A question about letters of recommendation

Question: I just started working in a pharmacy part-time as a pharmacy tech. When I apply for pharmacy school, I will only have about 6 months experience in a pharmacy setting. I do plan on asking the pharmacist I work with for an LOR. Will it be frowned upon to only have 6-7 months experience in a pharmacy and an LOR from someone who has only know me for 6-7 months. I will have LORs from others I have worked with that have known me longer. Thanks!


Answer: I will start by saying that an LOR (letter of recommendation) from a pharmacist is a good thing. Particularly, if they "highly recommend" you. I believe there are 3-4 different types of pharmacist experience and I will discuss each briefly in the order of importance as a committee will view them:

1) Pharmacy Technician - Part or full time employment at a pharmacy will always earn you extra points. It shows that you are committed enough to the profession to seek employment and experience before applying for pharmacy school. Let the pharmacist you work with know how important it is to you to attend pharmacy school and ask that they write a supportive recommendation.
2) Pharmacy Volunteer - If an applicant has volunteered at a local pharmacy, I think it can help an application. I usually look at volunteering as something an applicant can do if they attend school out of state, but want a little bit of experience with pharmacy. If an applicant has regularly scheduled "volunteer hours" (say, 6-10pm every Monday), that shows an additional level of commitment.
3) Pharmacy Shadowing - This is my "better than nothing" category. Usually it means that you spent a few hours once or twice "shadowing" or spending a day with a pharmacist or at a pharmacy. I have had young people shadow me a few times and I usually kind of enjoy it. The applicant gets a little bit of exposure to what a pharmacist does without the commitment of a pharmacy job or volunteer hours.
4) Pharmacy Clerk - We have a few applicants every year who are the "cashiers" or "stock people" at a pharmacy or independent drug store. This might be the person who runs the cash register at the front of the store or stocks the greeting cards. No real first hand knowledge of how the pharmacy works, but they have been around the business a while and have some connections to the people in the pharmacy. This experience won't add much to your application.

So, to answer your question, I would look favorably upon an LOR from your pharmacist of 6-7 months. Committee members expect to see letters from professors, but a pharmacist who can speak to your work ethic and character will help you out.

I suggest that you provide everyone who writes you an LOR a one page "resume" that lists academic honors, extracurricular activities, work and volunteer experience. Some LORs that we see are written by reviewers who clearly know very little about the applicant and it shows. You need to be proactive and stress the importance that his/her letter will have on the committee no matter how long you have known the reviewer.

Thanks for your excellent question.