Is pharmacy school or podiatry school more difficult?

[ivorychins]

I find both professions very interesting but I'm curious as to which professional school is more difficult. I'm not here to be persuaded to either route. Podiatry school is about as difficult as medical school, correct? So I would assume that podiatry school has a much higher volume of content and concepts to memorize?

Thanks to anyone that has any understanding. I know it's difficult to answer since most people haven't been a student in both schools!

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[AttackNME]

I don’t think I can or want to memorize pharmacokinetics for thousands of drugs so I’m gonna say pharm school is harder for me. I signed up for this to work with my hands and sometimes my brain, not vice versa

 

[ivorychins]

I don’t think I can or want to memorize pharmacokinetics for thousands of drugs so I’m gonna say pharm school is harder for me. I signed up for this to work with my hands and sometimes my brain, not vice versa

But that sounds more like what you prefer to study rather than saying how difficult they are to each other in comparison. I guess it's a difficult question since you'd have to be a student in both or know someone who's done med and pharm school.

 

[AttackNME]

I have had classmates who quit pod school and gone on to other things including pharmacy, nursing, dental, etc. if you find yourself asking which school is harder, you really should instead ask yourself what it is that you want to do. If you want to do something bad enough you will put in the work, and “difficulty” will not be an issue

 

[DexterMorganSK]

I find both professions very interesting but I'm curious as to which professional school is more difficult. I'm not here to be persuaded to either route. Podiatry school is about as difficult as medical school, correct? So I would assume that podiatry school has a much higher volume of content and concepts to memorize?

Thanks to anyone that has any understanding. I know it's difficult to answer since most people haven't been a student in both schools!

Pod is more difficult since we follow a curriculum that is similar to an MD/DO school, so the volume is much more than a PharmD school.
I have seen a typical PharmD curriculum, have several friends who are RpH and besides few classes during the 2nd-3rd year, everything else is very doable.

 

[ivorychins]

Pod is more difficult since we follow a curriculum that is similar to an MD/DO school, so the volume is much more than a PharmD school.
I have seen a typical PharmD curriculum, have several friends who are RpH and besides few classes during the 2nd-3rd year, everything else is very doable.

See, that was my reasoning since I heard podiatry school is essentially medical school. So what you noticed in pharmacy school is that the volume of studying required is less?

 

[ivorychins]

I have had classmates who quit pod school and gone on to other things including pharmacy, nursing, dental, etc. if you find yourself asking which school is harder, you really should instead ask yourself what it is that you want to do. If you want to do something bad enough you will put in the work, and “difficulty” will not be an issue

Well obviously I'm not choosing a route just based on what is easier. But it is something I just wanted to consider. I've wondered for a while if pharmacy school is just as difficult as med school or if it's a lot less taxing.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

See, that was my reasoning since I heard podiatry school is essentially medical school. So what you noticed in pharmacy school is that the volume of studying required is less?

The amount of depth and volume of the info we are presented with and tested on is a lot more than those in a PharmD program. In other words, in a Pharm school, you might take a basic science course in pathology or immunology, but the depth you will be required to know and be tested on is less when compared to a Med curriculum because in both professions you're preparing for different types of board certifications (one to be a PharmD and other for a DPM).

If you are trying to gauge which field to go into then I suggest shadowing in each field.

 

[ivorychins]

The amount of depth and volume of the info we are presented with and tested on is a lot more than those in a PharmD program. In other words, in a Pharm school, you might take a basic science course in pathology or immunology, but the depth you will be required to know and be tested on is less when compared to a Med curriculum because in both professions you're preparing for different types of board certifications (one to be a PharmD and other for a DPM).

If you are trying to gauge which field to go into then I suggest shadowing in each field.

If podiatry school is that much more difficult, then why is the average gpa of accepted students about the same?

 

[Weirdy]

If podiatry school is that much more difficult, then why is the average gpa of accepted students about the same?

Why wouldn't it be?

Not everyone likes pharm. Not everyone likes teeth. Not everyone wants to be a nurse.

Similar accepted GPAs will not tell you which programs are harder, only what schools are willing take. Don't extrapolate too much.

 

[ivorychins]

Why wouldn't it be?

Not everyone likes pharm. Not everyone likes teeth. Not everyone wants to be a nurse.

Similar accepted GPAs will not tell you which programs are harder, only what schools are willing take. Don't extrapolate too much.

Yeah you're right I was making a bad comparison that had to real value to it

 

[AttackNME]

Well obviously I'm not choosing a route just based on what is easier. But it is something I just wanted to consider. I've wondered for a while if pharmacy school is just as difficult as med school or if it's a lot less taxing.

Just do your due diligence to research the hell out of each field you are considering. The worst thing you can do is decide after 4 years of grad school and 200k+ in debt that it isn’t for you and you decide to enroll in something else and slap on more debt. If you’re not sure, wait another year, it won’t hurt to be older and wiser before you invest in grad school.

 

[ivorychins]

Side note, would you guys say podiatry school is just as difficult as medical school? Or would you say that podiatry school is a little easier? I'm curious about that too.

 

[Toadesque]

Everyone focuses on the first 2 years for some reason. This is a surgical speciality from the get go. You will be working your ass off in 3rd and 4th year as well, often working much longer hours than any of your friends in pharmacy or MD/DO school.

 

[ivorychins]

Everyone focuses on the first 2 years for some reason. This is a surgical speciality from the get go. You will be working your ass off in 3rd and 4th year as well, often working much longer hours than any of your friends in pharmacy or MD/DO school.

So overall you think podiatry school is more difficult because of the surgical focus in the last two years before residency?

 

[ftdoc11]

Side note, would you guys say podiatry school is just as difficult as medical school? Or would you say that podiatry school is a little easier? I'm curious about that too.

There are several podiatry schools that are almost fully integrated with DO programs, and thus difficulty would be identical until you hit clerkships.
And at my pod school the microbiology and immunology class is integrated with the pharmacy school so there is even some overlap between those two routes. At the end of the day, whatever you're interested in doing will be the easier program. If you hate feet and surgery but love pills, pharmacy school will be easier. If pharmacology bores you but you love lower extremity anatomy, then podiatry school will be easier.

 

[de Ribas]

There are several podiatry schools that are almost fully integrated with DO programs, and thus difficulty would be identical until you hit clerkships.
And at my pod school the microbiology and immunology class is integrated with the pharmacy school so there is even some overlap between those two routes. At the end of the day, whatever you're interested in doing will be the easier program. If you hate feet and surgery but love pills, pharmacy school will be easier. If pharmacology bores you but you love lower extremity anatomy, then podiatry school will be easier.

and one is somewhat integrated with M.D. school

 

[DexterMorganSK]

So overall you think podiatry school is more difficult because of the surgical focus in the last two years before residency?

Why are you asking the same ques in the Pharm and the Pre-Med forums?

What is your goal? Are you applying to one or are you just another troll?

 

[ivorychins]

Why are you asking the same ques in the Pharm and the Pre-Med forums?

What is your goal? Are you applying to one or are you just another troll?

I'm asking different forums for different perspectives because it would be unwise to to only get one perspective from a profession, eh?

 

[AlwaysContrary]

okay, you're obviously a troll. Get out of here.

 

[throw_away5122]

podiatry is certainly more difficult, at MD/DO level. Pharmacy is challenging but not that demanding; their programs have the most off-days of all professional schools, that should tell the story

 

[GypsyHummus]

I agree. While pharmacy is certainly tough, they are not worked nearly as hard as the MD/DO/Pods. I have yet to see pharmacy students have mental breakdowns because of how stressful the environment is. I have seen people crack under the pressure of medical school.

Too bad saturation is rearing it’s head at pharmacy students, seemed like a really good profession. Low six figure salary, only 4 years.

podiatry is certainly more difficult, at MD/DO level. Pharmacy is challenging but not that demanding; their programs have the most off-days of all professional schools, that should tell the story

 

[ivorychins]

I agree. While pharmacy is certainly tough, they are not worked nearly as hard as the MD/DO/Pods. I have yet to see pharmacy students have mental breakdowns because of how stressful the environment is. I have seen people crack under the pressure of medical school.

Too bad saturation is tearing its unholy head at pharmacy students, seemed like a really good profession. Low six figure salary, only 4 years.

It was a good profession. 4 years of post graduate school with a guaranteed $100k salary? Many people took notice and went down this path. Unfortunately, and I don't understand why, they allowed so many pharmacy schools to open that now the pharmacy employment market is so saturated. It's sad really... so many pharm graduates having so much trouble finding employment because of it, and so many older pharmacists losing their jobs to new grads with a cut in salary.