Since completing my P1 year just under 2 weeks ago, I've gotten numerous questions about my first year of Pharmacy School. These questions range from study habits, interning, how I spent my downtime, and more. So for the first #TipTuesday, I wanted to start with the most common question;
“How does one prepare for their P1 year?”.
When I first got this question, it was at the completion of my fall semester. Truly, I felt as though I wasn't completely ready to answer this question being that I had only completed one semester and was still a novice myself. Since I've now officially completed my first year (woot woot P2 status!!) I feel much more comfortable writing this for my incoming P1s!
So here are my 10 tips to preparing for your P1 year!
Enjoy your summer!
You’ve made it to pharmacy school, first things first is to enjoy your summer break!
Take some time to catch up on the sleep you’re inevitably going to miss!
Enjoy time with your family and friends, especially if you’re moving for pharmacy school.
Go for bottomless mimosas with your girls or boys.
Hit up your favorite sports teams games.
Traveling (obviously if a pandemic is not going on).
Essentially, just enjoy those moments of not feeling like you should be studying or that something is due (lol).
Try to get some pharmacy experience
No, you're not required to have pharmacy experience when applying to pharmacy school (this may be dependent on the program you're applying) BUT it is recommended. I obtained an internship in a retail pharmacy the May before starting pharmacy school, so I was able to get just under 3 months retail pharmacy experience before school started.
This brief time in the retail setting plus the 1 year I spent working in the Emergency Room helped A LOT!
Examples of experience I obtained before school:
Shadowing: I shadowed a Nuclear Pharmacist who was a family friend of my college roommate! This was such an amazing opportunity I had over the summer before starting pharmacy school!
Paid: Retail pharmacy intern, GAP year in the ER where I scribed but learned a lot about medications and obtained 2 ED pharmacists as my mentors.
Get a gist of what you may be interested in!
If you’re an overachiever like me then you kinda sorta have a few specialties in which you see yourself after graduation. This specifically has helped me in terms of knowing what electives I should take, what organizations to join, what conferences to go to - all to make sure I'm taking the right steps for said specialties I may be interested in. Specifically, taking the residency route, fellowship route or going straight into practice based on what I want to do.
Some resources that helped me after a simple google search of "what pharmacy specialties are there?" included podcasts, the Board of Pharmacy Specialties websites and of course YouTube videos.
Podcasts: Rx Radio, Pharmacy Podcast Network, 23 Pills, Pharmacists Out of the Box
Specialties from the Board of Pharmacy website includes: Ambulatory Care, Cardiology, Compounded Sterile Preparations Pharmacy, Critical Care Pharmacy, Geriatric Pharmacy, Infectious Diseases Pharmacy, Nuclear Pharmacy, Nutrition Support Pharmacy, Oncology Pharmacy, Pediatric Pharmacy, Pharmacotherapy, Psychiatric Pharmacy, Solid Organ Transplantation
Do your research
It's inevitable to be curious about what exactly you're getting yourself into! Hence why you're reading this post, or why you may have followed numerous pharmacy or pre-pharmacy accounts on Instagram.
The first step is actually doing your research! Check out the programs website to find things like the academic calendar, elective options, first year events, and curriculum. Your academic calendar is important in the sense of knowing when your breaks are so that you can schedule those family or bae-cations, or even so that you can let your boss know when you’ll be back to pick up hours! Already received your P1 schedule? Go ahead and map out downtime, mental health time, gym time, family time, cooking time, work and etc!
You can also find things like organizations offered at your institution, research opportunities or even special tracks or dual degree options!
Ask Questions
Asking questions also plays into doing your research. Once you've done your research, if there are things you still don't know or are curious about - then ask questions!
Upperclassmen - Know a friend of a friend who’s in your program?
Pharmacists in the family?
Work staff - ask the other interns in your pharmacy or even your pharmacists!
Pharmacy Mentors
Dress Code?
Much as I love my sweatshirts and sweatpants, they’re obviously not appropriate for every setting, pharmacy school being one of them (sometimes).
On occasion we have to wear our white coats for presentations, guest lectures, school events, and of course during our simulation labs. When wearing your white coat- you should look not only presentable but professional!
With that being said, take the summer to save up for a few nice dresses, blouses, bottoms and shoes which can be worn for these occasions! No need to break the bank, so here are my favorite affordable places for professional and business casual wear:
Consignment shops or thrift stores
Old Navy
Target
Zara
Make friends
First day at a new school/new program is ALWAYS nerve-racking! I can’t even express how sweaty my palms were on my first day of orientation and the palpitations I got when it was my turn to introduce myself in front of 125 other students......
What made my first day much much better was getting to finally talk to the classmates/friends I made over the summer via our class facebook page, GroupMe and after being connected by mutual friends!
Friends turn into study partners, confidants, post-exam margarita partners, and of course someone to hold the last available study room for you!
Do a little review
This was one of the most common questions I received alongside tips for preparing for P1 year! Truly I didn't review material for P1 year after taking my GAP year, but I know a lot of my followers are interested in doing so to better prepare themselves!
If you're interested in reviewing/freshening up on material before day , my best advice would be to watch a few overview videos on youtube to get back in the game! My specific program had a fundamentals course which served as our intro/refresher course to get us started on our way. I'd suggest reviewing the following subjects:
OCHEM
Biochem
Physiology
Biology
Another option would be reaching out to someone you know who may have just completed their P1 year, specifically at your same institution. Ask them for advice on what you may need to review/refresh up on before day 1!
Check Your Mental Health (2 parts)
Learn to stop comparing yourself to others.
Once school begins, you’re all in the same boat (the boat being pharmacy school). There’s no need to compete with one another.....instead help and get to know one another. Heres a few of my favorite tips on breaking the habit of comparing yourself with others (specifically your classmates)!
Count YOUR blessings
Focus on YOUR strength's
Be OK with imperfections
Focus on the journey
Use comparison as motivation to improve what actually matters
Compete less and appreciate more
Truly I'm still working on this one myself, so check out some of my favorite posts on comparing yourself to others:
Know how to take care of your mental health/manage your well-being.
Graduate school is TOUGH, there is no sugar coating it. One of the most important tips I can give is being able to understand when you need to take a break, go for a walk/run/workout, take a nap or just walk away from your notes for sometime.
Over the summer, find a hobby/activity that allows you to destress and take time for yourself. For me, this includes my blog and Youtube channel. When working on a blog post or YouTube video for the week - I typically set aside 30 minutes to an hour each day for writing or editing time. During this time I also get comfortable, play tunes or even just call my family or lover. It's amazing what this brief break can do for my studying and more importantly my mental health.
Some other ideas can be yoga, running, working out, drawing, painting, cooking, baking, gaming and more!
There you go! These are my top 10 tips for preparing for your P1 year. I hope this helped and made you feel a little more prepared for your first year. Stay tuned for more #TipTuesday posts and videos coming to my channel about P1 year! Maybe I'll even do a part 2 as I think of them throughout the summer!
-Ruuds
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