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Anyone knows any schools in the West coast with good/great accelerated pre-pharmacy program (where you can earn a PharmD in 5,6, or 7 years)

Please list them in order of best schools.. and why

By Juniper (Juniper) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 07:08 pm: Edit

bump

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 07:51 pm: Edit

Try The University of the Pacific www.uop.edu
I thought perhaps USC might have some type of accelerated program with the USC pharmacy school but didn't find anything.

By Juniper (Juniper) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 10:53 pm: Edit

thanks ... anyone else?
PLZ???

By Slayer (Slayer) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 10:56 pm: Edit

i think UNC-Chapel hill

By May_1 (May_1) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 12:22 am: Edit

My friend's sister is finishing the combined pharm program at UoP. She did the 6-year program, and her starting salary will be ~90K. Very good deal IMO.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 10:56 am: Edit

Wow. Can't beat that May1! I recently read a study about which professions are expected to be in the highest demand and pay the most over the next 20 years and pharmacy was at the top. It makes a lot of sense if you consider the population is aging and thus will be requiring more medications, etc. Ironically, physicians were NOT on the list. I suppose that is because of managed care and insurance issues.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 11:07 am: Edit

Wow. Can't beat that May1! I recently read a study about which professions are expected to be in the highest demand and pay the most over the next 20 years and pharmacy was at the top. It makes a lot of sense if you consider the population is aging and thus will be requiring more medications, etc. Ironically, physicians were NOT on the list. I suppose that is because of managed care and insurance issues.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 11:09 am: Edit

Here's once school - in Arizona - that offers an accelerated program:
http://www.midwestern.edu/cpg/

You might be able to find others by looking through the undergraduate catalogs and information of the schools of pharmacy at:
UCLA
UCSF
USC
UCSD
University of Colorado
University of Arizona
Western U of Health Sciences (Pomona Calif)
University of NM

HEre's a link that lists most pharmacy schools in the US: www.pharmacy.org/schools.html

By Juniper (Juniper) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 07:16 pm: Edit

I've looked at the school you guys/girls have mentioned. The two schools that caught my eye is University of Souther California and University of the Pacific. Both have accelerated pre-pharmacy program and is in California. USC is closer to home for me since I live in Los Angeles and finding a job after graduation will probably be easier. However, USC's accelerated pre-pharmacy program takes 7 yrs to complete. UOP's program takes 5-6 yrs to complete and allow me to complete a joint degree program (pharmD/Ph.D or pharmD/M.B.A)at the same time.

According to this.. which school is a better choice for pre-pharmacy?(if I get into both and money doesn't matter)

By Lamom (Lamom) on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 05:18 pm: Edit

SC grad here, so probably biased. USC's TAPP program is now 7 yrs because they feel that you need the 3 yrs for all the prerequites. When you have completed your 3 yrs in TAPP program you may stay on an additional year for your Bachelors. USC had the first PharmD program and is one of the finest pharmacy programs in the US, probably the world(bias) UOP's used to be quicker because you go year around--I work with several UOP grads--so you might get out sooner but you don't get summers off. The USC TAPP program is great if you know that pharmacy is what you want to do. You will need great grades and EC's. You also will need to prove to SC that you know what you are getting into, you need to be involved somehow in pharmacy now. I would expect competition to be much tougher now, but back in the dark ages you almost had to have an undergraduate degree to be admitted to SC's school. CA has a couple more pharmacy schools now, Loma Linda, Western (?)--in Pomona and UCSD. Yes the pay is great but please don't go into it just for the money. Go to the California State Board of Pharmacy website and you can find out the pass rate of students from the different schools. Feel free to ask me anything you think might help you.

By Lamom (Lamom) on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

forgot to add..I can ask the UOP pharmacists any questions you might have.

By Benjamin (Benjamin) on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 06:06 pm: Edit

Samford University in Birmingham, AL

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 09:08 pm: Edit

Lamon - Thank you for your post. Could you describe what pharmacists typically do? My husband and I were talking about this and he pictures pharmacists as the guys behind the counter at Long's Drugstore but I know that many pharmacists do a lot more exciting work than that. Can you give us some insights into types of careers pharmacists can pursue within the industry? Thanks.

By Lamom (Lamom) on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 01:17 pm: Edit

Carolyn
I will try. I've always considered myself more a mom than a pharmacist so I am not super involved in the pharmacy world. Most everyone's first impression of pharmacists is the guy behind the counter. I did the retail thing during school, but did not like it. I worked community, not chain (Longs,Eckert etc.) Now days, a technician (usually 9 mo to 2 yr vocational program) enters the RX, selects the med from the shelf and puts it in the container. Then the pharmacist job ranges from basically just checking the med to evaluating, the patient's medical history and consulting with the patient. I enjoy the consulting with the patient part. I did not like retail because I did not like dealing with the money aspect. The huge volume of RX's at the chains is very stressful, the $$ is outrageous. It may be hard for a new grad with lots of loans to pass by sign-on bonuses and $100K plus a year that the retails offer. But you will work your tail off and the amount of time you will use your education is only a small part of your day.

Industry, you will need a PhD. I worked for a large drug company the summer before I graduated. I enjoyed doing research experiments but it was too academic for me. I have no idea what the pay is, I would expect it to be competitive.

Teaching, I took a continuing education cruise summer before last. Our instructor was from an AZ school of pharmacy, he loved his work. He did mention that it is difficult to recruit pharmacist instructors because they can make more on the outside.

Hospital, my love. It ranges from just checking that the correct medication is pulled from stock to total patient care. The schools train you to work as part of a medical team with physicians and the other staff. The staff pharmacists where I work are responsible for all our patient's medication. We get the written physician's order, look at the patients medication profile, check for allergy and drug interactions. We then evaluate if the new order fits in with the total picture of patient care. Several antibiotics can be harmful if not dosed properly, at our hospital (and most) the pharmacists dose the patient. The pharmacist goes to the patient's floor, reads the medical record, uses ht/wt/lab values to order a personalized dose for the patient. We then follow the progress of the patient, write progess notes in the chart and follow lab results to see if what we estimated actually happened. --you use math equations to guess the amt of drug to give, certain drug blood levels are usually therapeutic and you draw the blood to ck the levels. We also do this for people who must get nutrition from the veins, we work with the physician and dietitian. The dietitian tells us what the patient needs, protein,carbs, fat. We calculate this and devise a formula, then we make it up the nurse gives it to the patient.
I take care of long term care patients. I evaluate all the orders for my patients. Each week we have a meeting with all the staff, MD, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, activity people, pt and family. We all work together to get the pt well. There is lots of paper work and regulations that is not fun though. I love what I do. Mom has to go now, it is Sun am and S is up--Want to make him breakfast. Please ask for clarification on anything. Now everyone I know loves their job I can elaborate later.

By Lamom (Lamom) on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 01:54 pm: Edit

S does not want breakfast . I know my days being mom are going to change.

Not (not now) everyone I know loves their job...In the beginning of my career I ran into several male pharmacists who choose pharmacy when they didn't make it into med school or when their family commitments did not allow the extra years in medicine before money started coming in. I don't seem to run into that anymore. I have run into several parents pushing their child into pharmacy because of the money, Hopefully the school interview process weeds those out. I have worked with people who choose pharmacy because of the money. I think most careers come and go in waves, it was very difficult for me to get my hospital job right out of school. Today a brand new grad with no experience can go just about anywhere and get a hospital or retail job. Probably 10 years ago it seemed as though there were too many pharmacists, I was worried that I might not have a career when it came time for my S college tuition. As Carolyn noted, there is an great demand for pharmacists now. There are several new pharmacy schools now so I have no idea what it will be like in 10-20 years. Lots of kids have asked me about pharmacy technician, it is not the same as pharmacist. A p technician will never become a pharmacist without going to pharmacy school. The tech schools charge 9-20 K for their courses. In my area of S. CA, a tech will have a very difficult time finding a full time job. Techs pay range is $7-14 an hr. I don't see how the schools can justify the high tuition cost.

I suppose everyone has their bad days and experiences on the job. Like life, not everyone you come in contact will respect your education or knowledge. But I am so happy that I am able to uses my education and sometimes make a difference. I do not get close to the patients and their lives much. I cannot handle the sorrow and all the problems they have. I found out early on I am not qualified to get involved with the personal side of their lives. I do celebrate when someone you never thought would move walks out healthy. I cry when I think of the parents who wish their child would be able to come home late, flunk a test, talk back to them, be nervous for an audition. Some of my patients have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, lots of car accidents.
I picked pharmacy because I thought it would be clean, I would always be able to work part-time when I married, and all the local pharmacists seemed to have a decent life. I had no idea of the salary when I choose pharmacy. I also had no idea of the amount of chemistry I would be studying. I think I fell in a pile of horse waste and found a pony. But I am still waiting to be able to work part time--maybe after s is out of college

By Juniper (Juniper) on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 02:22 pm: Edit

Lamom
Thank you so much for your input. I am a junior right now and have been intersted in being a doctor. As first I thought all a pharmacist does is standing behind the counter filling out prescription.. and I thought how boring is that? I started looking into pharmacy in the beginning of this yr because both my uncle and aunt are one and my mom wanted me to be one because of the pay. As I did more research online and learned in depth of what a pharmacist does I wanted to be a pharmacists even more. It wasn't the money that attracted my interest or the fact that pharmacists is in demand and I will get a job right away after i finish college. It was the aspect of being able to help others and make a difference in other people lives minus medical school and blood. I like science very much and thought I would be a dcotor ever since 8th grade, but I have learned that I can't stand blood or wounds, so I can't be a doctor. As I learned more and more about being pharmacists.. I realized this is the right job for me. It is academically challenging, requires a good science and math background, don't have to go throught 8+ yrs of school after college and seeing blood, and is flexible in the fact that I can be a resercher, a teacher, or someone working behind the counter.

Thanks again for your input... the aspect of working in the hospital with a team of medical staff and conferring with your patients appealed to me.

By Lamom (Lamom) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 10:44 am: Edit

Juniper, you made my morning. If your aunt & uncle are not local and you need more info email me. Maybe I can find someone local you could talk with.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 12:19 pm: Edit

Lamom - Thank you! You gave a wonderful, detailed answer that I think will help people understand that there are more medical-science oriented careers out there than just becomming a doctor. Your work sounds fascinating. Now I will be able to better explain to my husband what pharmacists do!

By Mentor99 (Mentor99) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 02:15 pm: Edit

You need to do some research. There are only about 80 pharmacy schools in the country. Most of them are public universities. Because of the articles mentioned above, apps for these programs have soared! (Our local univ got a 100% increase in apps in the last 2 years) Mostly, you apply to the college, then do two years. If you are at the top of the apps list from within that college (perfect science course GPA) then you get to spend 4 "professional" years busting your buns with tough courses before finishing your Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD not PhD) then the reward, the recruiters arrive and hand you big bucks.
You must be smart, hardworking and competitive. PS you also must be squeaky clean -- one (as in, one) conviction for DUI or drugs and you cannot be licensed in most states. But, it's a great profession -- definitely not just counting pills!
Go for it!

By Dads2kids (Dads2kids) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 04:05 pm: Edit

There are niches within pharmacy that are quite clinically oriented including many hospitals to some degree or another. Nuclear pharmacy is a specialty niche. So is Drug Information. Specifically, I've been doing clinical toxicology for 20 years. Since graduating in '81 from USC, I've worked in several poison centers throughout the US. Clin tox is a rewarding area of practice for pharmacists. You apply pharmacological concepts in every case you manage. Consulting over the phone with physicians who are managing poisoned patients in the ER or ICU, etc. Its a fun and interesting area of practice. Sure there are frustrations from time to time...won't find a job that doesnt have these. Just keep in mind there are areas of practice outside of the traditional retail dispensing arena to consider. Good luck!

By Lamom (Lamom) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 04:33 pm: Edit

Dear Dads2kids LA mom is class of 81 also. What a small world. Our S likes physics also but prefers to be a long-haired trumpet player. I never would have guessed how popular our profession would become.---sorry everyone if I went off topic everyone.

By Dads2kids (Dads2kids) on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 06:02 pm: Edit

Yeah... starting out in '81 finding a job was a chore... now every other day we have employers trying to entice us somewhere. Interesting... physics will be my sons major as well... how about that. He's waiting like everyone else for April to roll around. You were SC too? What a coincidence.

By Sunny1986 (Sunny1986) on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Any good pharmacy schools in the east coast?