Not as Big of a Hurdle - My GPA

 (Image from whatthehealthmag.wordpress.com)

Ok, so I went to PharmCAS and created an account.  Then I sadly found out that they don't calculate your GPA on the spot.  You enter in all your classes, fill out the rest of the application, send them your transcripts and payment, and then after five weeks they'll tell you your GPA.  So the plan to use PharmCAS to calculate my GPA was a bust.

But...

What I did find was the FAQ on how PharmCAS calculates GPA.

They use semester units (and convert quarter units to semester units by multiplying them by .667), which is great, because I've only been to colleges on the sysmester system.

They use the 4.0 scale, counting pluses, minuses, and grades like AB, BC, etc.  (There is also a conversion for number only grades.  (Ex. 3.79-3.6 = A-)

- 4.0 = A+/A

- 3.7 = A-

- 3.5 = AB

- 3.3 = B+

- 3.0 = B

- etc.

And finally, classes that are not counted in the GPA include: withdrawn courses, incomplete courses, audited courses, pass/fail courses, non-graded transcripts, AP/IB/CLEP courses, planned courses, in-progress courses, deferred courses, and institutionhal/departmental exam credit.  (There are of course other rules, but there are the main ones for me.)

So as long as I entered in the data correctly into my Excel sheet, and understand the FAQ right, because of how they treat incompletes, I have a 2.85 GPA rather than the 2.71 that SFSU is telling me.

That helps.

I'm now at the minimum GPA to get into all the California Schools except for UCSD and USC.  The minimum isn't good enough if I haven't demonstrated that I can handle the course load, but it is one less thing that I have to worry about.

The benefit of creating my own Excel sheet is that I can project what future grades will do for my GPA.  And because I have so many units, it will take 39 units of all A's to raise my GPA to a 3.0.  It's possible, but difficult, to do in the time frame that I want.  I'll have to seek out more information about any kind of exceptions.

However, with this new information, it is much more important for me to figure out exactly which classes I need to take (or retake):

- To satisfy a prerequisite
- To demonstrate I can handle the course load
- Because I performed poorly in them
- Because they were taken too long ago

I think tackling that list will take care of my GPA problem.  GPA is now a side effect of the course work issue.  I need to come up with a list, figure out when and where I'm going to take these classes, and then execute that new plan.  As long as I can get into and have time for the classes needed, I expect to get A's.

With this new information, I am now looking to apply in two application cycles.  The two to three years that was in my head has now settled down to one choice.

P.S.  I still have to check out my Prerequisite/Science GPA.

PSAR (Pharmacy School Admission Requirements)

I was looking through the stats section of Get Into Pharmacy School: Rx for Success!, and despite it being printed just this year, I noticed that some of the info (specifically the tuition for UCSF) was already out of date.  But thankfully the chapter "Planning Your Undergraduate Experience" led me to a more accurate source, the AACP website, and more specifically to the page on the PSAR

The Pharmacy School Admission Requirements (PSAR)© is designed to provide the most up-to-date information about each pharmacy school, including specifics about admission requirements, selection factors and educational costs for students entering pharmacy school in fall 2010. [ISBN 978-0-9723236-5-9]. To order a printed copy of the Pharmacy School Admissions Requirements©, go to the AACP Order Form. The PSAR is $25 plus $3 for shipping and handling.

Links to all the forms in .pdf format is all there ready for you to print out if you don't want to pay the $25 fee.  I'm going to go even further than that.  Since I'm just looking at the California schools right now, and the tables clump the schools by state... I'm going to be doing some copy/pasting into Paint, and do some quick photo editing so I get only the info I need, and save on ink.

(FYI: Hit the "Prt Sc" [Print Screen] button on you computer to copy what's on your screen.  Then you can just do the normal Paste.)

- The tables of interest to me are:

PSAR Table 1: Pharm.D. Programs - Pharm.D. Degree Programs Anticipated for 2010-11.

PSAR Table 3: Graduate Programs - Institutional Information and Graduate Degree Programs Anticipated for 2010-11

PSAR Table 4: Dual-Degrees - Dual-Degree Programs Anticipated for 2010-11

PSAR Table 8: First Year Pharm.D. Class - Characteristics of fall 2008 First Year Class for Pharm.D. Degree Programs

PSAR Table 9: Admissions Policies - Admission Policies and Practices for Pharm.D. Degree Programs Anticipated for 2010-11

PSAR Table 11: Tuition - First Year Tuition and Fees for Pharm.D. Degree Programs in 2009-10

- Now the real find is this next link.  The tables may be good for comparing schools in specific categories, but this next link gives you a full view of each individual school.  You get paragraphs about the school, its mission/vision, what the curriculum is like, admissions requirements, as well as all in the info in the tables.  And this won't even take any photo editing, since each school is given their own two pages.  Just pick and choose.

School Admission Requirements - Two-page narrative that includes General Information, Curriculum, Admission Requirements, and Further Information for each AACP member institution

- This last link gives a nice break down of all the prerequisite courses.  I like the table that I made for myself, but I'll be using this to double check that my info is correct.

Course Prerequisites by Pharmacy School - Summary of pre-professional course requirements by pharmacy degree institution

Major Hurdle - My GPA

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Ok, it's time to give it up. I've been skirting around this subject.  My GPA is 2.71.  I have a total of 283.5 units.  (I've been in school a long time.)  That's a lot of units.  That makes it hard to raise my GPA.  Most of the California schools require a 2.75 or 2.80 minimum GPA, with USC requiring 3.0.  And of course most of the time people with just the minimum GPA don't get in, so I want to raise my GPA as high as possible.

As soon as I get a pharm tech job, I am aiming to work full time until I get into pharmacy school.  That might limit my ability to take enough classes to raise my GPA to above a 3.0 in the next two/three years.  If possible, I would like to take at least one semester as a full time student with a full and challenging class load, as further proof that I can handle the challenges as a pharmacy student.  (The UoP admissions people mentioned that it does not look favorably if only one or two classes are taken at a time, and should be avoided if at all possible.)

I have a low GPA, a lot of units, and will (hopefully) have a full time job as a pharm tech. Those circumstances create a major hurdle in acquiring a qualifying GPA, let alone a competitive GPA.

I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I took five classes last semester, got two A's and three A-'s.  That rose my GPA from 2.65 to 2.71.  With that rough estimate, It seems that making it to a 2.8 is possible in the time frame that I want.  3.0... not so much.  When I go down to the USC Info Session, most likely on this upcoming January 15th, I'll be sure to ask if there are any exceptions to the 3.0 rule.  (I know one of the websites specifically stated that some requirements could be waived if there was a good enough reason.  However I can't seem to find it at the moment.)

I'll be entering my grades into PharmCAS in the near future, just to see how it calculates my GPA compared to how SFState does it.  PharmCAS is the one that matters.

Black Friday Books

Today's Black Friday, and what did I buy?  (Ignoring the speakers and a dvd player/burner for my computer.  Both of which I'm using as I type this.  =D)

Despite the title of this post, the first item isn't a book.  It's the CPR Pocket Resuscitator.  I took the class and got certified, and I thought these things were cool when we were practicing with them.  I looked'em up on Amazon.com and saw they were only about $10!  Click.  It was an auto-buy.

I took the class because I want to be prepared, just in case.  I bought this little guy to help me be prepared for that just in case.  Although I have yet to decide where I'm going to keep it.  I have an emergency bag where I keep a first aid kit, an ace bandage, etc that I might throw it in.  Although I was also thinking the glove compartment of my car.  But then of course just keeping it in my bag might be a good idea too.  I want to have it handy when there's an emergency... so I need to have it with me when I'm around an emergency.  But since it's only $10, I may just buy a couple more.

The orange case comes inside a ziplock bag, and inside is the resuscitator, some blue nitrile gloves (size: large), some antiseptic handwipes, and some brief instructions.  Definitely worth it.

Get Into Pharmacy School: Rx for Success!  Now it should be obvious why I bought this.  I'm working towards and writing about getting into pharmacy school, and that's what this book is about.  I'll do a full review on it when I'm done getting through it.

As for a glimpse into what's in it, the Table of Contents is divided into six sections:

PART ONE: Is Pharmacy School for You?

- Ch 1: Introduction to Pharmacy

- Ch 2: Making the Decision

PART TWO: Planning for Pharmacy School

- Ch 3: Planning Your Undergraduate Experience

- Ch 4: The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)

- Ch 5: Selecting the Right Program

- Ch 6: Researching Pharmacy Schools

PART THREE: Applying to Pharmacy School - Navigating the Application Process

- Ch 7: Admission Criteria

- Ch 8: Completing the Application

- Ch 9: Personal Statement

- Ch 10: Letters of Recommendation

- Ch 11: The Interview

- Ch 12: Admissions Process - An Inside Perspective

- Ch 13: Rejection and Your Alternatives

PART FOUR: Preparing for Your Career in Pharmacy

- Ch 14: What to Expect and Do in Pharmacy School

- Ch 15: Postprofessional (Post-Pharm.D.) - Residencies, Fellowships, and Board Certifications

- Ch 16: Career Options

PART FIVE: Financing Your Degree

- Ch 17: Figuring Out Costs

- Ch 18: Applying for Financial Aid

- Ch 19: Finding Free Money

- Ch 20: Borrowing the Money

PART SIX: Resources

- Quick Reference List of Key Resources

- Pharmacy School Statistics

- Index

Looks like there should be a lot of good information in there, and this is a first printing, published in 2009, so the info should be up to date.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Prescription to My Younger Self: What I learned after Pharmacy School  Now this book... it caught my eye as I was shopping for the other one.  It was first published on March 28, 2008... had no description and no reviews.  Yet it had a very catchy title and there were only two copies left!  (Just one copy now with a "order soon (more on the way)" note on it.).  It was only $20, and I was curious.

I've only just cracked it open since it only arrived today, but here's an actual description for anyone else wanting to take a look at it, straight from the book:

This book is a collection of letters written by pharmacists in varying professional settings, who we feel have either excelled in the profession of pharmacy, or who have inspired us and were willing to share their stories in print.  We asked the pharmacists to provide a biography along with a letter they have written int he present to their former self on the day that they graduated from pharmacy school, and share the pearls of wisdom they learned about their profession after graduation.  Included in the epilog is group of letters from a different perspective- the student.  Each of us contributed a letter reflecting upon our current aspirations and hesitations as we venture into the unknown, a career.  Prescription to My Younger Self: What I learned after Pharmacy School, allowed us to step outside of the box and take a chance on a very unique and rewarding project.

There are twenty-seven total pharmacist chapters, from pharmacists in all kinds of pharmacy settings, as well a chapter each from the four students who came up with the idea for this book.  So the title of the book didn't lie to me, and it is what it says.  Cool.  And now you guys get more info about it than amazon.com gives.  Full review forthcoming!

California Pharmacy School Prerequisites

(Note:  This post will be updated as needed since it is now linked through the sidebar.   Ex.  I found the min GPA required for UCSD, and have added it to my chart.)

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With the pharm tech step coming to a close, it's time to look to other things.  (Of course this look took place both before and after Thanksgiving with parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and all sorts of family.  Not skipping the holidays to work on the blog. =P)  So I took a look at the prerequisites of all the schools in California and made this Excel sheet:

(Click to Enlarge - This is meant primarily for me.  If it's of use to other people that's fine.  Most of it should make sense though.  The numbers are the number of semesters needed for each class so if you want to schools with a quarter system, you'll have to make an adjustment.  Links to the official websites for each school are further down this post.  There is a lot of detail in each page that can't be communicated through the shorthand of my Excel sheet.)

If I recorded it all right, the classes needed to get into all California schools are:

- General Chemistry I & II (with labs)

- Organic Chemistry I & II (with labs)

- General Biology I & II (with labs)

- Physics I & II (with E/M Lab)

- Calculus I & II

- Statistics

- Human Physiology

- Anatomy

- Biochemistry

- Cell Biology

- Microbiology (with lab)

- English

- Speech

- Economics

- Psychology/Sociology

And besides classes:

- GPA
- Leadership
- Experience
- Community Service
- Letter of Recommendations

Something important I need to find out, is how old my course work is allowed to be before it's too old to be counted.  Northstate specifically said 9 years on their website, and UCSD says 10 years for some classes, and 5 years for essential classes.  That means besides retaking classes that I screwed up in, I'm most likely going to have to retake classes I did excellent in, because they're just too old.  That's a little discouraging.  But well... it's not totally unexpected.  That's the reason why I'm expecting to take two or three years to get there.  All I can do is move on from where I am, so that's what I'm going to do.

Something a bit annoying is that UoP requires micro economics, and USC requires macro economics, while all the others let you choose either.  Depending on how easy or difficult it is to fit taking all these prerequisites in while working... I may just have to choose between one or the other.  That's just something I'll have to figure out later when I have more info to work with.

California Northsate College of Pharmacy

This is the only website that specifically mentioned that work experience in a pharmacy setting of at least 40 hours is recommended.  It's also one of the two schools that mentions Statistics.

Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy

I found it pretty interesting that the Anatomy requirement didn't require a lab.  I didn't know Anatomy classes came that way.  But since I'll be taking the class with the lab, it doesn't matter beyond that.  And while I didn't see all the Letter of Recommendation requirements for all the schools, it's important to know that this school requires three, and one of those has to be from a Spiritual Advisor.

Touro University College of Pharmacy

This school has one of the sparsest requirements list.  It doesn't even require General Biology of Physics.  However having a degree is a requirement for applying which is why their website doesn't cover the non-science classes as prerequisites like the other schools do.

University of California, San Diego, Skaags School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

One of the two schools that mentions that an Electricity and Magnetism Lab is required as part of the Physics prerequisites.  Makes me wonder what that's going to be used for exactly, when it comes to pharmacy.  Something to do with research is my safe guess.  Also one of the two schools that requires two courses in Calculus and not just one.  And last, the only school (that I saw) that mentioned CPR as a requirement. 

University of San Francisco School of Pharmacy

The other school that specifically mentions the E/M Lab as a prerequisite.  It's also the other school that requires two courses in Calculus.  Not much more to say.  I've been to an info session, I've been to the campus, I know I want to apply here, so I'll be sure to complete the list.

University of Southern California School of Pharmacy

The second school that requires a degree to apply.  The only school that specifically requires Human Physiology and not just some mammalian physiology.  Even more important, the only school that requires Statistics.  And the last unique bit that I found from my current outing through the schools websites, a Resume is required as part of the application process.

University of the Pacific Thomas J Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The only school that I know of that requires the GRE.  (I didn't find this info on the website, however, I found it on the pamphlet that was given at the info session.  Other schools may have this as a requirement.)

Western University of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy

The odd way I've marked the required semesters for BioChem is because you can take just one class of BioChem if it's 5 units, otherwise it's one 3 unit BioChem class and one 3 unit Molecular Biology class.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 11 - CA State Board of Pharmacy Application

While I'm waiting for my official results to arrive, I'm trying to take care of the steps it takes to complete the California State Board of Pharmacy application to be a pharm tech.

The main steps are:
1) Fill it out.
2) Provide a 2"x2" photo.
3) Get my finger print scanned.
4) Supply a notarized copy of my PTCB certificate.

Step 1 is of course the easy part.  And I  can't accomplish Step 4 until my certificate arrives, hopefully sometime next week.  That leaves Steps 2 and 3.

Today I took care of Step 2.  I went to the ever popular Costco with my dad.  A little too popular.  11am on a weekday, we didn't there would be many people.  We were wrong.  The parking lot was packed.  We didn't stop to consider that it's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

So what did we do?  We drove to the Costco several cities away, where our old house used to be.  It'd an extra thirty or so minutes of travel time each way, but that Costco was never packed.  And we were right.

We did all the normal shopping, added a turkey, and I threw in some blueberries and Nutri-grain bars to snack on.  I of course stopped by the photo section of the store, took my pic, and after a ten minute wat and $5 fee, Step 2 is complete!

The next step is to get my finger scanned sometime before my certificate arrives, and then finish the rest of that waiting game.  While at the same time scouting out all the potential locations that I'm going to be applying at.  Once I have my California License in hand, it's time to find some work!  (Hopefully there's some out there.)

Weight Loss - Part 3

It's been a month, so it's time for that new update on my weight loss goal.  Once again, while not directly related to pharmacy, working towards improving my health, self-esteem, and energy levels will most definitely help me reach my goal.  It's not all about fleshing out the application.

Now for the numbers:

Starting Weight: 216.8
Weight Last Month: 211.4
Week 5 Weight: 210.4
Week 6 Weight: 209.8
Week 7 Weight: 211.6
Week 8 Weight: 212.4
Total Weight Loss: 4.4
Pounds Still to Go: 27.4
Trendline Estimate: 206.5

- Week 5: Went to the gym 5 days this week, started some ab exercises, and noticed my shoulder was hurting

- Week 6: Went to the gym 2 days this week, shoulder still hurts.

- Week 7: Went to the gym 2 days this week, worked my calves especially hard

- Week 8: Went to the gym 1 day this week

Only went to the gym 10 days this month, as opposed to 23 last month.  I also gained a pound instead of lost weight.  Not good.  I did gain a lot of muscle, but I still should have lost weight.  The reasons for the reversal?  My shoulder started it.  I wanted to give my shoulder a rest, however it still is hurt.  That's a problem.  However, I can still go do cardio and do other exercises that are not working my shoulder.  The week I worked my calves, I worked them so hard I could hardly walk.  My range of motion was impaired, and so I needed to rest those as well.

But I've gained weight two weeks in a row.  That's good to be aware of.  And that's a big reason why I'm recording my weight every week.  I'm able to catch this before it gets out of hand, and put myself back on the right track.  The plan now isn't to go extra crazy and starve myself.  The plan is to simply make sure I make it to the gym at least 4 times this week, like I'm supposed to be doing.  I'm still going to enjoy Thanksgiving and all the great food that comes along with it.  As long as I don't neglect the gym I should be fine.

CPR Certified

(Image from babble.com)

Just a couple days after passing the PTCE, I'm now CPR certified! It was a one day class, taught by a couple of nurses. The event was hosted by the PHHS (Pre-Health Honor Society) at SFSU ($20 for the random public, but a $5 discount for Pre-Pharmacy members.)

Why'd I take the class? It's not required for pharmacists as far as I know. But I think it's something worth knowing. The concept of knowing CPR, and wanting to be a pharmacist seem to mesh well together. I'm going into a health profession, as cliche as it sounds, because I like to help.

(Edit 11-23-09 - I have since learned that at least one school, USC, requires CPR certification.  I will most likely have to take the class again before I apply, since the certification only lasts a year.  It's good to find that out though.)

I did learn CPR before. This was back in high school... maybe '98 or '99. That video back then was sooo bad. The new update was better. Plus there was some new stuff there. We were told it was the 2005 update. I don't remember if we learned how to use two people effectively, I think some of the infant stuff was changed, and it was cool to learn about the AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator).

Who knows, it might come in handy one day. It did last time. We were doing a fundraiser for my class, and this girl that I was taking a break with this girl that I had a crush on back then (Or did I move on already? I can't remember.) Well anyway, we were eating, and then all of a sudden she gets up and frantically taps right below her neck with both hands. I stand up and she turns around and backs into me. The Heimlich maneuver is simple enough that I'm guessing I could have helped her without that class, but since I knew the proper way to do it, it just took a couple abdominal thrusts and breath was able to enter her lungs.

I've never had to use the knowledge again, but now I'm certified (for the next two years), and know the new methods. It might come in handy some day. Who knows.

UCSF Student Panel at SFSU - Part 2

[Continuing the conversation from the 2nd Year UCSF Student, at the event hosted by the Pre-Pharmacy Association... We left off with comments and questions about the interview process...]

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Q: Do they ask questions about current events?

A: Oh yes.  Yes they do.  If they make it through all the questions they needed to go through,  they'll ask something like, "What do you think about the future of pharmacy?"  If you think pharmacy is all community pharmacies, you need to be prepared to know it's moving away from that.

If you really want to be out there, you might want to say you're interested in MTM pharmacy.  Medical Therapy Management.  They can get paid hundreds of dollars for just a ten minute consult.  These days, a lot of the elderly are taking tens of pills in a day, and the schedule of what to take and when so it's effective and won't be dangerous is complicated.

Q: How is that different from community pharmacy?

A: There, they just give you a prescription, and you advise them about that specific drug.  With MTM pharmacy, you'll sit them down and go over their whole history.  That's something important in HIV clinics where there are just so many drugs out there.

Drugs are becoming very individualized and not just one blanket drug for one condition anymore.  There was this woman who was taking morphene for pain.  And because of her genetics, it got into her breast milk, and it ended up killing her baby.  [This is extremely paraphrased.]  Pharmacogenetics is the big thing now.  Hypertension, liver function... they affect different people in different ways.

Touro did a study... [This part... I'm not quite sure that I can even get the essence of it down.  Something about a study to help show that it's important for schools to teach pharmacogentics I believe.]  UCSF is one of the few schools to have that class.  People with different backgrounds need different drugs.  It's kind of like sterotyping, but not.  It's used to help them.

[Somehow what she did to become a pharm tech came up.]

A: Honestly, I bought a book at Borders, studied for a week, and passed.

Everyone should get their license.  It's a good back up.  Well, not back up exactly.  But some people became a tech to lead to pharmacy, but found out they were happy just being a tech.  A lot of the pharm techs that I work with know more than a lot of students.  They really know drugs.  It's like being a pharmacist without the responsibility.  (An aside: Insurance companies need a lot of pharmacists.)

Being a tech is easier to move between the different divisions.  When you're a pharmacist, you need to know everything about the particular place you're working in.  As a pharm tech, you only need to focus on the drugs, and so it's easier to make the switch if you want to get experience in the different areas.

And it's good to start learning the drugs early.  You learn a lot as a tech.  It helps a lot in school.  They want you to know over two hundred drugs right away, but if you've learned about a lot of them already, it gives you a lot of free time.

Pharmacists can work in so many areas.  Psych wards need to have a pharmacist on site.  There are classes to teach you about the different fields.  We have an elective for prison pharmacists.  You get taken to San Quentin and everything.

HIV is a disease with no cure.  You can specialize in that.  Genentech needs to hire pharmacists to look over projects.  You can oversee everything and not get your hands dirty if that's what you're looking for.  That's what I did at Bayer.

You can get into law and work for the government.  Healthcare is the big thing right now and they want the input from doctors and pharmacists.  [Something about laws that I can't read in my notes.]  Right now something being considered is making birth control and over the counter drug.  So many people are buying it, and there has been a study to show that the risk of death in using birthcontrol is lower than the risk of getting a lethal infection while a woman is pregnant.

Pharmacists are even the ones that administer euthanasia drugs.  It's in Nevada or some other state where it's legal.  Not in California of course.  But there, while the doctor may decide, it's the pharmacist that actually administers the drugs to stop the heart.

[Some how it got back to applications.]

A: You can check out PharmCAS right now if you want.  Just know that it gets wiped out every year.  As for letters of recommendation, most people get one academic letter, one extracurricular, and one from a pharmacist.

USC, UCSD, they had 500 word essays.  I pretty much just copy/pasted parts (from my UCSF application).  Essays are definitely the hardest part.

Q: Do you know any international students, and is the process any different?

A: It's pretty much the same thing.

[Somehow it back to why UCSF again.]

A: UCSF was the cheapest school.  Not now.  Tuition has gone up 30%.  $1000 every quarter.  It would be nice if somehow when you got accepted into a school, you could sign a contract telling you "This is exactly how much you're going to pay each quarter."

Q: How are you paying for school?

A: It's different for me.  I live with my parents, so housing is free.  Books can cost a lot.  I work at State (as an intern).  If you want to get involved, techs get paid the most in hospitals.  You learn the most about drugs there [I believe that's what she said, my notes were too hard to read right there.]

[She then mentions that she's working at a couple places.]  Twenty hours a week pretty much pays for each quarter.  I tried getting loans for the first year, but having to pay 7% on top of that was too much for me.

There are also a lot of scholarships out there. 

[Somehow changed to study/student habits.]

Some people are still completely focused on grades once they're in.  But once you graduate (from pharmacy school) grades don't matter.  If you're working as an intern while studying, you're more likely to get hired than if you got all A's.

[Back to money.]

Taking that year off, and working as a tech helped to offset the loans.

Q: What's your daily schedule like?

A: I'm a special case.  [Because she's working... then the answer transitioned into what classes are like.]  You really learn the drugs.  I can draw you lipitor.  Or the structure of cholesterol.  Then you'll be asked to make an imaginary drug that fits in there.  Some [other stuff] I learned through work.

[Change of topic again.]

In [some?] HIV clinics, the pharmacist will write the whole prescription now, and just hand it to a doctor to sign off on it.  They'll just take a look to double check.  Pharmacists have that dispensing power now.

[Back to the interview process.]

A: You might be asked to talk about a difficult problem you had to face, or a co-worker that was hard to work with.  Use names, and make it personal.  Make it so your answer isn't something that can be faked.

You need to prove you're not just a bookworm.

You'll all find a school.  There are so many schools out there.  Just the fact that you guys are all here says something.  I applied late, and I still got in.  You guys are doing so much more than me already.

[Transition to types of work.]

There are pharmacists that are temps.  They get sent around to different pharmacies that need work, and they get paid for food, gas, and travel time on top of the actual hours working.

Q: What were the most useful prerequisite classes?

A: OChem.  That leads to advanced OChem.  PCHem too.  Biology and all that.

There are some people who are 21 and they're pharmacists now.  They took all their prerequisites in one year out of high school and applied.

USC and UoP have the most prereqs.

If you get together and sets goals for each day, you can get through PharmCAS in a week.

Q: How long did it take you to write your personal statement?

A:  It took me a week.  I got down and just started writing every single step that led me to pharmacy, and it ended up being 6,000 words long.  The essay can't be more than 1,600 words.  So I asked one of my English professors to help me trim it down.  That was the teacher I also asked for a letter of recommendation.

One school requires a resume... UoP?

Make sure to do research one all the schools you're applying to.  Know what the goals of the school are and focus on that.  It's worth it to just apply everywhere.  It's just $40 more dollars for a chance to get into a pharmacy school.

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There were some other random bits that I didn't write down, but I think I got pretty much all the main points.  There was a lot of interesting stuff in there, and new stuff that I hadn't heard before.

Prison pharmacist class?  That's cool.  I don't think I'd want to take that class specifically, but it makes me wonder what kind of other classes are offered.

Paying for school without loans?  That's impressive.

I'm definitely glad I went to the event.  And I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

UCSF Student Panel at SFSU - Part 1

The SFSU Pre-Pharmacy Association set up a UCSF student panel Wednesday night.  Well... set up a UCSF student for us to talk to.  One of the two could not show up for one reason or another.  Was that a problem?  Absolutely not.

The event was very relaxed.  We all sat in a circle, and just let questions fire away.  The student was a second year student, and she kept on firing out information left and right.  One question would just ignite all sorts of side tangents from her and there was a lot of information presented to us in the two and a half hours that she was there for.

I could try grouping all the information into relevant info clusters... but I'm probably going to be doing that a lot in future posts.  This time you guys'll get to enjoy the randomness that I got to enjoy.

-----

UCSF Student - Hi, my name is [keeping this out for privacy].  I'm a second year student.  Why don't we all sit in a circle.  If you like this kind of setting, the school in Sacramento is group oriented.  What's it called?  I think it's Northstate.  [Note: This whole thing is going to be paraphrased from my notes.  I'm going to try to be as accurate as possible of course, but this is not word for word.]

Why did I choose pharmacy?  I was originally a pre-med student, but I don't like bood, phlebotomy, the whole "do no harm" thing,... and gross mucus.

When you get into pharmacy, I thought you would get eased into it, but in the first month, you're already doing immunizations.  Flu, hepatitis.

Taking a year off was a big change, but it was a good change.  I was working in research/industry.

Pharmacy is a dynamic field.  You get to interact with other fields.  In clinics it's half research, half ___ [Me: Why can't I remember the word!  It should be so obvious].  There's management where you can run your own formulary.

What was the most difficult part?  Getting started on California applications.  It took a month to finish my applications.  (Her aside:  I used to work for Bayer, then had a job as a technician, and now intern at a clinic.)  UCSF has a good workshop for the supplemental application.  You get ask what it is they're looking for.  On the apps, a lot of it is monotonous work.  You could get your mom to do it.  Name, address, grades.  I also got last minute letters of recommendations.

For the interview, you get paired up with one professor and one student.  Make sure you know what you wrote on your application.  They choose who you interview with based on your application.  This isn't a fact, but from talking with other students, it seems like a lot of them were paired up that way.

Q: How do you answer the question "Why pharmacy?" without having it sound like a generic answer?

A: [I forget her full answer.]... look for some kind of personal story.  What got you to decide to pursue pharmacy, and not just "I like helping people."

[Continuing from before the question was asked.]  You get paired up that way so there is some common ground there for a flowing conversation.  There is a set number of questions they want to hit, but the order is different based off how the conversation is going.  [I thought that was interesting.]

Q: How did you prepare for you interview?

A: I got hired just a couple weeks before my interview as a pharm tech.  My boss did a mock interview with me.  Everyone should do a practice interview, even if it's just with family or a friend.  He really grilled me on what I know about pharmacy.  And when I went home he got me panicked enough that I did a lot of research on the website about what kinds of clubs and organizations they have, what conventions they're known for, etc.

Q: Why UCSF?

A: Basically I grew up here, and I wanted to stay close to home.  Then after already choosing that, I kept on hearing that it was basically the best school in the universe.  It's academically driven hospital so you'll get lots of clinical experience.  Lots of orgs on campus, and they got me really excited to join one.  Lots of social events.

Since SF has a lot of very distinct districts, there is a lot of opportunities for translational work if you know another language.  There is an HIV clinic on campus and you can shadow people.  If you want to get more into law and politics, Sacramento isn't that far away.  In the city there is some kind of heath fair almost every Saturday.

The P2/P3 students get to basically run the school.  There is a proctor that signs off on the liability forms, but we basically get to set up what we want.

Q: What other schools did you apply to?

A: Pretty much every school in California.  Do apply early.  UCSD has a fairly lenient application process.  They just have one essay.  Definitely have someone read over your essay and help you with grammatical stuff, etc.

To prep for your interview, know your own essay.  You don't want to write something on there that you don't really know much about and then get asked about it.

Q: How many questions are on the application?

A: It's a template.  Maybe nine questions, with a tiny box that you have to fit your answer into.  PharmCAS is the easy part.  Touro doesn't ask for your supplemental applications unless you pass the 1st tier of screenings.  You just have to do your research.  Some applications are electronic, and some have to be post marked by a certain date.  Those are scary.  That's why I just walked mine in.

Q: On questions about extracurricular activities, is it ok to write down random things?  Or should it all be pharmacy related?

A: It's better to be well rounded.

Some people say that if you're into research, you have a 50% better chance of getting accepted because there is just so much funding for research out there, and if you're into research they're hoping you'll stay on with UCSF after graduation and bring that money to the school, but that's not necessarily true.  Some people say you have to become a pharm tech before apply, but that's not necessary either.

UCSF has the least amount of prerequisites.  When I decided to go into pharmacy, I had 25 units to go, and I finished those in a year.  English classes, etc.  There's a link on the website which shows you all the equivalent courses.

I was interviewed late in the process.  I thought there wouldn't be much chance for me, but I got in.  It happens.  You hear stories about people getting the news.  One student was already in a school in Arizona, and was done with his first year.  He applied again to UCSF, got accepted and left the school.

Q: What's the on site essay like?

A: The on site essay is easy.  They questions are generally like "Rank these four things and [explain] why."  Just use common sense.  Choose the ethical reason over money.  They pretty much just want to see that you speak English.  You can't write on the back of the paper, or outside of the box.  Just one period outside of the line and you fail.  Don't write too much.  You can read more about what questions other people got on studentdoctor.net.  Communication, following directions, and having a moral conscience.  It seems like that's what they want to see.

If you have bad grades, don't bring it up.  They don't have access to transcripts.  Emphasize stuff like involvement in other things and community service.

Q: What about the question that's asking something about the "human condition?"

A [A lot of people chimed in on this, and came to a consensus that the question is purposefully vague.]

-----

And I think I'll cut it off right there.  I'm not even close to halfway through my notes.  There was essentially no silence for the two and half hours that the UCSF student was there.  Come back for Part 2!

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 10 - PTCE Passed!

You can "click to enlarge", but pretty much is says - Result: Pass!  This is the sheet they gave me as I walked out of the testing room and back into the reception area.  That was nice since I couldn't take a picture or a screen capture of the results page on the testing computer.

As you can see, I passed! But that's the end of the story. Back to the beginning...

Prepping

I got plenty of sleep, printed out directions, and the ATT (Authorization To Test) and Registration emails to make sure I didn't miss anything. Made sure I had my Driver's License for ID, and made sure I didn't need to bring a calculator or pen.

Arrival

The directions were pretty simple, I only missed the very last turn. What was unexpected was that the door was locked! I pulled out the emails to see if there were any instructions for getting into the building, but as I was doing that, a girl (who I assume just finished taking whatever exam she was there for) showed up, trying to get out. She tried opening the door and saw that it was locked. I gave her a shrug, she read the sign on the door that was facing her, then found the "exit button". She opened the door, and we smiled at each other and went our separate ways.

Checking In

I was given the testing rules to read over concerning not revealing details of the exam (which I'm taking to mean specific details, not broad strokes) and all that. When I finished, the receptionist asked for two forms of ID! The email just said to bring one!  My eyes widened, but of course the second ID could just be my debit card, so no worries there.  She confirmed my identity, scanned my finger and took my picture.

Then it was off to the other staff member that sat right by the door and monitored all the test takers.  He gave me a calculator, some laminated graph paper, and two marker to write with. He told me some additional rules and procedures, including telling me that I could not erase anything I wrote down. If I need more space to write on, then I would just have to raise my hand, and he'd give me more.  (But there were five sheets, and you could write on both sides.  I ended only using just one side of the first page.)  Then he asked me if I wanted earplugs or tissue, which was a pleasant surprise. For some reason, sometimes when I take exams, my nose starts to act up, so I took some tissue just in case.

Exam

I did sign that non-disclosure agreement, so there won't be much detail.  But I can tell you how I felt about it all.  It took 5 minutes to finish the tutorial, leaving me 115 minutes to take the exam.  I finished my first run through with 45 minutes left on the clock, then took 20 more minutes to go over the questions I wanted a second look at.  I was trying to take my time and I still had 25 minutes left.  I'm sure if I wanted I could have finished in under and hour.

There was one question that I just felt like I was missing something incredibly obvious. I also started to feel a bit tired towards the end. It could have been the turkey I ate before I left.

Overall I knew what I was doing.  There were some questions that I expected to not know, and some others where I could make some educated guesses.  A couple made me want to slap myself for going blank on a simple piece of info.  Pretty much it was like a reaction to many other multiple choice exams.  I was sort of nervous when I finally clicked "End Exam", but the results popped up, and I passed!

Next Step

Next up is waiting for the official results to arrive in the mail and then complete the registration paperwork to work in California.

But as of tonight, I'm Gerry, CPhT!

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 9 - Rescheduled Again

I rescheduled my exam one more time. I received an email letting me know that the Pre-Pharmacy Association was meeting tonight at 7pm, which would have overlapped with my PTCE taking time, so I pushed it back a day. (I did the actual rescheduling yesterday morning of course, since the rescheduling has to take place at least 24 hours prior the the scheduled time.)

A UCSF student came to answer any and every question, and there was a lot of info given out for the 2+ hours she was there. I'll go through that in more detail when I have more time to go through all the notes I took.

One thing that's relevant for the exam that I'll be taking tomorrow is that the way she became a pharm tech, is the same way I'll be doing it. But she wasn't as paranoid as me when it came to studying. She said she bought a book at Borders, studied for just a week, then took the test and passed.

I'm going to be spending some time looking over the material again, and I'll be ready to take the exam. I think I'm not going to stress over trying to learn the 200+ drugs. I'll look through it some, but it doesn't look like it's necessary to pass if you know everything else.

I'll learn about the drugs on the job, and have an easier time learning about them since they'll have some context for me. I just need the license to get to that point. So that's it. Good luck to me. I'll be back to report tomorrow on how I do.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 8 - Practice Exam

Finally took the Official PTCE Practice Exam.  I was confused the first time I looked for into on the practice exam page.  The page does describe what the practice exams are all about (There are two general practice exams, a calculations exam, and a medication usage and administration exam.), but I couldn't find the link to press to pay for it and get it started!

It turned out the link was right in front of me, but in the form of a flashing banner.  I tend to ignore banners because they're usually ads, but it wasn't the case this time.

These are the various "slides" of the banner as they switch from one to another.

After following the link, you'll wind up having to register for a third time. (The other two times were back when I made my appointment to take the official exam.)  This registration gets you a Logon ID and Personal ID number. However unlike the other two registrations, there is no accompanying email, so be sure you really do print out the page or jot down the information somewhere. (If you forget, there still is a method to recover the info, but better to just keep note of it right away.)

That info allows you to see a dashboard that has all your testing info:

(Click to enlarge)

Just click on the link of the exam you want to pay for, then afterwards that exam becomes available to take.  I haven't taken a lot of online exams, but I was happy to see that you're able to apply normal Multiple Choice Test-taking strategies.  You're shown one question at a time, but you're allowed to "mark" questions.  This allows you to go through the entire exam, then you see a summary page.  That summary page let's you know which questions you marked, and you can easily jump back to those questions that you wanted to go back to.  I didn't realize what the "mark" feature was until I got there, so I didn't really need to use it, but that will be very helpful when it's time to go through the real process.

I took the exam, guessed on the questions that I didn't know the answers to(I need to really study that Top 200+ Drugs list), and still had about thirty minutes left of the hour that was allowed.  I passed with a score of 725.  I could not find on the PTCB website what the max score is, but if The Pharmacy Technician is right, it's out of a possible 900.  (The information on scoring can be found here.  It's important to know that each question is not weighed the same, like in traditional multiple choice tests.)

(Click to enlarge)

Besides the overall score, the results page gives you a breakdown of how well you did in the three different areas that the exams tests for.

(Click to enlarge)

Those scores aren't exactly the best scores to be proud of, but like I said earlier, I essentially spent no time studying the Top 200+ Drugs list.  The way the The Pharmacy Technician and The Pharmacy Technician Workbook and Certification Review are set up, the drugs list is in the Appendix and not part of the main 17 chapters.  With some studying, I'll do better on these drug specific questions and will also hopefully make less stupid mistakes.

This is a pass or fail exam, but I'd be nice to do better.  Should I fail, I have to wait two months before taking the exam again.  (Failure a second time means waiting two more months, and failure a third time and onward means waiting 6 months!  Although that's pretty understandable.  The exam really isn't that hard from what I've seen.  It takes some studying, but isn't that hard.)

So that's it.  The practice exam was certainly helpful.  Worth paying the $29.00.  And I'll be taking the exam on the 18th.  I could spend weeks studying to get as close to a perfect score as possible, but I'd really like to continue learning while working.  The exam isn't the goal, the certification is the goal.  I'll keep on studying after the 18th, but I'm ready to take the exam now.

Undergrad Degree Delayed

Due to reduced support from the California Legislature and the governor, Winter 2010 has been canceled.

Well, that's depressing.  I got a text from my friend, and my hopes for finishing my final class in the short winter session have been crushed.  I'll now have to go through the full Spring semester before I can finally get that degree.

The BECA (Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts) Department was very helpful in putting up more information that I could find in the main SFSU website, as well as offer up options on how to voice complaints to the state.

Frustrated by the lack of available classes? The state cut the CSU and SFSU’s budget by over 20%, so there is no money to offer more BECA classes or teach more students. The best thing all students can do right now is to contact the following state decision makers and make sure they know how their decision to cut the CSU is impacting your life. Below is a list of legislators to contact.

A student complaint form can be downloaded in pdf format at the beca.sfsu.edu website, as well as contact information for:

-Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger
-U.S. Senator: Dianne Feinstein
-U.S. Senator: Barbara Boxer
-State Senator: Sen. Leland Yee
-State Representative: Fiona Ma

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 7 - Rescheduling Exam

I just rescheduled my exam for 18th. I wanted to relax and enjoying listening to the live coverage of the World Series of Poker Main event that took place for 18 hours this past Saturday starting at Noon, then resumed Monday at 10pm for about three more hours.

While there wasn't any real pressure when taking the practice exams in The Pharmacy Technician Workbook & Certification Reveiw, the official practice exams will cost me $29 and I want to use it as a true gauge on how I'll do on the real thing, so I want to be fully rested, and I want to make sure I plug the tiny holes that still need fixing.  I'm fairly confident already that I'll pass, but I just want to be safe.  Failure means that I can't take the PTCE again for three more months.

Rescheduling has to take place longer than one business day before the exam, which I'm in time for. And the rescheduling itself is fairly straightforward. It just takes going to pearsonvue.com/ptcb, logging in, clicking on the reschedule button, and then following the same procedure in choose a location, date, and time.

And then there's a review details page, confirm rescheduling page, and done!  Exam rescheduled in less than a minute.

Healthcare Passes Through the House

Here are the links to yahoo news and cnn.com about the situation. The cnn.com article even has a link to the entire 1990 pages of the bill in pdf format. As much as I'd like to know the details as opposed to the catch phrases that are passed around in the media, there's no way I'm going to get through reading it all.

One sad thing about the bill however, is the section that has to deal with abortion. I'm sure everyone's heard all the arguments, and everyone has their own stance on the situation and no amount of logical debate is going to change anyone's mind. But with that said, it really annoys me when people say they putting restrictions on funding for abortions is going to reduce the amount of unwanted pregnancies and through that, the amount of abortions.

Sex isn't about logic. It's about hormones and emotions. People are stupid when it comes to sex and no one is going to think, "Oh no! There's no federal funding for me to get an abortion if I get pregnant/get her pregnant! I guess we won't have unprotected sex now!" or "It feels good to have that federal funding for abortion as a back up in case this condom doesn't work, because it's only 99% effective. If that federal funding wasn't there, I don't know if I could have the courage to go through with it."

Have your reasons and your beliefs for or against abortion for whatever religious or ethical reasons you want, but trying to make a logical argument against it with this specific argument is ridiculous.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 6 - Workbook Calculations Practice Exam

While the full practice exams is 100 questions, the calculations exam is only 50. But with that said, the question types within the calculations category feel more varied.

How did I do? I did ok. Not great though. There were three questions that I simply did not know what they were asking. I mixed up the equation in my head for converting degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit (the practice exam gave the equation, the calculations exam did not. I think it's safe to say I need to memorize the equation before I go into the exam.) There were two questions that I failed to catch the trick, and I forgot how to convert gallons to liters.

Seven questions wrong out of fifty is not good at all. But the reason I say I did ok, is that none of the mistakes will be hard to fix. The practice exam did what it was supposed to and show me where I need a little bit more work.  Conversions are easy to memorize, and once I understand what the three questions are asking, the math will be simple. I did not mess up on any of the math where I understood what the question was asking for. (Besides the degree conversion.) 

For anyone else that uses this book, even if you do well on the practice exam, the variety of questions in the calculations exam makes it worth taking.

Next... it's time to study for a couple more days to fix the holes in my ability, and then take the official practice exam.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 5 - Workbook Practice Exam

I took the Practice Exam in The Pharmacy Technician Workbook & Certification Review book, and I did pretty bad. (Note: I finished within 1 hour, and did not use the second hour to go over all the questions and double check my answers like would be my normal practice. I wanted to see what my initial reactions were, and I know that I'll have the official PTCB practice exam to take later on.)

Most of the errors were due to simply not knowing details about specific drugs. I'm not quite sure where those questions fall into the three categories of:

I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients - 66% of exam

II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems - 22% of exam

III. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice - 12% of exam

But I did expect some of those questions, and to not do that well with them. Something I still need to work on before taking the official exam. What I did want to take the practice exam for was to see how I'd do on the other types of questions.

Calculations - There were some stupid mistakes in the calculations questions because I missed converting units. That's inexcusable. Calculations is the majority of the exam, and is also the easiest part of the exam.

Abbreviations - I also forgot some of the abbreviations that I made flash cards for. It shouldn't be too hard to pick up again.

References - I also need to study all the different references again. Orange Book, Red Book, Merck Index, etc all are one thing in my head at the moment, and there were several questions regarding them in the practice exam.

Other - Some minor topics that I need to review more are the different Acts and what the different parts of the NDC mean.

Next - Callculations Practice Exam

The workbook also has a Calculations Practice Exam. It's half as long as the Practice Exam. I used to be a physics student and checking units used to be second nature to me. I like that the workbook has this second exam to take so I can retake the most important part of the exam. I should definitely do better with this second go at it.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 4 - PTCE Registration

Registering for the exam isn't the simplest of processes. First, you head on over to ptcb.org. In somewhat the middle of the homepage you'll see three buttons:

Obviously I'm not there for Recertification... but Register and Schedule?  On any other website, that'd usually mean the same thing.  Well, the correct button to push was the first button.  Under the Register for Your Exam button, it's about answering standard contact information, some basic questions about how you heard about and prepared for the exam, and payment information.

Email #1 was the Thank You for Submitting an Application email.  If the $129.00 payment was done by credit card, then you'll receive an Authorization to Test email (which is basically a confirmation email) right away, or if you paid by electronic check, the email will be received when the payment clears.

Email #2 was the ATT email, which had my PTCB ID# as well as all the standard information about how to schedule the exam, how to prepare, what to bring, and how to cancel or reschedule.

Email #3 informed me about the auto creation of an account with Pearson VUE, which is the website for the actual testing service.  They gave me an auto generated account name and temporary password.  There's a link in the email to go to their website, but I found it simpler to go back to the ptcb.org website and click on the Schedule Your Exam button.  (Which now makes sense that there are two buttons, since the two separate process of registering/payment and selecting the test date are handled by two different websites.)  The scheduling itself is very simple.  You click a button that searches for nearby test centers, choose the location you want to test at, choose a date, then choose a time, and submit!

Email #4 was the confirmation email about my scheduled test date with all important information repeated again and directions.  I selected my test date for next Thursday to give me time to take the practice exam in the workbook I have, take the official practice test if I feel like I need it, do some extra studying, and have some days for other things I need to take care of.  I can always reschedule the exam to be earlier (or later) if need be, as long as I take the exam within 90 of registration.  (The Register Your for Exam button stuff.)

Let me repeat that last part. Scheduling does not have to be on the same day as registering (and payment). Scheduling can take place at any time up to 90 days after registration. If you want to enforce a maximum deadline from when you get the books you want to study, and when you take the exam, you might want to do that.

And there it goes.  Registering for the exam through two websites and by receiving four emails.  Simple?  Not exactly.  Done?  Completely.