Our Next Step

My name is McCall, and I am now a 4th year pharmacy student. Our APPE rotations began on May 6^th, I was nervous and excited all at the same time!

APPEs are 4^th year rotations that begin in May and end in April.  All students must complete 9 month-long rotations in this 12 month period.  There are 4 mandatory rotations that must be completed by all students:  Acute Care, Ambulatory Care, Advanced Institution, and Advanced Community.  This leaves us with 5 elective rotations, which allow us to explore our areas of interest.  For example, one could choose to do an elective in Pediatrics, Academia, or even Informatics.

I feel our professors have done a great job at providing us with the skills and knowledge we need to go out on our 4^th year rotations.  In April, all P3 students took the Third Year Competency Exam (TYCE) before going out on rotations. This exam covers the key concepts taught over the past three years.  Even though it was another exam to add to our list, I believe it was a great review and helped prepare us for our rotations.

After completing our APPEs, we will graduate on May 10^th, 2014 as PCSP’s inaugural class!  After passing the board exams, we will then be ready for the next step in our professional career.  For some students this will be to further their education by completing a residency or fellowship, and for others this means starting their first job as a licensed pharmacist.  It’s hard to believe how fast pharmacy school flies by!  The pharmacy profession will provide us with endless opportunities, and I am anxious to see what different career paths my classmates and I will take.

Dear Younger (High School) Me:

You may not know it yet but you are going to be a great pharmacist.  I know what you are thinking.  What?!  All those science classes, public speaking classes, and business classes you are taking will add on toward the path of pharmacy.  The core classes you will be taking in college will be majority science classes.  You will also need to take minor classes that will consist of social studies, public speaking, and economic classes.  Oh, I just found this out recently that you can apply to pharmacy school with 2 years of prerequisite coursework and not have to have a 4-year degree.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to you, younger me.  But to you readers, note that you can finish all your prerequisites within 2 years, and it may require you to take summer classes.  Make sure to pay more attention to those classes because it will haunt you when you go to college and pharmacy school.  I am not trying to intimidate you, but I am being real. 

Here’s a list of key highlights you should be doing from the time you read this letter to you get to pharmacy school:   

1)  Science  (enough said) 

2)  Shadowing experience - If you have time… I know you have time, but you’re in denial.  Go to your local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist if you can see what he/she does on a daily basis.  You might have to try more than one pharmacy because they might be busy.  The purpose of shadowing is to get that professional experience, and it will help you with getting a reference letter from a pharmacist. Why?  You will need it when you get ready to apply to pharmacy school.  Plus, it will make you look good.  And I’m sure you want to look good.

3)  Community Service - Why? Just cause.  You need it for high school, college, and pharmacy school.  Plus, pharmacy is a profession that's based on serving others.  

4)  Time Management -  There will be a window of time to apply for Pharmacy school.  My best advice for you is to do it earlier and for the better.  You will have to consider all the prerequisite, recommendation letters, writing personal statement, etc.

Keep in mind that pharmacy school is not easy and may be intimidating at first, but it is a rewarding career for the mind, body, and soul.  Trust me, I am a pharmacy student.

Best wishes for your future,

Patrick, P2