change from RPH to PA

[Han11]

I feel this proffesion is soul crushing.
Want to make this change.
Is it too late to change proffesion.
Anyone you know changed their profession.
Any PA in room who are pharmacist.

Thanks.

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[croquemonsieur]

fml

 

[Rouelle]

Not to be mean, but you might start out on this one by using the search function.

 

[DailyDaisies]

I feel this proffesion is soul crushing.
Want to make this change.
Is it too late to change proffesion.
Anyone you know changed their profession.
Any PA in room who are pharmacist.

Thanks.

I heard PA Is a lot harder to get into than pharmacy school, plus if you’ve been out of college for awhile, you’ll probably have to take at least a year to fulfill their prerequisites. Plus, doesn’t PAs get paid less than pharmacists?

 

[lord999]

I heard PA Is a lot harder to get into than pharmacy school, plus if you’ve been out of college for awhile, you’ll probably have to take at least a year to fulfill their prerequisites. Plus, doesn’t PAs get paid less than pharmacists?

One way to look at the ranges:
PA range:
Physician Assistant

Pharmacist range:
Pharmacist

PA's have higher extremes than pharmacy (the top PA's get paid more than the top classical pharmacists, but there are a group that are paid much less than pharmacy in the same area would accept, and PA's are in demand right now), but they are much more likely to have tenuous work environments more so than pharmacy ever will due to the nature of the oversight.

Despite the "pharmacist should be providers" crowd, PA and pharmacist work both require different skillsets and have a different day-to-day job routine. They are both relatively stressful occupations (compared with the usual options for a reasonably educated person), and they have their own pros and cons.

But if you are going into the profession for just the $, you are going to have a bad time with either one. Think more about whether or not you want to do the work as a main criterion, as both boards are filled with stories about occupational mismatch for those who did not reflect properly about the idea of working in these jobs.

 

[steveysmith54]

Naw, pharmd to pa is not possible... must go to np or astrology or paleontology ONLY

 

[RxPreceptor]

fml

Wait, what? FluoroMethoLone? Oh wait that FML....

PA is not all "sunshine & puppy dogs". PAs can make roughly the same as RPh
They take just as much crap from both patients and NPs with attitudes as RPhs for not living up to the expectation of being an authoritative, "all knowing", MD. Picking up the slack with patient visit notes/charting constantly (laptops given so you can catch up at work at home), calling insurances for prior auths, and being on call weekends (not so great sleep getting called numerous times 3am etc.)

Yeah, research & "pick your poison" in the appropriate dose of course

 

[RxPreceptor]

Naw, pharmd to pa is not possible... must go to np or astrology or paleontology ONLY

LMFAO

 

[spacecowgirl]

Question: do I want to look at old/nasty/really any people's genitals?
Answer: No. Ergo, no PA.

 

[grizzlesgrizzlies]

Healthcare lol

never again...

 

[SpartanDOnoharm]

I'm currently transitioning from an ER pharmacist to a physician but thought about PA initially. One thing to note about PA schools is that the majority will not accept classes that are over 5 years old. The cool thing about being a PA is that you can change which field you're working in. Don't want to continue working in a PCP office? Switch to ER. Don't like ER? Switch to cardiothoracic surgery. There are a lot of available pathways for a PA and will always be a need. Monetarily you'll probably make a little less as a PA starting out but can get above pharmacist wages if you go into more specialized therapies.

The big question you have to ask yourself, is what do you see yourself doing in the long term. PA and pharmacist are completely different jobs with different skill sets. Being a pharmacist will 100% help you be a better PA, but it won't help you for some other things unless you currently have a specialized pharmacist job doing things like physical exams, ordering labs, etc. which 99% of pharmacists don't do. Don't be discouraged if it is going to take a few years to get all the prerequisites done. Best of luck to you in your decision!

 

[PharmtoCS]

Engineering or computer science would offer you a far better quality of life and better job prospects.

 

[BF7]

My wife is a realtor now and makes over $200,000 annually. She doesn’t have to hold inventory etc. I have done well financially since graduating in 2003 and buying my first store in 2010, but while pharmacy school provided me a well defined, lower risk path to a six figure salary, I see now that there are many other ways to make a very nice living WITHOUT spending 6 figures in tuition on 5-6 years in college and then working until 9pm on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and some holidays like I did when I first began my career. More to the point, don’t simply focus on healthcare as transitioning is long and time consuming from an educational and training standpoint abc the economic payoff is simply not worth it unless you’re going to be a specialist. You can go buy an existing pharmacy today that fills 120 rxs daily and make $180-200k per year once you pay off the loan ($500-600k)

 

[rxdawg21]

My wife is a realtor now and makes over $200,000 annually. She doesn’t have to hold inventory etc. I have done well financially since graduating in 2003 and buying my first store in 2010, but while pharmacy school provided me a well defined, lower risk path to a six figure salary, I see now that there are many other ways to make a very nice living WITHOUT spending 6 figures in tuition on 5-6 years in college and then working until 9pm on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and some holidays like I did when I first began my career. More to the point, don’t simply focus on healthcare as transitioning is long and time consuming from an educational and training standpoint abc the economic payoff is simply not worth it unless you’re going to be a specialist. You can go buy an existing pharmacy today that fills 120 rxs daily and make $180-200k per year once you pay off the loan ($500-600k)

The amount of money involved in the buying and selling of houses (and all the different entities that have their hands in the pot) is crazy. I honestly haven't used a realtor much other then having them giving me access to houses. I look and find the houses I want to see online. I'm sure in highly competitive markets they may earn their money or if your new in town.

Long story short I'm surprised the industry hasn't had a true disruption. To think you pay 15k on a 250k purchase in overall realtors fees for what is surely most likely less than 40 hours of work for the realtor is crazy. I know for a fact I haven't taken up 40 hours of a realtors time. I realize the brokers get their cut, etc. but good grief.

 

[spacecowgirl]

It is ridiculous. I realize they work weekends and odd hours showing houses but damn.

 

[Apotheker2015]

I heard PA Is a lot harder to get into than pharmacy school, plus if you’ve been out of college for awhile, you’ll probably have to take at least a year to fulfill their prerequisites. Plus, doesn’t PAs get paid less than pharmacists?

"I've heard..."
Both programs have basically the same pre-requisites. If you already have your pharmD and are licensed, I do not see a PA school hounding you about your human physiology class being more than 5 years old.

 

[DailyDaisies]

"I've heard..."
Both programs have basically the same pre-requisites. If you already have your pharmD and are licensed, I do not see a PA school hounding you about your human physiology class being more than 5 years old.

Im sure PA schools will “hound” you for prerequisites. You’d think they wouldn’t if you had a BS degree already but they still do. But who are we to know? The best bet is for the OP to message the school advisor to figure out the logistics directly.

 

[Apotheker2015]

Im sure PA schools will “hound” you for prerequisites. You’d think they wouldn’t if you had a BS degree already but they still do. But who are we to know? The best bet is for the OP to message the school advisor to figure out the logistics directly.

Again, it's all speculation. I am sure it's all school dependent and every applicant is different, as well. If one school says no, you must retake all pre-req's, I am sure you'll find a school that will be happy to take a PharmD whether with a BS or not. The whole point of the pre-reqs is to prep you for the rigors of grad school. If you have your license in hand, then it doesn't make much sense to have to retake pre-reqs.

 

[knight on horse]

Healthcare lol

never again...

Bless you, sir

How did you escape

My wife is a realtor now and makes over $200,000 annually. She doesn’t have to hold inventory etc. I have done well financially since graduating in 2003 and buying my first store in 2010, but while pharmacy school provided me a well defined, lower risk path to a six figure salary, I see now that there are many other ways to make a very nice living WITHOUT spending 6 figures in tuition on 5-6 years in college and then working until 9pm on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and some holidays like I did when I first began my career. More to the point, don’t simply focus on healthcare as transitioning is long and time consuming from an educational and training standpoint abc the economic payoff is simply not worth it unless you’re going to be a specialist. You can go buy an existing pharmacy today that fills 120 rxs daily and make $180-200k per year once you pay off the loan ($500-600k)

Are you still in pharmacy