Long Problem....Please Help

[Omar_Pharm]

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Apologies for this very long post but I would like to hear some opinions on this please.

*** Also can we please skip the pharmacy is saturated narrative? I understand that but its what I would like to do and i also have a family business in Pharmacy.***

So to start off, I'm a U.S citizen but currently lives in Egypt. I was going to study in the U.S but the pandemic and high unemployment really discouraged me from doing so. Now instead I'm joining and 0-6 program here in Egypt also offering a PharmD. Now I have two options that I'm surrounded with. First is that I finish my 6 years here in Egypt then take the FPGEC; which from what I understand is that its really difficult, And take TOEFL which isn't a problem and then do 2080 intern hours to be licensed in New York.
The second option is to transfer after 2 years from my university here to New York. Which I understand is a complicated and long process. I looked into LIU, Touro and SJU. And it seems I would be most successful in transferring to SJU since they also offer a 0-6 program. Here's the link to my school's program, can someone tell me also about how many credits am likely be able to transfer? The Overall Program Curriculum - MSA University

Now as to why go the U.S in the first place? Because the salary here is honestly just not enough, it equivalents to almost 10k to 20k USD annually here, like wtf honestly. Although school here is cheaper and its about 60k USD for the 6 years altogether but the salary still doesn't make up for it. I have 3/4 of my family in New York and New jersey as well so it doesn't make any sense as to why I would stay here. I have 2 cousins who have a pretty successful little chain of pharmacies and they promised me a spot there too. Not saying I would be counting on them but we are close and they do keep their words. And I wont have to worry as much about the saturation. Now my problem is what should I do?

1- Stay and finish my education here then leave?
2- Transfer after my first 2 years?

Just to recap; For Egypt: 1- cheaper tuition
2- have to do FPGEC and TOEFL
3- still have to do the NAPLEX, MJPE and compounding exam
4- have to do 2080 hours of internship

For Transferring: 1- will have about 200k in student loan debt
2- will only have to take the NAPLEX, MJPE and compounding exams

Would love to hear your to views on this and I also don't mind going to New Jersey but I would much more prefer New York.
Also lets please avoid the "change majors" comments because I'm stuck with pharmacy which I don't mind at all and can see myself doing it.

Thank You.

 

[Marzapan]

Nobody is "stuck" in any career, let alone pharmacy. If you have that mindset from the get-go then you are not adaptable, not teachable and clearly lack critical thinking skills. This isn't like you're in year 6 of a PharmD program... you're not even in school yet. If it's about making more than $10-20k there are plenty of careers that pay at least $50-70k without requiring you to take out massive loans.

 

[Omar_Pharm]

Nobody is "stuck" in any career, let alone pharmacy. If you have that mindset from the get-go then you are not adaptable, not teachable and clearly lack critical thinking skills. This isn't like you're in year 6 of a PharmD program... you're not even in school yet. If it's about making more than $10-20k there are plenty of careers that pay at least $50-70k without requiring you to take out massive loans.

I didn’t want to go into depth into it, but basically here in Egypt You choose what you major into from early high school by choosing certain courses. I finished my courses that allow me either pharmacy or medicine or dentistry. And I liked pharmacy the most of all these majors.

 

[Sine Cura]

Enjoy the decline.

One man's hellhole is another man's... also hellhole

"Best" option is to do a 3-year program in the U.S. if you really want to complete PharmD. (so none of LIU, Touro NY, SJU)

 

[Marzapan]

I didn’t want to go into depth into it, but basically here in Egypt You choose what you major into from early high school by choosing certain courses. I finished my courses that allow me either pharmacy or medicine or dentistry. And I liked pharmacy the most of all these majors.

What schooling you did in Egypt is irrelevant as far as career tracks are concerned if your goal is to study and work in the U.S. ...

 

[JustFillIt]

Omar - I am curious, how is the pharmacist job market in Egypt? Is it a good living there?

If I had an in with a different country, and the job market was good, I would just stay there.

Egypt would be cool - float the Nial? Visit the pyramids? Go on an African safari. That would be the life ‘

Do not underestimate the powerful soul crushing state that pharmacy is in the USA. It’s like standing far away watching an entire community of starving canibals that stumbled upon a fresh coarpse. You want to be part of that?

 

[Omar_Pharm]

What schooling you did in Egypt is irrelevant as far as career tracks are concerned if your goal is to study and work in the U.S. ...

I know that’s why I didn’t bring it up, but u said “no one is stuck”, but I was just telling u how someone like could be.

 

[Omar_Pharm]

Omar - I am curious, how is the pharmacist job market in Egypt? Is it a good living there?

If I had an in with a different country, and the job market was good, I would just stay there.

Egypt would be cool - float the Nial? Visit the pyramids? Go on an African safari. That would be the life ‘

Do not underestimate the powerful soul crushing state that pharmacy is in the USA. It’s like standing far away watching an entire community of starving canibals that stumbled upon a fresh coarpse. You want to be part of that?

As a country it’s beautiful and the weather is nice, but career wise? It’s a ****hole and it’s much worse than what you people in the US think. First off, there is only 1 major pharmacy chain and going into it is impossible without direct connections. Which leaves everyone to owning an independent pharmacy. Now 75% of the pharmacies are independent and we have to many of them graduating. Competition increases so prices fall. Drugs and meds are very cheap here. You can make more money becoming a chemistry teacher with a pharmacist degree than having a pharmacy. Typical salary is 160k EGP which is 10k USD.

Believe me the US in terms of pharmacy is not as bad as you think.

 

[Ladyg228]

If you are ultimately planning to practice pharmacy in the US, then its best to transfer and finish your pharmD in US. If not, you have to take the FPGEC and TOEFL. Also, complete like ~2000 hours of unpaid internship experience.

My cousin went to pharmacy school in London, became licensed and practiced a couple years before moving back to Hong Kong (where she is originally from). She became licensed in Hong Kong and practice a few years there too. Then she moved to the US because of her husband and she wasn't able to sit for boards without completing the internship hours. She has been a practicing pharmacist in two different countries (2 of the most developed countries, both English-speaking countries!) The hoops you will have to jump through are insane.

Your journey will be an uphill battle if you chose to come here after completing your pharmacy education.

 

[BC_89]

This sounds more complicated than it needs to be...

If the ultimate goal is to live in the U.S. then I'd avoid extra steps / requirements and do the following:

1) Study in the U.S.
2) Graduate in the U.S.
3) Work in the U.S.

 

[JustFillIt]

This sounds more complicated than it needs to be...

If the ultimate goal is to live in the U.S. then I'd avoid extra steps / requirements and do the following:

1) Study in the U.S.
2) Graduate in the U.S.
3) Work in the U.S.

Yea - this is a good way to put it.

 

[lord999]

This sounds more complicated than it needs to be...

If the ultimate goal is to live in the U.S. then I'd avoid extra steps / requirements and do the following:

1) Study in the U.S.
2) Graduate in the U.S.
3) Work in the U.S.

Agreed, Op, you should realize that your credentials may or may not be accepted. And you add a political difficulty that if Egypt is in a diplomatic row with the US, US Department of Education suspends credential evaluation which means your credentials are worthless for reasons out of your control.

Also, I am skeptical that you have a family pharmacy business in the US. There's a problem that anyone who is born into the business would know, a country that does not use the USP/NF system for pharmaceuticals is automatically non-equivalent for education. Egypt using the BP system is going to require a conversion process that is trivially avoidable.

What academic advising did you get that told you that this was a good idea if the US was the endpoint? What went into your head to go to pharmacy school in Egyptian if you are a US citizen with the educational conversion and security implications?

 

[Omar_Pharm]

Agreed, Op, you should realize that your credentials may or may not be accepted. And you add a political difficulty that if Egypt is in a diplomatic row with the US, US Department of Education suspends credential evaluation which means your credentials are worthless for reasons out of your control.

Also, I am skeptical that you have a family pharmacy business in the US. There's a problem that anyone who is born into the business would know, a country that does not use the USP/NF system for pharmaceuticals is automatically non-equivalent for education. Egypt using the BP system is going to require a conversion process that is trivially avoidable.

What academic advising did you get that told you that this was a good idea if the US was the endpoint? What went into your head to go to pharmacy school in Egyptian if you are a US citizen with the educational conversion and security implications?

All my cousins and relatives were born and raised in the US, I was born and stayed there for 2 years before moving to Egypt because of my dad and stayed there throughout my whole education. Now I want to move back and my cousins are the ones who advised to go into pharmacy and work with them. If it wasn’t for the pandemic and high unemployment currently I wouldn’t have been in this mess, but you can’t control some things I guess.

 

[researchpharma]

I’ve met a pharmacist from Egypt. He worked as a technician at CVS. I also recall he had a hard time passing the NAPLEX. He failed year after year. You may be nothing like him, and maybe the school you choose will be better than his. But I agree with @BC_89 —maybe it’s better to just study in the US.