Need a little pre-pharmacy info: Pre-Pharmacy vs Pre-Med

[Paulz]

Hey, I am currently a pre-med/pre-health student. I was just wondering what the benefits of Pre-Pharmacy were over Pre-Med? Why did you guys choose pre-pharmacy? Just wondering. Currently a freshman just trying to get new ideas and such. Thanks

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[FixLittlePeople]

it's not the difference between being a pre-pharm vs. pre-med, as most of the prereq's are the same, but whether you want to be a physician or a pharmacist.

 

[Paulz]

Well, why would someone pick pharmacy over medicine? Is it personal reasons, financial/working differences, lesser hours? I am totally unfamiliar with it and just wondering. Can anyone help me out here?

 

[FixLittlePeople]

Have you shadowed a pharmacist or a physician? everyone has different reasons for picking a particular field/career. I was pre-med and switched after a while because I realized that I would never see my family as a physician (in teh field I wanted to go into). As a pharmacist, I will have a personal life yet still have many career oppurtunities (retail, clinical, nuclear and so on). I recommend you follow someone around in both areas of healthcare (prefereably different specialties) and then you can make a more educated decision on what works for YOU.

 

[Paulz]

How do hours of a pharmacist compare to that of a physician? As well as the work load in med-school and the time after that? I am looking into it because I am not sure what I want to do yet and maybe pharmacy would be a better fit for me than an actual physician, I do not know.

 

[stkyrice]

It depends on the kind of pharmacy one does. Nuclear pharmacy seems to be the most time-dependent, but most seem to be regular 8 hour shifts, while some hospitals do 7 days-on then 7 days-off work schedules, but you work 12 hour shifts on your days on.

The main reason why I went to pharm instead of med was having a conversation with a physician who said, "If you can think of doing anything else besides medicine, don't go into medicine." All the physicians that I've known have always wanted to be physicians from the get-go, and I realized that I was more into pharmacy then med, especially after talking to pharmacists about their jobs.

I suggest talking to pharmacists and physicians. The best way is to try to volunteer at a hospital.