Survival Tools to get Through Pharmacy School

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My first quarter of pharmacy school was a huge learning curve for me because the learning style and pace was very different from what I was used to compared to undergrad. I would like to help save you the trouble so that you can start off with the right tools, expectations, and organization to succeed.

I initially started off taking notes by hand in a notebook because that was how I did it in high school and in my undergraduate classes during college, but for pharmacy school, it was not such a great idea.

Since the classes moved so fast, I didn’t have time to write everything; in fact, that was inefficient. I knew I needed a better system to be more interactive with my notes, such as have the ability to quickly jot notes, draw images, record my professors, as well as a way to store multiple files for my classes in an organized manner.

The Most Helpful Tools to use in Pharmacy School For Studying

All of the class lectures at my pharmacy school were available as downloadable PDF slides/files, so my #1 tool I used basically 24/7 was my 2017 Apple Ipad tablet. I used it mainly for note-taking and studying. The smallest storage size was adequate because I also stored my notes in the cloud (i.e. Google Drive).

It’s a personal preference, but my Apple Ipad was more useful to me for class than my Apple MacBook Air laptop due to its touchscreen capabilities, light weight, and portability.

I still used my laptop when it came to writing papers and creating study guides, but I didn’t use it during class or for studying purposes.

I did go through a trial period with the Microsoft Surface Tablet, but I didn’t like the functionality and feel of it, so I returned it. The Microsoft Surface felt like an actual laptop to me because it still had the shut down setting, whereas the Apple tablet can just lock its screen easily like a smartphone. There’s no obligation to power off completely. Again, it’s a preference thing.

My only regret with the iPad was that my iPad version did’t have the ability to be paired with an Apple Pencil. (I didn’t know how amazing the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) was until now since I have upgraded to the iPad Pro 2020).

I was using a normal universal stylus, and it worked fine for the time being. It did its job, it was functional, customizable with 2 different head attachments, it was inexpensive, and it came in pretty colors.

The downfall was that the stylus plastic head kept breaking on me. I went through about 2 sets of the pens and a set of refills for the stylus heads by the end of pharmacy school.

I even Snapchat about it years ago to my friends

Knowing what I know now, I wish I would’ve splurged on a newer model of the iPad in order to be able to use it with an Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil is sturdy, so it would be very difficult to break. It’s also convenient since it is magnetic and can be attached to the iPad when not in use. It also writes with ease on the iPad without worries about scratching the screen. It almost feels like you’re writing with pen & paper.

Pro tip: Buy Apple products using their education pricing for college students (either online or mention it to the Apple support members at their actual store). It usually saves you at least $100 for being a student. Just remember to bring your student ID.

The Most Helpful Applications (Apps) to Download for Pharmacy School

The #1 application (app) I would recommend a thousand times over is Notability. It is the best app for taking notes in pharmacy school (I still use it now on other things as a graduated pharmacist). It is the only app I have ever paid for and I’m so glad I did. It was $9 well spent because of its functionality. Cost has increased now, but still very worth it. Below are few examples of what it can do to take your notes to the next level.

Notability can download your files and you can write, type, draw, highlight, copy and paste images, record audio, insert shapes, etc. You can also choose any color you want for the highlighter, text, and draw feature.

Other great features:

Organize files into Dividers (i.e. Spring Quarter of 2020, Summer Quarter of 2020, etc…)
Further organize files using color-coded Subjects (i.e. Infectious Disease is green; Physiology is orange, etc…)
You can have 2 note files open side by side at the same time and write notes on both with ease.
In a recorded segment, you can tap at the moment where you wrote something down, and it will go to the exact moment in time when that was mentioned so that you can re-listen to a specific part of the audio.
You can export and airdrop large files easily (i.e. between nearby classmates using Apple products)
Turn what you write into text so that it looks uniform
Save changes of your files automatically into a cloud service (i.e. Google Drive).

The downside to Notability is that the iPad version is not interchangeable with the laptop or Iphone version so you’ll need to buy it again if you want the app on both devices. I didn’t need it on my laptop, so it wasn’t an issue for me.

Here is my studying system in a nutshell with how I utilized these tools:

1). Download the lecture slides to Notability on Ipad

2). Quickly review what the lecture slides are about so that you’re not going into class blindly

3). Write extra notes mentioned during class time.

Pro tip: I like to use a 3 colored highlighter/pen system. I use 1 specific color (i.e. blue) for class time notes, 1 specific color for when I study on my own time (i.e. purple), and 1 specific color for what gets tested after an exam (i.e. yellow). If I attend a review session, I also use a different color to help distinguish where I am getting the information.

4). Record the lecture simultaneously as you’re writing notes in Notability in case anything was missed or mentioned too quickly. I would recommend doing this for the really important and intricate courses.

5). Review notes after class. I still like traditional pen and paper so I also have a binder of handwritten notes of study guides.

*No, I don’t get any incentive for recommending Notability. I just love it so much!

UptoDate, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex, and Lexicomp were all great tertiary sources for finding drug information (i.e. dosing, pharmacologic class, mechanisms of actions, adverse reactions, etc…). They do require a paid subscription, but hopefully your school/workplace will provide you with free access while you’re a pharmacy student/employed. I use the website version more than the app version but both are great.

I use Medscape app now as a pharmacist when I’m not at my workplace for basic drug information. It is a great resource because it is basically an all-in-one app. Besides drug information, it has special calculators (i.e. weight-based dosing, stroke risk, etc…), updated guidelines, lists of medical procedures, and so much more! It’s available for free as well!