Pharmacist or Med School NEED HELP DECIDING

[Tpap]

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I need help deciding between pharmacy or med school. I will be attending Notheastern University next year and am enrolled in the pharmacy direct entry 6 year program already. I have always wanted to go into the healthcare field but always imagined i would be going into medical school to be a doctor and always didnt like the pharmacy field. Im starting to like the pharmacy field more and more and am getting a job as a pharmacy technician at a local rite aid so ill see how that goes.
As far as my decision for pharmacy goes... the reason i changed my mind from premed to pharmacy 6 year direct entry is because my father works at Northeastern University and because of that i get free tuition to the school which is an awesome perk. There was no way i could pass up a free tuition for become a pharmacist rather than spending the money for med school and the years and the eventual more taxes to be taken from the government. I just am still on the fence.

Should i stick with pharmacy at least for the first 2 years of schooling (the liberal arts phase) adn then go into premed, or should i stay with pharmacy. How does OT work with a pharmacist, i heard there is little growth with pay, how will my finances be. I will come out of school with no debt. whereas if i go to med school ill have a lot of debt. please help.

I will post more as i get some replies.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

What do you want to do? Really and truly? I switched careers from research into pharmacy. Both are mildly related, but I'm happy in the pharmacy and can't stand research.

Free tuition is nice, and money problems can make you miserable. But having a job that makes you miserable is even worse. Especially since you'd be able to eventually pay back your debts as a doctor if you go to med school.

What makes you interested in pharmacy? What makes you interested in being a physician? Would you always regret not being a doctor if you went to pharmacy school instead?

The worst case scenario is spending all those years in pharmacy school and then going back to med school. That'd be really expensive!

 

[busyizzy]

I need help deciding between pharmacy or med school. I will be attending Notheastern University next year and am enrolled in the pharmacy direct entry 6 year program already. I have always wanted to go into the healthcare field but always imagined i would be going into medical school to be a doctor and always didnt like the pharmacy field. Im starting to like the pharmacy field more and more and am getting a job as a pharmacy technician at a local rite aid so ill see how that goes.
As far as my decision for pharmacy goes... the reason i changed my mind from premed to pharmacy 6 year direct entry is because my father works at Northeastern University and because of that i get free tuition to the school which is an awesome perk. There was no way i could pass up a free tuition for become a pharmacist rather than spending the money for med school and the years and the eventual more taxes to be taken from the government. I just am still on the fence.

Should i stick with pharmacy at least for the first 2 years of schooling (the liberal arts phase) adn then go into premed, or should i stay with pharmacy. How does OT work with a pharmacist, i heard there is little growth with pay, how will my finances be. I will come out of school with no debt. whereas if i go to med school ill have a lot of debt. please help.

I will post more as i get some replies.

Ummm, you look like you're making the decision based entirely on the money. Money can be a consideration in your decision making, but it shouldn't be the basis in which you make you decision. A pharmacist and doctor have pretty different jobs. Use the search function; it's been discussed at length. Choose the job you think you'd enjoy more.

 

[Tpap]

Ummm, you look like you're making the decision based entirely on the money. Money can be a consideration in your decision making, but it shouldn't be the basis in which you make you decision. A pharmacist and doctor have pretty different jobs. Use the search function; it's been discussed at length. Choose the job you think you'd enjoy more.

Yes I understand I am coming across as all about money, but I'm also taking into consideration that I'm already accepted in the pharmacy program with free tuition and I just have to have a 2.7 to get to the 3rd year then maintain a 2.0 to get my pharmD whereas premed I will need to be extremely competitive and that whole deal. Pharmacy is good hours easy set schedules when I can pretty much pick my own hours. I won't have to worry about call ins and that deal but I would also love being a doctor because that's what I see myself being. I want a family and don't wantto start my family in my 30s basically I want to be a doctor but it just makes so much more sense to be a pharmacist for me personally. I don't think I would want to do retail at like cvs or anything though. Does anyone know what other pathways pharmacy goes into? I keep hearing how huge of a field pharmacy is and how many careers one can get with a pharmD could anyone elaborate for me please. Thanks

 

[SmKN808]

I need help deciding between pharmacy or med school. I will be attending Notheastern University next year and am enrolled in the pharmacy direct entry 6 year program already. I have always wanted to go into the healthcare field but always imagined i would be going into medical school to be a doctor and always didnt like the pharmacy field. Im starting to like the pharmacy field more and more and am getting a job as a pharmacy technician at a local rite aid so ill see how that goes.

As far as my decision for pharmacy goes... the reason i changed my mind from premed to pharmacy 6 year direct entry is because my father works at Northeastern University and because of that i get free tuition to the school which is an awesome perk. There was no way i could pass up a free tuition for become a pharmacist rather than spending the money for med school and the years and the eventual more taxes to be taken from the government. I just am still on the fence.

free tuition? i'd say stick with pharmacy, get your pharmd, consider doing a residency while you're at it and take it from there. well, i mean, say if you do decide going to med school after getting your pharmd and things don't go accordingly. atleast you'll still have an equally rewarding career in place to fall back on right? and not! the other way around. meaning, opting out getting your pharmd[for free!] and things still! don't work out for you in med school[0-2]. but, anyway... congrats! on your acceptance and best of luck! with that 🙂

Should i stick with pharmacy at least for the first 2 years of schooling (the liberal arts phase) adn then go into premed, or should i stay with pharmacy. How does OT work with a pharmacist, i heard there is little growth with pay, how will my finances be. I will come out of school with no debt. whereas if i go to med school ill have a lot of debt. please help.

you may wanna consider posting this question in the big boys and girls forum[pharmacy] 😉

 

[shinigami]

Yes I understand I am coming across as all about money, but I'm also taking into consideration that I'm already accepted in the pharmacy program with free tuition and I just have to have a 2.7 to get to the 3rd year then maintain a 2.0 to get my pharmD whereas premed I will need to be extremely competitive and that whole deal. Pharmacy is good hours easy set schedules when I can pretty much pick my own hours. I won't have to worry about call ins and that deal but I would also love being a doctor because that's what I see myself being. I want a family and don't wantto start my family in my 30s basically I want to be a doctor but it just makes so much more sense to be a pharmacist for me personally. I don't think I would want to do retail at like cvs or anything though. Does anyone know what other pathways pharmacy goes into? I keep hearing how huge of a field pharmacy is and how many careers one can get with a pharmD could anyone elaborate for me please. Thanks

You sound like you want everything in life handed to you - your pharmD without any debt, your perfect family life, your 6 digit figure. Thus explains why you don't do as someone above stated (use the search function) and instead expects someone to hand you all the answers.

 

[Tpap]

Well thanks shinigami and like i said I WILL HAVE NO DEBT IF I DO THE PHARMD PROGRAM. I Will be 24 as a pharmacist with no debt and can start a family then with a guaranteed 6 digit income. So no i dont expect it to be handed to me but yes it pretty much is being handed to me so thats why im not going to let it pass. I obviously have been searching but like any research you look for many perspectives i just was asking what other careers are out there to get with a pharmD. and if you dont want to answer dont. go criticize someone else. thank you

 

[UES Girl]

Well thanks shinigami and like i said I WILL HAVE NO DEBT IF I DO THE PHARMD PROGRAM. I Will be 24 as a pharmacist with no debt and can start a family then with a guaranteed 6 digit income. So no i dont expect it to be handed to me but yes it pretty much is being handed to me so thats why im not going to let it pass. I obviously have been searching but like any research you look for many perspectives i just was asking what other careers are out there to get with a pharmD. and if you dont want to answer dont. go criticize someone else. thank you

I don't know what state/environment you may have grown up and what your family values are like, but the entire " must go to pharmacy school so I can start family on time " argument is a pretty weak one.

For once, while from a 18 year old perspective, 24 may be ancient, in actuality, 24 is a pretty ridiculously young age to be married, let alone
"start a family ". Secondly, you don't really get married on a clock - who knows when you'll meet the right person - it might be 28, 30 or even later.

I'd say worry about your career and what will make you happy in the long run, not tuition or family.

 

[Tpap]

Well i still dont have to worry about tuition and i am putting things in prespective. wouldnt u want to be out of school at 24 making 6 digit income with no debt what so ever... Im just getting peoples prespectives. Relax

 

[SHC1984]

Well thanks shinigami and like i said I WILL HAVE NO DEBT IF I DO THE PHARMD PROGRAM. I Will be 24 as a pharmacist with no debt and can start a family then with a guaranteed 6 digit income. So no i dont expect it to be handed to me but yes it pretty much is being handed to me so thats why im not going to let it pass. I obviously have been searching but like any research you look for many perspectives i just was asking what other careers are out there to get with a pharmD. and if you dont want to answer dont. go criticize someone else. thank you

Most definetly do PharmD!!! Especially since you have FREE TUITION!!! I think some people are just being rude to you b/c they are jealous of your luck! (YOUNG and NO debt!)

Medical school is only worth going if you can land yourself in one of the super competitive residencies like dermatology, radiology or cosmetic surgery. As a general family physican, you work your ass off and don't get pay that much. The bad news is MOST med students will become general doctors b/c getting into a residency like derm is damn near impossible. You pretty much have to be in the TOP of your class, with tons of ex activities, research, leadership skills and all that jazz etc etc. and you still might not get derm! So it's just too risky and you don't want to end up a general physican...You would much rather be a pharmacist than that! LOL....the ONLY way I would go to medical school is if I was somehow guarntee a spot in Derm when I graduate! That would be the ONLY way I would consider it!

Besides I know a few PharmD/MD....and since your pharmd is FREE you can't let that go! You should get your PharmD and see how you like it. Good luck!!! 🙂

 

[PonderingChoice]

Removed.

 

[Marcus X]

Yes I understand I am coming across as all about money, but I'm also taking into consideration that I'm already accepted in the pharmacy program with free tuition and I just have to have a 2.7 to get to the 3rd year then maintain a 2.0 to get my pharmD whereas premed I will need to be extremely competitive and that whole deal. Pharmacy is good hours easy set schedules when I can pretty much pick my own hours. I won't have to worry about call ins and that deal but I would also love being a doctor because that's what I see myself being. I want a family and don't wantto start my family in my 30s basically I want to be a doctor but it just makes so much more sense to be a pharmacist for me personally. I don't think I would want to do retail at like cvs or anything though. Does anyone know what other pathways pharmacy goes into? I keep hearing how huge of a field pharmacy is and how many careers one can get with a pharmD could anyone elaborate for me please. Thanks

DO WHICHEVER ONE YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO.

Thank you.

 

[desmoulins45179]

Med school: Why don't you go to Northeastern for your Bachelor's degree and then apply to Med schools. I'm assuming that you would get free tuition for that also. Also, think of the different options for financing med school. If you do really, really well, you might get a scholarship at med school. My friend had a 4.0 gpa (well rounded - double degree in classics and biomedical sciences) and she got a full ride to Michigan. Sure it wouldn't be easy, but you could do it. Also, if you could go someplace that is close to relatives, that would cover housing.

You really shouldn't choose a profession you would he unhappy with. If you know that if you become a pharmacist you'll always think just what if I was a physician - then go to med school. If you are unsure (and many people are), you should shadow pharmacists/physicians to help know more about the professions. I'm sure your local hospital would be able to help you there - they always like volunteers and you could volunteer for/shadow different people.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I need help deciding between pharmacy or med school. I will be attending Notheastern University next year and am enrolled in the pharmacy direct entry 6 year program already. I have always wanted to go into the healthcare field but always imagined i would be going into medical school to be a doctor and always didnt like the pharmacy field. Im starting to like the pharmacy field more and more and am getting a job as a pharmacy technician at a local rite aid so ill see how that goes.
As far as my decision for pharmacy goes... the reason i changed my mind from premed to pharmacy 6 year direct entry is because my father works at Northeastern University and because of that i get free tuition to the school which is an awesome perk. There was no way i could pass up a free tuition for become a pharmacist rather than spending the money for med school and the years and the eventual more taxes to be taken from the government. I just am still on the fence.

Should i stick with pharmacy at least for the first 2 years of schooling (the liberal arts phase) adn then go into premed, or should i stay with pharmacy. How does OT work with a pharmacist, i heard there is little growth with pay, how will my finances be. I will come out of school with no debt. whereas if i go to med school ill have a lot of debt. please help.

I will post more as i get some replies.

I get the impression here that a lot of prepharm types aren't really interested in pharmacy so I don't see why it should matter in your pursuits. It seems to be a rather different mindset than the premed / med school types. Pursue as much free school as you can. If you decide later you can always salavage what you've taken and transfer it into some kind of bachelor's degree with a premed route. Also, I'm guessing you're young. I don't see how it'd hurt you to go through with pharmacy school and then to med school if you're interested. I'll probably take flack for saying that, but so be it. I wouldn't do it at 28, but at 18 the extra two years would be inconsequential. If you find you dont like pharmacy then you could switch to medicine without a lot of the worries typical med students would have.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Yes I understand I am coming across as all about money, but I'm also taking into consideration that I'm already accepted in the pharmacy program with free tuition and I just have to have a 2.7 to get to the 3rd year then maintain a 2.0 to get my pharmD whereas premed I will need to be extremely competitive and that whole deal. Pharmacy is good hours easy set schedules when I can pretty much pick my own hours. I won't have to worry about call ins and that deal but I would also love being a doctor because that's what I see myself being. I want a family and don't wantto start my family in my 30s basically I want to be a doctor but it just makes so much more sense to be a pharmacist for me personally. I don't think I would want to do retail at like cvs or anything though. Does anyone know what other pathways pharmacy goes into? I keep hearing how huge of a field pharmacy is and how many careers one can get with a pharmD could anyone elaborate for me please. Thanks

OMG 😱 The grades required for that.... Geez. Here I was wondering if my graduating 3.4whatever it was from 2003 was too low for pharmacy school.

 

[Passion4Sci]

op,

The knee-jerk reaction here is; GO TO PHARMACY SCHOOL! At first glance, it's cheap (free for you?), it's easy (LOL @ 2.7 GPA), and it's fast. All the things everyone wants from everything in our country... but the problem is, if you hate pharmacy, then you'll be miserable, and I've known a lot of people who make a lot of money who are miserable. It seems like, well, a miserable life.

I think you should put some time in at a pharmacy before making a decision. If I was in your place looking at your fast-track into the career, I'd want to make sure it was worth committing.

Then again, you could get your Pharm.D @ 24/25, and still be in an excellent place to go back for more school. An MPH or maybe even an MD, etc, since you'll have no debt to speak of and still many years left in your 20s... so there's the "safe bet" and then there's the not-so safe bet. But honestly, in your position, I can't see either being a truly bad option.

 

[IshDiandra]

Yes I understand I am coming across as all about money, but I'm also taking into consideration that I'm already accepted in the pharmacy program with free tuition and I just have to have a 2.7 to get to the 3rd year then maintain a 2.0 to get my pharmD whereas premed I will need to be extremely competitive and that whole deal. Pharmacy is good hours easy set schedules when I can pretty much pick my own hours. I won't have to worry about call ins and that deal but I would also love being a doctor because that's what I see myself being. I want a family and don't wantto start my family in my 30s basically I want to be a doctor but it just makes so much more sense to be a pharmacist for me personally. I don't think I would want to do retail at like cvs or anything though. Does anyone know what other pathways pharmacy goes into? I keep hearing how huge of a field pharmacy is and how many careers one can get with a pharmD could anyone elaborate for me please. Thanks

I understand that you're also looking into pharmacy because it's going to give you more time for a family, which is one of the reasons why I chose to go towards the pharmacy route as well. But it also seems like you're copping out because you think it's going to be easy to just blow off in pharmacy school && "strive" for a 2.0 and 2.7 instead of "working hard" in med school.
Yes, pharmacy has grounds in more than just retail, but if you're seriously just going to have 2.0 and 2.7 standards you can kiss that "huge pharmacy field" away because if you've been reading, pharmacy school graduates are getting bigger and bigger every year, and I highly doubt a 2.0 looks good to anyone especially with all the competition you'll have once you graduate. So debt or no debt after graduation, maybe you should start thinking about a field where you're actually going to be driven.

 

[nicolemsm]

I understand that you're also looking into pharmacy because it's going to give you more time for a family, which is one of the reasons why I chose to go towards the pharmacy route as well. But it also seems like you're copping out because you think it's going to be easy to just blow off in pharmacy school && "strive" for a 2.0 and 2.7 instead of "working hard" in med school.
Yes, pharmacy is has grounds in more than just retail, but if you're seriously just going to have 2.0 and 2.7 standards you can kiss that "huge pharmacy field" away because if you've been reading, pharmacy school graduates are getting bigger and bigger every year, and I highly doubt a 2.0 looks good to anyone especially with all the competition you'll have once you graduate. So debt or no debt after graduation, maybe you should start thinking about a field where you're actually going to be driven.

👍




Now just because they "say" you can get a 2.7, doesn't necessarily MEAN you should aim that low... As Diandra said, the competition is stiff. People are competing for jobs, you pulling a 2.7 will probably land you right in retail land- nothing wrong with that though. If you want to get a residency, try and aim 1 pt higher.

If I were you, I'd take the free education. Northeastern is expensive so getting your education fully paid for wouldn't be too bad. Here's a suggestion, get a job @ a pharmacy. Shadow a pharmacist. See if you REALLY like this. (and I'm not talking your local CVS pharmie, go to the hospital, find an indie...) If you don't like shadowing, maybe pharm isn't the right thing for you.

But another thing to remember is if you 0-6 you WON'T get a bachelors, so you'll have to basically back track to get your bachelors in order to apply to med school. It's better to find out now what you want then be stuck later. I sure wouldnt want to spend 6 yrs doing something i hated b/c it was free.

 

[IshDiandra]

👍




Now just because they "say" you can get a 2.7, doesn't necessarily MEAN you should aim that low... As Diandra said, the competition is stiff. People are competing for jobs, you pulling a 2.7 will probably land you right in retail land- nothing wrong with that though. If you want to get a residency, try and aim 1 pt higher.

If I were you, I'd take the free education. Northeastern is expensive so getting your education fully paid for wouldn't be too bad. Here's a suggestion, get a job @ a pharmacy. Shadow a pharmacist. See if you REALLY like this. (and I'm not talking your local CVS pharmie, go to the hospital, find an indie...) If you don't like shadowing, maybe pharm isn't the right thing for you.

But another thing to remember is if you 0-6 you WON'T get a bachelors, so you'll have to basically back track to get your bachelors in order to apply to med school. It's better to find out now what you want then be stuck later. I sure wouldnt want to spend 6 yrs doing something i hated b/c it was free.

Actually, the pharmacy advisors here at Northeastern are working a way for the 0-6 PharmD grads to receive both a Doctorate of Pharmacy and a Bachelor's. When they announced this to my class I asked if it would be implemented by the time we graduate and they said that it would be. So fingers crossed. 😉

 

[Danae00]

.

 

[Tpap]

Thank you all for your help. As far as me "aiming for a 2.0 and 2.7" Im not lol i just said that because one can recieve their pharmD with that low of a gpa. I am going to work my absolute hardest in any major i have as i do in highschool now. I just said that because its a completely different world for a premed student. The easiest aspect of their education they will encounter is getting into an undergrad. Then id have to look towards med school and mcats which are extremely competitive, then residencies are even more competitive. Not that i wouldnt do the work and wanna cruise through college, i just know where i stant right now. free tuition, already in a 6 year program and will only get dropped out of it if my grades drop below a 2.7 the 1st 2 years and then 2.0 for the rest. Pretty much theres little to no worries with pharm school. I can work my hardest knowing i will get my degree and work towards getting a good residency in 6 years. If i become a premed student id look forward to 4 years working extremely hard (as i would for pharm or any major) just to look good for a med school, getting good grades on the MCATs, do volunteering, shadowing, blah blah looking good for med school. Then IF i get in 4 years working even harder than i thought possible, the whole time brown nosing and looking towards competitive residencies, then another 3+ years in residencies and maybe even fellowships brown nosing and working extreme hours trying to get a job with wherever this residency is at or making myself look good for a different hospital or doctors office, the whole time there are hundreds of others doing the same thing as I am and there will always be the ones who go above and beyond to things you never thought of, there will always be someone better, unless i get perfect grades and never get below an A my whole college career which its not likely lol. But, see what I mean. Its so much less stress with pharmacy school, the hardest part of the career path is done with getting accepted. Obviously the schooling with be tough but i will work my hardest. Like i said what Im going to do is get this job at rite aid as a tech, go to NEU and after the 1st two years or liberal arts (which are almost exactly the same as a premed track) i will evaluate where i stand with my gpa, my job at rite aid and seeing how that is going, and obviously by then i will have hundreds more to talk to in the school with students, professors, and pharmacists in the working world. After that i will make my decision as to switching to premed or even a completely different route.

 

[IshDiandra]

Thank you all for your help. As far as me "aiming for a 2.0 and 2.7" Im not lol i just said that because one can recieve their pharmD with that low of a gpa. I am going to work my absolute hardest in any major i have as i do in highschool now. I just said that because its a completely different world for a premed student. The easiest aspect of their education they will encounter is getting into an undergrad. Then id have to look towards med school and mcats which are extremely competitive, then residencies are even more competitive. Not that i wouldnt do the work and wanna cruise through college, i just know where i stant right now. free tuition, already in a 6 year program and will only get dropped out of it if my grades drop below a 2.7 the 1st 2 years and then 2.0 for the rest. Pretty much theres little to no worries with pharm school. I can work my hardest knowing i will get my degree and work towards getting a good residency in 6 years. If i become a premed student id look forward to 4 years working extremely hard (as i would for pharm or any major) just to look good for a med school, getting good grades on the MCATs, do volunteering, shadowing, blah blah looking good for med school. Then IF i get in 4 years working even harder than i thought possible, the whole time brown nosing and looking towards competitive residencies, then another 3+ years in residencies and maybe even fellowships brown nosing and working extreme hours trying to get a job with wherever this residency is at or making myself look good for a different hospital or doctors office, the whole time there are hundreds of others doing the same thing as I am and there will always be the ones who go above and beyond to things you never thought of, there will always be someone better, unless i get perfect grades and never get below an A my whole college career which its not likely lol. But, see what I mean. Its so much less stress with pharmacy school, the hardest part of the career path is done with getting accepted. Obviously the schooling with be tough but i will work my hardest. Like i said what Im going to do is get this job at rite aid as a tech, go to NEU and after the 1st two years or liberal arts (which are almost exactly the same as a premed track) i will evaluate where i stand with my gpa, my job at rite aid and seeing how that is going, and obviously by then i will have hundreds more to talk to in the school with students, professors, and pharmacists in the working world. After that i will make my decision as to switching to premed or even a completely different route.

Actually, you also need a C- or better in all your classes for the first two years, then a C or better the rest of the way. And if you fail three PHMD courses you also get kicked out of the program. Also since NU 0-6 program has no summers except for the freshman year, if you fail a course you may be held back and you won't graduate with your year since typically most courses are only offered during a specific semester which you would then have to wait for to retake the course.
But it's good that you're getting some experience under your belt since some people after their first co-op (which is the summer after the second year) switch out of pharmacy because they find that it's not a right fit.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Tpap:

The "Enter" button on your keyboard.

Use it.

 

[suviphi]

I'm going to burst the bubble here and say that from my experience, your hours in the pharmacy are nowhere near as flexible as you think they are 🙄. But I hope you love your job as much as I love mine. Pharmacy really is a great field and because these two career paths you're debating on are so different, don't decide now. Give it more time since what is one year of researching each career path compared to what you'll be doing for the rest of your life?