Wow! Where do I begin? My first semester of pharmacy school was by far more challenging than I would have ever expected. The test were hard. The quizzes were hard. The lectures were long. And would you believe, I loved every single bit of it. Yeah, it was absolutely amazing.
I think I studied--on average--around 3-4 hours a day, and even more on the weekends. Consequently, I know lots about drug chemistry, drug metabolism and the mechanism of action of several drugs. I've even learned tons about diabetes, high blood pressure, patient interviewing, and, how to calculate IV doses.
And as much as I love talking about those things, I would hate to sit here and just ramble on about everything I've learned this semester. Instead, I just want you guys to know that I am going to love being a pharmacist!! I'll recap it in, hopefully, one page or less....
The semester started off with a week long orientation entitled Foundation of Pharmacy. The name is pretty much self-explanatory and should give you all the insight needed to figure out what we learned. But besides all the books, we also did some really fun activities: one of them in particular was the tower building contest. Yeah, you read that correctly. We actually got to build a tower made of marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. It was so fun!! Unfortunately, though, my team didn't win; but we did have lots of fun. We also got to watch a moc-trail, which was absolutely amazing. The lawyers and actors were just so good. Everything seemed so real. I couldn't help but sit there and watch in complete anticipation as the jury rendered their verdict. Would you believe that I was so into the thing that I actually started praying for the defendant--yeah, it was that convincing.
And, then, just like that, orientation week was over and school started--for real!! And let me just say, once it started, things got going in full swing. So much stuff was so happening so fast, if you blinked you were sure to miss something--whether it was an important email, meeting or conference. You had to always be on your toes. Which was, by the way, the first lesson I learned. No one was going to wait on you if you got a behind.
And just to give you an idea as to how quickly things were moving, listen to this: in just five weeks, we covered 17 chapters of drug chemistry. Yeah, I know what you're thinking--seems impossible, right. It was definitely a lot. But believe it or not, that was the easy part. Things soon begin to pick up even more speed. Would you believe by the end of the semester we covered a whopping 45 chapters--in just one class!!! I learned everything from basic drug chemistry to the most complicated drug metabolism.
That course, by the way, is called Drugs and Diseases--or DAD, as we refer to it. And it is insanely difficult. We pretty learn every single drug used to treat every treatable disease. The way it work is simple: over the first four semesters, we take DADs I - IV. After which, we spend the entire third year of school learning how to integrate everything we've learned in a class called Integrated Pharmacotherapy--aka IP. And then we spend our fourth and final year doing clinical rotations. And what's worse, even though we take several other classes, the DAD and IP courses are heavily weighted. So, even if we make A's in our "fluff" classes, DAD or IP can still make or break our GPAs. My point being, DAD is a pretty big deal around here.
Besides school work, though, pharmacy school has been full of other excitement. For starters, I was voted class justice this year, which is pretty much what we call our class president. I won't go into too many details about my elected role, but just know that being class justice has definitely taught me how to manage my time.
Overall, I would say the first semester of pharmacy school has been great, with a few rocky--and even scary--points along the way. The good news is, though, I finished this semester pretty strong--4.0 strong, that is!! And being as such Wende and I are planning on having a great Christmas break. When spring semester starts, I'll be sure to keep all you guys updated.
Showing posts with label pharmacy school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pharmacy school. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
My LOOONG Road to Pharmacy School
I didn't always want to be a pharmacist. Back in high school I actually wanted to be a doctor. I started my first year of college as a premed student, majoring in Biology and minoring in both Chemistry and then later on Spanish. It wasn't until the Spring semester of my Junior year that I realized medicine wasn't for me. And by that time I had already taken all my major courses, the MCAT, and was even ready to graduate. Seriously, I finished my college degree in just three years. Taking 18 credit hours most semesters and doing very well, might I add, the idea of going to medical school wasn't that farfetched.
The only problem was...The WOO.
The WOO (World of Opportunity) was a non-profit organization that was built to help high school drop-outs get their GED. My college roommate and I ended up volunteering there one day and it completely changed my life. I feel in love with teaching.
The semester we started volunteering, I was taking Advanced Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry II, Embryology, Statistics, and Intermediate Spanish II. My schedule was packed. The crazy thing, though, was that even though I was swamped with classes, I still found time for the WOO. Come to think of it, I skipped just about every single lecture in Embryology so I could teach my students their GED materials. And by the grace of God I still finished that semester with three A's and two B's--not bad for someone teaching 15-20 hours ever week. It was also then when I realized I didn't care for medicine that much. Looking back, I think I just did it because "that's what smart kids do". They become doctors, right? Eventually, though, I decided to pursue other interests and contemplate whether teaching was really the right thing for me. I ended up spending an extra year and a half in college, mostly traveling around Mexico and learning the language, and eventually decided that teaching was the thing for me. But instead of just teaching at some rich private school, I wanted the rejects--the kids that no one else wanted. I wanted to be like Morgan Freeman in the movie Lean on Me. I wanted inner city kids!!
Unfortunately, though, that didn't work out and I ended up teaching at a local technical college. ESL and GED Prep were my classes. And would you believe, after just 9 months I was completely burnt out. I hated teaching. And just like that I quit.
Back to square one...
I kept in touch with all my premed friends, though, who were all in med school at this point. And they all had the same advice, as they all knew I was contemplating medical school after failing terrible at teaching: "Ju," they'd say, "don't do this unless you really want it, man. Medicine is definitely not a field you want to pursue half-heartedly." And they were right. As much as I needed to find SOMETHING to do with my life, I knew going to medical school as "just something to do" was the worst idea ever. I would have been miserable.
So, instead, I went to nursing school. (That made sense, right?)
Back then--at least to me--the decision made sense. I figured nurses got do lots of cool medical stuff and I could be do done fairly quickly. Hey, I had all of my prerequisites and could be done in just two years. (I was completely ignorant and deluded myself into believing I had made right decision.) I actually liked the idea of being a nurse; that was until I actually started doing student clinicals and had to wipe a patient's butt for the first time. I almost threw-up. I was like, if this is what nurses have to do, I am out of here. And after just two semester, I quite.
So, back to the drawing board, again.
This time I really had to think. I wasn't getting any younger and all of my college friends were well on their ways. My problem was, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. Although, I knew I liked healthcare, I couldn't really see myself being anything other than a doctor if I was going to pursue anything in that field. But every time I tried to convince myself that medicine was my thing, reality would hit me right in the face. And as I grew, I learned that more and more. I just didn't want to be a doctor.
I quickly learned that several students go down paths that they ultimately end up hating; and a lot of it could have been avoided had they simply dug a little deeper and really learned about the career. I didn't want to make that mistake, especially with a career path that pretty much sucks you in with their $40,000 a year cost. I kept thinking I would hate to take out that much money in loans and then quit.
By this point I was 24 years old, jobless and just sitting on my 3.78 GPA and decent MCAT score. After months and months of thinking, I decided to enroll in graduate school. I knew I liked research and I also figured being a professor of Molecular and Cell Biology would allow me to put my outstanding teaching skills to use. Not to mention, instead of dealing with high school drop-outs, who quite frankly, couldn't appreciate what I had offer, I would be able to teach professional students. And to top it all off, your tuition is fully covered, you get insurance, and biweekly stipend. The deal seemed pretty sweet to me.
So just like that, the next Fall I was in graduate school.
It was also during this time when I started to reconnect with my old friend Mr. Polk. Mr. Polk is a pharmacist and has been doing it for over 30 years. We went to lunch one day and talked for hours and ended up discussing my career path. After hearing my story, he asked if I ever thought about pharmacy. Obviously, I hadn't. I always thought pharmacist were just a bunch of old pill-pushers, whose job seemed insanely mundane. I said something like, "If I'm honest, I want something a little more challenging." After I said it, I knew I had just put my foot in my mouth, but by that point there wasn't much I could do to fix it. But with Mr. Polk being the good man he is, instead of attacking or making me eat my words, he simply invited me to watch him work.
I went. And, if I'm honest, I wasn't sold during that visit. It wasn't until I learned about clinical pharmacist that the pharmacy profession started to peak my interest. So, while I was in grad school, reading about lysosomal degradation and ubiquination, I was also started researching the pharmacy profession. After just three months of constant digging and asking and volunteering and speaking to any pharmacy student I could get my hands on, I realized I was officially intrigued. Actually, I realized I wanted to do it. I loved their school and the classes they took. And I also remember that Pharmacology and Pathophysiology were the only two classes I liked in Nursing School. And so I started figuring out how to get in.
I was very fortunate in that I had all of my prerequisites completed, so I didn't have to take anymore classes. The only thing I had to do was take the PCAT. And while I wasn't too worried about the PCAT, I still wanted to study for it. My problem was, graduate school took up a lot of my time, especially that first year when you're taking nothing but classes. I was reading papers every night. The last thing I had time for was studying for the PCAT. So the day before the test, I bought a little PCAT prep book from Barnes-&-Nobles and read as much I could. The next day I was in Birmingham taking my test. If I'm honest, it wasn't even that hard. I ended up scoring in the 85th percentile. I applied to one school: Harrison School of Pharmacy (HSOP) at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. (They're actually a really good school, too. They're ranked 24th in the nation, which I didn't know when I applied.) I sent my scores and application in and within two weeks I received an email from the HSOP inviting me to an interview. Wende and I both went and the next day I was accepted. I was a great day and, quite frankly, it felt like I had finally chosen the right thing. For the first time in my life I was actually looking forward to something; instead of the usual, just doing something to pass the time.
My road to pharmacy school is definitely not the typical one but I certainly think taking the route I did has made a stronger and better person. I've learned so much about myself throughout the years. I know what I like and what I don't. I know who I am and what I want. And believe me when I tell you, I want to be a pharmacist. I'm 26 years old and this Fall I will be a first years pharmacy student at The Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University. I look forward to the next four years and can't wait to one day call myself a Pharmacist.
The only problem was...The WOO.
The WOO (World of Opportunity) was a non-profit organization that was built to help high school drop-outs get their GED. My college roommate and I ended up volunteering there one day and it completely changed my life. I feel in love with teaching.
The semester we started volunteering, I was taking Advanced Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry II, Embryology, Statistics, and Intermediate Spanish II. My schedule was packed. The crazy thing, though, was that even though I was swamped with classes, I still found time for the WOO. Come to think of it, I skipped just about every single lecture in Embryology so I could teach my students their GED materials. And by the grace of God I still finished that semester with three A's and two B's--not bad for someone teaching 15-20 hours ever week. It was also then when I realized I didn't care for medicine that much. Looking back, I think I just did it because "that's what smart kids do". They become doctors, right? Eventually, though, I decided to pursue other interests and contemplate whether teaching was really the right thing for me. I ended up spending an extra year and a half in college, mostly traveling around Mexico and learning the language, and eventually decided that teaching was the thing for me. But instead of just teaching at some rich private school, I wanted the rejects--the kids that no one else wanted. I wanted to be like Morgan Freeman in the movie Lean on Me. I wanted inner city kids!!
Unfortunately, though, that didn't work out and I ended up teaching at a local technical college. ESL and GED Prep were my classes. And would you believe, after just 9 months I was completely burnt out. I hated teaching. And just like that I quit.
Back to square one...
I kept in touch with all my premed friends, though, who were all in med school at this point. And they all had the same advice, as they all knew I was contemplating medical school after failing terrible at teaching: "Ju," they'd say, "don't do this unless you really want it, man. Medicine is definitely not a field you want to pursue half-heartedly." And they were right. As much as I needed to find SOMETHING to do with my life, I knew going to medical school as "just something to do" was the worst idea ever. I would have been miserable.
So, instead, I went to nursing school. (That made sense, right?)
Back then--at least to me--the decision made sense. I figured nurses got do lots of cool medical stuff and I could be do done fairly quickly. Hey, I had all of my prerequisites and could be done in just two years. (I was completely ignorant and deluded myself into believing I had made right decision.) I actually liked the idea of being a nurse; that was until I actually started doing student clinicals and had to wipe a patient's butt for the first time. I almost threw-up. I was like, if this is what nurses have to do, I am out of here. And after just two semester, I quite.
So, back to the drawing board, again.
This time I really had to think. I wasn't getting any younger and all of my college friends were well on their ways. My problem was, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. Although, I knew I liked healthcare, I couldn't really see myself being anything other than a doctor if I was going to pursue anything in that field. But every time I tried to convince myself that medicine was my thing, reality would hit me right in the face. And as I grew, I learned that more and more. I just didn't want to be a doctor.
I quickly learned that several students go down paths that they ultimately end up hating; and a lot of it could have been avoided had they simply dug a little deeper and really learned about the career. I didn't want to make that mistake, especially with a career path that pretty much sucks you in with their $40,000 a year cost. I kept thinking I would hate to take out that much money in loans and then quit.
By this point I was 24 years old, jobless and just sitting on my 3.78 GPA and decent MCAT score. After months and months of thinking, I decided to enroll in graduate school. I knew I liked research and I also figured being a professor of Molecular and Cell Biology would allow me to put my outstanding teaching skills to use. Not to mention, instead of dealing with high school drop-outs, who quite frankly, couldn't appreciate what I had offer, I would be able to teach professional students. And to top it all off, your tuition is fully covered, you get insurance, and biweekly stipend. The deal seemed pretty sweet to me.
So just like that, the next Fall I was in graduate school.
It was also during this time when I started to reconnect with my old friend Mr. Polk. Mr. Polk is a pharmacist and has been doing it for over 30 years. We went to lunch one day and talked for hours and ended up discussing my career path. After hearing my story, he asked if I ever thought about pharmacy. Obviously, I hadn't. I always thought pharmacist were just a bunch of old pill-pushers, whose job seemed insanely mundane. I said something like, "If I'm honest, I want something a little more challenging." After I said it, I knew I had just put my foot in my mouth, but by that point there wasn't much I could do to fix it. But with Mr. Polk being the good man he is, instead of attacking or making me eat my words, he simply invited me to watch him work.
I went. And, if I'm honest, I wasn't sold during that visit. It wasn't until I learned about clinical pharmacist that the pharmacy profession started to peak my interest. So, while I was in grad school, reading about lysosomal degradation and ubiquination, I was also started researching the pharmacy profession. After just three months of constant digging and asking and volunteering and speaking to any pharmacy student I could get my hands on, I realized I was officially intrigued. Actually, I realized I wanted to do it. I loved their school and the classes they took. And I also remember that Pharmacology and Pathophysiology were the only two classes I liked in Nursing School. And so I started figuring out how to get in.
I was very fortunate in that I had all of my prerequisites completed, so I didn't have to take anymore classes. The only thing I had to do was take the PCAT. And while I wasn't too worried about the PCAT, I still wanted to study for it. My problem was, graduate school took up a lot of my time, especially that first year when you're taking nothing but classes. I was reading papers every night. The last thing I had time for was studying for the PCAT. So the day before the test, I bought a little PCAT prep book from Barnes-&-Nobles and read as much I could. The next day I was in Birmingham taking my test. If I'm honest, it wasn't even that hard. I ended up scoring in the 85th percentile. I applied to one school: Harrison School of Pharmacy (HSOP) at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. (They're actually a really good school, too. They're ranked 24th in the nation, which I didn't know when I applied.) I sent my scores and application in and within two weeks I received an email from the HSOP inviting me to an interview. Wende and I both went and the next day I was accepted. I was a great day and, quite frankly, it felt like I had finally chosen the right thing. For the first time in my life I was actually looking forward to something; instead of the usual, just doing something to pass the time.
My road to pharmacy school is definitely not the typical one but I certainly think taking the route I did has made a stronger and better person. I've learned so much about myself throughout the years. I know what I like and what I don't. I know who I am and what I want. And believe me when I tell you, I want to be a pharmacist. I'm 26 years old and this Fall I will be a first years pharmacy student at The Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University. I look forward to the next four years and can't wait to one day call myself a Pharmacist.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
And it begins...
My is Julius and as of August 9, 2011 I will be a first year pharmacy student. I've always liked to write but normally it takes way too much time to come up with anything original or creative. So, instead, I decided to take the easy way out and just write about my life as a pharmacy student. I haven't started just yet, though, but I figure I could give you guys a little insight into my life before all of the late nights, research papers, and 20 oz cups of coffee.
So, here goes...
Like I said earlier, my name is Julius and I'm 26 years old. I have a beautiful and amazing girlfriend--Wende--who will soon be my wife; so along with the studying, new friends and crazy professors, you'll be reading a lot about her as well. Also, it's important to know that I can be a little OCD at times, which is why I'm going to ask for your forgiveness upfront for anything I say, do, or write in the future. I'm also a huge health-nut. Exercise and low-fat foods are my best friend, especially during the week. This actually stems from losing around 50 lbs but I'll talk more about that later. And lastly, I come from a pretty large family, who, by the way, Wende was able to meet this past Memorial Day weekend. My dad, who is famous for his amazing BBQ's, threw a massive Memorial Day cookout and my entire extended family showed up. At first I'm pretty sure Wende was a little taken-aback, but soon thereafter she was in the swing of things and mingling like a pro. And while she mingled and laughed, I think I ate enough food to feed a small African village. Eating like that definitely cost me, though. I woke up this morning feeling like I was pregnant. But just like always, I was back in the gym early this morning, doing my usual hour workout. And just for the record, holidays and weekends are the only times I usually break my 'eating healthy' rule. The way I see it is, it ain't life unless you live a little.
Now as far as the pharmacy school related stuff is concerned, I've mostly been getting all of my paper work done, as pharmacy school requires a lot of you before starting. Just this past Sunday, come to think of it, I was attending a CPR class. The pharmacy school requires it. (And, yes, it was during the same Sunday as our cookout. Luckily, though, the class ended three hours ahead of schedule and I was able to make the feast without missing a beat.) Oh and let's not forget the physical, TB test, immunization shots and student records. Quite frankly, the list could go on for days, but I'm not going to bore you with all of our bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. Just know, though, that I've had to get a lot of things in order before I start. (Matter of fact, I think I may tell you guys about the admissions process for my next blog entry.)
And since I have two months before school starts, you'll mostly hear about all the crazy adventures my girlfriend, friends, and family members get ourselves into while I wait. For starters, Wende and I are going to a Johnny Lang concert this upcoming weekend. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that goes. I hope you enjoy the read. And thanks for stopping by.
So, here goes...
Like I said earlier, my name is Julius and I'm 26 years old. I have a beautiful and amazing girlfriend--Wende--who will soon be my wife; so along with the studying, new friends and crazy professors, you'll be reading a lot about her as well. Also, it's important to know that I can be a little OCD at times, which is why I'm going to ask for your forgiveness upfront for anything I say, do, or write in the future. I'm also a huge health-nut. Exercise and low-fat foods are my best friend, especially during the week. This actually stems from losing around 50 lbs but I'll talk more about that later. And lastly, I come from a pretty large family, who, by the way, Wende was able to meet this past Memorial Day weekend. My dad, who is famous for his amazing BBQ's, threw a massive Memorial Day cookout and my entire extended family showed up. At first I'm pretty sure Wende was a little taken-aback, but soon thereafter she was in the swing of things and mingling like a pro. And while she mingled and laughed, I think I ate enough food to feed a small African village. Eating like that definitely cost me, though. I woke up this morning feeling like I was pregnant. But just like always, I was back in the gym early this morning, doing my usual hour workout. And just for the record, holidays and weekends are the only times I usually break my 'eating healthy' rule. The way I see it is, it ain't life unless you live a little.
Now as far as the pharmacy school related stuff is concerned, I've mostly been getting all of my paper work done, as pharmacy school requires a lot of you before starting. Just this past Sunday, come to think of it, I was attending a CPR class. The pharmacy school requires it. (And, yes, it was during the same Sunday as our cookout. Luckily, though, the class ended three hours ahead of schedule and I was able to make the feast without missing a beat.) Oh and let's not forget the physical, TB test, immunization shots and student records. Quite frankly, the list could go on for days, but I'm not going to bore you with all of our bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. Just know, though, that I've had to get a lot of things in order before I start. (Matter of fact, I think I may tell you guys about the admissions process for my next blog entry.)
And since I have two months before school starts, you'll mostly hear about all the crazy adventures my girlfriend, friends, and family members get ourselves into while I wait. For starters, Wende and I are going to a Johnny Lang concert this upcoming weekend. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that goes. I hope you enjoy the read. And thanks for stopping by.
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