Looking For Some Life Advice Here

[PrePharmy21]

I'm slated for pre-pharm at UF which has a pretty great PharmD program (instate tuition too). I've slept through a full ap load (3.95) and I test well (800R/710M/790WR). I'm really getting the feeling that pharm school is just a way for me to avoid manning up and going to med school.The pharmacy lifestyle just seems infinitely more relaxed not to mention no gunners or 5 years of residency slavery and the threat of a botched step 1 leaving me practicing family medicine in Wyoming. Then again I'll never get the prestige, baller salary, or job security associated with rads/derm/whatever. I know if I was to throw myself into med I could make it damn far and I like the culture but starting real-life at 31 after spending my first half in effective slavery isn't enticing.

Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

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[DesertPT]

I've personally come to decide that the happiest people (career wise) are the ones who went into a field because it was something that truly interested them...something their heart responded to. I've spent a long time trying to decide on a career based on the "economic" considerations and that has only gotten me so far, because every career seriously has so many pros and cons. While it is important to look at job security, projected salary, how much you will have to work, how long you will be in school, etc., especially if you hope to raise a family, I feel that you can work your way around the cons of a profession in these areas if you really desire to do a particular thing with your life. If you are only in it due to one of the above listed considerations though, you're probably gonna have a bad time....

My 2 cents anyway...

 

[radio frequency]

I'm slated for pre-pharm at UF which has a pretty great PharmD program (instate tuition too). I've slept through a full ap load (3.95) and I test well (800R/710M/790WR). I'm really getting the feeling that pharm school is just a way for me to avoid manning up and going to med school.The pharmacy lifestyle just seems infinitely more relaxed not to mention no gunners or 5 years of residency slavery and the threat of a botched step 1 leaving me practicing family medicine in Wyoming. Then again I'll never get the prestige, baller salary, or job security associated with rads/derm/whatever. I know if I was to throw myself into med I could make it damn far and I like the culture but starting real-life at 31 after spending my first half in effective slavery isn't enticing.

Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

Do med school. Why? Pharmacy school is not as relaxed as you've been told, especially at the better schools. If you do pharmacy, it will be taxing in many ways like med school, but it clearly appeals to you less. 1-2 year residencies are also becoming standard in pharmacy, and there is no shortage of pharmacy school gunners. If you're more interested in medicine, do medicine, because you're going to be really sick of pharmacy after you finish a PharmD.

 

[DesertPT]

Do med school. Why? Pharmacy school is not as relaxed as you've been told, especially at the better schools. If you do pharmacy, it will be taxing in many ways like med school, but it clearly appeals to you less. 1-2 year residencies are also becoming standard in pharmacy, and there is no shortage of pharmacy school gunners. If you're more interested in medicine, do medicine, because you're going to be really sick of pharmacy after you finish a PharmD.

If you would rather spend your days working as a pharmacist, become a pharmacist. If you would rather spend your days working as a doctor, become a doctor. Seems like a silly thing to say, but it's probably true...

 

[PrePharmy21]

If you would rather spend your days working as a pharmacist, become a pharmacist. If you would rather spend your days working as a doctor, become a doctor. Seems like a silly thing to say, but it's probably true...

I figure it would be easier to handle pharm school because I'd be farther right on the bell curve compared to med school. Well the subject matter is equally interesting to me. The job itself I'd prefer being a physician but not if I have to sacrifice health, travel, and family. I feel like I'd be giving up my best years to academics. Pharm is like 2+4 years vs 8+4-6 so 23 vs 30 is a huge difference. Also getting into med school seems to require a big show to demonstrate your messiah complex.

 

[Skrumpy]

I'm slated for pre-pharm at UF which has a pretty great PharmD program (instate tuition too). I've slept through a full ap load (3.95) and I test well (800R/710M/790WR). I'm really getting the feeling that pharm school is just a way for me to avoid manning up and going to med school.The pharmacy lifestyle just seems infinitely more relaxed not to mention no gunners or 5 years of residency slavery and the threat of a botched step 1 leaving me practicing family medicine in Wyoming. Then again I'll never get the prestige, baller salary, or job security associated with rads/derm/whatever. I know if I was to throw myself into med I could make it damn far and I like the culture but starting real-life at 31 after spending my first half in effective slavery isn't enticing.

Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

As a poster above pointed out:

every career seriously has so many pros and cons

Go with what you want to do. If you work hard at it and it is realistic.. you can do it. There is an old song that goes "if you can't love the one you want, love the one you're with," most people can't do that and wake up every morning hating themselves. Don't let that be you with your career.

 

[radio frequency]

I figure it would be easier to handle pharm school because I'd be farther right on the bell curve compared to med school. Well the subject matter is equally interesting to me. The job itself I'd prefer being a physician but not if I have to sacrifice health, travel, and family. I feel like I'd be giving up my best years to academics. Pharm is like 2+4 years vs 8+4-6 so 23 vs 30 is a huge difference. Also getting into med school seems to require a big show to demonstrate your messiah complex.

Yeah...the farther along the bell curve thing didn't play out for me as expected. I'd still do med school. It's not so much that anything in pharmacy is hard to comprehend as that there is just so much information and minutiae to memorize, plus it's often really boring....

Also, a lot of schools do prefer to take students with a four year degree before pharmacy school, which makes the program even longer.

I always felt the same way you do about med students, but I have friends in med school who prove my preconceptions wrong daily by being great human beings...

 

[bacillus1]

Family medicine in Wyoming? With the current pharmacy job market, you might not do any better.

 

[awval999]

I'm slated for pre-pharm at UF which has a pretty great PharmD program (instate tuition too). I've slept through a full ap load (3.95) and I test well (800R/710M/790WR). I'm really getting the feeling that pharm school is just a way for me to avoid manning up and going to med school.The pharmacy lifestyle just seems infinitely more relaxed not to mention no gunners or 5 years of residency slavery and the threat of a botched step 1 leaving me practicing family medicine in Wyoming. Then again I'll never get the prestige, baller salary, or job security associated with rads/derm/whatever. I know if I was to throw myself into med I could make it damn far and I like the culture but starting real-life at 31 after spending my first half in effective slavery isn't enticing.

Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

Do med school. Why? Pharmacy school is not as relaxed as you've been told, especially at the better schools. If you do pharmacy, it will be taxing in many ways like med school, but it clearly appeals to you less. 1-2 year residencies are also becoming standard in pharmacy, and there is no shortage of pharmacy school gunners. If you're more interested in medicine, do medicine, because you're going to be really sick of pharmacy after you finish a PharmD.

If you think you're going to get a baller pharmacy job at 23 with a 2+4 PharmD you are sorely mistaken. Those go to candidates with PGY-2's, multiple contacts, presentations, ie: the pharmacy gunners.

There are pharmacists that spend 10 years of post-secondary education to get the PharmD, BCPS, PGY-2 initials.

Pharmacy and medical school isn't as bad as current students make it out to be; especially if you are far to the right of the bell curve. I drank 4 nights a week in college.

Really the major negative about pharmacy is that 75% of our jobs are in the soul crushing, hell that is retail pharmacy.

If I could do it all over again--- I'd choose Med, because I thank God everyday that I work in a hospital. And if I had to work in retail (I did an internship in retail) I don't know if I could do it.

 

[PrePharmy21]

If you think you're going to get a baller pharmacy job at 23 with a 2+4 PharmD you are sorely mistaken. Those go to candidates with PGY-2's, multiple contacts, presentations, ie: the pharmacy gunners.

There are pharmacists that spend 10 years of post-secondary education to get the PharmD, BCPS, PGY-2 initials.

Pharmacy and medical school isn't as bad as current students make it out to be; especially if you are far to the right of the bell curve. I drank 4 nights a week in college.

Really the major negative about pharmacy is that 75% of our jobs are in the soul crushing, hell that is retail pharmacy.

If I could do it all over again--- I'd choose Med, because I thank God everyday that I work in a hospital. And if I had to work in retail (I did an internship in retail) I don't know if I could do it.

Does the residency offer any benefit if you can swing a clinical job fresh out regardless? I have some really good family contacts in hospital and nuclear setting that could probably help me out with that.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[scienceguy13]

Does the residency offer any benefit if you can swing a clinical job fresh out regardless? I have some really good family contacts in hospital and nuclear setting that could probably help me out with that.

Thanks for your insight.

For the nuclear setting, don't you need an authorized user status? I didn't think that was something you could just skip over..

 

[awval999]

Does the residency offer any benefit if you can swing a clinical job fresh out regardless? I have some really good family contacts in hospital and nuclear setting that could probably help me out with that.

Thanks for your insight.

Obviously did depends on the contact.

A lot of pharmacist positions in the hospital---especially more progressive university or health systems--- are heading to a hybrid nursing-unit based position, with order verification, patient contact, physician contact, limited dispense checking. Could you land one of those as a new grad--- sure.

Honestly--- a new grad PharmD isn't qualified to be a critical care pharmacist in the ICU. And no matter the contact, the director, even if its your father---- wouldn't put you there, because it would set you and the department up for failure.