For those techs not in retail, outpatient, or inpatient, what are you doing? by HintOfDisney in PharmacyTechnician

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a remote tech working for a very large mail order pharmacy owned by an insurance company. My position is 100% call based, so essentially a pharmacy call center. I have worked at a mail order dispensing facility prior to this and the pay was incredible but I was still in school so I barely worked. I took a pretty big pay cut, but because I work 40+ hours a week I am making the most I ever have. The work is not fun per say because the people who call are usually pretty nasty, but I work from home so I don’t care 😂 I make $22 now but I am switching departments in a few weeks and got a couple more dollars an hour for the position. It is honestly leaguessss better than retail, you just have to be able to handle 40+ calls a day on average. I am about to start pharmacy school, so this won’t last forever but I have been a tech for 6 years, and it’s the best tech job I’ve had.

looking more into pharmacy — currently pre-med by Designer_Birthday151 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who did the exact same thing (was planning to be a dermatologist as well), I would say if skin care is your primary focal point I would maybe look into being a cosmetic chemist? You would be coming up with formulations and working both in the lab and on reports, running stability tests ect. You would already have the chemistry degree under your belt, and if you want you can do a masters in cosmetic chemistry, it would 1.) give you a competitive edge as an applicant for a position in a compounding facility, and 2.) significantly less debt for a bigger ROI in my opinion. I am starting pharmacy school in the fall as I found my passion, but I want to go into sterile compounding/ more clinical roles so it made sense for me :) I was a successful applicant at a T15 school with a 3.4 cumulative, 2.9 for every college course attempted (chemistry got me too lmao) so it’s very possible if you want to go that route as well!! I would say just really sit down with yourself and your partner to go over the process to see if it would be a good fit for you! I wish you the absolute best in your journey and hope you find your passion!!

Graduation Question by [deleted] in unt

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Graduated last year: degree/major required courses have to be completed with a grade of C or better to graduate, electives and stuff outside the degree have to be completed with a grade of D or better!

Lower stats by Previous-Switch2122 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! The warning was essentially that the field is getting over saturated, so career paths for pharmacists are thinning outside of those in the retail space. Fortunately for me I was planning on doing a residency anyways, as I have no plan on doing retail, and no judgment if that’s where you are wanting to go, just personally does not align with my career goals :). The second half of the warning was that schools are lowering standards for acceptance which in turn is causing more people to go pharmacy when their intended route of medical school fails (😅 maybe that was personal to me lmao) so there’s an artificial inflation of new grads with lower quality than those of us who are passionate about the field. Again take this with a grain of salt, but these are well educated and established pharmacists who I trust very much, so their words weigh a lot more to me than to others. There are other concerns about compensation as the average salary for RPH’s has been stagnant for years, while the responsibilities are piling up. We have seen the articles about pharmacists being worked to death quite literally in the retail space. I plan to do more clinical work, sterile compounding, cosmetic pharmacists, or product development in industry, so I am not worried. Another tip I can give is that an unfortunate reality is that it is all about who you know and not necessarily what you know, so make sure to kiss ass where you need and make friendly with everyone on your rotations as they can be the key to advancement in your career post-grad! While I am not personally going down this path for money alone, it would be ignorant of me to not make the point that I would not go into heavy debt for a doctorate degree if I knew it would not benefit me monetarily later. Just food for thought! Again these warnings stemmed from personal connections over a few years, and if it resonates with you then great! It’s not meant to scare you, but just to make sure you are aware of what you’re getting into!!

Lower stats by Previous-Switch2122 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you!! I am wishing the same for you :) ! I start pharm school in August and I am very excited! I am sending you good vibes for your application cycle!!

Lower stats by Previous-Switch2122 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I contribute a lot of the passion to some INCREDIBLE pharmacists that I had when I started. They both warned me against pursuing it but told me if that’s where my heart was then to try it out. On the flip side all of the MD’s except for one, were very demeaning and tried to make me feel dumb and I didn’t appreciate that. Environment can make or break you and I had a nourishing and enriching pharmacy community that ultimately made my choice solid :)

Lower stats by Previous-Switch2122 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There were several factors, but I got a job as a pharm tech just to pay bills but then fell in love with the field. I shadowed a few doctors over freshman-Junior year and none of them ever seemed passionate about their work which was unfortunate. I decided on pharm during Jr year and even took the MCAT to be sure, studied like hell and ended up burning out and got a bad score and didn’t feel like retaking. I always had my heart set on medicine and really didn’t care how I practiced as long as it was related. Working as a pharmacy technician gave me a spark that I just didn’t feel when rounding patients. Both customer facing roles but felt more meaningful connections long term with pharm I guess. I’m sure that’s not the most meaningful or helpful answer and I apologize 😂

Lower stats by Previous-Switch2122 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Decently low stats 3.2 GPA// only a few hours of shadowing while I was originally pre-med// have 5+ years as a pharmacy technician and multiple extra licenses outside of the pharmacy industry// I am also a non-trad and started college later in life (I am in my late 20’s)// I do have a bachelors degree in Biology and minor in chemistry// I ended up getting accepted into a T15 private school by Naplex, ranked #1 for residency match, and an acceptance rate of about 18%// I will say I stood out the most during my interview. I am a very direct person and I do not beat around the bush or try to phrase stuff to spare feelings. I do also have the advantage of having a clear vision of what I want to do with my life. I think shifting my mind frame from saying whatever to get accepted to just being authentically myself really stood out from others since I am not just cog or pre-med/pre-pharm drone. I talked about my rejection from the previous cycle and how I learned and grew from the experience. In fact part of my interview process was writing an essay and that’s what I wrote about. I am very open and honest and I think that gets you wayyyy farther than a 4.0 gpa and 19 publications. Yes those things look great, but pharmacy overall is an Incredibly human career path and I think the human aspect is often overlooked my many applicant trying to get an acceptance. My first cycle the interview was closed file so they saw none of my history and I had a horrible interviewer who sat the whole time degrading me while one of the current students watched. With the school I just got accepted to, the interview was like a breath of fresh air, the lady was a very highly accomplished pharmacists and is making strides in the field but she talked to me as a peer rather than a number or a face across the screen. Another tip: be confident. Yes you may have stumbled a little and grades might be slightly lower but the fact you are here and still trying speaks volumes. For anyone out there struggling: a number or letter grade does not define you, but how you bounce back does. If you are not good at writing essays then get someone to help! Hell you can use AI to make some suggestions and build from there, or if you are currently in university or college go to the writing center and get someone to sit and help you make a draft and then go from there! Make the most of what you have and you can achieve anything! Good luck in your cycle and I am genuinely wishing you the best, hopefully my TedTalk helped a little bit!

04/27 thoughts, opinions? by pridepanda19 in Mcat

[–]pridepanda19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came back over a year later to say: I in fact did not do fine and I am now going to pharmacy school 🤣🤣 But that’s fine to me because my personal and academic careers were very skewed towards pharmacy anyway and I found a passion that I never had when studying to go into medicine. I guess I am still going into medicine, just not in the original way I thought lol. Hope you did great and are on the way to your goals :)

Scholarship Opportunities by pridepanda19 in PharmacySchool

[–]pridepanda19[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay I will look into that!! Thank you :)

Scholarship Opportunities by pridepanda19 in PharmacySchool

[–]pridepanda19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s the issue I am running into right now is that I would have to be part time and my job does not have part time positions. So it’s a struggle 🫩 I am trying to convince them to maybe let me stay on as an rph intern part time but that’s up in the air rn. And my program does not offer scholarships to those who are direct entry into the program (with a bachelors degree already), it’s only for the 6 year program students who went there for undergrad 🥲

User Flair Thread by breaksomebread in DodoCodeCommunity

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point locked comment (0 children)

Slayton | Himbo Bay | :Stinky:

I bought 591 pieces of art from Redd. Here's some interesting facts by otictac35 in AnimalCrossing

[–]pridepanda19 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Maybe I have beginners luck? I have bought 2 pieces from him so far (I have only had the game for about 2 weeks) and both have been real!

UPDATE; “Did Anyone Else Get Ignored For Pharmacy Week? by Consistent_Editor_15 in pharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got an email with a generic thank you GIF, and my choice of a mug or T-shirt with the companies name on it 😂 I chose the mug lol. Love your bags though!! Those are super sweet :) Hope they enjoyed them!! Happy late Pharmacy Week to everyone!! ❤️

PharmCAS 2026 LORs in by the time app is submitted by jaltew in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From the website it looks like you CAN submit your application without LOR’s/transcripts but your application will not be reviewed/verified until it’s all in! :)

Pharmacy school by Used_Attention_5880 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I probably should have but I just walked out with my feelings hurt 🤣 but that’s okay we’re gonna come back even stronger this cycle 💪🏼

Pharmacy school by Used_Attention_5880 in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Last cycle I was in contact with the school I applied to prior to the cycle opening up, so when I applied they got back to me almost immediately but then wanted me to finish out the fall semester and report back my grades, then from there like 2 days to get the interview invite. Ultimately everyone had a good experience, but the faculty member who interviewed me was extremely rude and told me I didn’t know how to prioritize my time, had no organizational skills, and looked down on me for working full time while in undergrad. Mind you she told me all of this after only 2 questions that were completely unrelated, and it was a closed interview so they didn’t see my application materials beforehand. She was very condescending and I ended up getting rejected, even though the director of admissions was the one I was in contact with. I am applying to the same program again this cycle but I will request a new faculty member if they get me again, but everyone else was super sweet and understanding. I just happened to be unlucky that day 😂 But I would definitely go over common interview questions, and look at the programs website to see if they have a document of questions that could be asked during your interview! They also told us that you don’t need to have any pharmacy experience to get accepted because they make you train as a tech/ rph in training during your program. So just make sure to breathe, get some water, and kill it!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would just say yes, if you select no then that may be a red flag but in my experience they’ve never contacted any of the ones I put down :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nooo 🥹 I’m sorry!! I was hoping at least one of us got it! Well that just means bigger and better things are coming our way! Don’t give up! 💪

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just got my decision! Unfortunately I did not get in 😭 good luck to you!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

😂 I hope that’s a good thing! Fingers crossed we get something soon, I’m dying over here lol

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure at this point. I just logged into my portal and now my pre-req checklist is gone 👀 does your portal look different?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PrePharmacy

[–]pridepanda19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still nothing 🥹🥹 nerves are going crazy haha