Got into pharmacy school...now regretting it

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I have a huge dilemma, and I would really appreciate any help/insight!

I have been accepted into a top ten pharmacy school and I'm starting to regret my decision. I've always wanted to become a doctor, but I was talked into applying to pharmacy school for one of those 6 year programs. While I'm happy I'll be done with school by the age of 24 (I may do a residency afterwards), I don't know if I should change my path and switch to medicine or dentistry.
Most people are going to say "do what you love!" but I honestly have a passion for each of these fields. I've shadowed each other them so I have a sense of what they are like. To me, job security, pay, time for family, not-a-super-stressful-job, time in school, etc, are the distinguishing factors.

Some of my worries:
1. Job outlook/pay. With the field saturated, will the pay become even lower in the near future? I know pay isn't everything, but it still plays a large role in occupation. I don't want to go to school for so long, rack up debt, and just end up getting paid less than all my non-health friends who don't have to go through so much schooling.
2. What if I go to pharmacy school and end up hating it? Will I still be able to drop out, finish my BA (I'm going into pharmacy school without a BA), and get into another program? I have great grades, but my undergraduate organizations are all pharmacy-based so I'm not sure if any other program would be willing to pick me. Not to mention my leadership positions are all in pharmacy-related fields; thus, when I leave for pharmacy school and come back, I'll lose all my leadership positions.... Will they just think that'll I'll drop out of their program too/don't have enough passion as other applicants?
3. I keep hearing about how pharmacists hate their job and how the "golden years" are forever gone. It seems like pharmacists are so underrated now! Even when I talk to professors/other people about my decision, they say "are you really sure you want to go into pharmacy? Medicine is more suited for you/you're a smart girl-go become a doctor!" I feel that they are looking down on me, already judging that I can't get into medical/dentistry school. I know that this is so superficial, but as a young adult, this judgement really bothers me and makes me doubt my decision more.

I appreciate any help! Thank you in advance!

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Not all pharmacists hate their job. I've worked several pharmacy jobs, hospital, retail, including crazy understaffed retail chain pharmacy, and I have enjoyed all my jobs. I have absolutely no regrets about going into pharmacy, I enjoy all the different facets of being a pharmacist. But when I started a 0 - 5 pharmacy school at age 18, I had a lot of doubts. I seriously thought about quitting my 1st year and doing something else.But I didn't, and it was the right decision. As I neared graduation, I looked into continuing my education, maybe into medicine or dentistry. But I decided I'd invested enough of my life in school. There wasn't any moment where I woke up and realized I was had 100% made the right decision, but the longer I stayed in pharmacy, the longer I worked as a pharmacist, the more sure I was that I had absolutely made the right career choice.

I didn't know what was right for me at 18, but I fortunately made the right choice. Nobody, probably not even you, can know what is the right choice for you. If you are fortunate, you will make the right one. Educate yourself on all your options...and when you still don't know, just follow your instinct.
 
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I graduated pharmacy school in 2011, when I started pharmacy school new pharmacists were getting $40,000 sign on bonuses, when I graduated, the only reason I got a job in the market of my choice is because I was already employed as an intern, and it was a prn position.

However, I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. One of my main personally traits is that I love sharing knowledge, and I have a lot of chances to do that in my pharmacy. The one problem I have, is that I "talk too much". The patients love it, but the workflow suffers.... But I've learned to deal (and my tech knows when to interrupt me).... but when it comes down to it, there is a lot of competition for jobs, you might not get a job where you want one, the job requirements from the chains can suck, but over all... It is still a rewarding profession.

So basically, go into pharmacy if you want to go into pharmacy. But know what you're getting into. It can be a great profession, but at times, an awful job. If you are only looking at the job because of the BS everyone is saying about it, run away, you'll hate it! But, if you actually like the job, it can be rewording.

Sometimes I really HATE my job.... but I always love my profession.
 
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I know you don't want to hear it, but nobody can make that decision except for you.

You mentioned that you have shadowed both fields -- What did you like and dislike about each experience? What would you hope to gain by choosing one profession over the other? I recommend making an actual list of your perceived pros and cons for either side.

If you're looking for personal stories: I entered pharmacy school, quit after the first year, entered medical school, and believe I made the best decision of my life. Only time will tell if I was correct. On the other hand BidingMyTime had doubts, stuck with it, and seems very happy.
 
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For sure you will encounter lots of hoops to jump through while at school.
 
I hate to break this to you, but medicine and dentistry are past their golden ages as well. You know how many times I heard "Are you sure you want to go into medicine" when I was a pre-med?

I have a huge dilemma, and I would really appreciate any help/insight!

I've shadowed each other them so I have a sense of what they are like. To me, job security, pay, time for family, not-a-super-stressful-job, time in school, etc, are the distinguishing factors.

If these are your factors in choosing a career, I wouldn't think medicine would be for you. Dentistry might be a good option if you decide against pharmacy, but their job is a lot more stressful than most people think (especially if you own your own practice).
 
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To the OP: Are you a high school senior? Most people change their major at least once while they're in college. Have you actually worked in a pharmacy, or have you just job-shadowed a few times? There's a BIG difference between the two.
 
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To the OP: Are you a high school senior? Most people change their major at least once while they're in college. Have you actually worked in a pharmacy, or have you just job-shadowed a few times? There's a BIG difference between the two.
I'm a college sophomore who will be going into pharmacy school in the Fall. I've only job shadowed at a pharmacy as of now. I wanted to work at a pharmacy, but didn't have time since I was busy completing all my pre-req courses in 2 years. I also can't seem to find any internships for pre-pharmacy students (I'd rather not work in community).
 
I have a huge dilemma, and I would really appreciate any help/insight!

Don't think about it for a few days, then come back to it. It'll allow you to clear your mind a bit and be able to think about it (hopefully) with more objectivity rather than what you are feeling at the time.

I am in my last year of Pharm school and am having my own feelings of career change. I do have 3 years of which I owe to the military because of the scholarship program in which I participated, so that'll give me three good years in pharmacy to see if I enjoy the profession enough to make it a full career. Either way, you will need to do at least 4 years of a bachelor's degree (mostly, some MDs can do less, but in general...), so maybe choose a school that has a 4 year BSPS (bachelors in pharmaceutical sciences). That way you will get some exposure to the pharmaceutical sciences, and can back out after you obtain the bachelors if you really don't like pharmacy. You're not behind for your MD then, and you are 2/3 of the way to a PharmD if you love pharmacy.

My reasons for considering change: Pharmacy has been a lot of knowledge based work (which I knew when I was getting into it). What I mean is knowing about drugs, counseling, computer work for researching prior to speaking with patients, filling prescriptions. What little you do with your hands involves checking prescriptions/typing on a computer... I guess I didn't think it entirely through prior to pursuing the PharmD. I liked the idea of being a know-it-all for drugs. And pharmacy is trying to do more clinical work, but even then it is still just recommendations at this point (for the most part) and they aren't always taken. I like the idea of, in the case of the anesthesiologists, both talking with patients and interacting with them prior and post surgery, but also having an active role in the direct provision of healthcare in the OR. I am more of a diagnostic person in that I like to find the problem, not just fix it. And that's where my feelings come from. Decide what your reasons are for each profession and then pick which best fits your personality, skills, and desire.
 
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When comparing several options with no clear winner, I personally like a quantitative approach. List all parameters that matters to you, assign a weight to each parameter based on how important each is to you. Give a quantitative score to each possible options, eg, pharmacy school cost $100k, dental $160k, medical $200, then assign -5, -8, -10. Do the same for income, time in school, basically every difference that matters to you. Once done, normalize the scores to the parameter weight. Total the noramlized score for each option and compare. Its a rather robotic approach, but I find it clarifying and cuts to the truth.
 
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What if, what if, what if. These are questions every single person asks themselves in life. This is life.
 
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What if, what if, what if. These are questions every single person asks themselves in life. This is life.
Agreed. I believe that things happen for a reason- maybe it's superstition- and when I look back at the potential paths, I have to say I'm right where I want to be.

OP, it's great to think through the logic of a situation, weigh the pros and cons, but sometimes you just have to go with your intuition.

A friend shared a trick with me: Flip a coin. If you're not happy with what you got (ie you don't feel like it confirmed your intuition) then the other choice is what you really wanted to begin with.
 
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To the OP. You are young!! I know person who got into med school and decided not to go and went into law instead! She is now in intellectual law and is making the big bucks. Many people are saying medicine is not what it used to be, the pay for doctors are certainly decreasing for some per friends of mine who have been in the field. You are young! Have a whole-hearted discussion with yourself because no one can make this decision for you. Good luck!

PS if not for pharmacy, I think I would go into finance and dream of working for goldman or barclays or something. But I hear the hours in the financial industry are worse. Pay a lot better though. Every career will have its good and bad. Anyways, good luck :)
 
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My godfather is a retired physician who says he'd never do medical school again, my neighbor is a retired dermatologist who says he'd never do it again, my hematologist says that if he could do it again he'd do pharmacy because at 5 pm the pharmd's get to go home. My father is a pharmacist and he says that all doctors do is work, and only truly good physicians TRULY love what they do. I think too many people get into medicine without truly exploring the field. I've shadowed an orthopedic surgeon from 6 to 6 and I'm amazed at what he does for 12 hours five days a week and the occasional Saturday, and how he doesn't go insane doing it.
 
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To the OP - Listen to Penguin Fan. When I was doing my rotations during my last year as a pharmacy student, I would round with medical students. Most have said that they made a mistake and wish they could go back in time and choose a different major. Many physicians are miserable with the work that they do.
That said....I graduated in 2002 when there was a large demand for pharmacists and companies were throwing money at us. As more and more schools opened up fewer positions have become available. I work at a hospital now and my boss showed me a stack 2 inches high of resumes. It wasn't too long ago when they would pay 10k sign on bonus for a pharmacist. Now we hire pharmacists through an agency only (no benefits...no vacation time/health insurance/sick time etc.) and there is no shortage of pharmacists looking for anything they can get.
The good news is that I was told by some old time pharmacists that this saturation has happened before and the profession goes through phases that last a few years. So who knows?! Maybe by the time you graduate there is be a huge demand again. However, my gut feeling is that this time around its not like the other times. Especially with new pharmacy schools opening up all the time.
 
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My godfather is a retired physician who says he'd never do medical school again, my neighbor is a retired dermatologist who says he'd never do it again, my hematologist says that if he could do it again he'd do pharmacy because at 5 pm the pharmd's get to go home. My father is a pharmacist and he says that all doctors do is work, and only truly good physicians TRULY love what they do. I think too many people get into medicine without truly exploring the field. I've shadowed an orthopedic surgeon from 6 to 6 and I'm amazed at what he does for 12 hours five days a week and the occasional Saturday, and how he doesn't go insane doing it.

You know it's bad if a dermatologist wouldn't do medicine again.:laugh:
 
competition is everywhere. study hard, study really hard, and do well on exams. also reach out to the pharmacies for internship. just as long you outshine everyone, theres always a place for you.
 
My godfather is a retired physician who says he'd never do medical school again, my neighbor is a retired dermatologist who says he'd never do it again, my hematologist says that if he could do it again he'd do pharmacy because at 5 pm the pharmd's get to go home. My father is a pharmacist and he says that all doctors do is work, and only truly good physicians TRULY love what they do.

1. Of course they would never do it again - I'm assuming they are 60 years old +? Who would want to go through Med School again at that age =P

2. Not all PharmDs get to go home at 5PM... only those in management, academics, drug companies, and other ancillary positions (these jobs are few). Those in retail and hospital commonly work 12 hour shifts and some stores/most hospitals are open 24 hours, and there must ALWAYS be a PharmD in the pharmacy if the pharmacy is open.

3. I shadowed a few anesthesiologists that work 6-3ish, M-F, when on call obviously stay later till all surgeries completed and are there some weekends. I shadowed an EM doc that works 8 24's a month. Small, rural hospital. Not saying its the best life, but that gives him 24 days a month off to rest/catch up on sleep, and do whatever the heck he wants. Granted these obviously aren't in direct succession, but still... not so bad (for him)
 
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Thank you everyone who responded! I really appreciate all your help :)
 
I have a huge dilemma, and I would really appreciate any help/insight!

I have been accepted into a top ten pharmacy school and I'm starting to regret my decision. I've always wanted to become a doctor, but I was talked into applying to pharmacy school for one of those 6 year programs. While I'm happy I'll be done with school by the age of 24 (I may do a residency afterwards), I don't know if I should change my path and switch to medicine or dentistry.
Most people are going to say "do what you love!" but I honestly have a passion for each of these fields. I've shadowed each other them so I have a sense of what they are like. To me, job security, pay, time for family, not-a-super-stressful-job, time in school, etc, are the distinguishing factors.

Some of my worries:
1. Job outlook/pay. With the field saturated, will the pay become even lower in the near future? I know pay isn't everything, but it still plays a large role in occupation. I don't want to go to school for so long, rack up debt, and just end up getting paid less than all my non-health friends who don't have to go through so much schooling.
2. What if I go to pharmacy school and end up hating it? Will I still be able to drop out, finish my BA (I'm going into pharmacy school without a BA), and get into another program? I have great grades, but my undergraduate organizations are all pharmacy-based so I'm not sure if any other program would be willing to pick me. Not to mention my leadership positions are all in pharmacy-related fields; thus, when I leave for pharmacy school and come back, I'll lose all my leadership positions.... Will they just think that'll I'll drop out of their program too/don't have enough passion as other applicants?
3. I keep hearing about how pharmacists hate their job and how the "golden years" are forever gone. It seems like pharmacists are so underrated now! Even when I talk to professors/other people about my decision, they say "are you really sure you want to go into pharmacy? Medicine is more suited for you/you're a smart girl-go become a doctor!" I feel that they are looking down on me, already judging that I can't get into medical/dentistry school. I know that this is so superficial, but as a young adult, this judgement really bothers me and makes me doubt my decision more.

I appreciate any help! Thank you in advance!

I had pharmacists in my medical school class.
I love being a physician.
 
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Gartner Reveals Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users for 2014 and Beyond

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2603215

"By 2020, a majority of knowledge worker career paths will be disrupted by smart machines in both positive and negative ways. Near Term Flag: Virtual personal assistant usage in business grows more quickly in 2017 and 2018 than iPad usage did in 2010 and 2011.
Gartner forecasts that smart machines will upend a majority of knowledge workers' career paths by 2020. Smart machines exploit machine learning and deep-learning algorithms. They behave autonomously, adapting to their environment. They learn from results, create their own rules and seek or request additional data to test hypotheses. They are able to detect novel situations, often far more quickly and accurately than people. IT professionals need to recognize that smart machines can create substantial competitive advantages, as well as entirely new businesses"

This will probably mean far fewer pharmacists needed.
 
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I was told by some old time pharmacists that this saturation has happened before

Um, when? I've never heard of any saturation, and I've worked with pharmacists who graduated as long ago as the 1950s.
 
I have a huge dilemma, and I would really appreciate any help/insight!

I have been accepted into a top ten pharmacy school and I'm starting to regret my decision. I've always wanted to become a doctor, but I was talked into applying to pharmacy school for one of those 6 year programs. While I'm happy I'll be done with school by the age of 24 (I may do a residency afterwards), I don't know if I should change my path and switch to medicine or dentistry.
Most people are going to say "do what you love!" but I honestly have a passion for each of these fields. I've shadowed each other them so I have a sense of what they are like. To me, job security, pay, time for family, not-a-super-stressful-job, time in school, etc, are the distinguishing factors.

Some of my worries:
1. Job outlook/pay. With the field saturated, will the pay become even lower in the near future? I know pay isn't everything, but it still plays a large role in occupation. I don't want to go to school for so long, rack up debt, and just end up getting paid less than all my non-health friends who don't have to go through so much schooling.
2. What if I go to pharmacy school and end up hating it? Will I still be able to drop out, finish my BA (I'm going into pharmacy school without a BA), and get into another program? I have great grades, but my undergraduate organizations are all pharmacy-based so I'm not sure if any other program would be willing to pick me. Not to mention my leadership positions are all in pharmacy-related fields; thus, when I leave for pharmacy school and come back, I'll lose all my leadership positions.... Will they just think that'll I'll drop out of their program too/don't have enough passion as other applicants?
3. I keep hearing about how pharmacists hate their job and how the "golden years" are forever gone. It seems like pharmacists are so underrated now! Even when I talk to professors/other people about my decision, they say "are you really sure you want to go into pharmacy? Medicine is more suited for you/you're a smart girl-go become a doctor!" I feel that they are looking down on me, already judging that I can't get into medical/dentistry school. I know that this is so superficial, but as a young adult, this judgement really bothers me and makes me doubt my decision more.

I appreciate any help! Thank you in advance!
 
You stated "I have always wanted to become a Doctor" ... forget pharmacy school. Don't focus on "quitting" something in which you truly are not interested. View it as opportunity to do something more suited to you. The pharmacy field is saturated, the jobs can be somewhat mundane, and don't let the fact that you made one bad decision lead to a lifetime of bad career choice. Go for it ! Change now, and enjoy the ride ... medicine is a fulfilling career choice and full of options for energetic, intelligent students.
 
I chose pharmacy without any research besides being told a lie of $100/hr and a "dr" title...I also wanted to be a physician but chose not to due to financial restraints....I regret my decision.

However unless you have a true passion for medicine I would skip that field as well. I have friends who are smart and didn't know what else to do. They skated through med school and have decent residencies, but regret going through so much school.

Pharmacy has more positives than negatives. To sum it up, unless you really enjoy your job it's just soul crushing no matter how easy the job and good the pay.
 
I know how you feel. Since I came to pharmacy school, I was never sure if this was truly the field for me. I wanted to go to medicine but I was 18 and thought maybe I was being idealistic. I'm not that smart and getting into pharmacy school was a surprise for my family too since they probably didn't think id get in even though I had good grades in high school lol. Anyway, I figured I couldn't do medicine and went to pharmacy school. I didn't shadow or even get a intern job and I've learned only during rotations that retail is definitely not what I want to do. Id completely change my major if it wasn't for hospital pharmacy options. The closest to what I like in pharmacy is clinical but I don't know how many clinical and am care jobs there are. I've realized in rotations that I absolutely love medicine more than I like learning about drugs and I think having that conflicting feeling has made pharmacy school tough. I feel bad because everybody is proud of me for being a pharmacist in my family and like showing off even tho I don't like doing that myself lmao. I can't say I'm passionate about pharmacy but I'm looking eagerly for hospital/cljnical jobs because I know that's really why I went to pharmacy school. Please take time to think your decision through. I know a lot of people take the 6-year program or 2+4 program route, but if you are feeling really rushed and can manage getting your bachelors, I suggest you do that and spend your time volunteering/shadowing/interning both professions before choosing one. If you ultimately decide to go to pharmacy, don't feel that not going two years earlier was a mistake. I knew a girl who was supposed to graduate pharmacy school in 2011 and will now graduate in 2016-I was her TA for a class. I've known people who've worked as pharm techs for 10 years before graduating with a PharmD! I know it doesn't sound ideal, but slow and steady will really benefit you in the long run, imo. With my six year program, I tried applying for tech/intern jobs since P1 year and found absolutely nothing. Sad to say, but I never even really knew how a pharmacy job really was like until P4 year, and so during school I burned out just studying for a profession I didn't even know realistically. I have had such a horrible retail experience that I'm trying to avoid retail as much as I can. I want to do hospital, but I don't have hospital experience either.I remember a pharmacist at the hospital I rotated at grill me because I didn't have a pharmacy job during school even tho I did everything I can to secure one. It is EASIER to get your job first as a tech than it is as an intern. I have learned this all the hard way and really advise people to not rush. People are proud of me that I'm a 23 year old "doctor" but I am worried that I have already had a rough time trying to find intern jobs that I'm not sure how it will be like trying to get a pharmacist position. I have burned out so much that I feel depressed and it is affecting my mood and relationships. I am not discouraging you from doing pharmacy, I think if you can get a retail intern position and/or hospital intern position and would be satisfied working in retail (where most of the jobs are) if all else fails or until you can get a hospital/clinical job, then do pharmacy, by all means. If you are passionate about being a medication expert and having the drug knowledge, that's what pharmacy is about. If you want to do medicine, prepare for the fact that it is intensive and demanding and the full responsibility is on you. However if you love anatomy and physiology (like me), diagnostics, and the full picture, go for it. Honestly, when I was rounding with the doctors and going to morning and noon conferences, I was absolutely in love with medicine. I don't know if I have the mental capacity for it, but I enjoyed learning from the doctors. The other pharmacy student who was with me actually hated it lol, she felt it was irrelevant to pharmacy knowledge but I am actually interested in self-learning some medical knowledge for my own sake bc it's really interesting to me. I guess a lot of it is also what you make of it.
 
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