MD PharmD question

[drakkan2001]

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Are there any MDs who later decide to work as pharmacists? Does it work the other way around?

Just curious

 

[2badr]

Originally posted by drakkan2001
Are there any MDs who later decide to work as pharmacists? Does it work the other way around?

Just curious

....scroll down a little. You might find what you're looking for.😉

 

[chunkyb]

My biochem prof. was telling me a few months ago that a former pharmacy student of his was in medical school but quit in his third year to pursue pharmacy, much to the chagrin of his parents. Coming from a family of physicians, he understood how much time his parents had to dedicate to their practice and the strain that this put on their personal lives. Apparently, the guy was also a writer; he published a few works while working as a pharmacist. Perhaps this would have been more difficult had he stuck with meds.


I also know of some doctors and dentists who initally wanted to pursue pharmacy but couldn't get in. Go figure!

 

[Caverject]

One of the students being interviewed last week at my school had a simular story. He quit his 3rd year to go to pharmacy because he wanted to have a nice family life. (IE not be oncall for 24 hours a day)

 

[jayski2030]

Can you work at a pharmacy with a medical degree? I thought that the PharmD wasnt a requirement to get hired at a lot of pharmacies. If that were the case, wouldnt it make sense to finish up earning an MD and then work as a pharmacist if that's what you want to do? I thought I heard somewhere that some pharmacist only have MSc's.

 

[baggywrinkle]

Originally posted by jayski2030
Can you work at a pharmacy with a medical degree? I thought that the PharmD wasnt a requirement to get hired at a lot of pharmacies. If that were the case, wouldnt it make sense to finish up earning an MD and then work as a pharmacist if that's what you want to do? I thought I heard somewhere that some pharmacist only have MSc's.

Anyone can work in a pharmacy as a technician or pharmacy assistant. Only a registered pharmacist can work without pharmacist supervision. So an MD working in a pharmacy would
be classified as a technician and his work would legally have to be checked and signed by a pharmacist.

Case in point. When my independent in Colorado was purchased
by Rite Aid a team arrived to help us with the transition to the new computer system. Our trainers were registered pharmacists
in Virginia but they were not registered to practice pharmacy in Colorado. On the second day of training it was extremely busy. The former owner needing a second set of hands asked on of the trainers to weigh something for compounding. The trainer declined saying he was not licensed to practice as a pharmacist in Colorado. The owner, in frustration, thrust the powder into the trainers hands exclaiming, "TODAY YOU"RE A TECH! - now WEIGH this!"

The degree required to practice varies. I have a B.S. in Pharmacy. A very few pharmacists in Colorado have no college degree at all. They obtained their licensure by an apprenticeship. They are all advanced in age. What all pharmacists have in common is they are licensed by the state in which they practice.

 

[GravyRPH]

In California, I thought law allowed MD's to also dispense prescriptions, though they must abide by the same requirements that registered pharmacists do. I'll have to look that up to see if I can find if its still on the books.

 

[GravyRPH]

Here it be:

Article 12 ? Prescriber Dispensing
4170. (a) No prescriber shall dispense drugs or dangerous devices to patients in his or her office or place of practice
unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The dangerous drugs or dangerous devices are dispensed to the prescriber's own patient, and the drugs or
dangerous devices are not furnished by a nurse or physician attendant.
(2) The dangerous drugs or dangerous devices are necessary in the treatment of the condition for which the prescriber
is attending the patient.
(3) The prescriber does not keep a pharmacy, open shop, or drugstore, advertised or otherwise, for the retailing of
dangerous drugs, dangerous devices, or poisons.
(4) The prescriber fulfills all of the labeling requirements imposed upon pharmacists by Section 4076, all of the
recordkeeping requirements of this chapter, and all of the packaging requirements of good pharmaceutical practice,
including the use of childproof containers.
(5) The prescriber does not use a dispensing device unless he or she personally owns the device and the contents of
the device, and personally dispenses the dangerous drugs or dangerous devices to the patient packaged, labeled, and
recorded in accordance with paragraph (4).
(6) The prescriber, prior to dispensing, offers to give a written prescription to the patient that the patient may elect to
have filled by the prescriber or by any pharmacy.
(7) The prescriber provides the patient with written disclosure that the patient has a choice between obtaining the
prescription from the dispensing prescriber or obtaining the prescription at a pharmacy of the patient's choice.
(8) A certified nurse-midwife who functions pursuant to a standardized procedure or protocol described in Section
2746.51, a nurse practitioner who functions pursuant to a standardized procedure described in Section 2836.1, or
protocol, or a physician assistant who functions pursuant to Section 3502.1, may hand to a patient of the supervising
physician and surgeon a properly labeled prescription drug prepackaged by a physician and surgeon, a manufacturer
as defined in this chapter, or a pharmacist.
(b) The Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, the Osteopathic
Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Physician Assistant Committee shall have
authority with the California State Board of Pharmacy to ensure compliance with this section, and those boards are
specifically charged with the enforcement of this chapter with respect to their respective licensees.
(c) "Prescriber," as used in this section, means a person, who holds a physician's and surgeon's certificate, a license to
practice optometry, a license to practice dentistry, or a certificate to practice podiatry, and who is duly registered as such
by the Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, or the Board of
Osteopathic Examiners of this state.

 

[baggywrinkle]

Originally posted by GravyRPH
In California, I thought law allowed MD's to also dispense prescriptions, though they must abide by the same requirements that registered pharmacists do. I'll have to look that up to see if I can find if its still on the books.

you are right, I forgot about that. But I think that is limited to their office. My gut tells me if an MD were presiding at a Walgreens when the inspector walked in he would be wacked for practicing pharmacy without a license.

Perhaps we can get one of these MD types to test it 🙂

 

[Samoa]

Originally posted by baggywrinkle
Anyone can work in a pharmacy as a technician or pharmacy assistant.

Not so, grasshopper. In the great state of Louisiana, one may not SET FOOT in a pharmacy if one is not at least a licensed technician trainee (yes, even techs in training must have a license here). Not even a pharmacist applying for licensure, whose application is complete and approved pending only successful passage of the law exam. Yep, I was officially a "technician trainee" for a while here.

You people in Washington are so spoiled. You have no idea how un-anal your Board of Pharmacy is, compared to other places. 😍

 

[baggywrinkle]

Originally posted by Samoa
Not so, grasshopper. In the great state of Louisiana, one may not SET FOOT in a pharmacy if one is not at least a licensed technician trainee (yes, even techs in training must have a license here). Not even a pharmacist applying for licensure, whose application is complete and approved pending only successful passage of the law exam. Yep, I was officially a "technician trainee" for a while here.

You people in Washington are so spoiled. You have no idea how un-anal your Board of Pharmacy is, compared to other places. 😍

Yeah, I was skirting that part. In Washington they require everyone to be licensed. But in texas, colorado, and Florida if you have a pulse you can count pills.

BTW, in Louisiana do you take classes in "Ethical"
enquiring minds want to know....

 

[Samoa]

Originally posted by baggywrinkle
Yeah, I was skirting that part. In Washington they require everyone to be licensed. But in texas, colorado, and Florida if you have a pulse you can count pills.

Yeah, but in Washington they at least do you the courtesy of granting a temporary pharmacist license if all your other states' licenses are in good standing.

BTW, in Louisiana do you take classes in "Ethical"
enquiring minds want to know....

Couldn't tell ya. I don't have one of those "Ethical Pharmacist" certificates. Does that make me an Unethical Pharmacist?

 

[lilmk]

Originally posted by GravyRPH
Here it be:

Article 12 ? Prescriber Dispensing
4170. (a) No prescriber shall dispense drugs or dangerous devices to patients in his or her office or place of practice
unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The dangerous drugs or dangerous devices are dispensed to the prescriber's own patient, and the drugs or
dangerous devices are not furnished by a nurse or physician attendant.
(2) The dangerous drugs or dangerous devices are necessary in the treatment of the condition for which the prescriber
is attending the patient.
(3) The prescriber does not keep a pharmacy, open shop, or drugstore, advertised or otherwise, for the retailing of
dangerous drugs, dangerous devices, or poisons.
(4) The prescriber fulfills all of the labeling requirements imposed upon pharmacists by Section 4076, all of the
recordkeeping requirements of this chapter, and all of the packaging requirements of good pharmaceutical practice,
including the use of childproof containers.
(5) The prescriber does not use a dispensing device unless he or she personally owns the device and the contents of
the device, and personally dispenses the dangerous drugs or dangerous devices to the patient packaged, labeled, and
recorded in accordance with paragraph (4).
(6) The prescriber, prior to dispensing, offers to give a written prescription to the patient that the patient may elect to
have filled by the prescriber or by any pharmacy.
(7) The prescriber provides the patient with written disclosure that the patient has a choice between obtaining the
prescription from the dispensing prescriber or obtaining the prescription at a pharmacy of the patient's choice.
(8) A certified nurse-midwife who functions pursuant to a standardized procedure or protocol described in Section
2746.51, a nurse practitioner who functions pursuant to a standardized procedure described in Section 2836.1, or
protocol, or a physician assistant who functions pursuant to Section 3502.1, may hand to a patient of the supervising
physician and surgeon a properly labeled prescription drug prepackaged by a physician and surgeon, a manufacturer
as defined in this chapter, or a pharmacist.
(b) The Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, the Osteopathic
Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Physician Assistant Committee shall have
authority with the California State Board of Pharmacy to ensure compliance with this section, and those boards are
specifically charged with the enforcement of this chapter with respect to their respective licensees.
(c) "Prescriber," as used in this section, means a person, who holds a physician's and surgeon's certificate, a license to
practice optometry, a license to practice dentistry, or a certificate to practice podiatry, and who is duly registered as such
by the Medical Board of California, the State Board of Optometry, the Dental Board of California, or the Board of
Osteopathic Examiners of this state.

yes, i would think that MDs can dispense cuz my doc used to give me free samples of meds if he had them so that i wouldn't have to go all the way down to the pharmacy to wait and pay. isn't that a form of dispensing?

 

[baggywrinkle]

Originally posted by lilmk
yes, i would think that MDs can dispense cuz my doc used to give me free samples of meds if he had them so that i wouldn't have to go all the way down to the pharmacy to wait and pay. isn't that a form of dispensing?

Yes it is. But physician dispensing varies from state to state especially with regard to controlled substances. They don't necessarily have unlimited powers.

I found this from Virginia.

Physician Dispensing


Dispensing by a physician means the providing of drugs to patients to take with them away from the physician's place of practice. Physicians in Virginia may dispense under certain circumstances without being required to obtain a license to dispense from the Board of Pharmacy. Those circumstances include the dispensing of manufacturer's samples appropriately labeled as samples and not for sale, dispensing in a bona fide medical emergency, and dispensing when pharmaceutical services are not otherwise available. Any other type of dispensing by a physician requires the physician to obtain a license from the Board of Pharmacy. The Board offers two types of license to physicians.


One type of license, pursuant to ? 54.1-3304 authorizes the Board to license a physician to practice pharmacy when good cause is shown that pharmacy services are not otherwise readily available. This type of license is usually granted to physicians working in rural areas where there is not a pharmacy within at least 15 to 20 miles and there are only a handful of these types of licenses still current. With this type of license, a physician may also fill prescriptions of other practitioners.


The second and more common type of dispensing license for physicians is the license for a practitioner of the healing arts to sell controlled substances. The term "controlled substances" in Virginia includes any drug in Schedule I through VI which is all prescription drugs, not just those drugs which are DEA controlled substances. Another confusing term is the term "sell" or "sale". Many physicians questions why they are required to have this license if they do not charge a patient for the drugs dispensed. The term "sale" is defined in the Drug Control Act as "gift, barter, or exchange". Therefore a charge is not required in order for dispensing to become a "sale". With this license a physician may only dispense to his own patients, must comply with a set of regulations which relate specifically to this license, and dispensing under this license may not be delegated to anyone else, such as to a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, nurse, or pharmacy technician. If there is more than one physician dispensing within a single practice, each dispensing physician must obtain this license and may only dispense to his own patients.

 

[lilmk]

thanks for the info, baggy.