Regretting my decision to start pharm school....

[lebron james06]

So I just started pharmacy school in august and now I'm really having second thoughts about choosing this route. I don't know what to do now.....

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[PharmtoCS]

Check your school policy to see if you can still withdraw for a refund.

 

[BMBiology]

Why the regret?

 

[lebron james06]

Too many reasons. but i cant get a refund anymore which kinda sucks.

 

[Digsbe]

Lots of people have second thoughts, it's natural. I have second thoughts and I'm about to graduate. What's causing you to think otherwise?

If you know it's 100% not for you I'd drop, you'd take the loss on what you paid this semester but if you know you'll do something else don't waste the money and years only to go back after you're done to do another field.

 

[JMUDuke]

I'd agree with Digsbe. Just know you aren't the only one having doubts. But you are the one who has to decide for yourself and the sooner the better. If you have an idea of what you might want to switch to, talk to someone in that field-- the grass is rarely as green as it seems.

 

[Digsbe]

Another thing to consider is there is no "perfect job." Every job is going to have things you hate about it. I was strongly considering medicine (still am) and I know I'd like some aspects, but seeing how much paperwork and chart documenting they do was something I knew I probably wouldn't like. I was working with an attending and she had about 50 notes she had to review and co-sign and it was still just the middle of the day. Every field is going to have stuff you don't like doing, that's part of work.

 

[mock94]

Another thing to consider is there is no "perfect job." Every job is going to have things you hate about it. I was strongly considering medicine (still am) and I know I'd like some aspects, but seeing how much paperwork and chart documenting they do was something I knew I probably wouldn't like. I was working with an attending and she had about 50 notes she had to review and co-sign and it was still just the middle of the day. Every field is going to have stuff you don't like doing, that's part of work.

P1 here. I am considering medicine as well. My issue is that I'm in a 2+4 program and it's either complete pharmacy school in 4 years or switch to BS Biochem which will take another 3. So I'm going to tough out these 4 years then apply MD, but I'm worrying about the "why not pharmacy?" questions that will come up during the interview. I'll figure out a well thought-out answer between now and then hopefully.

 

[lebron james06]

Thanks for the advice guys. Even though there is no "perfect" job out there I feel like I would be much happier in a field where I can work directly with patients and pharmacy doesn't really allow this. And the lack of job growth + automation scares me

 

[rederza]

Switch. I did. Resentment will continue to grow and then you'll really be unproductive.

 

[lebron james06]

Yeah I really can't even focus right now and I have an exam tomorrow.....
So apparently I can get a 40% refund if I withdraw with in the next few days. Should I finish off the semester ir call it quits?
Which is the better thing to do because I want to be respectful to the school

 

[rederza]

Yeah I really can't even focus right now and I have an exam tomorrow.....
So apparently I can get a 40% refund if I withdraw with in the next few days. Should I finish off the semester ir call it quits?
Which is the better thing to do because I want to be respectful to the school

If I could have gotten a 40% refund I would have done that. But I didn't know for sure I didn't want to be in pharmacy anymore that early on. So if you know, do it.

 

[lebron james06]

Yeah but I'll get w's on my transcript instead of grades. And as of right now in not doin too bad.

 

[dreamchaserRx]

@lebron james06 Do you mind sharing what pharmacy school you attend now?

 

[lebron james06]

I'm not going to disclose what school I attend but I wanna be 100% straightforward when I say this but I am not trying to leave due to the school.

 

[M0df]

So you don't have a clear plan of what you want to do as an alternative? You are willing to take the financial loss and time invested?

Sure, if you know you are going to hate it, quit to minimize your losses. I wouldn't worry about hurting your school's feelings too much. They expect to lose good number of their students along the way.

 

[Twentytwelve2]

Stop thinking and keep studying and realize you will have good paying job when you graduate.

 

[lebron james06]

I want to switch to medicine since I realized that is what I'm most passionate about.

 

[RxStudentatUB]

Yeah but I'll get w's on my transcript instead of grades. And as of right now in not doin too bad.

There are different ways to explain W's on your transcript. Illness, family and personal situations are among a few that come up in medical school interviews.

 

[Jbrl]

I'd ask this question in the allopathic/osteopathic premed threads as they would have more insight.

 

[radio frequency]

Ws are of little consequence if you can save 40% of your tuition. Tell med schools you apply to that you realized early on that pharmacy wasn't what you hoped, and you withdrew so you could save yourself the money and heartache and focus on getting into med school. Your school expects a certain number of students to drop out. Don't worry -- they're keeping 60% of your tuition money.

 

[trailerpark]

If you drop out you'll regret it.

 

[rph3664]

I would recommend finishing out the semester, unless you think you're going to fail one or more of your classes, and then pursue whatever it is you really want to do.

Better you realized this now than 2 or 3 years down the road.

 

[PAtoPharm]

If you drop out you'll regret it.

Just curious... why do you say he'll regret dropping out of pharmacy school? It's not that I disagree with you at all; on the contrary, so many of the posters here have told me that it would be a terrible idea to withdraw from anesthesia PA school and attend pharmacy school instead, so I'm just curious to hear why you think continuing with pharm. school would be the best choice for the OP.

 

[Biochemistry2014]

Take your time man. The worst thing you could do to yourself is to make a career-changing decision in the blink of an eye. Self reflect on yourself, and spend some time to understand the profession of pharmacy and the profession of medicine.

I was in your shoes not too long ago, but I sacrificed an extra semester in Pharmacy school to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the switch was the right decision. I have no regrets now.

Don't rush your decision for a percentage of tuition dollars yet if you're not entirely sure. This is your life and your future, so make an informed decision.

 

[lebron james06]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm going to finish off the semester and see how everything works out.

 

[Digsbe]

One thing about dropping out too, if you do drop out and later decide to do pharmacy I highly doubt any other pharmacy school is going to admit you. Only drop if you know it's not for you.

 

[VeeSee]

If you drop out you'll regret it.

Lol?

I regret not dropping out

Drop out my friend ... It's a womans profession now anyway

Medicine is tiers above pharmacy ... You actually get to do something instead of looking at tablets and data verification for hours

 

[YF786]

One thing about dropping out too, if you do drop out and later decide to do pharmacy I highly doubt any other pharmacy school is going to admit you. Only drop if you know it's not for you.

I think schools still accept you back even if you drop out because they need that tuition money. I know someone personally that dropped out after 1 semester thinking pharmacy wasn't the right decision. But thought of going back after a semester and emailed they school they said YES! He didn't return though and doing masters instead.

 

[VeeSee]

I think schools still accept you back even if you drop out because they need that tuition money. I know someone personally that dropped out after 1 semester thinking pharmacy wasn't the right decision. But thought of going back after a semester and emailed they school they said YES! He didn't return though and doing masters instead.

So you see how money hungry these schools are

They just pump out grads like a script pro robot pumps out prescriptions

 

[YF786]

Exactly! That's what he thought n decided not to go back. Schools don't care about their students, I am surprised OP cares about the school and in return the schools only care about the money they can make.

So you see how money hungry these schools are

They just pump out grads like a script pro robot pumps out prescriptions

 

[VeeSee]

Exactly! That's what he thought n decided not to go back. Schools don't care about their students, I am surprised OP cares about the school and in return the schools only care about the money they can make.

Pump and dump is all this profession is

Understandable, but it's reaching absurd levels

 

[RxStudentatUB]

Just curious... why do you say he'll regret dropping out of pharmacy school? It's not that I disagree with you at all; on the contrary, so many of the posters here have told me that it would be a terrible idea to withdraw from anesthesia PA school and attend pharmacy school instead, so I'm just curious to hear why you think continuing with pharm. school would be the best choice for the OP.

As the above posters mentioned, some pharmacy schools may not welcome back a student who made the conscious decision to leave. Should there be a welcoming school, the student will most likely have to start over from P1, which actually is not a big deal from the OP's standpoint - having left after only the first semester.

 

[rph3664]

Drop out my friend ... It's a womans profession now anyway

And what is that supposed to mean?

 

[jagster92]

you don't want to withdraw. You'll likely need to explain that at some point if you decide to attempt to matriculate into another professional program. The way a 6yr pharmD program is set up it's really an undergraduate degree (many schools even classify it as such because you don't need a bachelor's to get in) so imo it's not that big a deal if you use it as an equivalent to a bachelor's. I was in a similar boat where i decided medicine was what i wanted to do during the P1 year. I stuck with pharmacy and I'm very grateful for the experiences and education i received through the curriculum, and will be matriculating to an MD school in 2016. If you truly are interested in another field, let your experiences do the talking and explain that process, because someone who works in a clinic/hospice/hospital doing non-pharmacy things vs. someone who works as an intern at CVS during their pharm school years are 2 very different candidates in the eyes of an admissions team. Spend a significant time with ppl in other fields and figure out if that's what you'd like to do. I wouldn't recommend dropping out in the middle of a semester though - breaks in education require some type of explanation beyond "i didn't want to do pharmacy after a half of a semester".

 

[VeeSee]

And what is that supposed to mean?

It's pretty decent for women, because the part time pay is good

 

[pillpharmer14]

It's pretty decent for women, because the part time pay is good

solid recovery

 

[BC_89]

Keep in mind, first year of pharmacy school is for the most part a review...By the time first rotation comes around, you may be fortunate enough to learn to do proper consultations with OTC medicine...barely certified for immunizations as well first year...The further along you pursue this, I think the more you will realize it can be more patient interaction in a clinical setting if you so wish...Now the question i would consider (assumption of good grades and volunteering and what have you) is a residnecy worth it??? Seeing some medical centers still dont require it, but yet most are now converting over to it....

Anyway, despite your money return, you will have a much better shot showing solid grades your first semester and then applying to another professional program then just dropping out...Many people in my class as well are thinking the same way...Be sure you have a solid plan B though, because for many people there is no such thing as a Plan C....

 

[Lnsean]

Like others have said....the first 2 years are just pre-reqs if you're doing 0-6 program. Even after completing first year, I think you'll have ample time to transfer into another program.

 

[blackwolf2000]

P1 here. I am considering medicine as well. My issue is that I'm in a 2+4 program and it's either complete pharmacy school in 4 years or switch to BS Biochem which will take another 3. So I'm going to tough out these 4 years then apply MD, but I'm worrying about the "why not pharmacy?" questions that will come up during the interview. I'll figure out a well thought-out answer between now and then hopefully.

I hope your going to a cheap pharmacy school and/or have scholarships.

 

[BidingMyTime]

It's normal for people to have "buyer's regret" their first year of pharmacy school (or any school.) Think about the reasons why you decided to go to pharmacy school, have any of those reasons changed? If nothing has changed, then I think you would be making a mistake dropping out because of what is probably momentary doubt.

 

[usechopstix]

have you gotten the chance to do any IPPEs/have any prior pharmacy work experience? those are the things that will really help you decide if you'll like pharmacy as a career. i can relate to the feeling of regret, as can many of my classmates. i had countless professors remind our class daily how saturated the market is, the job isn't what it used to be, etc etc. hearing that kind of thing all the time really got to me and i wondered if going to pharm school was such a wise decision after all. i'm a P4 now with a job lined up after graduation, so i'm happy how things worked out in the end. it's a decision you'll have to make and see through, but just make sure you've thought it completely over and have a plan