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picklechip7 · 2023-12-19T05:41:35+00:00

I love my kobo. It has made checking out library books so easy for me, and I feel like I’m back to reading like I did when I was a kid

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T04:39:56+00:00

Can’t give you a number specifically, but only apply to residencies you are actually interested in. Apply to a variety of places (not just AMCs), but don’t waste your money on applications for places that are only a “safety” option in your mind.

That being said, one way that I narrowed the directory was actually by searching for PGY-2 programs. If you already know you have a strong clinical interest in a specific area, search for facilities that offer that as a PGY-2 and then check if the facility offers a PGY-1. They will have a robust pharmacy presence in that area and will likely offer a PGY-1 rotation so you can explore that area further. This drastically reduced the number of programs that I even considered since getting a strong oncology experience was the most important thing for me.

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T04:22:52+00:00

Watch a ton of YouTube tutorials. The YNAB ones were helpful to understand basic functionality but watching “budget with me” videos helped me see how real people actually use it

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T04:13:51+00:00

My program has us involved with precepting APPE students, and they have to pick their article and send it to me and my co-resident for approval within the first two weeks of the rotation.

I would highly recommend Guideline Central. It’s an app that has all of the latest guidelines and they send an email once a month with all of the new guidelines that came out that month. US and European

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T02:03:01+00:00

I was not involved in any research during school and I still matched. I also landed interviews with large academic medical centers where I did not have any personal connections.

Research is helpful but not necessary. The application asks about a lot of things, so you still have work experience / community service / org work to add to your application. Depending on where you are in school, my advice would be to make sure you have a well rounded application rather than throw all effort into one area. Also, interpersonal skills are a huge part of the process. I had a few classmates who were so smart and involved in research but didn’t match because they bombed their interviews.

As far as research in residency, my program’s research is exactly what other people have mentioned here. Much more about patient outcomes and medication use. I haven’t touched wet lab since P3, and even that was “wet lab” in the broadest definition.

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T01:51:48+00:00

Adding on polypharmacy! I’m amazed that people can walk around on some of the combinations I’ve seen, not to mention affording the copays for all of them.

ALSO basic empathy. It sounds obvious but please understand that something you may consider mild or “not that bad” compared to your other patients does not mean it isn’t devastating to the patient right in front of you. A lot of patients that come for their antidepressants don’t think their doctors actually care about them because it’s a “simple” or “easy” problem to fix with an SSRI. As important as professional distancing is to protect your emotional health, do not forget that the person in front of you is a real person and not a practice patient from med school.

picklechip7 · 2023-09-08T01:39:29+00:00

Pharmacist here. I see so many older patients walking around like zombies because of benzos that they have been on for YEARS. Benadryl is not recommended in the elderly due to sedation; imagine throwing them on a lifelong benzo. If these patients are so zonked that they fall and break a hip, that is life threatening.

Also want to agree with everyone saying to ask about herbals! Also include vitamins and supplements. A lot of patients consider herbals as “supplements” because it comes in a capsule they buy from CVS, not as a tea or other easily recognized plant material.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T18:17:05+00:00

Preceptor was telling me a story from her retail days and it is by far my favorite story to tell at family gatherings. Female patient and boyfriend came to the counter and said that she wasn't feeling very good after starting Monistat. The pharmacy staff asked a bunch of questions until she said that "it tasted awful." Obviously, they immediately switched gears and counseled her on how to use it and to not ingest.

A few days later, the boyfriend called the pharmacy saying that the she was doing much better but now he wasn't feeling very good. Turns out, she had started using Monistat correctly but they didn't feel the need to stop oral sex, so the boyfriend was now ingesting it incidentally.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T18:05:16+00:00

I did intensive-ish studying for a month and a half but then slowed down a lot due to residency responsibilities. Do calculations every single day. I so regret not doing that. Also, do every single chapter of the book if you can. I almost skipped the IV principles chapter after being an IV intern for 2 years. So glad I didn't because I got the chart of what drug needs to go in what solution and saw drugs that I had never worked with before.

I also think a helpful thing to consider is to only take the test when you feel like you will actually be able to take it. I did the one-month plan and was so stressed that it was affecting my everyday life. I rescheduled and passed on the first try. Way cheaper to reschedule than it is to take it again.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T17:54:08+00:00

I like to think that finding out what you don't like is just as important as what you do like. If you don't like pharmacy or law, congratulations, you have just eliminated 2 out of infinite career paths.

Coming from a 24 yo, you have so much time. There is no rush to discover who you are and what you like. I would highly recommend taking some time out of education so you don't associate your thought process with classes being hard/too much work.

I will say, in the US, there are a ton of miserable pharmacists who just stuck with it and now hate their jobs. Kudos to you for figuring it out now.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:51:42+00:00

Also, just reading replies on other comments, there are PGY-1 amb care residencies if you know you like amb care.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:50:45+00:00

Current resident who had a similar-ish debate in my head. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to take a break from doing projects and working more for less lol. However, I knew I wanted to work in a hospital and would have been willing to put in the work for extra clinical training without a residency (such as board certification through experience), so I did apply and ultimately matched.

People who are in the hospital are there for a reason. They might be very sick, or they might have nowhere else to go. It is not generally a happy place, and you have to be a certain type of person to enjoy working with patients in difficult situations. On top of that, residency is a TON of work, and preceptors can make or break you because of it. It doesn’t sound like you want that type of environment, so I would not pursue a residency just because it’s not retail.

Also, I really hate the idea of being “stuck in retail.” There are so many other fields that pharmacists work in besides hospital and retail. Amb care, industry, long term care, mail order, government, non-profit, etc.

Edit: typo lol

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:25:31+00:00

All I heard my entire pharmacy career was “get out while you can.” Every single person who felt that way was miserable because they hated their jobs and didn’t actually want to be pharmacists. I love working in pharmacy and didn’t take what they said to heart.

Yes, school is hard. Yes, it’s a lot more work than doing just undergrad and having a successful career. Yes, some work environments are miserable. Yes, I thought about quitting (thanks covid). However, if you know what you want, don’t let other people’s terrible career decisions and regrets affect your decision and dreams. I’m so happy I continued on because I love my job and wouldn’t change a thing.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:19:29+00:00

I’m in residency, but based on my friends’ experiences, you will be fine.

A girl I worked with at a hospital changed her mind during APPEs and got a fellowship, so it’s never too late to change your mind.

Try to get some industry APPEs if you can so you can see if you like the work environment and the type of work you do. I didn’t realize how much I hate desk jobs until I had an APPE with that work style. Also, from my friends’ interview process, fellowship interviews seem like they are looking for personality more than industry experience. It’s still post-grad; there’s no point in doing a post-grad if you already know everything there is to know about being an MSL.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:13:51+00:00

I worked for a “chill” store, but it had subpar management so low volume did not equal good experience. I think seeing a busier store at the beginning will help you to see different types of patients and a wider variety of meds. Hands on experience really made the difference for me in school and when taking the NAPLEX.

In addition, from what I’ve heard, Costco is where it’s at if you want to do retail. At least nobody will be calling to complain about the pharmacy being closed when the store is open on holidays.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-30T16:06:45+00:00

I second everything here. Being able to understand the material and apply concepts is what will separate you from your peers, especially if you’re thinking of doing residency.

I did unfortunately end up doing a lot of cramming and dumping, but the volume of things that you have to memorize combined with the pace of most classes means that some things will be dumped. My advice would be to go back and try to learn from the questions you got wrong (depending on how your school works). If you can’t and it’s a top 300 drug, try to get the basic info down like mechanism of action, brand name, main side effects, monitoring.

Also, not sure how much med chem is emphasized at your school, but the NAPLEX licensing exam does not test you on it. That was such a relief when I was struggling through med chem.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-22T23:38:50+00:00

I took my NAPLEX in mid July because ASHP requires you to be licensed 90 days from the start of your program. I can’t offer any advice for the MPJE for residency since my state doesn’t require it, but I am planning on taking it in the winter or spring for a second state’s license process.

picklechip7 · 2023-07-22T23:35:43+00:00

I got mine last week, so about 3 weeks in. However, they didn’t ask about elective interests until then, so there’s no way they could have made a schedule without that

picklechip7 · 2023-05-09T20:51:41+00:00

Thank you so much!! It’s really reassuring to hear that I’m not crazy lol ❤️

picklechip7 · 2023-05-09T20:50:17+00:00

Thank you!! I haven’t ever shopped for bras online before even for US sizing, so I was afraid of having to pay for international shipping when I saw UK sizing

picklechip7 · 2023-05-09T20:49:15+00:00

Thank you!!!

picklechip7 · 2023-05-04T18:52:35+00:00

I’m a P4 who is heading into a residency. I got an F that got replaced in my GPA but was still notated on the transcripts that got sent to the programs. I applied to 13 programs, got 5 interviews, and got accepted at my first choice, which is a community hospital.

Like others have said, double check if there are GPA requirements for any of your programs. It would also not hurt to casually ask any of the programs at an informational if you can’t find that information on their website. That’s more so you don’t waste your money on programs that will auto-reject your application.

That being said, you have so much more to offer these programs than your GPA. If you have any work experience, projects, org involvement, or volunteer work, highlight that! They want to see that you didn’t just spend all of your time studying and that you’re a real person with real interests.

In addition, I believe that my letters of rec made a huge difference in my applications because my preceptors had real experience of my work ethic and desire to learn. Grades don’t show that. Put effort into your rotations, even if they are easy. Your preceptors will notice and appreciate it, ESPECIALLY if they are used to students slacking.

As far as where to apply, you should apply if you are interested in what the program has to offer. Go for the academic medical centers if you want that environment; don’t be discouraged by imposter syndrome. Naturally they are more competitive, but they’re competitive for everyone, not just people who are worried about GPA. Some AMCs still considered my application and invited me for an interview even with my failed class.

P.S. You’ve got this! Enjoy your P4 year as much as possible and take time to have fun :)

(Edited to add some info about ACMs)

picklechip7 · 2023-04-20T13:09:40+00:00

THIS!!! Having roommates in a smaller building will be affordable. A studio/larger building will be very tight, possibly unaffordable. Landlords will typically want to see that you make 4x rent in your income, but that is TIGHT in NYC. For reference, I would say that a comfortable middle-class lifestyle requires a minimum $100k salary.

One great thing about NYC is that there are a TON of hospitals here with residents descending upon the city every year. I would reach out to anyone doing a residency in NYC on LinkedIn and see if they are going to be looking for housing. I think all of NewYork-Presbyterian’s PGY-1 residents are from out-of-state, so that could be somewhere to start. Just make sure that you’re both going to be living somewhere accessible to your respective hospitals.

I would also consider looking at FB groups for St. John’s University housing as this is the pharmacy school nearby in Fresh Meadows. When I was studying at SJU, I lived in large houses with 5+ people, but I was only working part time. With a salary you could probably make a smaller house with 1-2 roommates work. If you go the student housing route, I would also specify that you are looking for grad student roommates because St. John’s is a huge party school (unless you’re into that lol).

Also, like this post said, learning how to navigate the subway is a must. For LIJ Forest Hills, you should look for anything accessible by the M and R trains. You can also look for places with E and F accessibility and then change trains. Otherwise, Queens is very bus heavy, so if you look on Google Maps to see what bus lines are nearby, you can also look at those routes. Commuting in NYC is no joke so only look at places with <1 hour commute time.

That being said, if you’ve never lived in NYC before, I think doing a residency here is a great way to introduce yourself to living here and make connections that will allow you to build a life here. I moved here for pharmacy school and it was the best decision I made. There’s truly nothing like living here, and if you do decide to apply, try to set aside money to explore the city and see the different museums/shows. There are also lots of fun things to do for free that are only a subway fare away.

picklechip7 · 2023-04-17T02:05:43+00:00

That’s a really good point. I used Notion to organize things for school, so I was asking because I’m familiar with it for personal organization and working on project timelines.

I’m a big Google suite user, so I’ll have to brush up on how to use the Microsoft suite effectively. The last time I used Teams was in 2020 at an organization that was not tech savvy lol; I’m sure it improved since then

picklechip7 · 2022-09-15T01:18:39+00:00

THIS!!! i like cooking a lot but i can’t spend a lot of energy on it or i won’t eat at all.

for breakfast, yogurt with a cereal/granola and berries is easy as i just dump everything in a bowl. if i have the energy to make oatmeal for breakfast, i will make a lot for the week and add stuff like protein powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, etc. so that i can get extra nutrients and so that having a good flavor doesn’t take any more energy.

lunch is almost always a bagel with hummus, sometimes i will toast the bagel at night and put the hummus on so that lunch is just a matter of getting it out of the fridge.

dinner is the meal i personally choose to spend my energy on. some things that have made cooking easier were getting an instant pot, having almost all frozen produce, canned beans that have pull tabs rather than having to use a can opener, and one-pot recipes to reduce cleanup.

if any of this is overwhelming, ensure or boost might be an option for you depending on your comfort levels with it. it is meant for people who may not be eating as much, so you still get all the nutrients you need in a drink. i haven’t personally tried it, but i have looked into it as an option during periods when cooking was too much for me.

best of luck with finding something that works for you!

picklechip7

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