What are the requirements for Pharmacy School?

[htsang07]

The reason I'm asking this is because I was set on doing a Pharmacy Program in Saint Johns University when I was in highschool but i wasnt able to get into St. Johns and went to Stony Brook University. Since there are no Pharmacy programs in Stonybrook i decided to do Pre-Med but since medical is so competitive I wanted to see if I might also have a chance to get into pharmacy school since at this point, I dont really have a perference of which one to do (I enjoy them both)

Im wondering if it is possible to apple to both Pharmacy school and Medical school at the same time, I'm not sure if this is a smart move or should I just stick to one thing. Im also wondering this because I'm worried about my chances in getting into medschool and trying to widen my chances of getting into 'something'..

Thankss a lot.

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[AStudentDoctor]

The reason I'm asking this is because I was set on doing a Pharmacy Program in Saint Johns University when I was in highschool but i wasnt able to get into St. Johns and went to Stony Brook University. Since there are no Pharmacy programs in Stonybrook i decided to do Pre-Med but since medical is so competitive I wanted to see if I might also have a chance to get into pharmacy school since at this point, I dont really have a perference of which one to do (I enjoy them both)

Im wondering if it is possible to apple to both Pharmacy school and Medical school at the same time, I'm not sure if this is a smart move or should I just stick to one thing. Im also wondering this because I'm worried about my chances in getting into medschool and trying to widen my chances of getting into 'something'..

Thankss a lot.

If you look at the Pre-Medical and Pre-Pharmacy requirements you might be slightly suprised that they're almost identical. Obviously you'll have to take:

General Chemistry I/II
Physics I/II
Organic I/II
Biology I/Second Year Biology Class

The only other difference is you need a degree to attend Medical School (and a usually 3.6+ GPA and 28+ MCAT). However, for Pharmacy schools it's whole different bird! Why? Because instead of spreading out your Science courses over 4 years while getting a bachellors degree. You're basically cramming them all in within 2-3 years (and taking the PCAT sometime in between).

So you've got a few options:

2 years, 3 years undergrad in pre-pharmacy, or even getting a bachellor degree and then applying to Pharmacy School

OR

4 Year Bachellor Degree and then applying to Medical School

It's actually quite normal to persue one and then decide on the other since the basic track of courses are the same.

Hope this helped.

 

[tommyVoltage]

Pharmacy school is getting just as competitive. If your grades weren't good enough for pharmacy what makes you think they'll be good enough for med? Stony brook is a good pre-med school and if you work hard you can get into med school and not have to settle for something like you're saying.

 

[ret09]

I think you need to do a little soul searching. These postings totally blow my mind. Apply to pharmacy AND med school? Health professions aren't interchangable. Hey, if neither of those works out for you, you can try dental school. and then PA school. How about nursing?

I can relate if you have a change a heart and then do the doctor to pharmacy (or whatever) switcharoo, but it sounds like you are just throwing shi!t on the wall hoping something will stick.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

The pre-req's for pharmacy school depend on which one you apply to. Check each school's website for admission criteria.

fwiw, I'm also an undergrad at Stony Brook and I find that most of the pre-req's are covered by the pre-med track- I'm a Biochem Major in lieu of plain Biology though which I hope will prepare me better for graduate studies.

 

[tommyVoltage]

I think you need to do a little soul searching. These postings totally blow my mind. Apply to pharmacy AND med school? Health professions aren't interchangable. Hey, if neither of those works out for you, you can try dental school. and then PA school. How about nursing?

I can relate if you have a change a heart and then do the doctor to pharmacy (or whatever) switcharoo, but it sounds like you are just throwing shi!t on the wall hoping something will stick.

That's exactly how I felt. I just didn't want to say it.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Tommy, I hate to disagree with you, but Pharmacy school is no where near as competitive as medical school nor will it be any time in the foreseeable future. Why? Because the AMA has not allowed a new med. school to be opened since the mid-1980s. Therefore, the number of seats has remained the same, but the demand has increased three-fold (The number of applicants has tripled since that time).

But, that doesn't change the fact that thinking of Pharm. school as lesser than Med. school is a faulty logic process. They're different jobs, and really shouldn't be compared.

To OP, if you think you're not "good enough" for med. school, just continue with the pre-med track and you'll find that pretty much every Pharm. school pre-requisite has been covered. Do well in them, and in the event you need to pull the ripcord on your Pharmacy School Parachute, it'll be there...

 

[pharm B]

One thing to be aware of is that the pharmacy school application period is only a few short months, instead of the year-long ordeal that medical schools make you go through.

This is important because: If you apply to med school and pharm school at the same time, you'll have an acceptance/denial from pharm school way before you hear back from the med schools.

I told a pharmacist I was thinking about applying to both (want to do family medicine, but like working in the pharmacy, so I'd be happy with either) and he didn't appreciate it. Apparently he'd seen some seats open up after first year in pharmacy school because some P1 students chose to pursue medicine after all (after getting accepted to medical school during P1 year).

 

[charfdorn]

I think you need to do a little soul searching. These postings totally blow my mind. Apply to pharmacy AND med school? Health professions aren't interchangable. Hey, if neither of those works out for you, you can try dental school. and then PA school. How about nursing?

I can relate if you have a change a heart and then do the doctor to pharmacy (or whatever) switcharoo, but it sounds like you are just throwing shi!t on the wall hoping something will stick.

No, medical professions are not the same, but they are similar, and the coursework you need to begin each school is almost identical. I was considering med school for a while as an alternate pathway because I could see myself happy in either field. I ended up going with pharmacy because it's faster (4 years post-bac and you're working your real, permanent job instead of a medical internship/residency) and because bodily fluids don't sit well with me. But I don't think it's ridiculous to pursue both early on in the process.

To the OP, make sure you understand what each field really is. Shadow a pharmacist and volunteer in a hospital or whatever medical field you would eventually want to enter. See which one will be a better fit for you. This doesn't mean you can't apply to both down the road, but what if you do and both accept you? Will you just go with med school for the salary and "prestige?" Or will you be stuck with a decision you never thought you would have to face?

And examine why both of these fields appeal to you. Is it the money? You can make money doing a lot of things, and you'll find it easier and less competitive to just get an MBA and enter the private sector or start your own company. You can still do a lot of good for society this way, too, so if it's a guilty conscience about making money by trying to make money (instead of trying to help people/save lives, etc.), don't worry about that. I'm not accusing you of anything, but you've only presented options that right now pay in the six figure range, and if greed is the motivator, health professions is not for you.

 

[ret09]

No, medical professions are not the same, but they are similar, and the coursework you need to begin each school is almost identical. I was considering med school for a while as an alternate pathway because I could see myself happy in either field. I ended up going with pharmacy because it's faster (4 years post-bac and you're working your real, permanent job instead of a medical internship/residency) and because bodily fluids don't sit well with me. But I don't think it's ridiculous to pursue both early on in the process.

To the OP, make sure you understand what each field really is. Shadow a pharmacist and volunteer in a hospital or whatever medical field you would eventually want to enter. See which one will be a better fit for you. This doesn't mean you can't apply to both down the road, but what if you do and both accept you? Will you just go with med school for the salary and "prestige?" Or will you be stuck with a decision you never thought you would have to face?

And examine why both of these fields appeal to you. Is it the money? You can make money doing a lot of things, and you'll find it easier and less competitive to just get an MBA and enter the private sector or start your own company. You can still do a lot of good for society this way, too, so if it's a guilty conscience about making money by trying to make money (instead of trying to help people/save lives, etc.), don't worry about that. I'm not accusing you of anything, but you've only presented options that right now pay in the six figure range, and if greed is the motivator, health professions is not for you.

Like I said, its ok to come to the realization that you want to switch what medical field you are interested in (I too once wanted to be a physician), but like you said, you had your own reasons to not study medicine and chose pharmacy instead. Thus, you would have NEVER EVER applied to both medical and pharmacy school simultaneously as this person wants to do, because, as I said before, that would be ridiculous.

 

[pharm B]

Like I said, its ok to come to the realization that you want to switch what medical field you are interested in (I too once wanted to be a physician), but like you said, you had your own reasons to not study medicine and chose pharmacy instead. Thus, you would have NEVER EVER applied to both medical and pharmacy school simultaneously as this person wants to do, because, as I said before, that would be ridiculous.

Why is it ridiculous to apply to both? I'd be willing to wager there's a significant number of people that do it each year. Both involve medicine, just different methods of practice.

Perhaps in this situation, it's a bad idea. But not in general.

 

[ret09]

Tommy, I hate to disagree with you, but Pharmacy school is no where near as competitive as medical school nor will it be any time in the foreseeable future. Why? Because the AMA has not allowed a new med. school to be opened since the mid-1980s. Therefore, the number of seats has remained the same, but the demand has increased three-fold (The number of applicants has tripled since that time).

But, that doesn't change the fact that thinking of Pharm. school as lesser than Med. school is a faulty logic process. They're different jobs, and really shouldn't be compared.

To OP, if you think you're not "good enough" for med. school, just continue with the pre-med track and you'll find that pretty much every Pharm. school pre-requisite has been covered. Do well in them, and in the event you need to pull the ripcord on your Pharmacy School Parachute, it'll be there...

First of all, the AMA doesn't accredit medical schools, the AAMC does. Second, the AAMC has accreditted atleast 4 new medical schools in the past 3 years: Texas Tech, FIU in Miami, UCF in Orlando, and a school in Puerto Rico.

Just sayin'..

 

[ret09]

Why is it ridiculous to apply to both? I'd be willing to wager there's a significant number of people that do it each year. Both involve medicine, just different methods of practice.

Perhaps in this situation, it's a bad idea. But not in general.

yeah, I guess... there are even a couple of recent pharmacy grads in my fiance's first year med school class, which is bat**** nuts if you ask me. but this person really needs to figure out what he wants to do. Sounds like he is winging it...

 

[ret09]

yeah, I guess... there are even a couple of recent pharmacy grads in my fiance's first year med school class, which is bat**** nuts if you ask me. but this person really needs to figure out what he wants to do. Sounds like he is winging it...

what, I can't say bat****?! huh..

 

[Passion4Sci]

First of all, the AMA doesn't accredit medical schools, the AAMC does. Second, the AAMC has accreditted atleast 4 new medical schools in the past 3 years: Texas Tech, FIU in Miami, UCF in Orlando, and a school in Puerto Rico.

Just sayin'..

Actually, I think we're both wrong. At least for Allopathics, I dunno about Osteos.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in U.S. and Canadian medical schools.

Upon my personal review, it does appear that there are approx. ~130 med schools accredited by the LCME also, which would shoot a hole in my hypothesis that fewer schools create a dearth of slots for med. school students thus making it more competitive...

Drats.

 

[ret09]

Actually, I think we're both wrong. At least for Allopathics, I dunno about Osteos.

Upon my personal review, it does appear that there are approx. ~130 med schools accredited by the LCME also, which would shoot a hole in my hypothesis that fewer schools create a dearth of slots for med. school students thus making it more competitive...

Drats.

Yeah its kinda weird. I asked my fiancee and she made it sound like they are kinda the same thing. Oh well, who cares anywa...

 

[Passion4Sci]

Yeah its kinda weird. I asked my fiancee and she made it sound like they are kinda the same thing. Oh well, who cares anywa...

I wanted to throw down an arrogant "jus' sayin'" but I figured it'd be silly.

Who does that, anyway?

 

[htsang07]

Im sorry if I might have offended anyone, but maybe I don't really know what I want to do at the moment, because I wanted to become a doctor since i was really young, but wanted to do pharmacy when I worked in a pharmacy for a couple of years but I had my mind set on med school because i didn't know pharm school was an option untill a few weeks ago when i spoke with some friends that said that i can still apply to pharm school.

what i really meant to say is that, since the requirements should be similar for both the Pharm school and med school, can I puresue both at the moment, and really decide later on..?

 

[ret09]

I wanted to throw down an arrogant "jus' sayin'" but I figured it'd be silly.

Who does that, anyway?

I'm ok with arrogance. Douchy-ness, on the other hand, I don't like.

Jus' sayin'

 

[xtsukiyox]

what i really meant to say is that, since the requirements should be similar for both the Pharm school and med school, can I puresue both at the moment, and really decide later on..?

Absolutely!

Check out the Pre-Pharm requirements on your school-of-choice's web site and gear your pre-med to match. It sounds like you have a tough choice to make eventually, but until then, you can keep on keepin' on. Also, a bacchelor's degree looks pretty good on an application (not necessary), especially after having worked in pharmacy for a couple years. This is what I've heard. Jus' sayin'.

I do have a fundamental problem with throwing money at both pharmacy and medical schools as application fees. Also, studying for and sitting for both the MCAT and PCAT will be hard. I would recommend deciding before then.

PS - Scrubs is pretty much what turned me off to being a doctor. I'm not sure I'd survive the intern / residency.

 

[charfdorn]

Im sorry if I might have offended anyone, but maybe I don't really know what I want to do at the moment, because I wanted to become a doctor since i was really young, but wanted to do pharmacy when I worked in a pharmacy for a couple of years but I had my mind set on med school because i didn't know pharm school was an option untill a few weeks ago when i spoke with some friends that said that i can still apply to pharm school.

what i really meant to say is that, since the requirements should be similar for both the Pharm school and med school, can I puresue both at the moment, and really decide later on..?

Yes, but like the person right above me said, that's expensive if you go far enough. I was prepared to apply to both before I remembered that I can faint at the sight of blood or the thought of visceral pleurae. I don't think that's a ridiculous idea, as long as (like I mentioned) you know what your first choice is. Say your GPA is not competitive, so you apply to like 8 med schools and 8 pharm schools on the idea that you ought to make it into at least one. This will cost a pretty penny, but is more likely to succeed. Or say you really want to go to either UCSF pharm school but would prefer a few med schools over the next tier of pharmacy schools. I could see situations when this makes sense. But applying to both because you have no clue what you want to do is a waste of time and money. You'll probably end up regretting the decision.

It sounds to me like pharmacy is where you want to go, but maybe I'm inserting my own bias here.

 

[htsang07]

Thanks everyone, I guess I will decide after shadowing a doctor and working at some pharmacy to see which I'd like to do more. But I've heard the requirements are similar and the MCAT and PCAT have similar material in it, is that true?
I'm just afraid that I picked the wrong choice after I picked it, which is why i was wondering if I can walk towards both paths at the same time and decide as I go along..

 

[medicalCPA]

OP, it is NOT wrong to apply to both pharmacy and medical school. If (after you have shadowed members of both professions) you decide you will be happy with both, then by all means go for it. Just do not apply to pharmacy school and medical school at the same institution. There is no law against making up your mind at a later date. My advice to you is that you proceed as if you were preparing for medical school, and you will be adequately prepared for pharmacy school. Pre-med and pre-pharm requirements are actually similar, and in many cases, identical. And if you prepare for the MCAT, you will - after some math - be ready for the PCAT.

The MCAT and PCAT test similar material, but the MCAT is harder and contains physics and no math section, while the PCAT has no physics but has a math section.

I say this - and risk criticism by many prepharms - because I applied to med, pharm, and grad school. I would have been happy doing any of the three, and instead of being forced to choose, I decided to just apply for all of them. I was waitlisted at one med school, was accepted to three pharmacy schools, and am currently heading to graduate school in the fall.