Pharmd --> DDS

[pharmddds]

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Greetings,

I am currently a PharmD student and upon completing my PharmD i am looking to go straight into a DDS program (U Maryland @ Balt)

I was wondering if anyone else here has done similar or is doing similar?

Any chance I'd have better odds at getting in considering i've proven i can at least complete the PharmD curriculum?

Thoughts??

 

[ucla2134]

Greetings,

I am currently a PharmD student and upon completing my PharmD i am looking to go straight into a DDS program (U Maryland @ Balt)

I was wondering if anyone else here has done similar or is doing similar?

Any chance I'd have better odds at getting in considering i've proven i can at least complete the PharmD curriculum?

Thoughts??

i am just curious what make you change to DDS ??? since pharm is a pretty good career.
One thing to keep in mind that dental school is expensive, add that with pharm school, you come out with lots of debt.

 

[liriano]

It is doable. The key is to make sure that you are doing well in your courses in Pharm school, as well as supplement your ECs with DENTAL experiences (shadowing, etc.). You have to be able to convince adcoms that you are serious about the switch, and didn't get your Pharm. D to just "be competitive". A letter from a dentist should help as well. FYI, you are going to be in a world of debt! Good luck!

 

[pharmddds]

i am just curious what make you change to DDS ??? since pharm is a pretty good career.
One thing to keep in mind that dental school is expensive, add that with pharm school, you come out with lots of debt.

TBH, there are several reasons... this might sound ludicrous but i was very torn about which school to apply, but i felt i was more competitive for pharm school, plus i had more experience in pharmacy than dental at the time. However, i was always interested in dentistry and still am.

Plus factor in, my wife works for a dental office (her 4th different dentist while we've been dating) so i have plenty of shadowing opportunities as well as reference letters.

Many pharmacists i work with told me if they had it to do over again, they'd do dental, so before i even get my career started, why not throw down four more years.

Also, I would love to practice both initially, considering while growing and building my dental practice i could float/rotate for CVS or similar to keep my family afloat financially.

And in the actual practice, it would be a great feature to be able to dispense the medications that i or my associates prescribe for the patients on the spot.

Obviously there are a lot of things I will have to factor in, its not quite time to apply and i havent taken a serious DAT yet either. I did take a practice DAT in undergrad w/o studying and scored 18.

 

[pharmddds]

It is doable. The key is to make sure that you are doing well in your courses in Pharm school, as well as supplement your ECs with DENTAL experiences (shadowing, etc.). You have to be able to convince adcoms that you are serious about the switch, and didn't get your Pharm. D to just "be competitive". A letter from a dentist should help as well. FYI, you are going to be in a world of debt! Good luck!

Im hoping the PharmD will MAKE me more competitive, but even if thats all they view it as, they'd have to like my determination considering the debt load i'll have acquired just to be "competitive".

 

[pharmddds]

Also, i'd be misleading if i didnt also say that im somewhat worried about the field being saturated. I can't help it, my teachers are all doomsayers telling us that the field is saturated, we'll have to do residencies, we might not get work etc etc. And with more and more pharmacy schools opening and more and more INS companies using mail order etc, pharmacy isnt the field it was 10 years ago....

 

[dentalWorks]

Well who are we to question your motives. I say kudos to anyone who can earn more than 1 professional degree cause, I don't think I have the gas for that.

To be honest with you, your situation on SDN is sooo uncommon, I HIGHLY doubt anyone can really answer your question. In all of SDN you hear people going from MD to get DDS and most commonly DDS getting MD, but never heard anyone going pharm to DDS.

I guess in the future, you can open a dental office AND a pharmacy in the same building. But your going to be 1 busy cat 🙂

I think you should try the Dental forums or pharmacy forums, not pre-dental, as most of us haven't even gotten into dental school yet lol

 

[pharmddds]

Well who are we to question your motives. I say kudos to anyone who can earn more than 1 professional degree cause, I don't think I have the gas for that.

To be honest with you, your situation on SDN is sooo uncommon, I HIGHLY doubt anyone can really answer your question. In all of SDN you hear people going from MD to get DDS and most commonly DDS getting MD, but never heard anyone going pharm to DDS.

I guess in the future, you can open a dental office AND a pharmacy in the same building. But your going to be 1 busy cat 🙂

I think you should try the Dental forums or pharmacy forums, not pre-dental, as most of us haven't even gotten into dental school yet lol

Thank you sir!

the only reason i posted here, is because im obviously new to SDN and i was trying to follow the rules thinking that since im not a dental student i shouldn't post it in the dental forum and since its not really pharmacy related, i shouldnt post i there. but considering im "pre dent" in this field, i posted it here....

 

[dentalWorks]

Thank you sir!

the only reason i posted here, is because im obviously new to SDN and i was trying to follow the rules thinking that since im not a dental student i shouldn't post it in the dental forum and since its not really pharmacy related, i shouldnt post i there. but considering im "pre dent" in this field, i posted it here....

I mean if your looking to take the DAT after pharm school, then yes, you are a pre-dent and you belong here. I just thought there are some special programs in the nation that basically allow pharm students to link into thier dental schools.

 

[pharmddds]

I mean if your looking to take the DAT after pharm school, then yes, you are a pre-dent and you belong here. I just thought there are some special programs in the nation that basically allow pharm students to link into thier dental schools.

sadly no, i havent found a program as such.... i'll be taking the DAT the summer before P4

 

[Avery07]

Greetings,

I am currently a PharmD student and upon completing my PharmD i am looking to go straight into a DDS program (U Maryland @ Balt)

I was wondering if anyone else here has done similar or is doing similar? In honesty, I really admire your situation. That takes a lot of.. something.. to do what you're doing. I can only imagine the amount of people trying to talk you out of this. Props to you. 👍

Any chance I'd have better odds at getting in considering i've proven i can at least complete the PharmD curriculum?

Thoughts??

May I ask why the career change? Sorry if you already answered that, I looked but didn't see anything. Is it just because of the "over saturation"?

Also, i'd be misleading if i didnt also say that im somewhat worried about the field being saturated. I can't help it, my teachers are all doomsayers telling us that the field is saturated, we'll have to do residencies, we might not get work etc etc. And with more and more pharmacy schools opening and more and more INS companies using mail order etc, pharmacy isnt the field it was 10 years ago....

On a good note for dentistry, the last statistic I checked was that for every 8 dentists leaving, 1 is going in to the field. Job security much??

I knew that the MD's didn't have such a nice statistic but now after the recent changes with ObamaCare, they might just surpass the dentists with that stat! I kid, but really.


It's funny 'cause it's true.

Well who are we to question your motives. I say kudos to anyone who can earn more than 1 professional degree cause, I don't think I have the gas for that.

To be honest with you, your situation on SDN is sooo uncommon, I HIGHLY doubt anyone can really answer your question. In all of SDN you hear people going from MD to get DDS and most commonly DDS getting MD, but never heard anyone going pharm to DDS.

I guess in the future, you can open a dental office AND a pharmacy in the same building. But your going to be 1 busy cat 🙂

I think you should try the Dental forums or pharmacy forums, not pre-dental, as most of us haven't even gotten into dental school yet lol

Haha judging by the pre-dental part and all. 👍

 

[pharmddds]

May I ask why the career change? Sorry if you already answered that, I looked but didn't see anything. Is it just because of the "over saturation"?

also there's an element of job satisfaction... working for myself of with a single partner rather working for CVS or Walgreens and their "corporate" atmosphere. Like i said before, i was always interested in BOTH dental and pharmacy, i just had better credentials at the application time, for pharmacy. I've worked years in hospitals and have enjoyed it, but its still nothing compared to the freedom and fulfillment of succeeding in your OWN business.

 

[J ROD]

It might be a harder sell to dent than med....

I had a fairly easy time explaining why I wanted more drug knowledge.

 

[Avery07]

It might be a harder sell to dent than med....

I had a fairly easy time explaining why I wanted more drug knowledge.

J DUB!! What are you doing over here?

 

[AmpedUp]

also there's an element of job satisfaction... working for myself of with a single partner rather working for CVS or Walgreens and their "corporate" atmosphere. Like i said before, i was always interested in BOTH dental and pharmacy, i just had better credentials at the application time, for pharmacy. I've worked years in hospitals and have enjoyed it, but its still nothing compared to the freedom and fulfillment of succeeding in your OWN business.

Internet pharmacy?

My cousin does that in addition to owning a 300 sq ft pharmacy. Takes in quite a large sum of money too. He did it out of pharmacy school after doing a community pharmacy residency..and that was 5 yrs ago. The hardest part was networking, but he worked with the SBA and NCPA and they gave him a lot of good advice. It's possible to be your own boss in Pharmacy. I say EXPLORE your options before jumping ship. Dental school is not cheap. However, if you have a great desire for this field, don't let anything or anyone stop you from doing it. It's just that a lot of sacrifices have to be made.

 

[ucla2134]

to be honest, i don't know if one can have the time to be both dentists and pharmacists. Plus, it is better if you give your 100% when you are in dental practice.

I would venture and say that your pharm degree would make yourself stand out and that score 20+ on DAT then i think you will be in.

 

[liriano]

Well who are we to question your motives. I say kudos to anyone who can earn more than 1 professional degree cause, I don't think I have the gas for that.

To be honest with you, your situation on SDN is sooo uncommon, I HIGHLY doubt anyone can really answer your question. In all of SDN you hear people going from MD to get DDS and most commonly DDS getting MD, but never heard anyone going pharm to DDS.

I guess in the future, you can open a dental office AND a pharmacy in the same building. But your going to be 1 busy cat 🙂

I think you should try the Dental forums or pharmacy forums, not pre-dental, as most of us haven't even gotten into dental school yet lol

Trust me - it can be done 😉.

I don't know if you will have time to run both a pharmacy and a dental office - at least at first. The time it takes to see patients as a dentist and run a pharmacy will not be conducive to either business. However, I can see a situation where you have a DENTAL based pharmacy in your building (ex: giving antibiotics for contraindicated patients who have had heart problems for prophylaxis before procedures, etc.). You would need some great technicians and solid staff, but I guess it could be done after you secure a solid patient base. The overhead will be crazy, but I'm sure it could be a great business idea (...scribbling down on notebook paper for future reference....).

As long as you are sound academically with regards to your Pharm grades and kill the DAT, I think you will be good to go.

 

[AmpedUp]

Trust me - it can be done 😉.

I don't know if you will have time to run both a pharmacy and a dental office - at least at first. The time it takes to see patients as a dentist and run a pharmacy will not be conducive to either business. However, I can see a situation where you have a DENTAL based pharmacy in your building (ex: giving antibiotics for contraindicated patients who have had heart problems for prophylaxis before procedures, etc.). You would need some great technicians and solid staff, but I guess it could be done after you secure a solid patient base. The overhead will be crazy, but I'm sure it could be a great business idea (...scribbling down on notebook paper for future reference....).

As long as you are sound academically with regards to your Pharm grades and kill the DAT, I think you will be good to go.

I'm not even sure it's LEGAL to run a Dentistry and Pharmacy in the same building. I personally know an MD (who is also a PharmD) that thought he could run a pharmacy and family practice in the same building...that's illegal, because the doctor can't have both prescribing and dispensing rights - it's unethical (there is a chance that the doctor is prescribing something to benefit his/her business)...so that's the only issue I can forsee.

 

[liriano]

I'm not even sure it's LEGAL to run a Dentistry and Pharmacy in the same building. I personally know an MD (who is also a PharmD) that thought he could run a pharmacy and family practice in the same building...that's illegal, because the doctor can't have both prescribing and dispensing rights - it's unethical (there is a chance that the doctor is prescribing something to benefit his/her business)...so that's the only issue I can forsee.

Hmmm....Unethical or Illegal? Interesting question. If somone has some info/background knowledge to this, please share.

 

[liriano]

It might be a harder sell to dent than med....

I had a fairly easy time explaining why I wanted more drug knowledge.

Off topic, but that is a RIDICULOUS amount of posts! It has to be the most I have ever seen on the site lol

 

[pharmddds]

Internet pharmacy?

My cousin does that in addition to owning a 300 sq ft pharmacy. Takes in quite a large sum of money too. He did it out of pharmacy school after doing a community pharmacy residency..and that was 5 yrs ago. The hardest part was networking, but he worked with the SBA and NCPA and they gave him a lot of good advice. It's possible to be your own boss in Pharmacy. I say EXPLORE your options before jumping ship. Dental school is not cheap. However, if you have a great desire for this field, don't let anything or anyone stop you from doing it. It's just that a lot of sacrifices have to be made.

yeah, i love pharmacy but love dental too, but the situation woud have to be ideal... i wont just go to any dental school in any situation, i mean, worst case scenario im still a PharmD, which isnt a bad situation, but IF i can make it work, i really want to and have the will to

to be honest, i don't know if one can have the time to be both dentists and pharmacists. Plus, it is better if you give your 100% when you are in dental practice.

I would venture and say that your pharm degree would make yourself stand out and that score 20+ on DAT then i think you will be in.

Trust me - it can be done 😉.

I don't know if you will have time to run both a pharmacy and a dental office - at least at first. The time it takes to see patients as a dentist and run a pharmacy will not be conducive to either business. However, I can see a situation where you have a DENTAL based pharmacy in your building (ex: giving antibiotics for contraindicated patients who have had heart problems for prophylaxis before procedures, etc.). You would need some great technicians and solid staff, but I guess it could be done after you secure a solid patient base. The overhead will be crazy, but I'm sure it could be a great business idea (...scribbling down on notebook paper for future reference....).

As long as you are sound academically with regards to your Pharm grades and kill the DAT, I think you will be good to go.

it wouldnt be a full blown pharmacy, just dispensing the antibiotics/pain killers/benzos etc associated with dentistry, and thats it... just something that would help me stand out as compared to the rest of the dentists in the area

I'm not even sure it's LEGAL to run a Dentistry and Pharmacy in the same building. I personally know an MD (who is also a PharmD) that thought he could run a pharmacy and family practice in the same building...that's illegal, because the doctor can't have both prescribing and dispensing rights - it's unethical (there is a chance that the doctor is prescribing something to benefit his/her business)...so that's the only issue I can forsee.

Hmmm....Unethical or Illegal? Interesting question. If somone has some info/background knowledge to this, please share.

im guessing it would vary among states TBH

 

[such as]

Hmmm....Unethical or Illegal? Interesting question. If somone has some info/background knowledge to this, please share.

It doesn't seem right to me. Check & balances!

 

[Avery07]

I'm not even sure it's LEGAL to run a Dentistry and Pharmacy in the same building. I personally know an MD (who is also a PharmD) that thought he could run a pharmacy and family practice in the same building...that's illegal, because the doctor can't have both prescribing and dispensing rights - it's unethical (there is a chance that the doctor is prescribing something to benefit his/her business)...so that's the only issue I can forsee.

Hmmm....Unethical or Illegal? Interesting question. If somone has some info/background knowledge to this, please share.

It doesn't seem right to me. Check & balances!

I should apply to Creighton's online pharmD program and run it consecutively with dental school..

 

[pharmddds]

I should apply to Creighton's online pharmD program and run it consecutively with dental school..

couldnt be THAT bad TBH.... a lot of the sciences where im at are identical dental school classes, except we take them first year, they take them 2nd n 3rd

 

[dentalWorks]

also there's an element of job satisfaction... working for myself of with a single partner rather working for CVS or Walgreens and their "corporate" atmosphere. Like i said before, i was always interested in BOTH dental and pharmacy, i just had better credentials at the application time, for pharmacy. I've worked years in hospitals and have enjoyed it, but its still nothing compared to the freedom and fulfillment of succeeding in your OWN business.

you can easily own your own pharmacy if you choose. A far away relative of mine is a pharmacist. He owns 8 pharmacies, the dude is a millionaire. I mean if your going into dentistry for the freedome of owning your own business, then you should look more into pharmacy options, cause I KNOW you can own your own pharmacy and pull a HUGE income

 

[pharmddds]

you can easily own your own pharmacy if you choose. A far away relative of mine is a pharmacist. He owns 8 pharmacies, the dude is a millionaire. I mean if your going into dentistry for the freedome of owning your own business, then you should look more into pharmacy options, cause I KNOW you can own your own pharmacy and pull a HUGE income

again, thats just one of the many reasons im looking to expand my options i guess you could say...

but, the corporations are buying them all up... AND even worse, some regions/states etc are attempting to enact limits on the amount of licenses for pharmacies... i mean, in that case, can you imagine being a little guy and trying to "outbid" CVS or Walgreen or WalMart for a license to operate?

i really do like both fields.... and as much as pharmacists try and push MTM, at the end of the day, they're selling a product vs dentists selling a service

 

[solstice]

I'm not even sure it's LEGAL to run a Dentistry and Pharmacy in the same building. I personally know an MD (who is also a PharmD) that thought he could run a pharmacy and family practice in the same building...that's illegal, because the doctor can't have both prescribing and dispensing rights - it's unethical (there is a chance that the doctor is prescribing something to benefit his/her business)...so that's the only issue I can forsee.

This is true in majority of states. You can have a pharmacy in the same building with Dental or Medical office, but you can not be the owner or have any participation in the pharmacy. In a few states you can not even REFER your patients to that pharmacy. They can just go there b/c of convenience and not your interference or you lose your license.

 

[Simple Jack]

If there are states that allow such dual licenses w/ both operations under the same roof, I would imagine the Feds would be keeping a very close eye on the situation...may even need an attorney on staff (j/k)

In terms of career change by all means go forth!
But I would proceed w/ caution though on the dual hat, I think doing the homework is worth it though since that would be an incredible convenience for the patient

 

[doc toothache]

Many pharmacists i work with told me if they had it to do over again, they'd do dental, so before i even get my career started, why not throw down four more years.

Also, I would love to practice both initially, considering while growing and building my dental practice i could float/rotate for CVS or similar to keep my family afloat financially.

And in the actual practice, it would be a great feature to be able to dispense the medications that i or my associates prescribe for the patients on the spot.

You are likely to find dentists who, when asked, would not choose dentistry again. As for your "dispensing on the spot idea", while you may be able to do it, you would most certainly need to have a pharmacy license (not to be confused with a license to practice pharmacy). Not much conviction about liking dentistry.

 

[pharmddds]

You are likely to find dentists who, when asked, would not choose dentistry again. As for your "dispensing on the spot idea", while you may be able to do it, you would most certainly need to have a pharmacy license (not to be confused with a license to practice pharmacy). Not much conviction about liking dentistry.

I actually do know one dentist who claims if she could do it all again she'd do pharmacy instead, but i know a lot more pharmacists than dentists due to my previous experiences...

i can see what you're saying about "liking" dentistry, but you only quoted one of my replies...

i said, several times (i think) that i always wanted one or the other, i just chose pharmacy at the time since i had better odds of getting in with all my previous experiences....

 

[Iowafan180]

PharmDDS- If you want a more clinical aspect to your career, why don't you just do a year or two of pharm residency, and become a clinical pharmacist. That way you aren't behind a counter doing fastfood type duties. I would totally go down that path, instead of going to Dental school. That way you get paid for more education, and you get to have a sweet ER type job. I am sure you could probably find a oral surgeons office that has a pharmacy built in. I'm just saying I think it's a silly move to go to school twice as long for two careers that are hardly related....

 

[CMistry]

Hi pharmddds,

I'm a current D2 at UMaryland Dental. I don't know of any student who has made the switch you are referring to, but we have had a professor who was a pharmacist turned dentist. I encourage you to make sure you have completed all the pre-reqs: http://www.dental.umaryland.edu/admissions/adm_new/dds_prereq.html

-Cyrus

Greetings,

I am currently a PharmD student and upon completing my PharmD i am looking to go straight into a DDS program (U Maryland @ Balt)

I was wondering if anyone else here has done similar or is doing similar?

Any chance I'd have better odds at getting in considering i've proven i can at least complete the PharmD curriculum?

Thoughts??

 

[reven]

Greetings,

I am currently a PharmD student and upon completing my PharmD i am looking to go straight into a DDS program (U Maryland @ Balt)

I was wondering if anyone else here has done similar or is doing similar?

Any chance I'd have better odds at getting in considering i've proven i can at least complete the PharmD curriculum?

Thoughts??

This has been done, but is not typical (PharmD to DDS). I believe it is more common to see PharmD to MD. Having said that, I know that there is a resident at UCLA in the OMFS program (oral surgery) who is a PharmD, DMD, and will get his MD as part of the OMFS program, making him PharmD, DMD, MD.

I am also a PharmD, and will be graduating from dental school this year (hopefully) with a DDS.

At my school, I knew a faculty in the school of pharmacy who went to dental school x2 years and then dropped out to pursue pharmacy. He loves what he is doing now. He did not enjoy the technical aspects of dentistry and felt his hand skills were average at best.

My suggestion is to make sure you really enjoy dentistry, working with your hands, doing procedural stuff (I assume you already enjoy patient interaction, counseling, etc. from a healthcare provider perspective). Dentistry can be challenging in the beginning, unless you have a high level of innate manual dexterity. If you find that you are truly fascinated by all things dental, I say definitely go for it, and really try not to be limited by what school you go to (aside from personal/family commitments), because you determine what kind of dentist you will be, not your school.

 

[pharmddds]

Hi pharmddds,

I'm a current D2 at UMaryland Dental. I don't know of any student who has made the switch you are referring to, but we have had a professor who was a pharmacist turned dentist. I encourage you to make sure you have completed all the pre-reqs: http://www.dental.umaryland.edu/admissions/adm_new/dds_prereq.html

-Cyrus

Thank you Cyrus for the insight, I have completed all of those classes, my only fear is that after pharm school they will say it was "too long ago" but I would like to think my situation will allow for some leniency... not "special" leniency, just considering i went on to take classes the went beyond what they offer. I double majored in undergrad receiving two BS degrees, so i SHOULD be good.... since im not one of those who did two years and on to pharm school..

thanks again!

👍

This has been done, but is not typical (PharmD to DDS). I believe it is more common to see PharmD to MD. Having said that, I know that there is a resident at UCLA in the OMFS program (oral surgery) who is a PharmD, DMD, and will get his MD as part of the OMFS program, making him PharmD, DMD, MD.

I am also a PharmD, and will be graduating from dental school this year (hopefully) with a DDS.

At my school, I knew a faculty in the school of pharmacy who went to dental school x2 years and then dropped out to pursue pharmacy. He loves what he is doing now. He did not enjoy the technical aspects of dentistry and felt his hand skills were average at best.

My suggestion is to make sure you really enjoy dentistry, working with your hands, doing procedural stuff (I assume you already enjoy patient interaction, counseling, etc. from a healthcare provider perspective). Dentistry can be challenging in the beginning, unless you have a high level of innate manual dexterity. If you find that you are truly fascinated by all things dental, I say definitely go for it, and really try not to be limited by what school you go to (aside from personal/family commitments), because you determine what kind of dentist you will be, not your school.

yeah, i seem to be hearing the PharmD -> MD a lot. Which, while interesting, is not really a path I am looking to follow, for numerous reasons. But, I will do more shadowing this summer , hopefully of at least two different dentists in two different offices, to get as much experience and feedback as possible. I guess time will tell what my options are....

thanks for the insight!!!
👍