Why do some go from PharmD to MD/DO?

[seattlespy]

Now I dont want to start a flame war but I noticed that there were a good number of pharmacists who actually went to medical school after their PharmD.....Apparently they didnt like their job. Why could this be? Someone told me that Pharmacists were trained in a very advanced manner but they cannot practice what they have learnt. For example, pharmacists cant prescribe Antibiotics and other prescirption drugs whereas PAs and NPs can...

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[WVUPharm2007]

Because they feel like it. The same reason people do just about anything. Personally, I'd rather stab myself in the eye with 23 years worth of Rosanne Barr's bloody tampon drippings frozen into the shape of a razor sharp 10 ft sword than go to school for another 7 years, even if it would mean I could be a super-magical "Practitioner" with the ability to write words down on a piece of paper that can be exchanged for specific goods and services, but to each his own.

 

[sdn1977]

Altho WVU had a very "eloquent" post....yes...it's true - some do go on to receive an MD/DO education. However, in my class - none did, altho one did go on to do a DDS. He always wanted to be a DDS, but didn't get in, so did a Pharm.D then went on. I recently saw him at my husband's DDS reunion & he does a lot of research on drugs used in dentistry.

Most often, these folks have lots of valid reasons for going on:
1. they didn't really know what pharmacy was like & went into it because of the career it offered, not knowing what the actual job entailed.
2. family pressures them into going into a "defined" job - ie - what are you going to be when you grow up?
3. they didn't get into medical school for a variety of reasons - low MCAT scores or whatever and it was easier to get into a pharmacy school because they had a high GPA
4. after getting into pharmacy school, they decided they wanted to pursue the diagnostic portion of medicine more.

IMO - you really have to decide you like pharmacy - not just drugs and disease, but what we as pharmacists contribute to the healthcare process. Otherwise, you'll be an unhappy pharmacist. I'm glad these folks have an opportunity to pursue what interests them & often it makes these providers very respectful of what we do. They are no better no nor worse than we are as providers - just different!

 

[WVUPharm2007]

5. Want to have means by which they can justify poor handwriting to society.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Actually, this is a good question. What type of masochist wants to go through more academia? It's torturous.

 

[Trancelucent1]

My friend is getting ready to start his 3rd year in Pharmacy school. He started with just an AA and he's planning on going to med school afterwards. I think the biggest reasons are 1) he only had an AA (2 years of school) so Pharmacy school was only 2 more years than if he had just a BS and then applied to MD school, 2) he didn't have straight A's before Pharmacy school and wanted to look like a stronger applicant w/ a PharmD, 3) he's crazy.

I tell him all the time that it might be his downfall because it might look like he didn't know what he wanted to do. He always enjoyed pharmacy and he's doing pretty well but I know that his true desire is medicine. I think he'll make an excellent Dr b/c of his drug knowledge.

 

[insipid1979]

My friend is getting ready to start his 3rd year in Pharmacy school. He started with just an AA and he's planning on going to med school afterwards. I think the biggest reasons are 1) he only had an AA (2 years of school) so Pharmacy school was only 2 more years than if he had just a BS and then applied to MD school, 2) he didn't have straight A's before Pharmacy school and wanted to look like a stronger applicant w/ a PharmD, 3) he's crazy.

I tell him all the time that it might be his downfall because it might look like he didn't know what he wanted to do. He always enjoyed pharmacy and he's doing pretty well but I know that his true desire is medicine. I think he'll make an excellent Dr b/c of his drug knowledge.

Won't he still have to get a BS or BA ?

 

[ButlerPharm.D.]

Why would he have to get a BS or BA if he has a Pharm.D.?

 

[kwizard]

Won't he still have to get a BS or BA ?

No you wouldn't have to get a BS or BA to go the med school. The PharmD obviosly is the higher ranking degree. I may be wrong, but there are a few DDS and MD programs that allow you to get in prior to receiving the bachelors assuming you have a good score on the MCAT and are very competitive academically. I think the typical deal is that they award you a bachelors after the first year of completing med/dental school (as I said I might be a little off on the details).

Anyway reasons for going from PharmD-->MD/DO is multifaceted and as sdn1977 mentioned many go that route as they may view the MD/DO as the degree they really want and may see the PharmD as a stepping stone to being a more competitive applicant to med school. This was even more common when you could obtain and practice with the BS in pharmacy. It was probably a great deal for those got who got the degree and really wanted the MD. Imagine it, you get the bs in pharmacy in 5yrs then go to med school and you have a well paying part time job to work your way through med school.

Others do it b/c they become frustrated w/ clinical pharmacy and the various limitations on your autonomy to function as a clinician (even in the VA setting where you have the most autonomy given prescribing privileges). It can become frustrating when you give reccomendations to the prescriber that you think are in the best interest of the pt and they aren't taken into action by the MD. At the end of the day the MD is still the "top dog".

Basically it becomes an issue of whether you can live w/ the boundaries of being a pharmacist or really think you need the autonomy of a MD/DO to fulfill yourself. It just depends on what makes you happy and how old you are when completing PharmD school and whether another 4yrs of school + at least 3 yrs of residency training is worth it to the individual.

For me I'm comfortable w/ my role clinically and am comfortable w/ the reality that all reccomendations won't be accepted (assuming no detriment to the pt). After a while the MD, NP, PAs start coming to you for advice so the making the recommendation of dosing a pt on a drug or picking a certain agent is no longer an issue as they may often defer to you the pharmacist. If you are really into pt interaction just find a place that has a developed ambulatory program (i.e. Kaiser, VA, many academic medical centers) and start doing anticoag and depending on staffing you can evolve this into med management and/or geriatric assessment clinics. Every profession has its pro's and con's and I'd advise one to rule out all potential paths in pharmacy prior to jumping to something else as everything isn't as "rosy" as they say it will be.

You just gotta find a job that makes you happy!!!

 

[pkpd]

I dont think it's a big deal with PharmD or PharmD/MD title. i mean we are all doing something and serving the community.
I know a person who went straight to a MD program after graduating from pharmacy school with a PharmD. reason for that being his mom passed away from terminal cancer while he was in pharmacy school. he wasnt able to do anything to help his mom when she was lying on the hospital bed. all he can thought of was what kind of anticonstipation meds or pain meds to help her...there's a lot of limits to what he can do and with the retail and clinical experiences he had, he didnt find enough on hands patient care as compared to MD or DO.
As for me, i once thought about doing MD but i love my job as a pharmacist so MD is a definite "no" for me. haha...
PS: PharmD does not get into medical school easier than a BS do. It's a plus when PharmD/MD apply for residency but not for MD school. that's the truth!!

 

[OHMAN0125]

I'm also a PharmD and finishing up my 1st year in medical school. I have to say that as hard as pharmacy school seemed, medical school is even harder. Not content wise but the speed of information thrown to you. Point is, make sure going to medical school will really make you happy. Even though MD's will make more than pharmacists later on, I basically took a $100K paycut to borrow more federal loans for 4 years. Hmmm....
I think i'm lucky that I got my pharmd in six years. Otherwise I don't think I would have went back to school. Not that you can't. The average matriculant is 24-25 in med school and many of my classmates are older than 26 when they started.
Also, the previous poster is correct, a PharmD from my experience will not help you immensely in getting into medical school. There is no way the adcom will accept a pharmd over a BS student if the latter student has a better GPA/MCAT. I think the pharmd will help if two candidates are equal, then the degree will boost the credentials. Sorry for the long post. BTW.. anyone interested in going from pharmd to MD/DO, i'll be willing to give some advice. PM me.

 

[Neutron03]

I am a PharmD MD.
I think that the most accurate description is that given by Kwizard. Most people that continue after a PharmD so so because of the somewhat limited role available to pharmacists. I wanted more autonomy as well as a wider spectrum of opportunities than I felt I could find in pharmacy. I must admit that there is a certain need in my ego to be "the top dog." The funny thing is that I didn't like giving advice to physicians and then have them ignore it, and now I give advice to patients and they ignore it. Just a different group of people ignoring your advice and expertise.
As far as advantages to having both degrees, the most obvious is more training and education. I constantly get asked for drug info from the other docs in my practice.
I don't think there is any advantage to getting into med school with having a PharmD vs a BS. I was on the admissions group in my med school and no matter what people tell you, the most important things are high grades & MCAT scores. They don't care very much what your major is. Many people try to blame their failure in getting a spot on their undergrad major/school when they had <3.5GPA and <70 percentile on the MCAT.
The only real disadvantage to going the PharmD route to med school is the extra two years it takes. That ends up costing about 400K in lost salary for the average physician. That is offset somewhat by the ability to work as a relief pharmacist during med school on holidays and such.
Overall I am very glad that I have both degrees. If I was to do it again, I would probably just do a BS then med school because I might have less gray hair that way.
Just to preach a little, if you want the physicians to be accepting of your advice as a pharmacist, I have a few hints.
1. Before giving unsolicited advice ask yourself if it is really important. If the only thing it will accomplish is to make you look smart, don't. If it will truly improve patient outcome, do.
2. If you see something that could be changed, try not to do it in front of everyone on rounds. Pull the doc aside and bring it up there. If you want to make enemies make them look stupid. Make them look smart and they will be your friend and will seek you out for more advice.

 

[konkan]

Because they feel like it. The same reason people do just about anything. Personally, I'd rather stab myself in the eye with 23 years worth of Rosanne Barr's bloody tampon drippings frozen into the shape of a razor sharp 10 ft sword than go to school for another 7 years, even if it would mean I could be a super-magical "Practitioner" with the ability to write words down on a piece of paper that can be exchanged for specific goods and services, but to each his own.

In New York and Florida pharmacists already can independantly prescribe some of the medications. So if some pharmacist's dream is to have "the ability to write words down on a piece of paper that can be exchanged for specific goods and services" they don't have to go to med. school anymore, they can just move to earlier mentioned states or wait until that will be approved in other states too.

 

[thelonius]

There seem to be a small number of MD's that switch to Pharm.D. after med school also. Either way it is pretty uncommon, but not unheard of. I think this has something to do with the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. And some people just have an affinity for academia and learning...just my $0.02.

 

[DOPharmMD]

There seem to be a small number of MD's that switch to Pharm.D. after med school also. Either way it is pretty uncommon, but not unheard of. I think this has something to do with the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. And some people just have an affinity for academia and learning...just my $0.02.

How about: just my $0.05, or jut my $0.10.. or perhaps, just my buck.

P.S. Am glad, I chose pharmacy!! Most people in your community will give you respect. You may be asked on occasions about diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol. To me that's good enough. I'm not here to please the physician. Although, I'll be referring them anyways to their doctor, but that's only because it is the law in most states. We are medical drug professionals. Who know best than the pharmacist? I will be a doctor in my field, and that's good enough for me! Also,the pfizer career guides profiles (pharmacy) are adressed as Doctors. Pharmacy is truly the way for me and I predict in the future, we will be required to give nutritional advice as well to the patient.

http://www.pfizercareerguides.com/pdfs/pharmacy.pdf

 

[DownonthePharm]

Remember too that pharmacy used to be a bachleors degree, so some MD/DO had pharmacy as their undergraduate major before applying to medical school. Or are these cases your talking about specifically telling you they had a PharmD, not just that they were pharmacists?

 

[sdn1977]

I am a PharmD MD.
I think that the most accurate description is that given by Kwizard. Most people that continue after a PharmD so so because of the somewhat limited role available to pharmacists. I wanted more autonomy as well as a wider spectrum of opportunities than I felt I could find in pharmacy. I must admit that there is a certain need in my ego to be "the top dog." The funny thing is that I didn't like giving advice to physicians and then have them ignore it, and now I give advice to patients and they ignore it. Just a different group of people ignoring your advice and expertise.
As far as advantages to having both degrees, the most obvious is more training and education. I constantly get asked for drug info from the other docs in my practice.
I don't think there is any advantage to getting into med school with having a PharmD vs a BS. I was on the admissions group in my med school and no matter what people tell you, the most important things are high grades & MCAT scores. They don't care very much what your major is. Many people try to blame their failure in getting a spot on their undergrad major/school when they had <3.5GPA and <70 percentile on the MCAT.
The only real disadvantage to going the PharmD route to med school is the extra two years it takes. That ends up costing about 400K in lost salary for the average physician. That is offset somewhat by the ability to work as a relief pharmacist during med school on holidays and such.
Overall I am very glad that I have both degrees. If I was to do it again, I would probably just do a BS then med school because I might have less gray hair that way.
Just to preach a little, if you want the physicians to be accepting of your advice as a pharmacist, I have a few hints.
1. Before giving unsolicited advice ask yourself if it is really important. If the only thing it will accomplish is to make you look smart, don't. If it will truly improve patient outcome, do.
2. If you see something that could be changed, try not to do it in front of everyone on rounds. Pull the doc aside and bring it up there. If you want to make enemies make them look stupid. Make them look smart and they will be your friend and will seek you out for more advice.

Neutron - I love your "preaching" pearls and I'd agree whole-heartedly!

One of the most difficult things to teach a pharmacy student is they truly do have a role & they don't need to keep throwing it around by being constantly "in your face", so to speak.

The ability to be confidently, consistently & respectfully (sometimes quietly) there with your knowledge & ability is a gift and one prescribers, nurses and patients come to rely on.

I would, however, like to add one more.....there are many, many ways to treat an illness. Its important to not be rigid in believing that what you might have been taught is the "only" way to treat an illness or use a drug. The more you are exposed to medicine....the more you realize how much there is to know.

 

[janeno]

I know one clinical pharamcist who wants to go to medical school. The biggest reasons she said is insufficient patient interaction and less autonomy as clinical pharmacist.

 

[spidy]

I am a PharmD MD.
I think that the most accurate description is that given by Kwizard. Most people that continue after a PharmD so so because of the somewhat limited role available to pharmacists. I wanted more autonomy as well as a wider spectrum of opportunities than I felt I could find in pharmacy. I must admit that there is a certain need in my ego to be "the top dog." The funny thing is that I didn't like giving advice to physicians and then have them ignore it, and now I give advice to patients and they ignore it. Just a different group of people ignoring your advice and expertise.
As far as advantages to having both degrees, the most obvious is more training and education. I constantly get asked for drug info from the other docs in my practice.
I don't think there is any advantage to getting into med school with having a PharmD vs a BS. I was on the admissions group in my med school and no matter what people tell you, the most important things are high grades & MCAT scores. They don't care very much what your major is. Many people try to blame their failure in getting a spot on their undergrad major/school when they had <3.5GPA and <70 percentile on the MCAT.
The only real disadvantage to going the PharmD route to med school is the extra two years it takes. That ends up costing about 400K in lost salary for the average physician. That is offset somewhat by the ability to work as a relief pharmacist during med school on holidays and such.
Overall I am very glad that I have both degrees. If I was to do it again, I would probably just do a BS then med school because I might have less gray hair that way.
Just to preach a little, if you want the physicians to be accepting of your advice as a pharmacist, I have a few hints.
1. Before giving unsolicited advice ask yourself if it is really important. If the only thing it will accomplish is to make you look smart, don't. If it will truly improve patient outcome, do.
2. If you see something that could be changed, try not to do it in front of everyone on rounds. Pull the doc aside and bring it up there. If you want to make enemies make them look stupid. Make them look smart and they will be your friend and will seek you out for more advice.

i just wanna ask that in nhow many years u completed ur M.D after Pharm-d

 

[VCU07]

I am a PharmD MD.
I think that the most accurate description is that given by Kwizard. Most people that continue after a PharmD so so because of the somewhat limited role available to pharmacists. I wanted more autonomy as well as a wider spectrum of opportunities than I felt I could find in pharmacy. I must admit that there is a certain need in my ego to be "the top dog." The funny thing is that I didn't like giving advice to physicians and then have them ignore it, and now I give advice to patients and they ignore it. Just a different group of people ignoring your advice and expertise.
As far as advantages to having both degrees, the most obvious is more training and education. I constantly get asked for drug info from the other docs in my practice.
I don't think there is any advantage to getting into med school with having a PharmD vs a BS. I was on the admissions group in my med school and no matter what people tell you, the most important things are high grades & MCAT scores. They don't care very much what your major is. Many people try to blame their failure in getting a spot on their undergrad major/school when they had <3.5GPA and <70 percentile on the MCAT.
The only real disadvantage to going the PharmD route to med school is the extra two years it takes. That ends up costing about 400K in lost salary for the average physician. That is offset somewhat by the ability to work as a relief pharmacist during med school on holidays and such.
Overall I am very glad that I have both degrees. If I was to do it again, I would probably just do a BS then med school because I might have less gray hair that way.
Just to preach a little, if you want the physicians to be accepting of your advice as a pharmacist, I have a few hints.
1. Before giving unsolicited advice ask yourself if it is really important. If the only thing it will accomplish is to make you look smart, don't. If it will truly improve patient outcome, do.
2. If you see something that could be changed, try not to do it in front of everyone on rounds. Pull the doc aside and bring it up there. If you want to make enemies make them look stupid. Make them look smart and they will be your friend and will seek you out for more advice.

Very good post. I am in the process of studying for the MCAT and applying to MD programs, but still worry about the financial aspects of going to medical school. Will you be able to pay back the enormous amounts of loans? If I go (assuming I get in), will I have to specialize to come out in the plus? One more question, it has been about five years since being in undergrad and I notice most schools require a letter (loc) from the undergrad committee or advisor. How would I go about getting this (the advisor is no longer with the school)? Would they even remember me?

 

[janeno]

Very good post. I am in the process of studying for the MCAT and applying to MD programs, but still worry about the financial aspects of going to medical school. Will you be able to pay back the enormous amounts of loans? If I go (assuming I get in), will I have to specialize to come out in the plus? One more question, it has been about five years since being in undergrad and I notice most schools require a letter (loc) from the undergrad committee or advisor. How would I go about getting this (the advisor is no longer with the school)? Would they even remember me?

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to go into medicine now?

 

[slaitken]

In New York and Florida pharmacists already can independantly prescribe some of the medications. So if some pharmacist's dream is to have "the ability to write words down on a piece of paper that can be exchanged for specific goods and services" they don't have to go to med. school anymore, they can just move to earlier mentioned states or wait until that will be approved in other states too.

Pharmacists in New York definitely do not have prescriptive privileges. New York is one of the least progressive states in terms of scope of practice; a bill that would finally allow an RPh to immunize is still waiting on the Governor's desk for a signature (I believe the only other state without such a law is Maine).

It will be a VERY long time before anything close to prescribing is allowed in New York.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Because they feel like it. The same reason people do just about anything. Personally, I'd rather stab myself in the eye with 23 years worth of Rosanne Barr's bloody tampon drippings frozen into the shape of a razor sharp 10 ft sword than go to school for another 7 years, even if it would mean I could be a super-magical "Practitioner" with the ability to write words down on a piece of paper that can be exchanged for specific goods and services, but to each his own.

Wow...thats all I have to say.....WOW.....Mikes pearls of wisdom from long ago.....

 

[MountainPharmD]

i just wanna ask that in nhow many years u completed ur M.D after Pharm-d

You had to bring back to life a thread that was started on 05-26-2006 at 08:22 to ask a stupid question?

 

[VCU07]

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to go into medicine now?

It is a long story, but that is what I really wanted to do from the beginning. I think I rationalized pharmacy as a career that would be just as satisfying for me as medicine, but since being in practice, I see how wrong I was. Plus, I think pharmacy has limitations that I don't think I can deal with for the rest of my career. Plus, I am still young and my family supports me. So, why not?

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

It is a long story, but that is what I really wanted to do from the beginning. I think I rationalized pharmacy as a career that would be just as satisfying for me as medicine, but since being in practice, I see how wrong I was. Plus, I think pharmacy has limitations that I don't think I can deal with for the rest of my career. Plus, I am still young and my family supports me. So, why not?

Still young? You must be at least 24 years old, assuming you did 2 years of undergrad. Then again, since I just turned 21, anyone over 24 years of age is just old.

In my first year of pharm school, I saw the med students in my dorm suffer from lack of sleep and exercise. I told myself I'm glad I didn't choose med school b/c the lifestyle just isn't worth it. However, the allure of physician autonomy and increased prestige did keep my thinking about it for awhile. If you're family supports you and are paying part of the loans, then it's definitely easier to make your decision. Good luck . . . I think I know who you are.

 

[mike36]

Still young? You must be at least 24 years old, assuming you did 2 years of undergrad. Then again, since I just turned 21, anyone over 24 years of age is just old.

Are you serious? Dude, you're only 3 years away. Better live while you can before you turn 24 and have to use a walker to get around.

 

[Glycerin]

Still young? You must be at least 24 years old, assuming you did 2 years of undergrad. Then again, since I just turned 21, anyone over 24 years of age is just old.

If you are truly serious, my only response is you have a LOT of maturing to do. Pharmacy KID, indeed.

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Better live while you can before you turn 24 and have to use a walker to get around.

I know, time is running out for me. My vision for both eyes are already at -7.5. By 24, I'll be using a walker. By 30, I'll be bedridden.

 

[njac]

*sigh* at almost 25 I need a Rascal or Hoveround to get around now...


and Im at a -7.5 in both eyes as well. But my eyes pretty much stopped changing once I was 21-22 (so far at least).

 

[bananaface]

Bad vision is when the opthalmologist suggests you get high index lenses so that your glasses are not so heavy and you have to point out that you already have them (-7.5/-9.25). I'm a prune with coke glasses on my face over here.

I know 1 person personally who did med after pharm. His family had influenced his initial career choice. Once he got a taste of independence he moved on and did what he wanted.

 

[Sevarious]

I've known a few people who have done advanced training after pharmacy school. A few people do MDs. I did a PhD. Reasons for doing further advanced training generally boil down to one or two of the following. They aren't mutually exclusive.

1) They don't really understand what the practice of pharmacy is like. For various reasons people's expectations of a career and the actuality performing it are often disparate. Understandably, this leads to a certain degree of dissatisfaction with pharmacy and they make the decision to move on. Pharmacy schools (or at least mine) generally do a poor job of informing people about alternative careers they can pursue with a PharmD leading people to think that more education is the only route out of traditional practice.

2) They always wanted to go to med/grad school. Some people go to pharmacy school for reasons external to themselves. Perhaps they can't get into med school. Perhaps their parents want them to go to pharmacy school. Pharmacy is something they have to do rather than something they ever wanted to do. Once they've satisfied the external pressures, they refocus their attention back onto the pursuit of their own goals.

3) They became more interested in a related area while in pharmacy school. Some people start out wanting to do pharmacy but their interests change over their time in school. For example, they may become more interested in medicine as a whole or the nitty-gritty of pharmacologic mechanisms. Further education is a way of satisfying these new interests.

 

[samisab786]

I'm really glad you started this thread because I am playin' in that pharmD vs. MD tug-of-war.

I didn't want to commit to anything in my first two years of college because I know that I am very far from decided. Plus I have been contemplating transferring, but I got into my university's pharmacy program. Though I feel very blessed that I got into a program as prestigious as this one, I feel extremely pressured and rather confused because I've had my eyes on other careers for a while, especially medicine because I like patient interaction, especially with kids, and I like the challenging/intellectual aspects/diversity of the field as well.

The thing is, I don't really know if pharmacy is truly what I want. I used to love chemistry in 10th grade, which is when I thought about pharmacy for the first time. I wanted to learn more about chemistry and be able to apply that knowledge in a career-setting so I thought pharmacy was definitely for me. But now that I'm in college, I don't enjoy chemistry like I used to. Chemistry 101 is way different from college preparatory chemistry and I don't think I really like it. I'm a little frustrated though because everywhere I research, medicine is dubbed as "an overrated career" while pharmacy is receiving a lot of praise, so I don't know if my idea of leaning towards medicine is a mere "pre-med fantasy". If any PharmD/MD can please help me out, that would be great.

I know that my complaint probably sounds very cliche, but I cannot emphasize enough how this has been a very difficult decision for not only academic, but social reasons as well.

 

[Sparda29]

Reasons why I'd do it:

1. Always able to get a job.
2. Can work where I want when I want. So if I want to work one day at the pharmacy, other day at the hospital, etc.
3. Chick magnet.
4. And can actually live like a real human in medical school.

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Reasons why I'd do it:

1. Always able to get a job.
2. Can work where I want when I want. So if I want to work one day at the pharmacy, other day at the hospital, etc.
3. Chick magnet.
4. And can actually live like a real human in medical school.

You sure about that? My med school buddies beg to differ.

 

[Sparda29]

You sure about that? My med school buddies beg to differ.

I'm sure they took more than tuition+books on their loans to cover living costs. I know that when my uncle went to medical school, he was living off of cereal, potato chips, and ketchup for 4 years.

 

[samisab786]

Reasons why I'd do it:

1. Always able to get a job.
2. Can work where I want when I want. So if I want to work one day at the pharmacy, other day at the hospital, etc.
3. Chick magnet.
4. And can actually live like a real human in medical school.

chick magnet? Too bad I'm a woman.

 

[PharMed2016]

Pharmacists in New York definitely do not have prescriptive privileges. New York is one of the least progressive states in terms of scope of practice; a bill that would finally allow an RPh to immunize is still waiting on the Governor's desk for a signature (I believe the only other state without such a law is Maine).

It will be a VERY long time before anything close to prescribing is allowed in New York.

Actually, the bill pass not long ago allowing pharmacist in the state of NY to immunize patients... providing of course the get the certification to do so.

As for prescribing privileges... the only thing that pharmacist can do with prescribing is that they may change a patients dosing//drug if and only if, the pharmacist has an agreement with the patients PCP. The changes are usually within set parameters established by the physician and the pharmacist.

 

[sanrevelle]

this is slightly swaying from the main topic, but i have a friend who told me that one of her classmates in law school has a pharmd. he decided that he didnt want to be a pharmacist and went straight into law school after graduation to study tax law. CRAAAZY! (as for school debt, it appears that his family is wealthy enough to pay for all that tuition, the lucky bastard)

 

[RNtoPharmD]

Autonomy and respect from other healthcare professionals is nice but patient interaction is not my cup of tea. I witnessed the physician being fussed by the patients wanting to be discharged. The frustrating family members disagree with physician's opinion and want their moms/dads to stay longer in the hospital despite the lack of medical necessity. I sometimes hear the patients and family member criticize their doctor. Some physicians has long list of patients see and work 19 hr-shifts. By the next decade, respects for physician may be going down the toilet as any other health professions because of "customer-service" and business aspect of healthcare. I'm surprised to see that my hospital now has customer service satisfaction score for physician.

If I was younger and can change to medical school, I would choose a specialty that has minimal patient interaction, not primary care provider.
PharmD&#8212;MD. I hope not. I am going to be 30 very soon. I would do it if I was 21. I will have to be very dissatisfied with pharmacy before going back to MD. If pharmacy really sucks, I probably have to stick with it and get a life out of work. One of the main reasons I get into pharmacy is to avoid patient interaction (I think there are some of those jobs in pharmacy) and burn-out from nursing&#8230; I hope market won't be too saturated after I graduate and I can still find jobs in hospitals

 

[FruitFly]

because they feel like it.

the end

 

[Quiksilver]

Actually, the bill pass not long ago allowing pharmacist in the state of NY to immunize patients... providing of course the get the certification to do so.

As for prescribing privileges... the only thing that pharmacist can do with prescribing is that they may change a patients dosing//drug if and only if, the pharmacist has an agreement with the patients PCP. The changes are usually within set parameters established by the physician and the pharmacist.

The bill passed in the legislature but would still need to be signed into law by the governor. maybe review your high school government and law notes. It may be in there. also this post was posted in july, its now november. This is a new bill and info has since changed. It WILL BE law in January.

your 2nd comment also is wrong. Pharmacists do not have contractual agreements with physicians, this is not legal in NYS. There is no changing of script based on set parameters. If there is a discrepancy with a particular Rx, such as the MD wrote the wrong drug, dose whatever, then we call and we can change only under the direction of the doctor. This only applies to non-controls. Controlled substance gets stickier

 

[loo]

...because of "customer-service" and business aspect of healthcare. I'm surprised to see that my hospital now has customer service satisfaction score for physician.

Good point. Could you imagine if hospitals scored doctors on how well they delivered devastating diagnoses to patients???

It's refreshing that people are willing to be honest and admit that they don't prefer a lot of patient interaction in the healthcare field. I don't think you have to "love people" or be a "people person" to make a positive impact on patients' lives...

 

[samisab786]

I'm still too young so probably I don't know much about actually being in the medical field, but I really want to do something in my life that involves being around people, which is why I'm starting to consider medicine. I'm sure that it doesn't mean you aren't a "people's person" when you're in a pharmacy, but I really like talking to people. I don't know, I guess it's because I went to three different high schools and had the hardest time making friends, so I always wanted to be around people. I think some of my best times in high school was when I offered people help; sure I got used at times, but when I'd get that genuine look-of-gratitude, I felt really good about it. Anyway, I go to about two to three different doctors almost 7-8 times a year because of my diabetes, hypothyroid, regular check-ups, eye examinations, and dental. I've seen different doctors because I moved many times. I think one of my most memorable experiences with a doctor was in the South. My endocrinologist was awesome. She was a cute Philipino woman who always had a smile on her face and addressed us nicely. I liked her a lot. When we were leaving she gave us a big hug. She was so cute haha. My opthomologist was really cool too. He used to ask me what music I like and told me a little bit about his son who ended up going to my school. He also did a really good job checking my eye for rethinopathy, which is the extra procedure they do for diabetics. The endocrinologist I met the other year was not bad too. He used to always want to see me happy because my mom told him that I was having a hard time coping with the move, but I only got to know him for a year so I didn't like him as much as my other endo. Anyway, a lot of people have different opinons about medicine. My primary physician, who I've known for 10 years asked me if I was considering medicine. She was really optimistic about it and I told her if I ended up in the field, it would most likely be attributed to me being being around doctors all the time and as she is a diabetic also, she mentioned diabetes was her driving force behind medicine too. At the same time, my cousin seems to absolutely dislike her job. She has two specialties, but she says she's always busy and tries hard to make the patients happy because she has the fear of getting sued. I guess it depends really on your circumstances and your expectations in a career.

 

[mustang sally]

One of the main reasons I get into pharmacy is to avoid patient interaction (I think there are some of those jobs in pharmacy) and burn-out from nursing… I hope market won’t be too saturated after I graduate and I can still find jobs in hospitals

This is exactly how I feel (except for the nursing part)! I went to a job fair a few weeks ago and all of the hospital pharmacists there were so encouraging when I told them I didn't want to do retail...not that I'm bashing it or anything, it's just not for me.

 

[RNtoPharmD]

Because pharmacy students are young!! There are some of those who are 19-21. After they go back and finish med school, they will be just as old as I am. Unlike other professional program, pharm schools only require 2 year pre-req.

When you're older, you have to think harder before going back to school. I used to think about going to Med school. But if I were to try to get in, I would be 38 by the time I finish residency (I won't be able to get in until 2010)

 

[konkan]

Good point. Could you imagine if hospitals scored doctors on how well they delivered devastating diagnoses to patients???

It's refreshing that people are willing to be honest and admit that they don't prefer a lot of patient interaction in the healthcare field. I don't think you have to "love people" or be a "people person" to make a positive impact on patients' lives...

It's not that simple with physicians too. My brother is an IM physician, works for a group, and he told me that they (physicians) were told that they have to do initial patient eval within a certain amount of time too (I think 15 min). I am sure they are being evaluated by their bosses too, including efficiency.
Look at HMO physicians or companies that hire dentists. Pretty soon they will be working like retail pharmacists. The bottom line is that corporate world is sneaking into every branch of health care - not just pharmacy.

 

[VCU07]

Because pharmacy students are young!! There are some of those who are 19-21. After they go back and finish med school, they will be just as old as I am. Unlike other professional program, pharm schools only require 2 year pre-req.

When you're older, you have to think harder before going back to school. I used to think about going to Med school. But if I were to try to get in, I would be 38 by the time I finish residency (I won't be able to get in until 2010)

Assuming I get in, I will be around 38 when done with residency, which really isn't that old. You have the potential of 30+ yrs of practice ahead of you.

 

[RxWildcat]

We already decided that 24 was old, didn't you read all the other posts?

 

[Sparda29]

Assuming I get in, I will be around 38 when done with residency, which really isn't that old. You have the potential of 30+ yrs of practice ahead of you.

Yes you will, but assuming you don't have kids or don't get married until after you are done with residency, you will be an old fart when you're trying to teach your kids baseball and turning them into the next baseball star.