From PHARM.D to DO

[tomytomy02]

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Hi,

Is there anybody swithching gear from Pharm D. to DO.

Must be somebody else as crazy as I am out there.

and,

if you did go to DO AFTER finishing Pharm D, please do share your reason, your experience...

(and how did you do with the TIME SENSITIVE of those science classes: bio, chem, physics...have to be WITHIN 5-7 year requirement at the time you apply for DO schools )

I am thinking of it and need your advice.

Thank you very much in advance for your sharing. 😍

 

[danzman]

Not sure exactly what you mean.... Are you in Pharm school now, or are you talking about prereqs? For what it is worth, NSU's dean is a PharmD D.O.

 

[MossPoh]

I know quite a few Pharm.D to DOs. Mostly middle aged and older now, but they are out there. One of them I know is tripled boarded too.

 

[miniwangja]

i have a friend who got pharm D and gone to MD this year.
... nerd ? 😛

 

[tomytomy02]

Thanks for your inputs.

I'm doing Pharm D now, and thinking of going Med school next.

Yeh, I kinda a ...nerd, internally, but pretty sporty and outdoor person as well.
(I just really enjoy school, be more knowledgable, and helping ppl...)

For those who did go or know someone from Pharm D to Medical, did you have to repeat those science classes (physic, chem, math...) when you appied for med schools ? (since they usually ask for WITHIN 5-7 years since when u took it )

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Thanks for your inputs.

I'm doing Pharm D now, and thinking of going Med school next.

Yeh, I kinda a ...nerd, internally, but pretty sporty and outdoor person as well.
(I just really enjoy school, be more knowledgable, and helping ppl...)

For those who did go or know someone from Pharm D to Medical, did you have to repeat those science classes (physic, chem, math...) when you appied for med schools ? (since they usually ask for WITHIN 5-7 years since when u took it )

I've seen several schools explicitly state that they waive those requirements for students who hold a professional degree in pharm/dentistry/etc. Check with schools you're interested in to be sure.

 

[danzman]

Yup that is my understanding. Also depending on how far along you are, and what school you go to, you may be able to get out of some of you preclinical clourses.

 

[J ROD]

Thanks for your inputs.

I'm doing Pharm D now, and thinking of going Med school next.

Yeh, I kinda a ...nerd, internally, but pretty sporty and outdoor person as well.
(I just really enjoy school, be more knowledgable, and helping ppl...)

For those who did go or know someone from Pharm D to Medical, did you have to repeat those science classes (physic, chem, math...) when you appied for med schools ? (since they usually ask for WITHIN 5-7 years since when u took it )

I am in my 3rd year of pharm school and plan on going on to med school. As far as I know, you do not have to repeat the basic science classes.

I wanted two doctorates and to learn all about each one.

And yes, alot of people think I am nuts!

It's your life, live it the way you want!!!

 

[tomytomy02]

Thanks for the advices.

and JDUB, yep, I agree "live our lives the way we want it" 🙂

I actually just talked to 1 DO, and he said I seemed to have enough passion to go into med, just have to work hard for it, not too late (I'm 42 now )

Good luck to all in the same boat like me.😍

 

[MossPoh]

It really depends on your motives. Learning is a great thing but don't do it for the sake of degree collecting. The DOs I know that went to pharm school before hand are in specialities that involve lots of medications, but they still leave stuff up to the pharmacist many times. You will NOT have time to keep up on the literature in both fields, unless you are superhuman. After a decade things you learn may become outdated and impractical. I sat there and listened to them joking around by what they "used to do" and trying to remember how to do certain calculations or whatever you pharmacists do while they were on a lunch break. As I said before, one of these guys is triple boarded and is not an idiot, but he wasn't remembering much.

Its a long road. I don't like telling anyone they can't do it, but you have to be pretty damn set on it. (I'm not doing this to be a jerk, but just to put things in perspective) If you were starting medical school this fall without any application cycle, class retakes, mcat, etc. then you'd be 46 when you finished the basic degree and a minimum of 49-50 when you finish residency. Many specialities takes a couple of years to get a full patient load and referral base, so you'll be up to 52 or 53 when you are hitting full speed. The only way I look at that as truly problematic is if you have to take out a large amount of loans to repay on top of it. There is a point that many people want to slow down in their life. Residency is difficult for everyone, but I've HEARD (I'm younger) that it is particularly rough on your body if you're older.

This is by no means a scare tactic. Just have to sit down and make sure it is what you want and not just a new frontier to conquer for the hell of it. Most people buy a new sports car. I guess with gas prices you can get more bang for your buck by getting a medical degree though. 😉