What can I do with nutrition science BS + PharmD?

[bmclinn]

I'm graduating this year with my BS in nutrition science and applying to pharmacy schools. If I decide not to do a dual degree (unlikely) and only obtain a PharmD, what are some careers options that intertwine both? I've really enjoyed my undergrad coursework and want to stay with it some. Are there any niches other than nutrition support? Bc I've heard nutrition support isn't really practical anymore

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[RxMonkey]

Your BS in nutrition will be unlikely to mean much to anyone after your PharmD. I have seen independent pharmacies that supplement their profits pushing nutritional supplements, but that's it.

Perhaps sell fresh vegetables and call it "The Farmacy". Lol

 

[sakigt]

TPN stuff, probably

 

[bmclinn]

What about food companies?

 

[Dred Pirate]

TPN stuff, probably

any pharmacist (with proper institutional credentialing) can write TPN's, the BS in nutrition would have no bearing on this

 

[bmclinn]

We have a dietician on rounds some days. If you do a residency of get a clinical job you may be able to incorporate some nutrition into you're practice. You'll be able to be very helpful when it comes to ebteral feeds

So my degree could enable me to become a more competitive individual for residency? If I was to chose that path...

 

[uicgrad]

Nutrition in pharmacy is a niche field. You may not necessarily be able to find a "nutrition pharmacist" job even after a residency, due to the limited number of jobs. But there is a demand for those who know what they are doing with enteral and TPN orders. My hospital has a nutrition support team made up of both pharmacists and dietiticians who round daily on patients to write their daily TPN and enteral orders.

http://sop.washington.edu/pharmacy/faculty-a-research/lingtak-neander-chan.html


the second person on this list of preceptors runs the nutrition support team.

http://www.coxhealth.com/body.cfm?id=3404

You may have to go to a larger city to find a job specializing in nutrition pharmacy. You might be able to find a P4 rotation involving nutrition.
This hospital's PGY-1 residency program has a rotation in nutrition.

 

[Old Timer]

Financially this will be of no value. Competitively this will be of no value. For your patients it will be invaluable. Almost all of our chronic conditions in the western world and especially in the US are tied to our sell out to big food and are diet related. As a pharmacist, if you are not sending all of your new hypertension, diabetic and high cholesterol patients to a dietician, you are doing them a disservice. I tell people all the time you need three things to control these conditions, medicine, exercise and diet and there are times diet is the most important.

 

[eagles22]

Work at Walgreens if there aren't too many new grads that have completely flooded the market and made it impossible to get a job.

 

[bmclinn]

Financially this will be of no value. Competitively this will be of no value. For your patients it will be invaluable. Almost all of our chronic conditions in the western world and especially in the US are tied to our sell out to big food and are diet related. As a pharmacist, if you are not sending all of your new hypertension, diabetic and high cholesterol patients to a dietician, you are doing them a disservice. I tell people all the time you need three things to control these conditions, medicine, exercise and diet and there are times diet is the most important.

Do you foresee any niches developing where pharmacist and dietician overlap?

 

[Old Timer]

Do you foresee any niches developing where pharmacist and dietician overlap?

Your not a dietician until you complete an internship and pass your RD exam

 

[bmclinn]

Your not a dietician until you complete an internship and pass your RD exam

I'm well aware, most classes I take are with dietetics majors. Is that a no then?

 

[Old Timer]

I'm well aware, most classes I take are with dietetics majors. Is that a no then?

That's a NO.

 

[kendrick lamar]

You could become a diabetic educator as well and utilize both drug and nutrition knowledge if you counsel pts in am ambulatory care setting. However, there isn't rly anything out there where you can equally balance knowledge of the two lol. There are some PGY2 residency specialisations in nutrition support ie: TPN. You can look into that. I don't now how available those kinds of jobs are tho.