How can I get a volunteer position at a pharmacy?

This question has been asked several times in various forms the past couple of days, so I decided to simply add it to the blog.

Question: I contacted a lot of hospitals in my area about volunteering in their pharmacy, but the response was that either they didn't allow volunteers, I had to be a certified tech, or volunteering is only available during the daytime on weekdays. I'm stressed out trying to figure out how to meet this requirement so any suggestions would be helpful.


Answer: If you don't have a connection with a pharmacy or know a pharmacist personally, here are a couple of suggestions that I have found to be successful:

1) Contact a small, independent pharmacy in your area. Ask to speak to the owner or pharmacist in charge. Mention that you are planning to apply to pharmacy school and would like to gain some volunteer experience if they could accommodate you. You may have to be flexible in the hours you are available for them, but this approach might work.

2) Contact the school of pharmacy that you are applying to and ask if they have alums in your area who would be willing to host you. I receive emails from my alma mater occasionally looking for pharmacy sites for potential students.

If you have any additional questions, please leave comments below or send me an email to followup.