- Hospital pharmacist here graduated 2010, worked for 10 years in this setting. Early to mid 30s.
- Was never really passionate about pharmacy, medicine was what I wanted to do, but life happened and ended up in pharmacy.
- contemplated going to medicine right after pharmacy school but figured I’ll give it a shot at “clinical pharmacy”. Worked my way to an ICU pharmacist, rounding, precepting and the whole nine yards - been doing this particular role for 6 years now. Nop, not satisfied. The medicine itch is still there, more so now because I understand how much of a knowledge gap and consequently limited scope we have.
- started saving to potentially go back to school, and slowly took Prereqs. Mcats. Applied. Accepted.
- Net worth (cash, savings etc come close to half of what a 10 yrs rph should be worth if they saved half their salary. You know the numbers 🙂.
- thankfully no debt other than mortgage. Can certainly carry my family through next 10 yrs financially.
- My job is easy for sure, no stress and pays well...no complaints on that side...just dont feel fulfilled enough doing this.
- only thing that gives me pause is the opportunity cost. Thoughts? Abandon medicine? Do what then? Can’t see myself doing pgy1 or pgy2....not worth for me.
To me, this seems insane. I couldn't imagine going through med school, medical residency hell and likely the long hours physicians work just to slightly increase your scope of practice. There are various healthcare systems in the country that have collaborative practice agreements broad enough that pharmacists are able to prescribe almost any medication. Another six figures of tuition, 8+ years of lost income to have a 20-year career as a physician. Very few people get to the end of their life and wish they had spent more time working. Have you considered volunteering as a means of finding more meaning in your work?
I considered going back to school for an alternative career after I finished my degree and started working as a pharmacist. I was almost sure that I wanted to switch because of how unfulfilled I was in my current position. But after doing A TON of research, job shadowing, getting second opinions, etc. I realized it wasn't the career I didn't like, but the job. I'm happily on my way to a much more fulfilling career that I'll enjoy and it doesn't take another six figures and more years of difficult education and lost income.
Financially, it's probably not worth it. Everyone on this thread is saying that, but let me quantify it for you using my financial/MBA knowledge. If I calculate the net present value of 30 years of a pharmacist's salary at $130k (IRR inflation-adjusted 6.8%) I get $1.420 million. If I calculate the net present value of going to medical school for 4 years at a cost of $200k (tuition, books, health insurance, can definitely vary) then making $60k for 4 years during residency, then making $200k a year as a gp for 22 years (IRR inflation-adjusted 6.8%) I get $1.405 million. Keep in mind you will be working incredibly hard throughout this entire process and much, much longer hours than you are now. This is time you could spend outside of work with friends/family doing things on your bucket list. You are basically not making any money off this endeavor and may even lose money depending on your specialty and a ton of different factors. You will definitely hemorrhage money on a pay per hour basis. Financially, you're unlikely to see any return on your investment, but it definitely varies.
I'm not saying don't do it. I just know from experience it's easy to catch "the bug." Scarcity makes things feel more desirable. If you feel like you're going to "miss out" on your opportunity to be a physician then you'll value it more. There's a reason airlines put "only two tickets left at this price point" next to the ticket price online. The grass is always greener on the other side. This is not a decision to be taken lightly and you need to do your own research and make a list of pros and cons and decide what's right for you.
Definitely don't give in to the sunk cost fallacy. Don't ever stick with a path just because you feel like you've invested too much. However, financially getting a new education when you've already obtained a lucrative one rarely makes sense.
I hope this helps. I went through the same thing. There are many people (if not everyone) that asks themselves if their career is right for them and if they should jump ship or stay. It's an important decision so I would recommend speaking with a career counselor. One of the best insights they often give is that you are often unhappy with your job, not your career. There is often a way to solve your problem that does not involve huge expenses and effort.
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