Pharmacy student considering medicine

[Pharmacygirlja101]

Hi everyone, I am not from the US, I'm from Jamaica and you do not need a first degree to do Medicine,
So a little background on me, i graduated from high school with a good gpa, 3.7. I applied to Medicine but did not get in on my first try. I then started a pre-med programme, with the intention of transferring after my first year. I got a non-sponsored acceptance meaning i would have to pay the full tuition, which is about 4 times more than the normal sponsored amount. I decided this was way too expensive and I wasn't even sure if i wanted to do medicine at that point, so i opted to do pharmacy instead..
Now i've graduated pharmacy but i ended up failing a course causing me to graduated a year behind schedule. And now i'm seeing a few of my former classmates graduating medicine and i feel so inferior. I know i cannot change the past but now i feel as if i should do medicine, i feel so insignificant and inferior when i'm around my medical counterparts. Its as if people don't even see me when i stand next to a person who did medicine.
I can't stand this feeling, i rarely get praises when i tell people i did pharmacy, and i don't want to go through the rest of my life feeling so inferior.

I admit i never really had the 'dream' to be a doctor, but it is something i always considered. So now i am planning to apply to med school next year 2016. What are my chances, considering i failed a course? i'm graduating with a lower second class honours degree.
I'm so anxious, i don't know what to do between now and when applications open

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[SDFutureDOC]

I don't think that choosing medicine just for the prestige is a good reason, bud. Especially because going into pharmacy isn't anything to be ashamed of. Consider whether or not you're willing to go back through school just for that reason. If your medical counterparts ignore you because you aren't a physician, they're probably just jerks.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

I don't think that choosing medicine just for the prestige is a good reason, bud. Especially because going into pharmacy isn't anything to be ashamed of. Consider whether or not you're willing to go back through school just for that reason. If your medical counterparts ignore you because you aren't a physician, they're probably just jerks.

i think i'd be okay with going back to school, i'm kind of fascinated with the idea of learning more about the human body, and my aunt runs a medical complex so i know i'd have a future there. No, not medical counterparts ignore me, in fact most of them are very humble, I mean other people, they completely ignore me
I don't want to waste anymore time wondering, 'what if' ..u know...i know pharmacy is a great profession, just wished other people knew it too.
Thanks for the reply tho man, i appreciate it.

 

[allantois]

I think someone has self-esteem issues here. Getting a medical degree is not going to resolve that.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

I think someone has self-esteem issues here. Getting a medical degree is not going to resolve that.

while you just might be right, i can't help it, how would you feel if you got put down or ignored constantly. I like pharmacy, but besides the whole prestige thing, i think medicine has a better future.
i know that med students try to discourage other students from pursuing the field for whatever reason...but i trust that's not what you're doing.. i want to be confident in my profession, n fact of the matter is, a lot of people in med aren't doing it for the 'right' reasons but they r still gonna end up doctors, n they still end up loving it

 

[ac62994]

 

[tortelliniboy]

There's not much prestige in medicine anymore. Your other reasons are ok though.

 

[Meeehai]

I recommend a career outside of healthcare.

 

[raindropx]

Hi everyone, I am not from the US, I'm from Jamaica and you do not need a first degree to do Medicine,
So a little background on me, i graduated from high school with a good gpa, 3.7. I applied to Medicine but did not get in on my first try. I then started a pre-med programme, with the intention of transferring after my first year. I got a non-sponsored acceptance meaning i would have to pay the full tuition, which is about 4 times more than the normal sponsored amount. I decided this was way too expensive and I wasn't even sure if i wanted to do medicine at that point, so i opted to do pharmacy instead..
Now i've graduated pharmacy but i ended up failing a course causing me to graduated a year behind schedule. And now i'm seeing a few of my former classmates graduating medicine and i feel so inferior. I know i cannot change the past but now i feel as if i should do medicine, i feel so insignificant and inferior when i'm around my medical counterparts. Its as if people don't even see me when i stand next to a person who did medicine.
I can't stand this feeling, i rarely get praises when i tell people i did pharmacy, and i don't want to go through the rest of my life feeling so inferior.

I admit i never really had the 'dream' to be a doctor, but it is something i always considered. So now i am planning to apply to med school next year 2016. What are my chances, considering i failed a course? i'm graduating with a lower second class honours degree.
I'm so anxious, i don't know what to do between now and when applications open

Chances for what? US med school?

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

Chances for what? US med school?

no, in my country...well most people here probably wont b familiar with the jamaican system... i guess im just asking what you guys think, if its a good idea, or if anyone here has been down a similar path?

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

I recommend a career outside of healthcare.

i love heathcare..when i first started University i only wanted to medicine or pharmacy

 

[raindropx]

no, in my country...well most people here probably wont b familiar with the jamaican system... i guess im just asking what you guys think, if its a good idea, or if anyone here has been down a similar path?

You thought right. Go ask people in Jamaica.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

There's not much prestige in medicine anymore. Your other reasons are ok though.

yeah, but i'm sure it's better than what i'm feeling now....my only turn off is the missing out on income while i'll be in school, but otherwise i'm ready for whatever medicine has for me to take on...

 

[raindropx]

yeah, but i'm sure it's better than what i'm feeling now....my only turn off is the missing out on income while i'll be in school, but otherwise i'm ready for whatever medicine has for me to take on...

Then what exactly are you looking for here? Reassurance? You won't get any, as your motives for this career are fickle.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

Then what exactly are you looking for here? Reassurance? You won't get any, as your motives for this career are fickle.

i love how everyone believes they have these 'noble' intentions when they do medicine..but anyway u have to do what makes u happy...so that's what i'm doing

 

[raindropx]

i love how everyone believes they have these 'noble' intentions when they do medicine..but anyway u have to do what makes u happy...so that's what i'm doing

Yes, I know what you mean. In my country medicine is for prestige and a good stable career. Of course most want to heal people, but practically speaking the economy sucks and this career is a safe one. We didn't need to "prove" how altruistic we are with stocking closets at hospitals and doing other stuff for the underserved. (because lol most of us would be considered "underserved" ourselves by the good americans who come to visit and volunteer to "help" us)
However you have to undersetand that here a much much larger percent of people are well off (and by well off I mean a home, car, education) and they can afford to follow their dreams rather than get a job to support their aging parents or younger siblings in a terrible and corrupt economy. Remember this is an individualistic cultures. Not saying people are selfish, but your own goals>>everything else here.
Thus, you will get a lot of hate for going into medicine for priveledge or whatever it is you are seeking. Of course we all want the priveledge, but it is taboo to admit it. Good luck.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

Yes, I know what you mean. In my country medicine is for prestige and a good stable career. Of course most want to heal people, but practically speaking the economy sucks and this career is a safe one. We didn't need to "prove" how altruistic we are with stocking closets at hospitals and doing other stuff for the underserved. (because lol most of us would be considered "underserved" ourselves by the good americans who come to visit and volunteer to "help" us)
However you have to undersetand that here a much much larger percent of people are well off (and by well off I mean a home, car, education) and they can afford to follow their dreams rather than get a job to support their aging parents or younger siblings in a terrible and corrupt economy. Remember this is an individualistic cultures. Not saying people are selfish, but your own goals>>everything else here.
Thus, you will get a lot of hate for going into medicine for priveledge or whatever it is you are seeking. Of course we all want the priveledge, but it is taboo to admit it. Good luck.

ok, i do appreciate the honest answer. I just can't bear the thought of constantly wondering 'what if' so i'm just gonna take my chances...So in answer to your question..im not looking for reassurance, i'm looking if anyone has been in a similar situation and what outcome they had..

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

lol oh how OP's opinion would change the minute she realized all her buddies are partying and enjoying with their families while she sits and studies for days on end

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

lol oh how OP's opinion would change the minute she realized all her buddies are partying and enjoying with their families while she sits and studies for days on end

OP?...i won't, its for the future

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

original poster haha

 

[dermforlife2016]

Yes, I know what you mean. In my country medicine is for prestige and a good stable career. Of course most want to heal people, but practically speaking the economy sucks and this career is a safe one. We didn't need to "prove" how altruistic we are with stocking closets at hospitals and doing other stuff for the underserved. (because lol most of us would be considered "underserved" ourselves by the good americans who come to visit and volunteer to "help" us)
However you have to undersetand that here a much much larger percent of people are well off (and by well off I mean a home, car, education) and they can afford to follow their dreams rather than get a job to support their aging parents or younger siblings in a terrible and corrupt economy. Remember this is an individualistic cultures. Not saying people are selfish, but your own goals>>everything else here.
Thus, you will get a lot of hate for going into medicine for priveledge or whatever it is you are seeking. Of course we all want the priveledge, but it is taboo to admit it. Good luck.

Although I am sure many go into the medical profession for the prestige, I would have to disagree that the medical profession is a "safe" one, considering that the average medical student graduates with 100k+ debt, spends nearly a decade training for their profession, faces uncertainty in the residency match process that could leave the student responsible for a large sum of debt without any position to show for it, responsible for malpractice lawsuits and in rare instances, murder, if transplant forms are not completed to the tee, and government policies such as Obamacare will almost certainly reduce physician salaries in the coming years, thus, by the time you are an attending physician, this "stable" career may have changed dramatically. Just my 2 cents as a med school hopeful. Do medicine because you are passionate about it and would not be satisfied with any other career choice, as life is too short to choose a profession solely for material or financial benefits, or a boost to the ego.

 

[Pharmacygirlja101]

Although I am sure many go into the medical profession for the prestige, I would have to disagree that the medical profession is a "safe" one, considering that the average medical student graduates with 100k+ debt, spends nearly a decade training for their profession, faces uncertainty in the residency match process that could leave the student responsible for a large sum of debt without any position to show for it, responsible for malpractice lawsuits and in rare instances, murder, if transplant forms are not completed to the tee, and government policies such as Obamacare will almost certainly reduce physician salaries in the coming years, thus, by the time you are an attending physician, this "stable" career may have changed dramatically. Just my 2 cents as a med school hopeful. Do medicine because you are passionate about it and would not be satisfied with any other career choice, as life is too short to choose a profession solely for material or financial benefits, or a boost to the ego.

thanks for your input. i have spent wayyy too much time, wondering if i should've done it in the first place, so i don't want to continue life that way..i admit i didn't do it the first time around, not just because it was too expensive, but because i thought it would be too hard. now i don't want to keep wondering. So i'm gonna just gonna stick to my guns on this one..whatever the outcome, i'm sure it equal to that of me staying in pharmacy or supersede it