Lesley,
I'm sorry to dampen your enthusiasm about pharmacy, but I don't think you have done the homework as thoroughly as you should. Perhaps, you should consider the following points:
1. The salary of pharmacists is determined by supply and demand, and precisely because the low supply of pharmacists right now (pharmacy schools recently going from a 5 year program to 6 year has a lot do with the situation), the salary is high. However, pharmacy schools are expanding very aggressively and in about 6 years (exactly the time your son would graduate) the supply will catch up the demand and the salary will most likely stagnate. It is relatively easy to expand existing pharmacy schools or open new pharmacy schools when compared to dental schools.
2. "One thing that appeals to my son about pharmacy is the possibilities of the profession. It is growing. Pharmacists can work in industry for pharmaceutical companies doing research, development or sales and can also teach physicians about products." This is really not true. Just like not all dentists can become oral surgeons or orthodontists, the positions in a true clinical setting and pharmaceutical industry are limited and very competitive. A great majority of pharmacists work in retail places such as Wal-Mart where you make a good income but have to deal with things that come with any retail business. Lesley, when was the last time one of your patients yell at you or threw things at you because they are not satisfied your work? Ask any retail pharmacists, they have deal with things like this often.
3. "Many pharmacies have patient consulting rooms too. This looks to be a growing trend, and PharmD students are taught clinical pharmacy in their programs." In most retail places you do not have time for patient consulting. The corporate masters want you to fill Rx as fast as possible. All they care about is the money the pharmacist generates and do not care about patients, thus creating an ethical dilemma for many pharmacists. Most pharmacists do not get to use what they are learned in school, this is one of the most negative aspects of pharmacy.
4. In a way, you son is making a greater commitment to pharmacy than your commitment to dentistry (his is 6 years while your was 4 years). Your son may think that he can deal with the negative aspects of pharmacy since he is still a young man, but as you know, things like this become less tolerable as you get older. You should make him aware that. There is nothing wrong with pharmacy, but one must know what one is getting into.
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He, my husband and I are very aware of the ups and downs of pharmacy.
Regardless, he is very happy and enthusiastic about his decision. I very much doubt salary in pharmacy will go down, but, posssibly, it may not go up as quickly. This, I think, may be true for many professions. As far as salary, the most recent Forbes magazine salary survey noted the "average" salary between a pharmacist and dentist is only a $5,000 spread. You can look to previous posts for this survey.
Obviously, pharmacy is not for you, but how much of what you learn in dental school are you going to apply to dentistry? How many patients are going to love you, especially whey you are collecting money from them? I know dentists so stressed they have thrown instruments at their assistants, yell at their front desk and assistants. They don't seem so happy. There are people who are happy and those that are not, and this will translate into a happy or not so happy professional.
A recent survey puts dentists behind pharmacists in who they trust. I know many patients who are nice to the dentists and go out and give the front desk heck complaining about the prices, etc. It's no fun as a business owner putting patients in collection. As far as physically doing dentistry or pharmacy, both things are hard on the body. As I said in a recent post, almost every job gets physically harder as you get older.
Pharmacy schools are expanding, and they need to with 24 hours pharmacies, an aging population, an increasing role in the medical profession and more than 50 percent of matriculated students female, many times in excess of 60 percent. Many women pharmacy students like female dental students on this board do not want to work full time or even half time after graduation. As far as job security, some people can not live without their medications. Obtaining medications will be a number one priority for many. As an 0-6, PharmD candidate students that can get their degree in 6 years, can walk away with very little debt, even if their parents are paying for only 4 years, possibly less than $50,000, a career that can pay $100,000+ and many possiblities ahead, including going back to school for whatever. He plans on having his debt paid within 3 years of graduation, maybe sooner. Yes, corporations want those rx's filled asap, but if a dentist participates with HMO's and PPO's which may be hard to avoid especially for many in saturated areas or with high overheads, they will be working for insurance companies. Insurance companies like pharmacy corporations don't care about you either.
My son has worked in our dental office, volunteered at a pediatric hospital, worked in pharmacy and has had other retail jobs over the years. He knows what he likes and doesn't. Dentistry is not for him. It's not for everybody, regardless of how good you perceive the money or career. I think it's important that you should like or be enthusiastic about what you do or at least start out that way! Sounds like your sold on dentistry, he is not. There is opportunity in both professions. This isn't a good or bad decision, just a decision that is right for the individual and will vary depending on the individual. He has done his homework, more than most; hopefully, you have too. Even after reading the negatives in your post, because he has done his homework and shared his opinions with us, I feel very optimistic and do not feel defensive at all, neither does he. He has made a very good decision for him, for now.
My husband's urologist says that after doing anything for 25 years, he just recently met that landmark, it's just a job. I don't necessarily agree, but that's just one physician's opinion. Good luck and have a very Happy Holiday and a bright New Year!
Just some corrections to your remarks.
1) Dentistry is an 8 year obligation for most students in the U.S., four years of college and four years of dental school. Occasionally, a student will have only 3 years of college when entering dental school, but this is the rarity, and is becoming less common.
2) Pharmacy schools are not inexpensive to expand. Most private universities do not have additional dollars to expand their programs and for state schools the necessary additions and improvements to their facilities must be approved in state referendums.
