md to pharmacy

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naveedag

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I've finished med school and attempted three different types of residencies. none of the residencies was a good fit. Now with some time off I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. just wondering if this is a good idea. what are the pros and cons. opinions appreciated.
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no,

95 step 1
85 step 2
90 step 3
 
Ooookay, well this should probably go to the pre-pharmacy forum. The real pharmacists here don't want to waste their time on "WAMC" type things... although if you were able to perform so well on the USMLE then I'm sure you'd have no problem w/ the PCAT and getting into a CoP... and undoubtedly your science pre-requisites' GPA will be more than sufficient for pretty much any school out there.

But why do you think Pharmacy will be a better "fit" for you than anything you can do w/ an MD?

And uh, well, I know medical school's not exactly inexpensive. You're going to be okay with what, $400k+ of loans after your pharmacy education? And what if pharmacy doesn't "fit you" very well? Are you going to go to dental school after that and see if that fits?

I'm just confused I guess.
 
naveedag said:
I've finished med school and attempted three different types of residencies. none of the residencies was a good fit. Now with some time off I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. just wondering if this is a good idea. what are the pros and cons. opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

If you can get into a Derm residency you better take it. Thats proberly the most competive/BEST residency. Plus why won't you want to be a dermatologist? are you crazy?
 
to passion4sci

oh yeah, that was one of the questions i had ... would I be required to take the pcat or would my mcat scores suffice.
in regards to pharmacy being a better fit, i guess the lifestyle (i.e. better hours and good pay in a fairly respectable profession).
You are absolutely correct my debt is accruing. However I was fortunate enough to pay off the majority of my loans.
Dental school! Sounds like a good option … just joking. I am seriously contemplating a career as a pharmacist.
 
naveedag said:
I've finished med school and attempted three different types of residencies. none of the residencies was a good fit. Now with some time off I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. just wondering if this is a good idea. what are the pros and cons. opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

sorry I can't help but ask...didn't you try some different fields of med first before actually applying to med school? oO (i don't mean to insult you)

Cons
-costwise...if you have debt piled up its going to cost you big time, this will result in more time paying off debt and more time before you can get settled down
-pharms get less respect than meds (yeah everyone can yell at me but its the truth)
-you probably wont have time to work as a md and study pharm at the same time (if you were gunna do that)
-you may be taking a potential spot from a pharm student in the future who is only going the pharm route (not as big as a con, just the way i see it)


Pros
-IMO pharms are more flexible than most meds...they can choose when they want to work and the such
-IMO pharms are less stressed overall than meds
-if you did well in med school, you will have no problem in pharm school
-having 2 degrees and certifications gives you more job options in the future
-pharm has a lot of different choices for where you could work
-you get to meet a group of people who are of a different mindset than meds
-you get to meet more girls in pharm (if you're not already attached) who will be attracted to your shiney med degree
 
naveedag said:
to passion4sci

oh yeah, that was one of the questions i had ... would I be required to take the pcat or would my mcat scores suffice.
in regards to pharmacy being a better fit, i guess the lifestyle (i.e. better hours and good pay in a fairly respectable profession).
You are absolutely correct my debt is accruing. However I was fortunate enough to pay off the majority of my loans.
Dental school! Sounds like a good option … just joking. I am seriously contemplating a career as a pharmacist.
Click to expand...

-mcat won't substitute for pcat
-always the option of applying to non-pcat req. schools
 
Kaiter said:
sorry I can't help but ask...didn't you try some different fields of med first before actually applying to med school? oO (i don't mean to insult you)

Cons
-costwise...if you have debt piled up its going to cost you big time, this will result in more time paying off debt and more time before you can get settled down
-pharms get less respect than meds (yeah everyone can yell at me but its the truth)
-you probably wont have time to work as a md and study pharm at the same time (if you were gunna do that)
-you may be taking a potential spot from a pharm student in the future who is only going the pharm route (not as big as a con, just the way i see it)


Pros
-IMO pharms are more flexible than most meds...they can choose when they want to work and the such
-IMO pharms are less stressed overall than meds
-if you did well in med school, you will have no problem in pharm school
-having 2 degrees and certifications gives you more job options in the future
-pharm has a lot of different choices for where you could work
-you get to meet a group of people who are of a different mindset than meds
-you get to meet more girls in pharm (if you're not already attached) who will be attracted to your shiney med degree
Click to expand...




good info. thanks!
 
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metrarx said:
Don't tell me you know someone who actually graduated med school and went on to become a pharmacist. That's crazy. Usually it's the other way around.
Click to expand...

The fellow that wrote my chemical dependency textbook was M.D., Pharm.D., but if I actually looked at the dates of his degree conferrals, I'm sure the Pharm.D preceded the M.D.

Still, that seems like a lot of school and even more debt. I love school, but holy hell... After going through all the rigmarole of medical school to turn around and do pretty much everything again in pharmacy school, yikes.
 
Passion4Sci said:
The fellow that wrote my chemical dependency textbook was M.D., Pharm.D., but if I actually looked at the dates of his degree conferrals, I'm sure the Pharm.D preceded the M.D.

Still, that seems like a lot of school and even more debt. I love school, but holy hell... After going through all the rigmarole of medical school to turn around and do pretty much everything again in pharmacy school, yikes.
Click to expand...

....
 
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naveedag said:
no,

95 step 1
85 step 2
90 step 3
Click to expand...
i mean this with the upmost respect but...
care to share the 3 digit score? I always hear about that score so to put it in perspective....

For those who do not know, the 2 digit score does not indicate percentile and a 75 is passing.

Even still, I am more then confident that you would do alright in pharmacy school. If you handled med school, this will be a breeze.
 
sure,

step 1 235
step 2 210ish
step 3 220ish

don't remeber exact score for steps 2 & 3
 
naveedag said:
sure,

step 1 235
step 2 210ish
step 3 220ish

don't remeber exact score for steps 2 & 3
Click to expand...

as crazy as it sounds, thats what i am used to hearing about and damn those are good scores. why can't you find a specialty with scores like that? why not go into teaching or something like that? Maybe your sites werent a good fit for you?
 
Search for posts by SobeGekko - you mind find them very relevant and useful. I actually know someone who went to med school and then to pharm. And this person is much happier his new career prospects with pharm than he was ever with md. To each its own.
 
Has anyone asked the OP how old he/she is? This is certainly a dynamic question that could make this transition worthwhile, but as Passion4Sci stated, that is definitely a lot of school for anyone, and the more pressing question is not if you'll able to handle it, it's having enough working years left over so you can retire comfortably, preferably financially stable.

If pharmacy is truly your passion, throw caution to the wind and kick ass. Maybe you'll get BC in all 6 specialties and get your name on Badass of the week.
 
naveedag said:
sure,

step 1 235
step 2 210ish
step 3 220ish

don't remeber exact score for steps 2 & 3
Click to expand...
Not too shabby. Which three residencies did you attempt? (just curious)

I hear UB has pretty low tuition.
 
neurology
internal medicine
pathology
 
I smell a troll.

I'm surprised you even found a 3rd place to take you on after the first two didn't work out...rather unorthodox.

Have you considered trying to go into industry with your MD?
 
any school will wave the pcat for you. your a doctor who just recently graduated. c'mon. i'm pretty sure all prereq's are waived too. otherwise the pharm school is a joke. who wouldn't accept an md. u mite just be over qualified.

stick to md. you dont want to be a pharmacist. don't kid yourself. u'll find something you'll like. it mite just take some time. don't worry. your pretty much set. relax.
 
naveedag said:
I've finished med school and attempted three different types of residencies. none of the residencies was a good fit. Now with some time off I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. just wondering if this is a good idea. what are the pros and cons. opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hey, give it a shot if being a pharmacist is what really excites you. I would definitely spend time observing pharmacists in the retail, clinical and hospital settings for a while before jumping into this. I say this because the class ahead of me (dental school) had a student (now graduated) who was in his last year of his OB/GYN residency. He said enough of that and went into dentistry. He loved his decision. But, he also knew what he was getting himself into ahead of time. Just make sure the added debt and schooling is where your heart is first. Who knows, you may love it and find being a clinical pharmacist would be great. Any hospital pharmacy would love having a PharmD/MD on staff. It would give more credibility to the pharmacy staff in the eyes of the old-school, pig headed, conceited physicians who don't view the vast education of a pharmacist to be worth while enough to consider their input. (I say this last sentence based on things my wife complains about sometimes about the old geezers whe has to deal with at times.)
 
pinkpillowzz said:
any school will wave the pcat for you. your a doctor who just recently graduated. c'mon. i'm pretty sure all prereq's are waived too. otherwise the pharm school is a joke. who wouldn't accept an md. u mite just be over qualified.

stick to md. you dont want to be a pharmacist. don't kid yourself. u'll find something you'll like. it mite just take some time. don't worry. your pretty much set. relax.
Click to expand...
:thumbup:
 
metrarx said:
Don't tell me you know someone who actually graduated med school and went on to become a pharmacist. That's crazy. Usually it's the other way around.
Click to expand...

Z knows everything. He graduated 50 yeasr ago and has worked in every practice setting possible.....except retail.
 
pinkpillowzz said:
any school will wave the pcat for you. your a doctor who just recently graduated. c'mon. i'm pretty sure all prereq's are waived too. otherwise the pharm school is a joke. who wouldn't accept an md. u mite just be over qualified.
Click to expand...

No/Yes

pinkpillowzz said:
stick to md. you dont want to be a pharmacist. don't kid yourself. u'll find something you'll like. it mite just take some time. don't worry. your pretty much set. relax.
Click to expand...

Yes
 
naveedag said:
I've finished med school and attempted three different types of residencies. none of the residencies was a good fit. Now with some time off I'm thinking about going to pharmacy school. just wondering if this is a good idea. what are the pros and cons. opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

I hope you don't mind me pointing this out, but your older posts (from 2005) indicate that medicine may not be for you. If the problems you had were unrelated and won't affect your practice, then I'd say to go for medicine.

However, if the physician lifestyle is part of your problem and will make you worse, then pharmacy (or something else) may be worth a try. You'll have better hours with decent pay, but you'll have no autonomy. You'll provide different patient care that is nothing like what doctors and nurses do, and you'll be at the bottom of the healthcare ladder.

I sometimes feel that I want to go to medical school after pharmacy school. However, I push that aside by thinking about things I've seen while filling Pyxis machines... I couldn't handle screaming and blood in the ED, being at risk for infectious disease, and other unpleasant things.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Yeah, me too.

I hate skin.
Click to expand...

A dermatologist makes more than a pharmacist and works fewer hours. If the OP got into a Derm residency why would he drop it? :confused: Especially if he is doing pharmacy for the lifestyle, money and fewer hours...a dermatologist has it better than a pharmacist.

(And its not as nasty as dentistry ;) )
 
metrarx said:
Yeah, that's what I've seen as well. Pharmd before MD, not the other way around. Anyway you look at it, it's a complete waste of time and money.

It's better to focus on one thing and get seriously good at it. Kind of what slaverrph did, right Z?:smuggrin:
Click to expand...

I know some people that dropped out of med school, but I don't know any that FINISHED med school and decided to change fields.

However most, if not ALL the people that dropped out of med school or any professional school had parents that paid for everything, so they really don't care b/c they have no debt anyways.
 
metrarx said:
Well this is a first
Click to expand...

metrarx said:
Don't tell me you know someone who actually graduated med school and went on to become a pharmacist. That's crazy. Usually it's the other way around.
Click to expand...

From SobeGekko, a physician in his last year of residency...

SobeGekko said:
This is the type open ended question trying to get at applicants INDIVIDUAL motivations for pharmacy. No one else can answer this for you. You can only answer it for yourself, based on your own life experiences or thoughts. For someone struggling to answer such a question, it may be a sign that you need to think more about or become more informed about different health professions or pharmacy in particular.
Click to expand...

SobeGekko said:
This is out of curiosity for my specific case. I completed an MD and 1+ years of medical residency (enough to get my medical license). I'm now going back to pharmacy school with an interest in clinical pharmacy when I'm done. Can my medical training count as equivalent to or substitute for a pharmacy residency as a springboard toward a career in clinical pharmacy? Anyone know the answer?
Click to expand...

Sobegekko:

Basically I disliked the uncertainty and subjectivity in elucidating meaninful patient complaints, trying to make diagnoses, managing unpredictable patient courses, being on call etc. There was a lot less basic science to clinical medicine than I expected and I missed doing calculations and using tenets of basic science to solve medical problems. In short, I liked the science behind the medicine but felt the practice of medicine had very little to do with the science. It was more about recognizing signs, symptoms, assuaging patient concerns, etc. This is root of why I am changing to a career in pharmacy. Helping design and implement drug regimens, managing dosing schedules, helping adjust formulareis and similar tasks seem much more up my alley.

MD > PharmD (click here)
 
SHC1984 said:
A dermatologist makes more than a pharmacist and works fewer hours. If the OP got into a Derm residency why would he drop it? :confused: Especially if he is doing pharmacy for the lifestyle, money and fewer hours...a dermatologist has it better than a pharmacist.

(And its not as nasty as dentistry ;) )
Click to expand...
OP's board scores aren't competitive enough for derm. Derm needs to hit around 250. Op said they tried neurology, internal medicine, and pathology.
 
Passion4Sci said:
I am somewhat disturbed that dermatology needs better scores than neurology.
Click to expand...

I agree - it makes sense because of the whole supply and demand issue but it's a little scary
 
Yup, medicine is a business!

But on the positive side, maybe that has at least a tiny bit to do with why 97% of skin cancer patients survive! Smartest MD's in the field perhaps? :rolleyes: Just trying to look at the positives.
 
Kirbypuff said:
Yup, medicine is a business!

But on the positive side, maybe that has at least a tiny bit to do with why 97% of skin cancer patients survive! Smartest MD's in the field perhaps? :rolleyes: Just trying to look at the positives.
Click to expand...

theres not a lot of truth behind that. i can tell you that.
 
Kirbypuff said:
Yup, medicine is a business!

But on the positive side, maybe that has at least a tiny bit to do with why 97% of skin cancer patients survive! Smartest MD's in the field perhaps? :rolleyes: Just trying to look at the positives.
Click to expand...

Well, I can certainly understand why a dermatologist would be involved in melanoma to a certain extent but wouldn't an oncologist be at the helm when any cancer is involved?
 
Quiksilver said:
theres not a lot of truth behind that. i can tell you that.
Click to expand...
Yeaa tis why I added the rolling eyes -->:rolleyes:

I don't want to be blaming all competitive MD students to be chasing the $ sign.
 
Kirbypuff said:
Yup, medicine is a business!

But on the positive side, maybe that has at least a tiny bit to do with why 97% of skin cancer patients survive! Smartest MD's in the field perhaps? :rolleyes: Just trying to look at the positives.
Click to expand...

I'm sure BigPharmD is just going to come and tear this apart, but here it is anyways:

There are three common types of skin cancer: basal and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is thought to effect roughly 1/3 of Caucasians in their lifetimes, and is rarely fatal. It is considered malignant due to its propensity to invade surrounding tissues and cause local disfigurement and damage. Squamous cell carcinoma (of the skin) also rarely metastasizes and is infrequently fatal.

Melanoma, which is what most people think of when they think of skin cancer, frequently metastasizes and has a very high fatality rate when it does.

I don't know where you got your statistics from, but it seems like they were made up by a basal cell carcinoma fan club.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
I'm sure BigPharmD is just going to come and tear this apart, but here it is anyways:

There are three common types of skin cancer: basal and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is thought to effect roughly 1/3 of Caucasians in their lifetimes, and is rarely fatal. It is considered malignant due to its propensity to invade surrounding tissues and cause local disfigurement and damage. Squamous cell carcinoma (of the skin) also rarely metastasizes and is infrequently fatal.

Melanoma, which is what most people think of when they think of skin cancer, frequently metastasizes and has a very high fatality rate when it does.

I don't know where you got your statistics from, but it seems like they were made up by a basal cell carcinoma fan club.
Click to expand...
1. I was kidding. Obviously, dermatologists have nothing to do with skin cancer survival rates.
2. 97% came from Anatomy professor.
 
Praziquantel86 said:
I'm sure BigPharmD is just going to come and tear this apart, but here it is anyways:

There are three common types of skin cancer: basal and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is thought to effect roughly 1/3 of Caucasians in their lifetimes, and is rarely fatal. It is considered malignant due to its propensity to invade surrounding tissues and cause local disfigurement and damage. Squamous cell carcinoma (of the skin) also rarely metastasizes and is infrequently fatal.

Melanoma, which is what most people think of when they think of skin cancer, frequently metastasizes and has a very high fatality rate when it does.

I don't know where you got your statistics from, but it seems like they were made up by a basal cell carcinoma fan club.
Click to expand...

BigPharmD specializes in solid organ transplant, but maybe he will have a comment.

Melanoma is the WORST disease I have ever seen, largely because it robs people of more productive life years than almost any other disease. Twenty something year olds with PET scans that look like bombs have went off inside their bodies, and it all started as a "mole." That, and it is the most chemotherapy resistant cancer I have seen (pancreatic would be second). Absolutely gut and heart wrenching.
 
Priapism321 said:
BigPharmD specializes in solid organ transplant, but maybe he will have a comment.

Melanoma is the WORST disease I have ever seen, largely because it robs people of more productive life years than almost any other disease. Twenty something year olds with PET scans that look like bombs have went off inside their bodies, and it all started as a "mole." That, and it is the most chemotherapy resistant cancer I have seen (pancreatic would be second). Absolutely gut and heart wrenching.
Click to expand...

Whoops, confused my specialists...

I've done a few days worth of rotations on a pediatric heme/onc ward, and from what I've seen, it's very sad stuff. Very interesting field though, with a lot of opportunities to do some good.
 
I think, unlike pharmacy, medicine offers lots of options from psychiatry, public health, to surgery.

Can't you find anything that is compatible with your personality or your goals in life?

I think there's a thread that relate Myers-Briggs personality type to the choices of residency for medical student. I couldn't find it now. You could do a search on for the thread.

http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/documents/Who does what.htm
 
Last edited:
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