Should I go to Pharmacy School? | Pharmacist explains how to decide! 10 Questions to ask yourself

[@kilanisky2569]

Thank you so much for such a helpful video! I’m currently on my pre-pharmacy journey and can’t wait for what’s ahead!

[@SarahPharmD]

Awww so excited for you!! Wishing you the best of luck 🥹

[@tonightwestealthsmoon]

Hello! I’m an eighth grader and we try to figure out which career we want. I’ve heard vague things about education for pharmacists- would a student obtain a bachelor’s degree first and then attend pharmacy school? Or an undergraduate and then pharmacy school? My main questions are- -What do you think is a good approach towards college for a student looking to be a pharmacist -How does a person get involved in activities that expose them to medicine so they know if they’re interested or can just gain experience? -Is it worth it to put all this time and effort towards this career? Especially considering the work hours, pay, and years dedicated to college and pharmacy school. -What are the best places to study for being a pharmacist? -What are the best places to live that offer job opportunities as a pharmacist? -What are the best places to intern or volunteer as preparation for being a pharmacist? -What helps to get a job opportunity as a pharmacist? If there’s any key points you want to mention i’d appreciate that too- sorry for the lengthy comment 😅

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi!! Usually you would need a bachelors degree (undergraduate/college) first before you go to pharmacy school. There are some colleges that combine both and provide accelerated programs but I would be cautious of those if you’re not 100% sure you want to do pharmacy since you won’t have a bachelors to fall back on! In regards to your questions, I have a video that breaks down my path from high school to becoming a pharmacist. I think that one will answer almost all your questions about how to get experience and the overall pathway!

[@tonightwestealthsmoon]

@ TY SO MUCH 😁

[@edgarmatamoros479]

I used to be a pharmacy tech and love it. I just graduated with a bachelors in healthcare administration but I’m looking to go to graduate school so I’m considering pharmacy school 😅

[@v3rcetti716]

I'm so happy I came across your channel! I'm in my last year of high school and just enrolled in a two-year pharmacy technician program at my local community college, which starts this year. I’ve been exploring different specializations within the pharmacy tech field and recently watched some videos about chemotherapy/oncology on KZbin. That’s how I found your channel. Your "Day in the Life" and work vlogs have really helped me envision what I want my future to look like. I'm even considering transitioning to a pharmacist later on if I enjoy where I go with pharmacy tech. I already know that I want to work as a hospital inpatient pharmacy technician once I gain enough experience. I realized I wanted to be in this field because I love watching survival shows like "The Walking Dead." It might sound funny, but I always get anxious knowing there’s no one in the show who can help with medical needs, and that inspired me to figure out what I want to do. Plus, I love helping people and want to learn more about how medicine works with our bodies. I also wanted to say, please keep posting! Your videos give me so much hope and excitement for my future! 🩷🩷

[@SarahPharmD]

Aww thank you so much!! That makes me so happy to hear 🥹 I love pharmacy technicians! They play such a vital role in healthcare and the pharmacy department. I’m excited for you and your future career!

[@aniAxiu]

Hskdhsksk omg same! I'm a junior and looking forward to studying pharmacy and this video really helped...❤

[@tanisharobinson9591]

I’m in behavioral health/medical social work and I do diabetes education. I am super interested in using my science background more in what I do and I am looking to do pharm. I’m retaking my prerequisites because they were done in the early to mid 2010s and so even though it’s not required by the couple of schools I am looking for, they say it could be good to have them taken more recently. 😊looking forward to this change. And I’m saving like crazy for the money to have as much as possible for the 3-4 years via my private practice. I am looking at applying in 1-2 years. I’ll have been in medical social work/behavioral health for 10 years then and I think my clinical background from working in my job and my educational background will be an asset. 😊😊 thank you for your video and the information provided.

[@BobJoe-n4x]

Wonderful video, thank you so much!

[@SarahPharmD]

🥰

[@BlitzRBX-12]

I am interested in pharmacist 🧑‍⚕️

[@fatimatariq1468]

Hey @ dr sarah Plz make more videos about pharmcy books test books and a study materials that a pharmcaist should cover .by the way i am a final year student of Pharm d

[@SarahPharmD]

Great idea! I will add that to my future videos list

[@laurenfligge5961]

i'm a sophomore majoring in biochem and i'm really not loving organic chemistry at the moment... do you think this should be a reason to reconsider my plans to go to pharmacy school, or should i stick with it?

[@SarahPharmD]

Organic chem is mainly just a requirement for undergrad, but you won’t really see it in clinical pharmacist as a pharmacist. Most people I know in pharmacy school hated organic chemistry so I wouldn’t rely too much on that! you will probably only need it for one or two classes in pharmacy school

[@julianuddin68]

Forgot from my previous comment: I’ve been also thinking about obtaining as much scholarships as I can to afford yearly tuition

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes, I love it!! Definitely take advantage of scholarships

[@kalyanRanjit-u4z]

very informative video, am currently doing undergraduate program in pharmacy (B.pharm) in Asia. I want to pursue pharm D in US, can you explain the possibilities and process.

[@julianuddin68]

Hi Sarah!! So my application has finally gotten verified by PharmCAS last Friday for University of Florida 🥳🥳🥳 Anyway, I’ve been thinking about working as a Pharmacy Intern while at the same time studying my PharmD program to avoid forking out loans from the federal student aid to avoid being in debt. That’s for both paying my annual tuition to stay in UF until I graduate, and stay close by from the main campus in Gainesville. Can you give me an advice if my idea on working as a Pharmacy Intern while studying is a good idea or bad idea?

[@SarahPharmD]

It’s a great idea! It sounds stressful, but it’ll be worth it. A lot of my pharmacy classmates, me included, worked as interns during pharmacy school! It’s a good way to get work experience and also to keep your network. Many internships hire you on as pharmacists after graduation if a position opens ☺️

[@SumaliGunasekara]

Hi I’m also interested in applying for pharmacy school. Is that from PharmCAS 2023/2024 or 2024/2025?

[@julianuddin68]

@@SumaliGunasekara PharmCAS 2024/25

[@xXNyanNekoXx]

id like to do compounding, what would u reccomend as schooling?

[@MerizThomas]

tysm for this super helpful video, i do have one question tho. a huge con for pharmacy ive heard is the competitiveness, what do u have to say abt that?

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes, I would say it is rather saturated right now so it can be competitive in terms of job search unfortunately :( however I do hear that class sizes are starting to decrease so I predict that in several years it will calm down, but it is hard to say!

[@BlitzRBX-12]

How much does a pharmacist make I search up it says £58000 a year

[@SarahPharmD]

It can vary quite a lot depending what field and location! For the US, national average is ~120-130k, but can go up to ~170-200k for clinical pharmacists

[@BlitzRBX-12]

@@SarahPharmD ok thx btw does a pharmacist basically make the medicine