Question about pharmacy experience for PA schools.

[JEW UNIT]

 I have a question about pharmacy experience for PA schools.  Recently I had to withdraw from my pharmacy (PharmD) program because of medical reasons and had to return home to get better.  I am currently debating against going back to pharmacy as a career and would like to go into PA.  I really was interested in PA since my volunteer days when I was younger (I am 24 right now and have been volunteering since 14).  I was wondering, how does pharmacy experience look on a resume? The schools I'm applying to this next year is AT Still University and NAU (maybe Midwestern Glendale) all in Arizona. 

 

My GPA:

 

Overall - 3.39

 

Science - 3.28 (with all upper division science/math classes...Including Organic Chem. and Calculus). 

 

Pharmacy school: It is on a Pass/Fail system. There are no grades; Passing grades are 90% or above (anything lower than an 90% is an instant fail). I was passing all my classes until my health condition got worse.  

 

Experiences:

 

2000 hours of pharmacy tech experience. 

 

1000 hours of pharmacy intern experience.

 

500 hours of volunteering experience.  

 

~800 hours of extracuricular activities during undergrad

 

~50 hours of extracurricular activities during pharmacy school

 

No PA shadow/volunteer experience (yet...will be getting it soon)

 

Have not taken the GRE yet. 

 

Known languages: English, Russian, and Spanish

 

 

i know my GPA is on the low side.  I will be returning to school this Fall to finish up my BS in Biology (with a focus in PA).  I have 30 more credits to finish.  

 

WIll my pharmacy experience count for anything? What are my chances of getting an interview?

 

Thank you for reading this. Hope to hear from you soon =).

[db_pavnp]

This is a complex question so no one has fielded it.  It may have a few simple answers.

 

The pass / fail is doing you no favors.  Not completing the program is doing you no favors.  Pharmacy tech experience is sufficient for some programs, but there is significant preference for hands-on patient contact.  In 2013, 50% of first year PA students surveyed indicated they were NAs and MAs.  Phlebotomy and EMT made up another 30%.

 

Largely, you are left with the same advice for every other Junior in college.  Complete your BS with A's in hard science and prerequisites.  Get a PRN something or other where you touch patients.  This turns your problematic application into a strong one due to the abundance of pharm exp.

 

Consider contacting programs directly with your situation.  Wait for paadmissions to respond.

[JEW UNIT]

Thanx for the input :)

[JEW UNIT]

Bump. Please I need more input. 

[UGoLong]

Given what we know about you, the best advice is to talk with a program, get some hands-on HCE and shadow, the latter two activities so you can be more certain that this is what you want to do.

 

Good luck.

[cm7sus4]

I do not believe you will recieve any more solid advice than the two poster above me.  I would begin the journey by first contacting your prospective schools - those admin departments which are receptive to you should be the schools you focus on applying to (meaning, work toward their specific pre-reqs).  Those who give you the cold shoulder or seem disinterested in helping you figure out where you stand are probably schools you don't want to bother with at the moment.

 

Jump back into the heavy coursework and start reeling of As to prove you have what it takes academically, and find a way to start getting your hands on patients.  Pharmacy is a different animal, even when integrated into primary care.  The overall theme I would be working toward is to show that throughout this difficult journey, you discovered what you REALLY want to do and let that show on your application and transcripts.  It may take more time than you are planning for now, but it can be done.