Is pharmacy school hard? If I had a dollar each time, I got this question, my bank account would read different. When I got into SOP, I had friends tell me how hard the next 5 years of my life were going to be and like any millennial, I dived into the internet googling what episode of Jumanji I had just signed for. I read articles on end, but none painted an actual picture of what to expect. Now, 3 years in, I can give a bluntly candid answer.
So, is pharmacy school hard?
The short version of the answer is yes. Pharmacy is a hard course but a totally doable one nonetheless. I would not say the content taught is hard to grasp especially having met the academic requirements to take on the course. Intense, intense would be the word to describe it. Picture drinking water from a fire hydrant. You are required to grasp a lot in a short period of time.
The number of units per semester might be double those taken by your friends in other fields, making classes more and contact hours just as much. Between the pharmaceutical sciences and the chemistry, the physiology and the microbiology to the reports you are expected to turn in, the papers you have to study for and the pass mark you are required to meet, it could get overwhelming. However, with good time management, study skills that work for you is and passion for the profession, you can hack it. Remember, confidence and hard work are the best medicine to kill the disease called failure – Abdul Kalam
As involving as the course is, it is also fun, exciting, interesting and highly rewarding especially in light of what you are working towards. You get to make amazing friends and cross paths with the great people carving their names and making milestones in healthcare. Given how vast the field is, there are countless career paths to explore, from research to retail to hospital pharmacy, to find the field that excites you most. It also does not hurt that you look awesome in that white lab coat.
There will be nights you will forego sleep to meet a deadline or study for a paper, there will be a unit or two you will struggle with, you might even have to resit one but there will be days during your ward rounds patients will thank you for taking care of them or even catch a possible drug and drug interaction every one missed and nothing beats that feeling. The lives of our future patients depend on how hard we work today.
What are your experiences? Please comment below and share your thoughts.
50 Comments
Couldn’t put it any other way. Typical life of a pharm student, nice piece btw????????????
A thrilling roller-coaster ????thank you
Hahaa,this is so relatable????????the fact that you realize everyone else is also struggling under the gargantuan load of information ????but looking back you realize it’s actually quite an interesting journey.
At the time it doesn’t seem like it but looking back, we wouldn’t have it any other way ????????????
Afterall,it’s worth the struggle,the late nights,the many assignments and classes,the feeling like giving up that obviously sets in once in a while, it’s by passion that we persevere all this .
Good job????????????????
Can’t wait to hear everyone’s experiences????
And the group discussions????. Pharmacy is definitely not a walk in the park
It really isn’t ????????????
Is Pharmacy hard?!
Well well, it could stop a bullet!
That kind of hard!
Interesting analogy ????????
????????????????????good thing you didn’t forget to mention the nights a pharm student’s house
is the only one with lights on at 2am ????????♀️????????♀️because of an upcoming paper!
Crazy how every pharm student has been through this????????????
Nice piece it’s just an illustration of how our semesters are ????????????
Thank you so much ????
I don’t know how pharmacy compares with other medical courses but it’s not a cake walk.So far I can say stress management and time management seem to be the key.Also “work smart “and it will only be a matter of “putting in the hours “
You said it????what you put in, is what you get out…thank you for weighing in????????
????????
????????
I should’ve read this 5 years ago!
You couldn’t have put it any better! Best advice out here for SOP victims????
Giiiirrrllll write a book already!!!!!
With a cheersquad like this, best believe ????
Be sure to catch more blogs here and relive the thrilling adventure that is SOP life????????????
Daaaamn, this is so encouraging. Getting it at the right time. Yeah sure I agree that Pharmacy is an exciting and rewarding career, but at the same time it’s not for everyone????????. Just need a big commitment both academically and financially.
Just ask yourself ‘Why do I want to become a pharmacist?’, learn about the diverse roles a pharmacist can play in different settings and focus on the intrinsic qualities not the extrinsic characteristics. It’s rewarding at the end????
Totally agree with you on this, it requires alot of commitment and dedication, but at the same time its important to have some fun along the way, have a group of friends around you that help make the journey abit interesting. Atleast that’s what helps me get by????
I concur…..the journey is tough,grab a circle of friends to make it fun????
I always wonder why we had to learn so much within a very short period of time hence making it a very demanding course yet most of us only apply 30-50% of what we learn in school.
At times I wish they could review that pharmacy curriculum so that it would make sense in when practising.
It’s however a very fullfilling course ones you embrace and practice it with love and passion for your patients.
Interesting points raised
A duty to our patients ????
Lovely lovely????????… Well put????find your purpose in the field and let it drive you
Masha Allah this is so pure true, I enjoyed reading it, its precise clear and relatable masha Allah
Just mirroring our struggles ????thank you for the kind words habibty????????
i looove this one… sawa chopi
can’t understand how pharmacy isn’t hard tho
It can get overwhelming sometimes ????thank you for the feedback ????
With a cheersquad like this, best believe ????
Be sure to catch more blogs here and relive the thrilling adventure that is SOP life????????????
Yeah, true… Pharm is kind of a rough road…
But the prospect of the crucial job a pharmacist does and the satisfaction that comes with it makes all the hustle worth it.
It is all about making a contribution to Healthcare and nothing is more rewarding ????????
I think I finally understand why you do what you do. And it’s great ????
Also I love the writing ❤️
Great work!
Cheers!????
Thank you so much for the kind words????????
Aki ya Mungu???? Si mara moja nmeskia kaa its too much but with classmates who are there who nudge you it gets easier. You cannot be forced to take pharmacy.
It is a calling ????
Good read…hope to see more????
Thank you ????… Stay tuned for more
It takes great effort, dedication and support from friends and colleagues to get through BPHARM and thrive. But all in all, with God’s help, one is able to pass from one semester upto the tenth semester successfully. ????????????????
Effort, dedication and support ????totally agree with you
It’s kinda a draining course…
But the prospect of serving humanity, and the crucial role you as a pharmacist will play,, makes the hustle worth it.
I concur????