Any pharmacists out there applying to med school

[PharmDR]

hey guys,

i was wondering if there's any pharmacists out there applying to med schools?
if there is, i have a couple of questions to ask you. how do med schools factor in your gpa comparing to other students from 4 year colleges? b/c of our curriculum, is it advantageous? the reason i ask is b/c i did terrible in school and don't know if i should relying on doing really well on the MCATs to make up for it? would i still have to go through some post-bac program to make up my poor grades as well? i'm really interested to know from those that have been in that similar situation. i'm really not sure what route to take.
thanks

PharmDR

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[carpe diem]

hey PharmDR,

I too am a pharmacist applying to MD and DO schools, and am in a similar position as you concerning GPA.

The curriculum of pharmacy school can be an advantage in applying, but really only if you do well in the curriculum. I would avoid emphasizing the difficulty of the program....if your grades are good then the accomplishment speaks for itself....otherwise you will possibly be taken as a whiner or excuse-maker......if you are serious about applying then continue to take tough coursework and do well!!!

I had two quarters in pharmacy school that my grades went south( i hate this expression but am allowed to use it since I am from Alabama) because deep down I still wanted to be pursuing medical school and thought my chance was over....this was 17 years ago!!! so it is never too late.

Also, as you seriously pursue med school be prepared to explain why you are "jumping professions"....personally I believe medical schools are sometimes more open to career changers from professions that are not closely related to medicine ( and be able to explain how or why (or if) you used the resources of a pharmacy school (training, clerkships,etc) to further a career in another discipline

Sorry for the length.....my advice: get involved in a post-bacc program or enroll in a masters program ( & get great grades, and smoke the MCAT)...at the same time ( and I think this is just as important), get to know the Pre-Health Professional Advisor at your undergrad school or at the school where you do post-bacc or Master's and ask them to let you go through the process to receive a recommendation from the Pre-Health Professions committee.....I was blessed to be able to do this at my undergraduate school even though it had been 8 ( and now 15 years!!) since I graduated...... the Pre-Health Advisors carry much weight at many medical schools ( you probably know all of this)

To sum up: if you take course work for a couple of years- & smoke the MCAT and get a good committee rec, you have a great chance....just don't wait til your 39 to finalize all of this...

Best wishes.......carpe

 

[PharmDR]

thanks for the advice carpe. they were very helpful. are you currently in a post-bac program or are you a graduate student? how long have you worked as a pharmacist and where have you worked?

PharmDR

 

[carpe diem]

I'm taking post-bacc courses at the moment and working approx 25-30 hrs a week at a national chain pharmacy. I received an MPH in 1994 (had no intention of using it to help in an application to medical school....would not have worked full-time while doing this had I known these grades were so important)...I was really just interested in learning epidemiology

Until Sept 2001 I worked 14 years as a pediatric pharmacist, mostly in pediatric critical care & neonatology......this was a great experience and only reinforced my leanings toward medicine, especially when in 1994 I finally acknowledged to myself that I still really wanted to be a physician....that was 7 years out of pharmacy school....and now it is 8 years later....some dreams die hard.

Was on clinical faculty of a pharmacy school and was heavily involved in teaching/training of pharmacy residents and students......that's me in a nutshell

carpe

 

[lord999]

I go to a pharmacy school with a medical school attached. After talking to them, I have had the distinct impression that they don't like taking pharmacists in. (There are several other threads confirming this sentiment.) This is usually because pharmacy is percieved by medicine as an professional end in itself and not as a premed degree. This is a handicap, because adcoms WILL ask you why you're "bailing" pharmacy for medicine, even if you were using pharmacy as a premed degree. Adcoms generally don't care where your GPA comes from, they just look at the number. Hope this helps.

On a side note, Go Philly! I'm at APhA right now enjoying Broad! By the way, are you on your final clerkships right now?