Pharmacy vs. Medicine

[pharmacyman]

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Hi SDN,

I just became a member tonight since I read all of the posts here daily.

I have a current dilemma: should I pursue a career as a pharmacist or pediatrician. I know that its more complex than this, but I'm really torn. I currently work full-time in a Longs Drugs and am not enjoying the work, so I've pretty much ruled out a career in a retail pharmacy. I'm looking to get my foot in a hospital to test the waters there. I've always had the interest in being a pediatrician for years now, but was too apprehensive about the MCAT and school length. Also my undergrad grades were mediocre. Although I'm landing A's at Cal extension now, I'm not to sure if that's enough for pharm or med school admission.

So my questions are: what would you all recommend as great ways to get answers to help solve my dilemma of pharmacy vs. medicine and how can I strengthen my GPA (pretty much done with all prereqs). Thanks, nice to meet you all, and please go easy on me. 😎

 

[NonTradMed]

Well, to resolve your decision-making dilemma, shadow a few peds and pharmacists to see what their days are like. Talk to a few people regarding what the differences are b/w docs and pharmacists. Also, keep in mind that medicine has a variety of fields so you may end up not doing peds after graduation for whatever reasons. I suggest shadowing a few different types of doctors to get an idea of the width of the field. Maybe also shadow a few pharmacists who aren't in retail to see what types of jobs are available for pharmD.

As for your GPA, you can continue taking classes to bump up your GPA. There are masters program, some especially focused on helping people into professional school. Those are expensive and time consuming so check them out before signing up for them. If your GPA is particularly low and/or you have a lot of undergrad credits to your name, taking a few classes probably won't raise your GPA, a masters may be more helpful since it 'clears the slate'. Just be aware that adcoms tend to stress undergrad grades more.

 

[pharmacyman]

Thanks for your response. Are you referring to post-bac programs or an actual master degree like something in public health or as a physician assistant? I'm just a little discouraged because I'm already in debt from undergrad, I'm 23 years old (I know still young but not getting any younger), the economy is bad so if I pursue a masters I'm worried I'll end up with more debt, no job, and still risk the chance of not being admitted to any professional school.

 

[DrJosephKim]

Learn more about what each type of career looks like. Students often get the misperception that healthcare professions are accurately depicted on television. Do your research, experience things first-hand, and then you'll have a much better idea of what you should do.

 

[NonTradMed]

Thanks for your response. Are you referring to post-bac programs or an actual master degree like something in public health or as a physician assistant? I'm just a little discouraged because I'm already in debt from undergrad, I'm 23 years old (I know still young but not getting any younger), the economy is bad so if I pursue a masters I'm worried I'll end up with more debt, no job, and still risk the chance of not being admitted to any professional school.

Well, a post-bac program is for those that don't have their premed repreqs in yet, so I'm referring to a master degree, like in biology. There are quite a few masters program that caters exclusively to premed who were rejected and/or has a low GPA. They are 1-2 years and many have connections to local med schools. That means they automatically allow entry into the med school a certain number of students who do well in the program. You may want to go to the post-bacc forum to ask about redoing your preqs in a post-bacc. I don't know the results of that.

PA is another option but not what I was referring to. If money is a problem, and you fear being in debt with no job after something like this, then a PA may be a good option since you come out with a marketable degree and you can take science courses that can boost your GPA. However, I don't know how difficult PA school is so it may not be helpful for med school.

The final option is Caribbean. If you feel the clock is ticking, going there with a new slate would get your MD in four years, but you'll have a harder time getting into certain specialties.

 

[pharmacyman]

PA is another option but not what I was referring to. If money is a problem, and you fear being in debt with no job after something like this, then a PA may be a good option since you come out with a marketable degree and you can take science courses that can boost your GPA. However, I don't know how difficult PA school is so it may not be helpful for med school.

I was looking into becoming a PA since it puts you right with the MD and get first hand experience. I'm not to sure how difficult PA admission and school is, but I would guess that since the profession is so closely related to MD's that doing well in PA school and gaining experience in a hospital setting would greatly strengthen my academic application as well. Anyone have any thoughts?

I graduated with a biochemistry bachelors, but haven't thought about pursuing a graduate degree in it. If it's a great means for getting to where I'd like to be as an MD, then I'll look into that route.

 

[pharmacyman]

Learn more about what each type of career looks like. Students often get the misperception that healthcare professions are accurately depicted on television. Do your research, experience things first-hand, and then you'll have a much better idea of what you should do.

After 2 months of working at a retail pharmacy as a pharmacy technician, I pretty much decided I don't want to pursue a career as a retail pharmacist. So, I totally agree with you on that and I've been preaching my case to anyone who hasn't got any pharmacy experience but wants to go to pharmacy school. These past few months have been a big eye opener for me. 😱

 

[pharmacyman]

There are quite a few masters program that caters exclusively to premed who were rejected and/or has a low GPA.

Any idea where I can start inquiring about these programs and any recommendations? I live in the bay area in CA. Thanks

 

[DrMidlife]

Any idea where I can start inquiring about these programs and any recommendations? I live in the bay area in CA. Thanks

The postbac forum is where to go.

 

[later2pharm]

i debated this too. when it came down to it, i wanted to got to med school for all the WRONG reasons....namely, the title of "Doctor" (though only Ph.d's really ought to have this title), the prestige factor and the part about everyone respecting you only because you have a medical degree. for me a career should be a part of who you are, it should not define you...what you do in your spare time is really who you are. unfortunantly for the vast majority of us, what we enjoy doing in our spare time for "fun", would never pay the bills. 😀

 

[slight365]

After 2 months of working at a retail pharmacy as a pharmacy technician, I pretty much decided I don't want to pursue a career as a retail pharmacist. So, I totally agree with you on that and I've been preaching my case to anyone who hasn't got any pharmacy experience but wants to go to pharmacy school. These past few months have been a big eye opener for me. 😱

I did it for eight years, trained pharmacists, moved up, but the structure of pharmacy and its ever-changing aspects for the worse is the problem. They do speak of the high pays and the need for pharmacists, but the fact remains that it's not treated or respected as a legitimate part of healthcare by "customers" (note I don't say "patients"), doctors, nurses, or just about anyone else. It's retail and if you've worked in a pharmacy, then you know what most of it is about. Then comes the problems in dealing with retail pharmacists, management of stores and chains, labor, shrinking technician workforce due to contraction, lower AWP, etc. I would not recommend people go into pharmacy, unless they want to do it as a convoluted way through undergrad to add more time, then become a physician if they're not burned out.

 

[AvocadoLover]

but the fact remains that it's not treated or respected as a legitimate part of healthcare by "customers" (note I don't say "patients"), doctors, nurses, or just about anyone else.

Don't be turned off to pharmacy just by retail experience. I guarantee the RNs, MDs and patients I work with DO respect and appreciate my knowledge. Take the time to shadow a clinical pharmacist and see if it's a good fit for you. There are plenty of opportunities to pharmacists to be key members of a health care team. I personally work in nephrology, and automatically adjust any doses inappropriate for renal function, follow and dose vanc/amg, am responsible for anemia management of these patients and am always giving out drug info.

That being said, find out what you LOVE to do. Many pharmacists I work with LOVE there job. But for me, its not the best fit. So here I am, one year after I finished residency and I am planning on applying for 2011. Good luck! And remember only YOU can decide what will make you happiest.

 

[glamqueen]

OP - forgive me if I am reading this wrong, but am I understanding that you are looking at PA school as a way to build your app for medical school applying?

This is ridiculous. If you want to be a PA, then go to PA school. If you want to go to medical school - apply to medical school. PA programs are not a bridge to build skills for medical school. This is not how it works. They are different career paths, and one does not build on the other. It's the same thing with nursing. No one gets their BSN and works as a nurse to build their app for medical school.


Just my two cents...

 

[pharmacyman]

OP - forgive me if I am reading this wrong, but am I understanding that you are looking at PA school as a way to build your app for medical school applying?

I've heard that it might be a good way to get experience and see if being a physician is a good fit. But, after thinking about it you're right because it's a separate career in its own and the amount of time and money spent becoming a PA isn't worth it when someone is planning to attend medical school afterwards. I guess I'm a little intimidated about the medical school application process because of my academic background.

Right now, I am currently a tech in the inpatient pharmacy at UCSF. I've ran into a diverse group of health care professionals. I've spoken to clinical pharmacists that work on the floor and those that work strictly in the inpatient pharmacy. One clinical pharmacist talked to me about how he has been a pain medication specialist for 30 years now, so I thought that was cool. Ironically though, I've gotten excited about internal medicine mainly because of what I see everyday. Internists seem to be the front line for patient well being and I can see myself in that position. Moreover, I feel that medicine might be a little more exciting and challenging for me.

Thanks for your input, I'll let you know how it goes.