The Future of Pharmacy

One of the things I have noticed while surfing through the various pharmacy and pre-pharmacy forums is a frustration with the of changing pre-reqs over the last couple years. The majority seem to think that it is unfair to change requirements and that changes lack an overall point.

Thus I decided to dedicate this blog post to explain precisely why this changing to those who may be unfamiliar with the state of the field. This was spured by a lengthy tangent one of my interviewers and I delved into last week about where the field is heading and the changes that are coming. We both agreed that the current pharmacy school curriculum has to change in the coming years, but no one is quite sure where to start.

Before we dive into that, consider this fact. The classes they teach in medical school have remained relatively unchanged for many years. Sure new topics have been added and new methods of teaching used, but, for example, there hasn't been a new system discovered in the body during this period.

Why is this?

Because medical schools have all the essential information they need to train a doctor today, tomorrow and twenty years from now. Yes there will be some slight variations over the years, but I can guarantee that there will not be a massive change in med school curriculum during that time frame.

Now let's look at pharmacy schools. I consider myself fairly well versed in the history and current events of the field, probably more so than others my age. What few people realize, especially those who are new to pharmacy, is that the field is extremely volatile. There may be no other medical field that is evolving as rapidly as pharmacy is.

Think about how much has changed in the past fifteen years. The number of drugs on the market has exploded. Programs such as MTMs were nothing but the imagination of an innovative few. The term preventive health care was in its infancy.

Yet look where we are today. Pharmacists have never had such a vital role in patient care. The kicker is that this role will continue to increase in the coming years. As pharmacy school's accreditation come due for renewal, many are scrambling to meet the new patient care requirements.

Perhaps the biggest change to come will be the new classes of drugs which are currently in development. It has become apparent that the field has tapped out the available simple chemical compounds that have been the foundation of pharmacy since its inception. It is very unlikely that a new collection of blockbuster drugs will be found under these methods. Granted there is always the possibility, but one will not see blockbuster drugs appear with the frequency that they did at the turn of the century.

Where the future lies, however, are in proteins. Already researchers are toying with the idea of creating unique proteins to act in the same manner as drugs in the body. The evolution of insulin over the past several years is what has opened the door for this new area. Some estimates state that we are less than ten years away from the first protein-based drug hitting the market.

Now lets go back to the schools and their curriculum again. They now have to start adding patient care classes, if they haven't already, and at some point in the future they will have to consider those aforementioned protein based drugs.

The problem is, you simply cannot add more time to the pharmacy school curriculum. Three years in a classroom is the most they will have to work with. In order to squeeze in new classes, to fulfill future requirements, more pre-reqs are going to be required.

In reality, this is not a terrible idea. The first year of many programs are just review of courses that most have already taken. Freeing up credits by making biochemistry and stats pre-reqs is simply a good idea.

Yet another area that will be changing, I would expect by the end of the next decade, is the requirement of some sort of residency program. The field is growing to the point where there is almost too many details for one person to retain in their heads. Pharmacy will most likely take a chapter out of the medical school curriculum and pushing for residency training.

And really, would this be such a bad thing? A pharmacist focused in say, pediatric oncology, working with a doctor with a similar focus could accomplish amazing things together. Sure, people will still go to retail, but how nice would it be to have a retail pharmacy who specialized in diabetes or something of that nature?

To often I work with pharmacists who mumble, or yell depending on their mood, "This is not what I went to pharmacy school for!"

Ya know what, they are right. Yet it all comes back to how quickly the field is evolving and how we must all be prepared to adapt to it in the coming years.

I cringe every time I hear of people jumping into pharmacy without truly knowing what it is all about. Last week one of the interviewees stated that he decided to go to pharmacy school just a month ago and hadn't looked much into it. That alone scared the bejesus out of me.

So those of you who are aspiring to become a pharmacy, heed this message. Your role as a pharmacist in twenty years may be something that no one has imagined yet. This is not even including the Armageddon which is coming with both PBMs (well all know the shit will hit the fan sometime in the next few years) and/or public health care.

Just don't be caught off guard by it.

Interview... Round Two

Earlier today... or yesterday... or whatever the hell you wanna call it I had my second interview. This one required quite a bit more traveling than the last, but it's been a rather interesting journey since I have arrived. Upon boarding the plane I considered if it would be rude to remind the pilots to land as we neared our destination, alas I thought that may not be a very wise idea.

The interview itself was quite different from last week's. Instead of having one interviewer for forty minutes, this one was broken up into 4 separate interviewers each for twenty minutes. It was nice to talk to a range of people, but in all honesty twenty minutes is not a whole helluva lot of time.

It didn't really help that one of the interviewers appeared completely disinterested in interviewing me. She hadn't looked over my file and didn't express an ounce of emotion or reaction during the interview itself. I thought that if it was expected to be prepared and to conduct myself in a professional matter that my interviewer would do the same.

After wards I felt pretty good about the process. I'm a people person, thus why I love retail, and I have no qualms about talking with random people about something I love. I suppose it's a good sign that one of my interviewers said that I appeared "overqualified given my background" (whatever the hell that means) and my last interviewer said he expected to see me in his class next year. Good signs I hope.

The funny thing is I thought this was the school I was most certain that I wanted to go to. After my first interview, and the events of today, I'm not really sure that's the case. I do not really care for how the curriculum is setup, although I'm told it will be changed for next year, and the vibe the school gives off is completely different. Last week every one I met, from students to professors to support staff were overly friendly and supportive. Today, people were friendly, but those outside of the interviewing process flat out ignored us in the halls.

It doesn't help that this school is quite focused on the clinical side of things which is most likely where I will not end up.

But after the last few years what right do I have to be picky? I'll find out my status by Friday, possibly as soon as Tuesday, and I really don't know what I'll do then. The whole situation is very surreal after everything that's happened over the years.

Could it be that, in the near future, I may have to change the name of this blog to "I will be a pharmacist...?"

Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Science Nerds Unite!

I love science humor. A couple weeks ago I presented some research at a microbiology conference and it was hoot listening to various science related jokes. You know, the jokes that no one else but a true science nerd would understand.

Since then I have been looking for some t-shirts with just such jokes on them. I then stumbled upon a site that has just loads of goodies. Here are some of my favorites.





Anywho if you're a fellow nerd like me, check out the site - http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/chemistry It'll at least give you some laughs

Schools I Have Applied To

The last few weeks I have had several people ask me where I have applied. This namely applies to those with similar stats as me.

The thing is I have tried over the last 2+ years to remain anonymous here. This is for several reasons which we will not delve into at the moment. However, this also applies to the schools at which I am applying.

My reasoning is that I see a lot of pharm schools logging onto this site. There are a couple thousand visitors per week to this blog as it is. Some of which have come directly from the admissions office of those schools. I understand that they say they look at applications only for their requirements for admissions, but I would not be comfortable if a member on that committee knew I wrote this blog. It may sway them in either direction which isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to others. I know I posted what I may wear to the interviews, but that does not mean I will wear that exact outfit. I just prefer to write in secret for the moment.

Maybe my thoughts on this will change if I am accepted to one of the schools I am applying to. I would very much love to help those of you who have asked these past few weeks. And even then, I'm not sure my classmates would appreciate some of my thoughts either on the industry or on the school I may go to.

Needless to say it is a slippery slope, but I am doing my damnedest to determine a way to help others out there. Seems to be the least I can do.

Interview Review

Yesterday actually went pretty well. It's the first time in the five years I have been attempting to accomplish this that I feel really good about my chances. My interviewer almost forgot his structured questions because of the various interesting tangents we were discussing. I would think that would be a good sign.

To be honest I have never had an actual interview before. I've only interviewed for one job in my life and it was very informal. I decided not to practice though because I tend to get flustered when I try to remember what I prepared to say and I am generally very personable to begin with. One of the skills you gain working with the public for so long.

Of course it helped that everyone at the school was massively friendly. For as much as I have disliked working with interns over the year, the students there were extremely kind and thoughtful. I may have to revise that thought in the coming years.

In any case, one down, one to go!

Why Isn't There A Merit Badge for Swine Flu?

We all hear it every single day. It is now as consistent as insurance rejects, early fills on hydrocodone and the inability to find time to pee on a daily basis. I am, of course, talking about a proud patient proclaiming they have swine flu.

What in the hell is with people? They wear this fact almost as if it is some sort of proud accomplishment. I bet you we're within one month of someone selling "I've had swine flu" t-shirts to all the survivors.

Yes, that's right I called them survivors. You know why? Because I have had no less than a dozen people in the past two weeks refer to themselves as survivors of swine flu.

Whoopdy fuckin' do.

The weirdest thing is they'll tell anyone within ear shot. "Did you know my doctor confirmed that I have swine flu yesterday?" As if people aren't panicky enough as it is. I just simply do not understand it.

Where are the people going, "Did you know my doctor confirmed I contracted genital herpes yesterday?" or "Did you know my doctor confirmed I have Stage III lymphoma?"

You know why people don't share this kind of information? Because it's not a fucking good thing you have this disease/disorder/infection/etc. You shouldn't be proud of it. If you are, you are a fucking imbecile.

Next time someone walks up to me smiling saying that they just found out they have swine flu, I'm liable to punch them in the face. Maybe a case of epistaxis (ya know, since it sounds cooler) will supersede the excitement from swine flu.

At least they won't make shirts about that one.