The *Angriest* Pharmacist You want your prescription filled when? Eat shit…

The most popular question

I get a lot of questions asked of me via my CONTACT ME page. They range from drug information, to theoretical questions, and even 'online mental statust exams' as I've come to call them. ["I think I'm depressed. What's good for that?"] Of all the questions I get, there's one that I get every other day -- at least.

I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. What are the requirements? Will I get in? I heard it's hard from my friend. Would you do it again?

Well, as everyone knows, that question is a mouthful. Let me address each question in separate sections. What are the requirements? Well, the assumption that I know the requirements of every pharmacy school in the United States is quite humbling. I realize people are just 'thinking out loud' when they ask this. If you really wanna know the requirements for a specific school, find their webpage. It'll be on there. If it's not, call them. They'll tell you -- it's not a secret. I would GUESS that most schools want at least a 26 on the ACT. A 28 is probably a given. IF you have a 30+, you can get into any school you want. I would imagine most schools look more heavily at ACT than GPA these days, but your GPA should at least be in the top 20-25% [Top 10% would be better]. Most schools are also going to want you to have some extra curriculars: Student Council, National Honor Society, Sports, Math/Physics Clubs, Future Business Leaders, etc.

Now, I'm assuming that your applying to a 6-year program, where you are in pharmacy school right after high school. If someone is inquiring about a 8-year track, where you get a 4-year undergrade, apply to pharmacy school, then do 4-year of actual pharmacy school -- that's a completely different ballgame. That's going to be based MOSTLY on your PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) score. I didn't take that, so I don't know how it's scored or what you need to get into pharmacy school. In this route, they are also going to want you to have a much better GPA -- at LEAST Top 10% I'd assume. Organizational involvement is also a plus: Student Government, fraternities, Young Democrats/Republicans, etc.

Will I get in? That question is totally based on the requirements and what each specific institution is looking for. Honestly, being a minority does not hurt in some cases. In my class, I had 4 black females and zero black males. Does that mean my school is racist? No. It means none applied, otherwise they would have been accepted if they met the minimum requirements for admission. Of course, I went to school with a lot of Indian and Chinese students -- so it wasn't all white. [Just throwing that in there]

I heard it's hard, would you do it again? First, I want to direct your attention to the image below. It is a picture of a poll that I ran on my website from March 5, 2008 to June 10, 2008.

As you can see, a whole lot of pharmacists would go again (if 18-years old of course), but a whole lot wouldn't. I, myself, would go to pharmacy school again if I were 18. You aren't wrong, pharmacy school is difficult, but in the long run it is worth it. I came out of pharmacy school with $100k debt, but I make $100k+ per year before taxes. I plan on having that paid off in 15 years from my graduation date.

Pharmacy school is hard, but it was a lot of fun for me. The difficulty of the curriculum makes the atmosphere on Friday night very interesting. People drink for a reason -- to forget the pain of failing that test, quiz, etc. My school was far from a party school, but there were a ton of great times and wild parties. Some people party a little too hard, and they fail out...actually, lots fail out. My class started at ~220, and I graduated with about 150-160 -- I think. Why is it so hard? To weed out the fools. My school always said they didn't weed out students, but that's bullshit. Every school has to do it in graduate level programs to reduce class size, and for the reason I said -- removal of idiocy.

In pharmacy school, however, the students really form a bond. In an environment where the school is fighting against you day-in and day-out, a very overwhelming aura of US versus THEM develops. The class really sticks together -- especially in the latter years. Why? Because there's no reason for competition. The C+ student gets the same Pharm.D. as the A+ student. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone hates transfers for busting the curve, making it harder on everyone, and asking asinine theoretical questions extending class time, but that aside, we stuck together. Because of this 'bond,' I really think the friends you make in pharmacy school mean a little more to you than friends you meet in college that may not even be in the same school of study as you. I met my wife, my two best men, a ton of fraternity brothers, and lifelong friends at pharmacy school. To this day, I have 40-50 numbers in my cell phone of people in my pharmacy school. I may not call them -- we may not have been close friends in pharmacy school. But, I bet if I called them and asked them a question or for a small favor, they'd do it for me. We worked together to get the best of the school -- and not let that motherfucker get the best of us.

So, would I do it again? Yup.
Would everyone do it again? Obviously not.

But, I bet those pharmacists didn't make the most of their school. They spent their nights in their rooms studying...not associating with everyone else and getting the most out of their connections.

-=+=-

Are you sad that you didn't go to Med School? Sometimes, I get this as an added variation. From reading the answer to the above question, it's quite obvious that I'm NOT sad that I didn't go to Medical School. I got accepted into a 6-year medical school program. It would have been year-round, guaranteed mental illness, and very tough. But, I'm sure it offered the same bond-like benefits I spoke of about pharmacy school. Anyway, I don't think I would have enjoyed it. I love my Profession. Sometimes, my job sucks -- but I love pharmacy -- I love drugs -- I love educating people about their drugs, therapies, and general healthcare. Personally, I think I have too much common sense to be a medical doctor. I couldn't imagine making some of the stupid ass fucking mistakes these jokers make on some prescriptions -- like not signing them, writing for blatant obvious interactions (which are the big ones that even someone that only took a semester of pharmacology should know -- Bactrim DS and Coumadin, anyone?), and continually failing to follow simple instructions (Testing Strips -- For Medicare must have diagnosis code and EXACT directions/quantity -- yet I call the same idiot-bastards 2x/wk for this wasting everyone's time). The thought of med school after pharmacy school did cross my mine for 0.0004 seconds. But, it's a round about way to get an MD, and would've added at least 8 more years, 150k more debt, and a ton more headache. Would it have been worth it for another 150k/yr (minimum, of course) and more worries in practice (like crazy malpractice)? I dunno. For some, I guess.

I have a theory though -- your either a doctor or a pharmacist. You can't really be both. You have to know. The personality is different. The profession is different. What you do on a daily basis is completely different. One is diagnosis, the other is treatment. There are a ton of differences. While pharmacy is considered a practice, it is, in my mind, an exact science. Everything in order -- everything in an exact, precise way -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Sometimes, medicine has to be different. Diagnosis may sometimes be 4,2,3,5,1. That just doesn't click with pharmacists. Recipes are a must with pharmacists. Doctors may be a little bit more abstract. Just a random, late-night analysis. Take it for what it is.

How much money do you make? This is another question that sometimes gets tacked on. While that's a very rude question to ask someone, coming from someone looking to spend the next 6 (or 8) years of their life studying to be a pharmacist, it is acceptable in this case. As of writing this, I gross about 110k per year and bring home about 80-85k depending on my donations, income from my other business (not pharmacy related), and some other factors I know nothing about. This is about average for pharmacists, and I work VERY little overtime. It may be lower than what some of you have heard, but I live in a somewhat smaller town and the cost of living is fairly low. Now, keep in mind that when I left college, I had over 100k in student loans. I'm still paying those back, and I will be for another 15+ years. So, again, take it for what it is. We make more, but we are stretched thin until those loans are gone. However, if you live modestly, you can pay them back very quickly. Don't run out and buy a hummer. Wait, save, and spend it later on...:-)

So, does that answer the question? I sure hope so! Any follow up questions or comments?

Further information for those that would ask this question:
Request from 2008 Graduate (2-16-08) - The 2nd most commented post I’ve ever had. My advice for successful inculcation into the trenches for 2008 Pharmacy School grads.
So you are going to Pharmacy School (3-7-08) - Similar to the post for Pharm.D. graduates, but this one is directed to high school grads or those entering pharmacy school.

PCAT Sources:
PCAT practice test
Kaplan PCAT
Barron's PCAT
Peterson's PCAT Success
http://www.pcatprofessor.com/