Ever considered going into pharmacy? Here is everything you need to know from Andrew Rich PharmD ‘16.
This week I had the opportunity to interview Andrew Rich ‘16, and I am going to tell you a bit about what we talked about!
Andrew is a 2016 Denison graduate. During his time on the hill he was a chemistry major and was on the Men’s Swim and Dive team. He now works at the Cleveland Clinic as a Pulmonology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. How did he get here? You’re about to find out!
After graduation, Andrew attended the University of Kentucky School of Pharmacy. From there, he did his residency at the University of North Carolina. Today, he works at the Cleveland Clinic and told me a bit about his journey. Here are just a few of the questions I asked Andrew!
Can you explain what the application process looks like for PharmD programs?
For the most part there are a few key aspects to your application that will make you stand out to schools:
- PCAT: This is a standardized exam that schools used to use for admissions. This exam was discontinued in 2023 and is no longer used. However, it played a big role in Andrew’s application process!
- Prerequisites: Any experience in a healthcare setting is valuable experience. Whether you are a pharmacy tech or a medical assistant, all exposure to a clinical environment is valuable. Admission committees like to see that you have some experience working in a healthcare setting, regardless of your role!
- GPA: Your GPA does not make or break your application! Sure, a good GPA will always help, but it is by no means required to have a perfect GPA!
- Interview: Your interview is key. This is where pharmacy schools get a glimpse of who you really are. They get to know you as an individual, hear about your experiences, talk about what is important to you. Doing well in your interview is key for pharmacy school applications!
What does the school timeline look like?
- Pharmacy school
Pharmacy school is 4 years long. This includes three didactic years in the classroom and one clinical year. During this clinical year, you go through month-long rotations, each focusing on a different medical specialty or area of pharmacy practice, where you work alongside an experienced pharmacist in that field.
- Residency
After pharmacy school, you have the option to pursue residency training, which is a form of advanced training that prepares you for more specialized roles in pharmacy. Pharmacy residents typically complete either 1 or 2 years of training, where the first year is dedicated to advanced training in a wide variety of practice settings, while the second year is designed for the resident to specialize in one specific area of interest (i.e. cardiology, critical care, oncology). . Andrew did 2 years of residency training at UNC where he specialized in ambulatory care, which focuses on optimizing care for patients in the outpatient setting (think doctor’s office visits). .
What can you do with a PharmD degree?
Andrew explained that the 3 most common ways a pharmacist can use their degree is for retail pharmacy, hospital operations, or becoming a clinical specialists.
- Community (retail) pharmacists: These are the pharmacists you typically think of, their primary job is to dispense medications safely. There are many places you can work, for example your local Walgreens pharmacy. These are the pharmacists out in the community that patients rely on to receive their medications.
- Hospital operational pharmacists: These pharmacists work in hospitals and their primary job is to ensure the safe dispensing of medications to patients that are hospitalized. Tasks include verifying that ordered doses of medicine are safe and effective, checking that IV medicines have been prepared correctly, and ensuring that there are no harmful interactions amongst the medications a patient is being given.
- Clinical specialists: These are typically pharmacists that went to residency. They work alongside physicians and other healthcare providers to decide what medications are most safe and effective for patients, optimize care based on the most recently published studies and guidelines, and meet with patients and their families to adjust their medications and provide education.
- Other areas: working for drug manufacturers, insurance companies, or even information technology services!
What does a day in Andrew’s life look like?
First, when Andrew arrives he reviews the charts of the patients that are scheduled to meet with him that day (he typically is scheduled to meet with 4-8 patients each day). He does this to collect information on each patient’s past medical history, testing they’ve had done, and medications they are taking or have tried in the past. These patients then arrive to the clinic throughout the day for visits with Andrew, where he sits down with each one, collects information from them, and adjusts their medications based on how he feels is best for them (he even has the ability to write the prescriptions for these patients!). Once he finishes seeing all his patients for that day, the rest of the day varies. He aids students and residents in their learning, provides counseling over the phone on high-risk medications, and responds to messages from various healthcare providers asking for medication-related recommendations. Needless to say everyday looks a bit different for Andrew!
Andrew’s advice for students going into pharmacy:
Put yourself out there and get experience in a clinical setting, it is so helpful! Demonstrate passion and commitment for helping others and the rest will fall into place!
