Pharmacist or Doctor
Started by WarpDinosaur
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Physicians do not have alot of extra, personal time on average but after being an attending usually most docs can find some balance in their lives....
But, overall, pharmacist have more time for themselves...but they are also limited in their practice scope compared to a physician.
Clinical PharmDs do not have to complete a residency....BUT the trend is doing one since the field is becoming more competitive. Older pharmacist with experience can get away with not doing one or exceptionally bright folks that go to a small hospital and work up their knowledge base and then move on to bigger and better things.
Coming fresh out of school to be a clinical pharmacist, I would highly recommend residency...
What do you mean "exceptionally bright folks that go to a small hospital and work up their knowledge base and then move on to bigger and better things."? Do you mean they work as Clinical PharmDs at a small hospital?
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yes...I have heard of a few doing that but it is becoming more not an option as time goes and more PharmDs are doing residency.
I would not count on this option if you want to be a clinical pharmacist.
I am a Pharmacy school drop-out turned medical student as of August this year. I did extensive research on what you just asked, and here is my opinion and my train of thought.
Pharmacy: Money is in retail, job satisfaction is in clinical. My uncle has been a grave yard pharmacist (night shift) in a level 1 trauma hospital for his 32 years of work and still loves it. He and many techs do the night runs and compounding, are isolated to themselves in the basement and occasionally pops up to the ER to check charts. Its no walk in the park though as it is just as fast paced as retail, but only with docs and nurses breathing down your neck rather then the general public.
Doctor: Job style varies heavily on your practice, ie family practice = 9-5 with holidays and weekends vs neurosurgery = on call 24-7 with never ending list of surgeries and no holidays and plenty of overtime to pass around. As to time to yourself on the job, anaesthesiologist never deal with much depending on ones practice but it can be laid back, whereas surgeons are high pressure. Its all in the specialty.
My personal note, I started off as a pre-pharm in a 6 year freshmen to doctorate program, and dropped out my 3rd year. I had 2 years in retail by that time (now 4 as a technician) and new retail would definitely NOT be my future. Clinical was my path and what I wanted, until I shadowed ER physicians and surgeons and got that taste and it completely changed my desires. I found myself more drawn to the patient-doctor aspect then the pharmacists role and so here I sit with an acceptance to start medical schoolt this fall.
My recommendation: do the research yourself and make an informed decision.
Pharmacy: Money is in retail, job satisfaction is in clinical. My uncle has been a grave yard pharmacist (night shift) in a level 1 trauma hospital for his 32 years of work and still loves it. He and many techs do the night runs and compounding, are isolated to themselves in the basement and occasionally pops up to the ER to check charts. Its no walk in the park though as it is just as fast paced as retail, but only with docs and nurses breathing down your neck rather then the general public.
Doctor: Job style varies heavily on your practice, ie family practice = 9-5 with holidays and weekends vs neurosurgery = on call 24-7 with never ending list of surgeries and no holidays and plenty of overtime to pass around. As to time to yourself on the job, anaesthesiologist never deal with much depending on ones practice but it can be laid back, whereas surgeons are high pressure. Its all in the specialty.
My personal note, I started off as a pre-pharm in a 6 year freshmen to doctorate program, and dropped out my 3rd year. I had 2 years in retail by that time (now 4 as a technician) and new retail would definitely NOT be my future. Clinical was my path and what I wanted, until I shadowed ER physicians and surgeons and got that taste and it completely changed my desires. I found myself more drawn to the patient-doctor aspect then the pharmacists role and so here I sit with an acceptance to start medical schoolt this fall.
My recommendation: do the research yourself and make an informed decision.
Boss, what if you're just a regular Physician / Pediatrician. Are you still on call? What if you work at a hospital? Can't you get a time to come in and a time you're off work? And week-ends off? What about vacations?
it all depends on how your practice is set up....
groups usually have call like a weekend a month or something.
vacations can be had...
usually once an attending you can work things out to get a nice balance of work and life....🙂
might just get paid less!!
There's all kinds of different practice set-ups so there's not really a hard and fast answer to this question. But most primary care doc (pediatrician, family med ect) will probably take call. Frequency of call will depend on the size of your group, more docs=less frequent call.
Depends on speciality. There are several hospital based specialities such as ER and hospitalists who do straight shift work with no call.
Doctors take vacation just like everyone else.
