsonEshun you just made it much clearer, thank you for your advice!
Can I apply for pharmacy with my GED result?
Depends on the school you are going to. Some schools may allow you to apply. But you may need to call the admissions department if they do not provide that info on their website.
Hay quĂĄ
Can you do lab research and drug development as a pharmacist? I'm a second year pharmacy student and I'm thinking of changing my major to chemistry, because I think I will be stuck in a consulting or retail position with a pharmacy degree :/
Any advice?
Yeah, you can! My friend finished his degree and got a fellowship in the pharmaceutical industry as a clinical scientist. He loved research!
@@RobertThompsonEshun Thank you so much for the reply! I will take this into consideration
what pharmacy school did you go to?
St. John's University
Is 150k in student loans considered normal?
Yeah unless you are going for a postgraduate degree like a doctorate
What degree do you need ??
If you want to get into pharmacy now. You will need a Doctorate of Pharmacy Degree(PharmD)
Is it worth starting at 22?
Age doesnât matter unless you think it does
HelloâŠ. I studied biochemistry as an undergraduate in Nigeria and Iâm looking forward in studying pharmacy in the us.. Iâd it necessary I get a pharm d or can I just do my masters in pharmacy?
In the US nowadays you need a PharmD
Me is to Understand instead of memorizing
Yeah, understanding helps so much with long-term learning because everything you learn repeats itself.
Hey Robert greetings from Ethiopia, I was recently watching a documentary on Netflix called " Unsolved Mysterious " about the disappearance of a University student at St. John University I'd like to know if you heard about it?
Hello Zahra, I have never heard about this. After looking it up I see that it was St. John's university in Minnesota which is not the same university I attended.
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