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Prepharmacy Club

College of Pharmacy, 1295 N. Martin
PO Box 210202, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Phone: (520) 626-1427

445 N. 5th St., Ste.120
Phoenix AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 293-3222
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Webmaster | Last updated: 04/13/2009

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Prepharmacy Club: 2008-2009 Meeting Archive

Sept. 8, 2008

 

Oct. 6, 2008

 

 

Feb. 2, 2009


March 2, 2009

 

April 6, 2009

 

Sept. 8, 2008 Meeting Minutes

We started the meeting with a brief introduction of the prepharmacy club officers and the club advisors:

Anna Hernandez is the head club advisor and Marty Baker is our co-advisor. Cinthia gave us a brief tour of our website. She explained where to find our calendar of events, meeting dates, contact information, frequently asked questions and meeting minutes.

The Prepharmacy Club meetings are the first Monday of every month. You can still join the Prepharmacy Club by downloading a membership form directly from the site. Forms and dues can be handed in at the next meeting, which is Monday, Oct. 6. Dues will be $35.

Our shirts will be distributed at the next meeting. Shirt colors are red this year. Wear these to our club events. There will be gold, silver and bronze awards given out to club members who have attended the most events at the end of our club year. Our events for this month include percentage night at Penguin's on Thursday, Sept.11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Penguin's is located at University Main Gate, 825 E. University Blvd. There will be a sign-up sheet to sign to let us know you attended (make sure your family and friends sign it to). We also have Ben's Bells on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is located at 817 E. University Blvd. You don't have to stay the whole time, but plan on staying at least half an hour starting from the time you get there.

Our guest speakers were a collection of students: Ashley Sweaney, Rachel and Satoru (first-year students) Dan Le and Kunal Ramani (2second- year students) Kim Jacques (third-year student). There was a question and answer period about getting in to UA pharmacy with these students. Some main points were:

Marty stated that if you have questions for her or Anna about prepharmacy requirements, to please send them an e-mail. Please include your full name, the year you plan to apply and your student ID. If you need them to pull your file, or feel you have to speak to them personally, please make an appointment. Their office is located in Drachman B-107. Anna Hernandez

Marty Baker

The meeting ended with pizza and soda for everyone. We hope to see you at the next meeting.

-Georgina Ybarra

 

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Oct. 6, 2008 Meeting Minutes

On Saturday, Oct. 18 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., we will have the PCAT Social for club members only.  Come and join us so that you can speak to students who have just finished with the PCAT exam!


On Sunday, Oct. 19, we need volunteers for the AIDS Walk on the UA mall. Shifts range from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Remember to sign up to volunteer.


On Sunday, Oct. 26, we will be participating in the Breast Cancer 5K Walk held at Rillito Downs.  Registration starts at 7 a.m. and the walk starts at 8 a.m. There is a $10 minimum donation.  Register to walk at Making Strides Web site http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/tucson. Once you are on the Web site, go to "join a team" and type in pre-pharmacy club. Sign up and you can make the $10 donation by credit card.   Rides will be provided if you have requested one on the sign-up sheet.  Pick up and drop off will be at the College of Pharmacy.


Thursday, Oct. 30: Pharmacy Day at the UA mall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We need volunteers to sign up for shifts to serve root beer floats and help out where help is needed.


Saturday, Nov. 1: Juvenile Diabetes Walk at Reid Park.  Volunteers are needed to cover the different shifts that range from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.


If you would like to attend the events, please make sure that you have signed up for them at the meeting.  If you need to sign up for an event, e-mail our Activities Coordinator Caryn Clark at cac2@email.arizona.edu.  Remember to wear your Pre-pharmacy club shirts to all events!


We started the meeting with members of ASP-APhA making a few announcements. ASP-APhA (Academy of Student Pharmacists-American Pharmacists Association) membership includes various pharmacy newsletters and pharmacy magazines. There is a $47 fee to join the association and this is due by Monday, Oct. 13. To join, you can go to www.pharmacist.com and click on student member. You may also join by filling out an application and giving your money to Mary Lou Burrola, who is located in Drachman B107.

October is National Pharmacy Month and this will be celebrated on the UA mall on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.


Cinthia made a few announcements. If you need your e-mail changed, please send an e-mail to Adam Hollingsworth, our computer guru, at adammh1@email.arizona.edu. If you haven't paid your membership dues, you are considered an inactive member. Money collected from membership dues goes to club T-shirts, refreshments after every meeting, and various volunteer events in the Tucson community. Cinthia has sent out a link to a survey to get an idea of what club members would like to participate in, including fundraisers and future events. Please fill out the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3Yh4uPSq_2fsIxu0UF7ypDIg_3d_3d

Our guest speaker was Dr. Theodore Tong, Associate Dean of the UA College of Pharmacy. He discussed the admission process and answered questions. He stated it is best to submit your application early (which is available on the pharmacy Web site http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/programs/pharmD/admission.php ). Try to submit it before the Thanksgiving holiday. Read all instructions and frequently asked questions carefully before submitting your application. Be attentive to details. Get four letters of recommendation, and give your recommenders enough time to submit their letters. Three letters are recommended, and the fourth is a back up. The first three letters submitted will be reviewed with your application. Your application will not be reviewed unless all three letters are submitted by the deadline, no matter what the circumstances are. Your recommenders do not see your application. Remember to make a copy of your application for your records. 

It's not too soon to think about admission into the College of Pharmacy. You may be more competitive than you think. If you are invited to interview, chances are not against you. There were about 200 interviews last year, 97 students were selected and about 40 were put on the alternate list. Do apply more than once if you don't get in the first time. This will only improve your competitiveness. Do not get overly anxious at the interview. Dr. Tong recommended to be yourself and speak from your heart. Have good communication skills. Think about why you are interested in the pharmacy profession. Your interviewers have to go through a training process to interview you. It is extremely important not to be dismissive with student pharmacists at the interview. They do leave feedback to the admissions committee. If you apply to other schools, know your needs, interests, and expenses. Have alternate options.


Anna reminded members that the Spring schedule is available. Don't wait to register or to make advising appointments. When you e-mail Anna (anna.hernandez@pharmacy.arizona.edu) or Marty (baker@pharmacy.arizona.edu), please include your full name, student ID number and times you are available to meet.

If you did not receive your T-shirt, please email Amy at avs@email.arizona.edu and let her know your size and when you can pick it up. The shirts will be in Anna's office (Drachman B107).


We ended the meeting with a raffle of UA products. Congratulations to all our winners! Thank you to all the members who joined us at the September events. We hope to see you at all of our October events, as well. See you all at the nextmeeting!
-Georgina Ybarra

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Nov. 3, 2008 Meeting Minutes

We started the meeting with a few announcements. Cinthia welcomed our guests from Central Arizona College and thanked them for attending. Also, we are selling navy blue hoodies with the prepharmacy logo on it for $25. Payments will be accepted and hoodies will be distributed at our December meeting on Monday, Dec. 1. All proceeds will be donated to the UMC Cancer Center.

A big "thank you" goes to all our members who participated in the Breast Cancer walk. We raised over $500. Great job! Also, thank you to everyone who participated in our October events. Our events continue to be a success because of you. On Thursday, Nov. 13, there will be a percentage night at Johnny Rockets located at 825 E. University Blvd. from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Please bring the flyer you received at the meeting. We won't get any credit if the staff at Johnny Rockets doesn't know you're with the prepharmacy club. Cinthia will be sending an email with an attachment of the flyer in case you need another one. We are not allowed to hand out flyers at the restaurant.

On Saturday, Nov. 22, El Tour de Tucson will be held on the UA mall. Volunteers are needed for various shifts from 7.-11a.m., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. Please e-mail Caryn if you have any questions about this event cac2@email.arizona.edu. Remember to wear your prepharmacy shirt to all events! Please bring a new, unwrapped toy worth $5 or more to our December meeting for Toys for Tots. Your toy will count as an event point.

Our guest speaker was Nicole Klones, PharmD, east side pharmacy area manager for Wal-Mart pharmacy. She spoke about the pharmacy profession and all the different opportunities it offers. Dr. Klones stressed that a career in pharmacy can be "individualized", and you can work in hospital, clinical, geriatrics, compounding, research, consulting and government agencies. Also, there is the legal aspect of pharmacy which Dr. Klones is also involved in. She said it may be important to do a residency, because some jobs in pharmacy require it. Use your rotation assignments as an opportunity to see what kind of different pharmacy careers are offered. You can possibly travel during your rotation and see different parts of the world. Also, a rotation can help you decide where you want to live in the country and what type of pharmacy you would want to practice in. There are many pharmacies all over the country, and all are very competitive. They will compete to keep you as a pharmacist for their company, but before you go somewhere else, make sure that's the move you want to make. Always read the fine print before you accept a "sign-on" bonus. Some companies will make you pay back your bonus with interest if your obligations aren't met.

Pharmacy offers various hours and you can usually decide what hours you would like to work. This leaves time open to explore other areas in the pharmacy world, or to work at different pharmacies to make extra income. It usually doesn't make a difference from what college of pharmacy you graduate from, but your personality and communication skills are extremely important. When you go to interview for a job, make sure you look professional and communicate well. Take advantage of career days and set up various interviews with different companies to see what pharmacy can offer you.

Thanks to all our members for attending the meeting. Have a great Thanksgiving recess and we will see you at the next meeting on Dec. 1.

- Georgina Ybarra

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Dec. 1, 2008 Meeting Minutes

We started with thanking all of our club members who have participated in events this year. You all really make a difference in our community by volunteering your time and effort. Thank you to everyone who brought a toy in for Toys for Tots. We collected several toys, and they all have been dropped off at a local fire station. These toys will benefit underprivileged kids this Christmas. Also, thank you to everyone who purchased a prepharmacy club sweater. All proceeds will benefit the UMC Cancer Center.

Our event for December is cooking dinner for the Ronald McDonald House occupants on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. It is located at 3838 N. Campbell, Building #6 (the address on Google Maps is wrong, this is correct). We will be making a spaghetti dinner that includes salad, bread and dessert. Please e-mail Caryn Clark at cac2@email.arizona.edu if you did not sign up for this event at the meeting and would like to participate.

Our guest speaker was Kem Blanchard from UA Career Services. She spoke about the interviewing process for pharmacy school. The UA Career Services center has a new program this year where you can prepare for your interview using a webcam. This is a helpful tool and will give you practice before your real interview. For more information you can visit the website at www.career.arizona.edu.

The most important thing in an interview is to be prepared and to be yourself. Some schools will give open or closed file interviews. Be prepared for a closed file interview. Know your successes and challenges. Prepare what you want your interviewer to know about you. Your interviewer wants to access you as a person. Be a walking, talking version of your application. You should inspire confidence. Prepare a personal statement that shows you are a qualified, motivated and strong candidate. Know the various pharmacy fields you would like to explore. Know your current events pertaining to the pharmacy profession. State your opinions and answers with confidence, but don't be arrogant. Your interviewer will notice how you interact with them and/or others. Make eye contact. Try not to be distracted by what your interviewer is writing down about you.

Wait to be asked a question, listen attentively and don't interrupt the person asking questions. Show that you are a compassionate and caring person. Also, know your weaknesses. If this question comes up, answer with something you can overcome or change. If you are a person who humors people, it OK to show that, but be tasteful. You can show emotion, but never cry! Be happy to be there. If you don't know the answer to a question you are being asked, it's OK to say "I don't know."

Dr. Tong added never to underestimate your student interviewers. They play an important role in your interviewing process. Listen to them and pay attention. For the interview, dress in a classic suit, nothing too trendy. Dark colors usually work best. Buy a suit that accents your skin tone. Make sure it fits well when you are standing or sitting. Do not wear fabrics that wrinkle easily (especially linen). You should have new, shined closed toe shoes. Marty added to break them in before you come to the interview because there will be walking, and you want to be comfortable. Men should wear belts that match their shoe color. Men's ties should be silk and should not be longer than the end of their belt. Women's skirts should be knee length or a little longer. Do not show cleavage! Don't bring too many things with you to the interview. You may bring a small portfolio or a purse that you can place in your lap. Be clean, and don't wear cologne or perfume, but be sure to wear deodorant. Men should be clean shaven. You can't control your interview, but you can control what you look like.

Thank you to everyone for coming to the meeting. We will not have a meeting in January. Our next meeting is Monday Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. Have a great winter break.

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February 2, 2009  Meeting Minutes

We started the meeting with a few announcements:

 

Our guest speaker for this month was Jim Kloster, RPh, from the Medication Management Center (MMC). The MMC started in 2006. Pharmacists from the center talk to elderly patients who are on the Medicare Part D plan and do a thorough consultation with these patients about their medications and medical conditions. The center has provided medication management therapy to over 150,000 patients. Patients who qualify for this service must be on at least eight medications and have at least one disease that includes asthma, diabetes, heart failure, COPD, depression and/or high cholesterol. The pharmacists goal is to find any drug interactions and to save these patients money by finding cheaper alternatives to what they are already taking.

Since the MMC opened, pharmacists have saved not only patients but insurance companies thousands of dollars. The pharmacists also speak to patients about adherence. By giving patients advice and guidelines about their medications and medical conditions, patients stay out of the hospital and usually their health conditions improve. Pharmacists will also give guidelines to teach patients what to look for as far as side effects and how to stay healthier to keep themselves out of the hospital and/or the emergency room.

After each patient consultation, patients are sent a Patient Medical Record, or PMR, which states what the pharmacist and patient discussed. The patients are encouraged to take this PMR to their doctor and to their retail pharmacist to work on improving their medical conditions and possibly reduce their medication use. There have been many success stories, and many patients appreciate this type of service. Also a large number of patients have stayed out of the hospital and have managed to stay healthier, along with achieving medical goals that the pharmacists set out for them.

Thank you to all the members for attending the meeting. Our next meeting will be on Monday, March 2.

-Georgina Ybarra

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March 2, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Thank you so much to all our club members for buying a prepharmacy club sweatshirt. We raised $1,200 from your donations! Our meeting started out with donating that $1,200 to the UMC Cancer Center and its “Better Than Ever” (BTE) program. Representatives receiving the check were Heather Alberts, BTE founder, and Marisa Allen, program coordinator. The BTE program focuses on getting healthy and fit as well as raising funds to fight cancer. The money will benefit women’s cancer prevention as well as grants and cancer research. For more information about the BTE program, please visit their Web site at bte@azcc.arizona.edu.

Events for this month:

Our guest speaker for this month was Hanna Phan, PharmD. Dr. Phan is a pediatric pharmacist and works with young patients who suffer from a wide variety of acute and/or chronic diseases. She works with many patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis and pediatric pulmonary disease.  She attends patient care rounds twice weekly at UMC, as well as interviewing patients and caregivers.

Dr. Phan educates not only pharmacy and medical students, but also other healthcare professionals about pediatric dosing. Her main focus is to teach that “pediatric patients are not small adult patients.” Pediatric patients use different drugs than adults and 80 percent of those drugs are not FDA approved or are off-label medications. Children have a different physiology than adults and their medication dosing is usually based on weight and age. There are also different drug formulations, concentrations and preservatives in medications that are harmful to children.

Dr. Phan makes sure that these pediatric patients get the right dosing of medication. There are different areas of pharmacy pediatric practice, which include general pediatrics, pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric clinical care, neonatal critical care, pediatric nutrition support and other subspecialties. To specialize in pediatric pharmacy, you must complete at least two years of residency and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatrics, which is an additional two or three years. If you have any questions for Dr. Phan about pediatric pharmacy practice, you may contact her at hphan@pharmacy.arizona.edu.

Officer elections will be held at our next meeting, which is on Monday, April 6. Please e-mail Cinthia at creyes@email.arizona.edu  if you would like to run for an officer position by Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. Include your full name and what position you would like to run for. Remember you have to give a short speech to the club of why you would be the best candidate for the position. Cinthia sent an e-mail earlier this week giving a summary of all the positions. Thank you to everyone for coming to this month’s meeting and have a safe spring break.

-Georgina Ybarra

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April 6, 2009  Meeting Minutes

We started the meeting with officer nominee speeches. Congratulations to all the new officers for 2009-2010:
President- Amy Smith
Vice President- Georgina Ybarra
Recorder- Danielle Nguyen
Treasurer- Natalie Nguyen
Computer Guru- Sarena De Baca
ASP/ASUA liason- Caryn Clark
Historian- Sophia Un
Activities Coordinator- Lisa So


Our guest speaker was Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD. She is the author of the Barron’s “How to Prepare for the PCAT.” She discussed the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test), and some basic strategies to help us prepare for the test. Many schools will use the PCAT for admissions. Be sure you know how the college you are applying to uses your PCAT scores. Some colleges will average your test scores. The University Of Arizona College of Pharmacy will take your highest PCAT score, and your chemistry sub score is important. You can take the test multiple times.

Dr. Chisholm-Burns suggests you take the PCAT “early and often” and to take it more than once. Start preparing about 3-6 months before the exam. Don’t cram and get plenty of rest before the test. Dr. Chisholm-Burns suggested doing anything you can to prepare for the test. The PCAT is divided into five different sections which include Biology, Chemistry, Quantitative Ability (Math), Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. There are also two “Critical Thinking Essays”. Only one essay will be graded, but you will not know which one. Dr. Chisholm-Burns suggests doing your best on both. Essay questions are not science related. They are based on how you can present a solution to a problem. You only have 30 minutes to complete each essay. The test will take about 4-5 hours to complete and you will receive your scores about 4-6 weeks after the exam. Dr. Chisholm-Burns said to pace yourself while taking the test, especially in math and chemistry. Math is the subject most people don’t finish. Remember to bring pencils, your admission ticket and a picture ID to the test!

For more information about the PCAT and how to apply to take the test, visit the website at http://www.pcatweb.info. You can also download the PCAT Information Booklet at http://harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/enUS/Harcourt/Community/PostSecondary/Products/pcat/pcathome.htm.

We ended the meeting with a slideshow and a raffle of the 4th Edition of “How to Prepare for the PCAT”. Also, awards were given to our most involved club members, along with $25 gift cards to the UA bookstore. Congratulations to all the recipients! Thank you to Anna and Marty for being great club advisors (enjoy your giftcards)! Thank you to all our club members for such a great year!

-Georgina Ybarra

 

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