Smilescali said:
There was a thread about this and my computer is so darn slow that the search function seems to never work right.
Doesn't UW (Washington) offer this? I know there is a rumor about USN starting up a similar program. I am not sure of any other school.
Yep, I think UW has a program in addition to Univ of Florida. I'm sure that there may be other programs out there (maybe one at USC?). The main things to consider is what you expect out of the PA program. Is it prescribing priviliges and/or further knowledge of diagnostic criteria? In the private sector the prescribing priviliges will definitely give you a unique practice setting. I know of at least one PharmD/PA from UF who uses this in the ambulatory practice setting. However the other side of the fence is that if you work in the federal sector (i.e. Veterans Hospitals) the prescribing priviliges b/w PA and clinical Pharm.D are comparable in regards to med prescribing (unless of course you want to start ordering procedures and diagnostic issues). You might want to take a look at the actual curriculum for PA programs. It really is kind of interesting as its only about 1 yr of didactics and 1yr of rotations.
The devils advocate would say that the only "clear" advantage may be diagnoistic capacity and guaranteed prescribing priviliges in private sector, but you aren't necessarily guaranteed to make any more money. Depending on the region PharmDs may make more than PA and vice versa and depending on specialty some PAs make more than pharmacists. I think the national avg data collected by bureau of labor PharmDs on the avg still make more than avg NP or PA. Obviously the major exception would be nurse anesthesist and/or PA in surgery/anesthesia, but w/ those 2 exceptions you also have to consider extra practice time to achieve that goal. Pharmacy exception would be that indepent pharmacy owner who's doing anywhere from 150-300k/yr. Scheduling may vary b/w PA and PharmD as PAs typically supplement hrs in the evening and/or wknd when MD is not available (unless in ambulatory care and/or long term care setting).
So you are probably not going to get paid for both and pay is comparable b/w the 2 professions and unless you really want to have guaranteed yet limited diagnostic capability (compared to MD) and prescribing privileges in all sectors; I'd stick w/ PharmD or do one or the other. Or just go for the MD to make the whole debate mute. Time commitment may be similar excluding residency training w/ MD.
PharmD = 6yrs at least (Range: 6-10yrs)
-6yrs at least (unless in one of those newer 3yr PharmD program w/ 2yrs of pre pharm)
-1-2yrs PA may be another 2yrs unless they integrate it concurrently w/ PharmD program. Any residency training? (another 1-2 yrs)
-1-2yrs (residency training in pharmacy)
PA by itself: ~6yrs (undergrad degree 3-4 yrs + 2yrs of PA school)
NP: ~6yrs (at least)
-RN 2yrs w/ Associates
-Or another 2 yrs for BSN
-2yrs of rotations/clinical training, with possible addition yrs for specialty training
MD = ~11yrs at least depending on residency and/or post-doc
-Undergrad (3-4yrs)
-Med school (4yrs)
-At least another 3yrs for residency training
However, it is all about what you really want to do and what makes you happy (independent of pay) as opposed to how long it takes you to get there. After all, I spent 4yrs in undergrad + 4yrs for PharmD and 2 yrs in residency training so my total is 10yrs so I could of went the MD route as well in comparable amount of time. But I'm happy w/ my pay and happy w/ what I'm doing. The MD/PA/NP/PharmD/RN all bring something unique to the healthcare setting, but the value of your contribution will depend on how well you consistenly present it.
Just my opinion. FYI...the previous thread about this was in 3/05 (I think?)