Has anyone here left pharmacy school (or other professional school) for med school?

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aethermist

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I've poked around in the forums a bit, but haven't found any recent threads on this topic so I thought I'd make a post!

I'm currently in my first year of pharmacy school and I'm having serious doubts about whether or not I want to a pharmacist. I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist for years (worked for 2 years as a tech), but the more time I spend in pharmacy school, the more my views have changed on what sort of role I want as a health care provider. It's not that I don't like pharmacy. I really do. But I want a more clinical role that I feel even a residency won't fulfill. I've talked extensively to pharmacy residents and clinical pharmacists about their jobs, and the more I learn about pharmacy, the more I feel that it is not the right fit for the type of provider I want to be.

I'm hoping to leave pharmacy school after this school year is over and attend a MPH program while I get more clinical experience and take the MCAT. Going for the MPH would be much cheaper than finishing pharm school (40-70k vs 150k) and I do have legitimate interest in public health (women's health and opioid epidemic). I have a fair amount of loans from undergrad so finances are definitely a concern. However, I am concerned about how quitting will look to adcoms. What do you guys think? Suck it up and finish my PharmD then apply? Or will leaving, finishing a MPH, then applying be likely ok?

stats:
undergrad: top 15 USNWR
uGPA: 3.88
sGPA: 3.82
pharm GPA: classes haven't ended yet, but this semester is looking like mostly A's, 1 or 2 A- so probably 3.9x
MCAT: haven't taken yet, PCAT was 99th percentile but I realize it's much easier than the MCAT. I tend to be good at standardized tests though so as long as I put in the time/effort to study I'm not too worried

experience:
- coming up on 5 years of research experience (2 years ecology lab, 2 years developmental bio/cancer bio lab, 1 year biomaterials/drug delivery/translational research lab), unfortunately not published yet
- 2 years pharm tech at independent pharmacy
- 5 months at hospital escorting patients around
- leadership in environmental organizations, volunteering in women's health, treasurer of pre-pharmacy society
- economics TA for a semester
- small leadership role in pharmacy organization in women's health (set up health fairs, teach a pregnancy class on med safety)

Long story short, will leaving pharmacy school significantly hurt my chances of getting into med school? Has anyone had first-hand experience with a switch like this?

I would *potentially* be interested in DO school, but would not be my first choice. How are my chances for that?

Thank you guys for your help!
I would shadow physicians extensively (80+ hours) and continue hospital volunteering before leaving pharmacy school. I would also then work on writing a compelling personal statement explaining your desire for more clinical responsibility and why a hospital pharmacy residency wouldn't be enough and that you didn't make this decision lightly but rather that you shadowed extensively before coming to the conclusion that you had to make this decision.

If you can write this piece in a coherent and compelling manner, then I don't think it'll hurt you but rather make you an interesting person to add to a medical school class.
 
I think quitting your pharmacy program will negatively impact your chances of getting into medical school as it makes you look like a quitter and a risky candidate. Some Adcoms might think that you will also quit medical school.

That being said, in my class, we have a pharmacist, dentist, and a trauma nurse but all of these individuals are licensed and have many years of work experience in their respective fields.
 
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I think quitting your pharmacy program will negatively impact your chances of getting into medical school as it makes you look like a quitter and a risky candidate. Some Adcoms might think that you will also quit medical school.

That being said, in my class, we have a pharmacist, dentist, and a trauma nurse but all of these individuals are licensed and have many years of work experience in their respective fields.
Better to quit than to take on x amount of debt and then apply imo. You might not get into a Harvard but I'm sure that with a compelling personal statement that makes you seem like you've spent a long time thinking about the decision, that a good chunk of schools would be willing to take a risk.
 
There is 100% no reason to stay in pharmacy school if you are sure you never want to do it.

However, with that said... What is to say medicine is right for you? Did you not spend any time finding out what pharmacists were like before you decided on pharmacy school? You said you spent two years as a pharmacy tech and now have realized it isn't for you. How long have you spent with people in medicine wondering if it is the right move?

I'm being hard on you just so you see the tough road you have set in front of you. I'm rooting for you to make it into MD if you want it, I know you can succeed if you make it. Your GPA leaves me with no doubt you could succeed academically. However, the most important thing is for you to do something you actually want - make sure medicine is the right path before you decide to jump into another career again.
 
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Better to quit than to take on x amount of debt and then apply imo. You might not get into a Harvard but I'm sure that with a compelling personal statement that makes you seem like you've spent a long time thinking about the decision, that a good chunk of schools would be willing to take a risk.
I agree that it makes more sense financially, but the real question is whether OP can convince an admission committee that he/she won't jump ship again if they realize that medicine is not right for them either. Med schools are not like undergrad where the school can just find another student for OP's seat so if OP quits, the school will lose four years of tuition money. I am not an adcom, but from what I know, any respectable US school will not take a risky applicant when there are so many applicants without any risks.
 
I agree that it makes more sense financially, but the real question is whether OP can convince an admission committee that he/she won't jump ship again if they realize that medicine is not right for them either. Med schools are not like undergrad where the school can just find another student for OP's seat so if OP quits, the school will lose four years of tuition money. I am not an adcom, but from what I know, any respectable US school will not take a risky applicant when there are so many applicants without any risks.
Yeah, which is why I suggested he shadow/volunteer during his last year in pharmacy school and to take steps to prove that he made the decision after taking a long time to process the decision. That way it doesn't look reckless, and rather that he was just certain that medicine was for him and not pharmacy. He can chalk up going to pharm school first as him being young and not having researched the field he was getting into which is a mistake he will never make again in his life after putting himself in alot of debt for his first year for something he didn't really want.

Granted, he probably won't get admissions offers from alot of schools. But he only needs one school to take him to become a doctor. It's also a very stressful process and he needs to be certain he really can't see himself as a pharmacist. Especially considering that pharmacy is evolving as a field currently and the responsibilities of a pharmacist have been increasing to include clinical consulting.
 
I've poked around in the forums a bit, but haven't found any recent threads on this topic so I thought I'd make a post!

I'm currently in my first year of pharmacy school and I'm having serious doubts about whether or not I want to a pharmacist. I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist for years (worked for 2 years as a tech), but the more time I spend in pharmacy school, the more my views have changed on what sort of role I want as a health care provider. It's not that I don't like pharmacy. I really do. But I want a more clinical role that I feel even a residency won't fulfill. I've talked extensively to pharmacy residents and clinical pharmacists about their jobs, and the more I learn about pharmacy, the more I feel that it is not the right fit for the type of provider I want to be.

I'm hoping to leave pharmacy school after this school year is over and attend a MPH program while I get more clinical experience and take the MCAT. Going for the MPH would be much cheaper than finishing pharm school (40-70k vs 150k) and I do have legitimate interest in public health (women's health and opioid epidemic). I have a fair amount of loans from undergrad so finances are definitely a concern. However, I am concerned about how quitting will look to adcoms. What do you guys think? Suck it up and finish my PharmD then apply? Or will leaving, finishing a MPH, then applying be likely ok?

stats:
undergrad: top 15 USNWR
uGPA: 3.88
sGPA: 3.82
pharm GPA: classes haven't ended yet, but this semester is looking like mostly A's, 1 or 2 A- so probably 3.9x
MCAT: haven't taken yet, PCAT was 99th percentile but I realize it's much easier than the MCAT. I tend to be good at standardized tests though so as long as I put in the time/effort to study I'm not too worried

experience:
- coming up on 5 years of research experience (2 years ecology lab, 2 years developmental bio/cancer bio lab, 1 year biomaterials/drug delivery/translational research lab), unfortunately not published yet
- 2 years pharm tech at independent pharmacy
- 5 months at hospital escorting patients around
- leadership in environmental organizations, volunteering in women's health, treasurer of pre-pharmacy society
- economics TA for a semester
- small leadership role in pharmacy organization in women's health (set up health fairs, teach a pregnancy class on med safety)

Long story short, will leaving pharmacy school significantly hurt my chances of getting into med school? Has anyone had first-hand experience with a switch like this?

I would *potentially* be interested in DO school, but would not be my first choice. How are my chances for that?

Thank you guys for your help!
I know a pharmD who's in med school
 
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