pharmacy or med school?

[Lisochka]

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guys, while I am taking pre requisites, I am trying to decide between pharmacy and MD.

Could you help me please.
Pharmacy Pro's:
1) less stress
2) less schooling

Pharmacy Con's:
1) BORING
2) less money than an MD

Medicine Pro's
1) At least twice more money than in pharmacy
2) Respect, I guess

Medicine Con's:
1) Too many years of schooling
2) Everybody wants to sue you- so more stress...

What else?

If there are any pharmacists here, if you had been given a chance to go back, would you still become a pharmacist?

 

[thelonius]

The fact that you listed BORING, and in caps, would clearly suggest that Pharmacy is the wrong choice for you and should therefore answer your own question. Confucious say...be a float designer for gay pride parades.

 

[sdn1977]

Hmmmm....you're not watching the Super Bowl....I'm only watching with one eye😉 ....its really, really wet!!!

But - I'm a practicing pharmacist & no.....I'd never go back to go into medicine. I had the opportunity when I went to college & I actively chose my field.

I'm in the unique position of having a daughter who is an MSII....also a husband who is a dentist.

IMO - your pros & cons are very superficial (sorry to any I've offended here or who feel these feelings.....I am not using that word in its derogatory (sp?) sense🙁 ). But...I use the word superficial in the sense that your expressed feelings, altho shared by some, only get to the surface of what leads someone into one profession or another. I in no way feel that your feelings should not have merit or be acknowledged because many folks have these feelings.

As a successful pharmacist (which doesn't necessarily translate to happy all the time!), I've known many who are not suited to the profession. Likewise...I've known many physicians who wished they had not pursued their field...and currently, my daughter has fellow students who are second guessing themselves. Additonally, we have dentist friends who have gone into the field & readily left the field. But - for as many unhappy people...there are those of us who are happy in our choices.

Honestly.....after 30 years in the field....going to school with medical students, living with a dentist & now....parenting a medical student....I really feel there are significant differences which motivate those of us who pursue one field or another. In my own, limited experience, it normally does not turn out successfully if one tried to pursue one area & didn't make it after many tries..then "settled" for another.

But...all of this is just my own opinion - not fact or everyone's reality.

My job is at sometimes very stressful, I make plenty of money, altho less than my husband (but he's not an MD), I'm rarely bored....and 30 years later - I spend lots of time continuing to educate myself.

If you want more specific information....let me know if I can help. Anyone can pm me if they want....

I am soooooo glad I don't play football!!! Did anyone here go? One of my pts is there. He paid $5000 for a ticket - so he's sitting there in the rain😱 .

 

[thelonius]

The superbowl is on?

 

[sdn1977]

The superbowl is on?

it is for me - I TIVOED it😀 !

 

[letjin]

guys, while I am taking pre requisites, I am trying to decide between pharmacy and MD.

Could you help me please.
Pharmacy Pro's:
1) less stress
2) less schooling

Pharmacy Con's:
1) BORING
2) less money than an MD

Medicine Pro's
1) At least twice more money than in pharmacy
2) Respect, I guess

Medicine Con's:
1) Too many years of schooling
2) Everybody wants to sue you- so more stress...

What else?

If there are any pharmacists here, if you had been given a chance to go back, would you still become a pharmacist?

Back to the original topic...

If you think pharmacy is BORING, you should not become a pharmacist. It will be your job for at least 25+ years!! You are doing a disservice to yourself, if you force yourself to go to a job only so you can collect a paycheck. Also these times people are trying to pharmacists when they sue their MD, so just the 'idea' of people after you are still same in this field...but i'd just accept that as a responsibility & and if I take care of my patients i have nothing to worry about.

I do feel that there are certain personality types more suited for pharmacy work... did you consider volunteering in a hospital, or getting a job in a pharmacy?

 

[sleazye]

What kind of different personality types do you guys feel are attracted to pharmacy and medicine?

 

[dgroulx]

I am soooooo glad I don't play football!!! Did anyone here go? One of my pts is there. He paid $5000 for a ticket - so he's sitting there in the rain😱 .

I do computer programming for the Colts, and was offered tickets. My cost would have been $600 per seat and I passed. I kept watching the game and thinking how glad I was that I didn't go. I've been to 2 other Super Bowls. It's just too expensive now.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Pharmacy school is the same length of time as medical school, so don't use that as a pro/con. You do a longer residency with medical school, but at least you're getting paid at that point.

I don't find pharmacy to be boring, but I don't think it's really exciting. I like working with other people. Being a physician would be more working on your own.

When I round with physicians, they have to touch people. This is a big con for me. Pharmacy is clean. They money is good enough considering that I won't get called at home or when I'm out to dinner or at Disney World.

 

[FamilyMD]

I'll have to be careful how I answer as the pharms on SDN seem to be extra sensitive (been reported twice now, for posts I hardly find offensive). Guess for the pharm board, if someone posts anything that states pharm is less than anything but stellar, it will be considered offensive and you will be reported-warning to anyone who might just want to share a different viewpoint.
With that preface, like SDN, I also have many professions in my family-my cousin is an intensivist, one is a pharmacist, and my S-I-L is a dentist. The KEY difference IMO is the diversity open to you with an MD. I know people here will tout the different avenues you can take with a PharmD, but a)most WILL GO into retail, period b)it still pales in comparison to all the fields open to you after med school. Same with dentistry, just not that much variety of choices after school. So my point? If you are SURE you want to do dentistry or pharm, GO FOR IT! If you are on the fence about your future, IMHO, I think med school allows for the most lattitude as you discover what floats your boat.
Let's see if any busy-body, touchy-feely, boo-hoo, PC pharms will report me again.

 

[cycloketocaine]

I'll have to be careful how I answer as the pharms on SDN seem to be extra sensitive (been reported twice now, for posts I hardly find offensive).

We're not sensitive, you can just be a real ass sometimes.

 

[spacecowgirl]

I'll have to be careful how I answer as the pharms on SDN seem to be extra sensitive (been reported twice now, for posts I hardly find offensive). Guess for the pharm board, if someone posts anything that states pharm is less than anything but stellar, it will be considered offensive and you will be reported-warning to anyone who might just want to share a different viewpoint.
With that preface, like SDN, I also have many professions in my family-my cousin is an intensivist, one is a pharmacist, and my S-I-L is a dentist. The KEY difference IMO is the diversity open to you with an MD. I know people here will tout the different avenues you can take with a PharmD, but a)most WILL GO into retail, period b)it still pales in comparison to all the fields open to you after med school. Same with dentistry, just not that much variety of choices after school. So my point? If you are SURE you want to do dentistry or pharm, GO FOR IT! If you are on the fence about your future, IMHO, I think med school allows for the most lattitude as you discover what floats your boat.
Let's see if any busy-body, touchy-feely, boo-hoo, PC pharms will report me again.

Why do you keep coming back and posting here if you don't like our responses? 😕 😕 😕

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Please keep this discussion civil. Thanks!

 

[Lisochka]

I'll have to be careful how I answer as the pharms on SDN seem to be extra sensitive (been reported twice now, for posts I hardly find offensive). So my point? If you are SURE you want to do dentistry or pharm, GO FOR IT! If you are on the fence about your future, IMHO, I think med school allows for the most lattitude as you discover what floats your boat.
Let's see if any busy-body, touchy-feely, boo-hoo, PC pharms will report me again.

guys, thank you for your input. A special thanks to FamilyMD! FamilyMD you have a nice point, I never thought of it this way. I was just thinking that to be competitive for the lattitude, a person would have to have good stats (I mean to be competitive for oncology/surgery/whatever, a person would have to have high USMLE scores and good GPA in a med school), as opposed to pharmacy- just pass it and pass the lisensure exams- and you are a pharmacist! What do you guys think?
(Of course, if you wnat to do a pharm residency - you would have to have good stats, but why would people want to do it, if it is the same amount of money. Ok, I am superficial, but who is not? Do not tell me all docs and pharmacist just WNAT TO HELP PEOPLE. C'omon! Paycheck was never the last reason...)

I probably should shadow more doctors and probably should get a job in a pharmacy- that was a good idea, thank you!

 

[thelonius]

I'll have to be careful how I answer as the pharms on SDN seem to be extra sensitive (been reported twice now, for posts I hardly find offensive). Guess for the pharm board, if someone posts anything that states pharm is less than anything but stellar, it will be considered offensive and you will be reported-warning to anyone who might just want to share a different viewpoint.
With that preface, like SDN, I also have many professions in my family-my cousin is an intensivist, one is a pharmacist, and my S-I-L is a dentist. The KEY difference IMO is the diversity open to you with an MD. I know people here will tout the different avenues you can take with a PharmD, but a)most WILL GO into retail, period b)it still pales in comparison to all the fields open to you after med school. Same with dentistry, just not that much variety of choices after school. So my point? If you are SURE you want to do dentistry or pharm, GO FOR IT! If you are on the fence about your future, IMHO, I think med school allows for the most lattitude as you discover what floats your boat.
Let's see if any busy-body, touchy-feely, boo-hoo, PC pharms will report me again.

Let me get this straight...you are a practicing physician with a questionable level of reading comprehension ability who peruses the "pre-pharmacy" and "pharmacy" forums opportunistically waiting to start some pharmD. vs. MD war, right? Funny how you didn't (couldn't) respond to the last forum you engaged in about the whole "are pharmD's doctors?" thing. I thought for sure you would have changed your screen name or at least stayed away for awhile after looking so ignorant. I really have to wonder why someone such as yourself invests so much time and energy into trying to diminish other peoples profession. Were either or both of your parents abusive Pharmacists? You are clearly threatened by us and so very insecure. Maybe you should seek therapy from a psychiatrist...they are doctors, right?

 

[dgroulx]

(Of course, if you wnat to do a pharm residency - you would have to have good stats, but why would people want to do it, if it is the same amount of money.

For example, you would do a pharmacy residency if you wanted to specialize in oncology, pediatrics, etc. You do whatever you are interested in. If the same job paid the same amount of money wouldn't you rather do something that you truly liked to do?

 

[letjin]

but a)most WILL GO into retail, period

This almost sounds like retail = bad, but you can't make that as a fact for everyone unless you have worked in a pharmacy yourself. IMO retail can be considered that as a stress, or a challenge. I personally find retail interesting, interacting, and stimulating, hence why I am here. When I work retail time flies by fast. When I did a rotatin in a clinical pharmacy, 4 hrs seemed like a long 8-hr day.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Closing because there seem to be some basic problems with staying polite in this thread.
Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion.