Is Residency a Blessing?

[Icantplayspades]

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I'm currently a Pharmacy student with thoughts of persuing Medicine after my PharmD. Is doing a residency in Pharmacy geared to one specialty (e.g. Neurology) fufilling as compared to practicing medicine?

 

[StockPharmD2020]

No

 

[Icantplayspades]

No

Ok, care to elaborate?

 

[awval999]

No

 

[Icantplayspades]

No

Thanks for the insight.

 

[owlegrad]

Fulfilling is so subjective I don't think your question can really be answered. I suggest looking for fulfillment outside of career at any rate.

I do wonder what the ROI is of going back to medicine after completing pharmacy. It isn't unheard of so certainly some people do think it is worth it.

 

[Icantplayspades]

Fulfilling is so subjective I don't think your question can really be answered. I suggest looking for fulfillment outside of career at any rate.

I do wonder what the ROI is of going back to medicine after completing pharmacy. It isn't unheard of so certainly some people do think it is worth it.

I understand the subjectivity. I meant, does it have the ability to be sufficiently intellectually stimulating as Medicine?

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I understand the subjectivity. I meant, does it have the ability to be sufficiently intellectually stimulating?

How can we answer this for you?

 

[Icantplayspades]

How can we answer this for you?

I know it will vary from person to person but I really want to know if one is super formulaic as compared to the other?

 

[owlegrad]

I know it will vary from person to person but I really want to know if one is super formulaic as compared to the other?

There is going to be so much variability from one job to the next as well as one person to the next. But I think it is safe to say that on the whole most pharmacy jobs are probably going to be more formulaic than most medicine jobs.

 

[Icantplayspades]

Ok, let's say this: would it be prudent to go to med school after Pharmacy?

 

[rph3664]

Ok, let's say this: would it be prudent to go to med school after Pharmacy?

Sure, if you want to be a physician.

 

[Sparda29]

Ok, let's say this: would it be prudent to go to med school after Pharmacy?

Only if you end up in a high paying medical specialty. I can't imagine going through pharmacy school and med school just to end up in family medicine/internal medicine.

If I were to go back to medical school, I'm going for neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, plastic surgery.

 

[lord999]

Only if you end up in a high paying medical specialty. I can't imagine going through pharmacy school and med school just to end up in family medicine/internal medicine.

If I were to go back to medical school, I'm going for neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, plastic surgery.

What's wrong with FM/IM? It's a fine practice. It's nowhere near as rewarding financially as the specialties, but it's still a decent living if a bit busy.

Op, if you are not able to be a physician based on your posting history, clinical pharmacy will be fulfilling enough. Succeeding in a less intellectually demanding field is preferable to failing at one beyond your competency.

 

[Sparda29]

What's wrong with FM/IM? It's a fine practice. It's nowhere near as rewarding financially as the specialties, but it's still a decent living if a bit busy.

Op, if you are not able to be a physician based on your posting history, clinical pharmacy will be fulfilling enough. Succeeding in a less intellectually demanding field is preferable to failing at one beyond your competency.

Oh, I'm definitely not knocking it as a profession. They deserve to be financially compensated much more than they are. Just saying after spending 9 years as a pharmacist, to stop working full-time, go to med school, then residency, and take out a whole bunch more loans, the only way to make the return on investment is on something that would make $500-600k+ a year.

 

[Icantplayspades]

What's wrong with FM/IM? It's a fine practice. It's nowhere near as rewarding financially as the specialties, but it's still a decent living if a bit busy.

Op, if you are not able to be a physician based on your posting history, clinical pharmacy will be fulfilling enough. Succeeding in a less intellectually demanding field is preferable to failing at one beyond your competency.

Are you insulting me? I can appreciate advice but don't insult me. I'm in Pharmacy by choice not because I'm an idiot. If I were in Medicine, I'd be doing just as well.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

In 100 years we'll all be dead and none of this will matter. A handful of us will be remembered. None of which will be your run of the mill physician, surgeon, or pharmacist. So do whatever, it doesn't matter.

 

[rxkrafted]

Is it fulfilling as compared to a practicing medicine? Not sure how you expect us pharmacists to answer this question if we aren't physicians. Just food for thought though, if the hospital has the budget to hire a specialist pharmacist, they usually have a handful of specialist physicians in that area... so you can see how trying to make interventions could be difficult at times.

 

[KidPharmD]

I found residency and my subsequent choice of specialty extremely fulfilling and intellectually engaging.

After reviewing your post history to see where you were coming from, I am going to ask that you not pursue a residency and take it from someone who actually wants it. You are certainly more than just "considering' medicine as you have posted in the pre-med forums for the past few years. I think I can effectively speak for every preceptor I know in saying that none of us want to train someone who views our profession as a back-up plan.

 

[Xenophylia]

In 100 years we'll all be dead and none of this will matter. A handful of us will be remembered. None of which will be your run of the mill physician, surgeon, or pharmacist. So do whatever, it doesn't matter.

I don't know about you, but I forget most people within 5 minutes after meeting them.... I love your nihilism, by the way....

 

[ValeRx]

I'm currently a Pharmacy student with thoughts of persuing Medicine after my PharmD. Is doing a residency in Pharmacy geared to one specialty (e.g. Neurology) fufilling as compared to practicing medicine?

You would have to complete a PGY2 to be 'specialized' because most hospital residency PGY1 is basically doing another year of rotations. The difference is that you get paid (barely) and each month of that year, you spend one month within different areas of that hospital. PGY2 is where you would do critical care, psych, etc etc.

 

[iamapharmacist]

You're asking a bunch of random people online what you should or want to be doing with your life. There is your first problem.

 

[BidingMyTime]

The other problem is lots of residency trained pharmacists can't get jobs. Same with PGY-2 if you pick the wrong field.

I think people who are looking for a job to fulfill them, will always be disappointed. If your job benefits society, then I would consider that fulfilling as a job. My leisure time is when I find my life's fulfillment.