Interview... Round Two

Earlier today... or yesterday... or whatever the hell you wanna call it I had my second interview. This one required quite a bit more traveling than the last, but it's been a rather interesting journey since I have arrived. Upon boarding the plane I considered if it would be rude to remind the pilots to land as we neared our destination, alas I thought that may not be a very wise idea.

The interview itself was quite different from last week's. Instead of having one interviewer for forty minutes, this one was broken up into 4 separate interviewers each for twenty minutes. It was nice to talk to a range of people, but in all honesty twenty minutes is not a whole helluva lot of time.

It didn't really help that one of the interviewers appeared completely disinterested in interviewing me. She hadn't looked over my file and didn't express an ounce of emotion or reaction during the interview itself. I thought that if it was expected to be prepared and to conduct myself in a professional matter that my interviewer would do the same.

After wards I felt pretty good about the process. I'm a people person, thus why I love retail, and I have no qualms about talking with random people about something I love. I suppose it's a good sign that one of my interviewers said that I appeared "overqualified given my background" (whatever the hell that means) and my last interviewer said he expected to see me in his class next year. Good signs I hope.

The funny thing is I thought this was the school I was most certain that I wanted to go to. After my first interview, and the events of today, I'm not really sure that's the case. I do not really care for how the curriculum is setup, although I'm told it will be changed for next year, and the vibe the school gives off is completely different. Last week every one I met, from students to professors to support staff were overly friendly and supportive. Today, people were friendly, but those outside of the interviewing process flat out ignored us in the halls.

It doesn't help that this school is quite focused on the clinical side of things which is most likely where I will not end up.

But after the last few years what right do I have to be picky? I'll find out my status by Friday, possibly as soon as Tuesday, and I really don't know what I'll do then. The whole situation is very surreal after everything that's happened over the years.

Could it be that, in the near future, I may have to change the name of this blog to "I will be a pharmacist...?"

Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Science Nerds Unite!

I love science humor. A couple weeks ago I presented some research at a microbiology conference and it was hoot listening to various science related jokes. You know, the jokes that no one else but a true science nerd would understand.

Since then I have been looking for some t-shirts with just such jokes on them. I then stumbled upon a site that has just loads of goodies. Here are some of my favorites.





Anywho if you're a fellow nerd like me, check out the site - http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/chemistry It'll at least give you some laughs

Schools I Have Applied To

The last few weeks I have had several people ask me where I have applied. This namely applies to those with similar stats as me.

The thing is I have tried over the last 2+ years to remain anonymous here. This is for several reasons which we will not delve into at the moment. However, this also applies to the schools at which I am applying.

My reasoning is that I see a lot of pharm schools logging onto this site. There are a couple thousand visitors per week to this blog as it is. Some of which have come directly from the admissions office of those schools. I understand that they say they look at applications only for their requirements for admissions, but I would not be comfortable if a member on that committee knew I wrote this blog. It may sway them in either direction which isn't fair to me and it isn't fair to others. I know I posted what I may wear to the interviews, but that does not mean I will wear that exact outfit. I just prefer to write in secret for the moment.

Maybe my thoughts on this will change if I am accepted to one of the schools I am applying to. I would very much love to help those of you who have asked these past few weeks. And even then, I'm not sure my classmates would appreciate some of my thoughts either on the industry or on the school I may go to.

Needless to say it is a slippery slope, but I am doing my damnedest to determine a way to help others out there. Seems to be the least I can do.

Interview Review

Yesterday actually went pretty well. It's the first time in the five years I have been attempting to accomplish this that I feel really good about my chances. My interviewer almost forgot his structured questions because of the various interesting tangents we were discussing. I would think that would be a good sign.

To be honest I have never had an actual interview before. I've only interviewed for one job in my life and it was very informal. I decided not to practice though because I tend to get flustered when I try to remember what I prepared to say and I am generally very personable to begin with. One of the skills you gain working with the public for so long.

Of course it helped that everyone at the school was massively friendly. For as much as I have disliked working with interns over the year, the students there were extremely kind and thoughtful. I may have to revise that thought in the coming years.

In any case, one down, one to go!

Why Isn't There A Merit Badge for Swine Flu?

We all hear it every single day. It is now as consistent as insurance rejects, early fills on hydrocodone and the inability to find time to pee on a daily basis. I am, of course, talking about a proud patient proclaiming they have swine flu.

What in the hell is with people? They wear this fact almost as if it is some sort of proud accomplishment. I bet you we're within one month of someone selling "I've had swine flu" t-shirts to all the survivors.

Yes, that's right I called them survivors. You know why? Because I have had no less than a dozen people in the past two weeks refer to themselves as survivors of swine flu.

Whoopdy fuckin' do.

The weirdest thing is they'll tell anyone within ear shot. "Did you know my doctor confirmed that I have swine flu yesterday?" As if people aren't panicky enough as it is. I just simply do not understand it.

Where are the people going, "Did you know my doctor confirmed I contracted genital herpes yesterday?" or "Did you know my doctor confirmed I have Stage III lymphoma?"

You know why people don't share this kind of information? Because it's not a fucking good thing you have this disease/disorder/infection/etc. You shouldn't be proud of it. If you are, you are a fucking imbecile.

Next time someone walks up to me smiling saying that they just found out they have swine flu, I'm liable to punch them in the face. Maybe a case of epistaxis (ya know, since it sounds cooler) will supersede the excitement from swine flu.

At least they won't make shirts about that one.

And the Choice Is....

Well I decided to listen to the masses and go with the green shirt/blue tie. I also went out and picked up a similar colored shirt, but with a non-button down collar.

Now T-minus 15 hours and counting until interview time... gulp

Is it Zaditor? Or is it Claritin? Or maybe Zyrtec?

The pharmaceutical industry has to be a marketing companies wet dream. Seriously, what other industry exists where the vast majority of lay people actually understand the product they're buying?

People can pick out a good car from a bad car. Who makes a quality LCD TV and who doesn't. What business creates long lasting furniture versus one that does not.

But can the vast majority of consumers know what the difference is between Aleve and Tylenol? You bet your ass they can't. That's why all the Aleve ads today advocate the fact you need to take less Aleve tablets during the day compared to Tylenol. As if taking less tablets per day equates to something that is safer and/or stronger.

The other day one of our store managers unknowingly put these three products in a row on the shelf.
We've all seen the Claritin Eye Drops commercial on TV lately. Same goes for the Zyrtec Itchy Eye Drops as well. I'm sure those of you with pharmacy knowledge had the exact same thought I did.

How the hell are they using loratadine/cetirizine for an eye drop?

That is until I started doing some digging and discovered the active ingredient. Low and behold it was simply ketotifen, better known the former prescription eye drop Zaditor.

You see some marketing 'whiz' got a hardon a few months back when he thought up this idea. "These brand names sell well," Mr. Shit-for-brains thought. "So why not slap their names on some kind of anti-itch drop for the eye even if its a completely different drug!" I'm sure shortly there after he/she received some sort of bonus for their 'creativity'.

Here's the problem I see with this, these drops do not contain the drugs they are advertising. Everyone knows Claritin is loratadine and that Zyrtec is cetirizine, yet neither one of these products contains their respective known drugs. That is a little misleading is it not?

Sure we have Tylenol Cold, but that actually contains Tylenol. What if something came out that was called Tylenol Long Term Relief but was really just naproxen? Wouldn't that confuse the hell out of patients? Note: Shit I probably just gave some retard an idea for a product...

Already I have people asking for the eye drops with Claritin in it. I don't even bother, at least right now, to explain to them that there is no such product.

Chalk another point up for the anal raping of the American people by the pharmaceutical companies and their marketers. My ass is starting to chafe, how about yours?

Pharmacy School Admissions Interview Attire

I figure everyone who has read this blog (all 41,104 visitors as of the writing of this post) has been with me on my journey towards becoming a pharmacist. Due to this fact, I feel as if I should share at least part of the experience with you guys.

I know right now you're thinking either, A) Holy shit is he fucking crazy! or B) Holy shit what the fuck is he talking about?!?

And in either case it is perfectly understandable, but let me digress. Yesterday I went out and picked me up a spiffy suit for the interviews. I have since begun the process of attempting to pick out what precisely to wear with the suit.

Now herein lies the dilemma I have tons of dress shirts and ties as I generally wear those to work. Many of them, however, are not in consideration for the interview. Together they all sob and drink Jack Daniels in my closet. Why is this you ask? Because, from everything I have read, most pharmacy schools prefer that you dress conservatively for your interview.

That is a problem for my dress clothes because they are not conservative. I like bold colors which is why my shirts are colored Fuchsia and Copper and True Blue and Hunter Green and Blood Red and Chocolate Brown and etc etc with ties to go with. I do not like wearing pastel like colors and I will not wear a white shirt.

Therein lies the problem. I am left with two options in my closet and I went to the store today and picked up a 'conservative' shirt and tie. I know ask for honest and constructive criticism as to which to wear.

Now let's start with the 'conservative' shirt and tie. Of course all pictures are click-able to scale to a large size... if for some god awful reason you want to do that.


I will admit this does not look near as bad as I thought with the suit. The tie seems very Harry Potter-esq, but its decent. Now I could go with a pink tie, which I have and the wife loves to torture me about, but I figured that my scare the admissions people. Because, as well all know, pink is EXTREMELY threatening.

Let's carry on to my personal favorite.


This is probably my favorite shirt/tie combo I have at the moment. It helps that the shirt is like wearing the skin of a baby sheep against your body... ya know without all the blood and such. I have the fear that it is too fancy for the admissions folk. Not sure if that is the best way to phrase that, but I am genuinely not sure if this would be the correct way to go. The flash made the tie look quite a bit more shiny and silver than it actually is.

And last, but certainly not least;


This is actually the very first shirt/tie combo I ever bought (although this is a 2nd gen shirt) and I always thought I looked pretty snazzy in it. My problem is I think I look a bit like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but without the ice cream. And really, I don't need the admissions people salivating while they look at me. Well, salivating from hunger at least.

So there are your choices oh loyal blog readers. For those of you who are of the quiet type, I have placed a poll on the top right side for your clicking pleasure.

Now... lay it on me!

Daily Musings

As we were getting ready for bed last night I was explaining how frustrating my classes can be. I have to take a Chem 100 course in order to graduate as it is a requirement for all students. Naturally it's a freakin' breeze.

But this is how my day progressed. In the morning I was learning about genetic engineering. Using virus to alter genes in DNA in order to produce various effects. I ended day by listening to a classmate in this stupid Chem class educate everyone how on plants take in oxygen and give off water and that's how they help global warming.

Oy.

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I'm also really getting tired of getting bitched at for other people's mistakes. It was not me who did not mail out your prescription. It was not me who didn't fill your refills when you called them in. It was not me who put the wrong bottle in the back.

Stop fucking bitching at me and be grateful I fix your problems with a smile on my face. It could be a lot fucking worse.

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No we don't have the shots that give you the swine flu. First, ask a correct question. Second, stop calling.

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If you come in for Plan B, don't try and justify it. I don't need to hear about how you've already had four kids or how you're just not ready for children. You were drunk, someone played hide the pickle with you and you lost. It happens, life goes on.

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Wellpoint, why do you keep rejecting a Hydroxyzine script by saying; "Mental Health/Substance Abuse drugs not covered." It's an antihistamine for a rash on a guy's foot. It falls under neither mental health nor substance abuse. Am I missing something here?

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Finally I've spent about $1,200 getting ready for these interviews already. That's a lot of freakin' money. At least I got a suit out of it, but geez I'm gonna go broke by the end of this. Maybe I should wear some kind of hobo getup to squeeze a little sympathy out of them.

That being said, I'm interviewing on Halloween Eve. Would it be inappropriate to wear a costume? Precisely, I want to be a bottle of Viagra this year. I would think that would show my passion for the profession would it not??

I mean c'mon, it's not like I'd be a bottle of Valtrex.

One Step Closer...

Today started off as a normal Monday. I literally had to drag my ass out of bed in time for Genetics. I was rather apathetic as I doodled aimlessly while being taught regulation factors in gene expression. For some reason the term Operon caused me to imagine some sort of monster destroying the city I live in. It was... perplexing.

Next I sat through my Race and Ethnicity class where I learn every day that you can be a racist even when you're not a racist. Or some crazy shit like that. This time I imagined the monster eating my professor. Such a lovely thought this was.

As I left this class to head home for lunch my phone rang; it was my manager. Already knowing what she was going to say, I answered it. She pleaded with me to go fill in for a sick co-worker on my day off at a store that is 30 minutes away from where I live. Being that I'm an overly nice son of a bitch, I agreed.

In essence, it was another dreary Monday.

Until I checked my emails.... and I found out the following:

On Friday, October 23rd, I have an interview at a pharmacy school.

Dear God, did I read that right? Am I losing my mind? After busting my ass to the point of exhaustion for the past three years could it possibly be true?

Those of you who have read this blog over the last two years, ya know all four of you, may understand how utterly monumental this is. Three years ago I thought I had no chance in hell of even being eligible to apply, yet alone be admissions worthy.

Yet here I am, booking plane tickets, searching for hotels and plotting to buy a suit on Wednesday.

The whole thing is very surreal. I read the e-mail about five times just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Hell I might frame the freakin' thing and hang it up in my living room.

Previously I said my PCAT scores were the achievement I was most proud of in my life. Today, it was supplanted with this e-mail.

So for all of you who read this blog, all of you who think you have made too many mistakes along the way and have no chance of reaching your dream, I am proof that you can climb out of that wretched hole. That no matter how bad it gets, no matter how much you may want to quit, retribution is possible.

Next Thursday I leave to take the next step in this epic journey. Next Thursday I leave to take the next step towards my future.

And damn is it sweet.

Who Wants to do a Line With Me?

A line of MagOx that is. A treasure trove of dust came pouring out of the bottle as I went to fill this prescription. It was the last thing I would fill for the evening. Naturally the first thing I thought of was to make a lovely line of it on the tray.

Is that wrong?