PharmD to MD --> is it a disadvantage?

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StudentDoctora

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I'm halfway through a good PharmD program right now with a 3.98 GPA. I've ALWAYS wanted to be a physician, but due to some health problems (which have since resolved, but at the time, I wasn't sure if they were going to), I thought that being a pharmacist was a better option, physically, for me. Now, I am back to wanting to go to medical school, and I feel physically ready for it. I am so unhappy in my pharmacy training, especially the internships, and I just can't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. Will it be a disadvantage when applying to med schools because I seem indecisive? I'm really NOT indecisive, but I just thought that with my physical disability, I wouldn't physically be able to handle being a physician -- now I have seen otherwise.

Thank you for any opinions! :)

P.S. I am planning on finishing my PharmD degree.

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Most medical schools will probably not like it.

I planned on doing a MD after my PharmD since the beginning. I let my med school know before I started.

Just explain yourself well during the interviews.

Granted, most medical schools don't like seeing a health professional switch from another profession to theirs. However, can you really say that you know where someone is coming from until you have been in their shoes?

I think a major part of why people choose pharmacy when what they really want is to be a doctor is confidence. Patients deserve the best care they can get and that you can give as a doctor. If you aren't confident that you can discharge those responsibilities... then you shouldn't be a doctor. However, if you do happen to find yourself and gain that confidence, then by all means become a doctor. Anyway, I would be honored to have someone who has struggled with their inner demons about what they really want than someone who has said all that they wanted to be was a doctor.

**StudentDoctora, I applaud you for your efforts... go for your dreams to become a doctor.
 
Granted, most medical schools don't like seeing a health professional switch from another profession to theirs. However, can you really say that you know where someone is coming from until you have been in their shoes?

I think a major part of why people choose pharmacy when what they really want is to be a doctor is confidence. Patients deserve the best care they can get and that you can give as a doctor. If you aren't confident that you can discharge those responsibilities... then you shouldn't be a doctor. However, if you do happen to find yourself and gain that confidence, then by all means become a doctor. Anyway, I would be honored to have someone who has struggled with their inner demons about what they really want than someone who has said all that they wanted to be was a doctor.

**StudentDoctora, I applaud you for your efforts... go for your dreams to become a doctor.

Or it could be because you dont want to go to school the rest of your life, dont need to HAVE MD by your name, facing declining payments with enormous debt while not knowing what the future holds, midlevels taking over your once mighty profession, you are comfortable with consulting rather than making the final decision, dont want to work every weekend, and overnight every 3rd or 4th day, and have a pager stuck to you at all times with nurses paging you because they know the diagnosis and what to give the patient....

If you want to be a physician go to medical school, but dont listen to the above comment. It might be the dumbest thing I have ever read.
 
Or it could be because you dont want to go to school the rest of your life, dont need to HAVE MD by your name, facing declining payments with enormous debt while not knowing what the future holds, midlevels taking over your once mighty profession, you are comfortable with consulting rather than making the final decision, dont want to work every weekend, and overnight every 3rd or 4th day, and have a pager stuck to you at all times with nurses paging you because they know the diagnosis and what to give the patient....

If you want to be a physician go to medical school, but dont listen to the above comment. It might be the dumbest thing I have ever read.

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. Everyone, has their own choices to make. I don't believe anyone is less of a person for choosing whatever path that they have choosen. Once again, I don't believe it is anyone's place to judge the actions of another until they have been in their shoes.

StudentDoctora is wondering about whether to pursue medicine after pharmacy, if he feels strongly about it and not care about the debt but rather the profession and being the best that he can be... well thats good. (Forgive me) StudentDoctora has a physical disability that he believed would have prevented him from being a doctor but has since thought and found otherwise. Prior to becoming whatever you are right now... have you ever imagine how hard it must be for people with physical disabilites?

I know I have... A friend of mine throughout middleschool and highschool had a physical disability. He wanted to be a doctor but instead became an engineer because he though that with his disability he would not have what it takes to become a doctor. I know that when we were in school together his confidence was systematically destroyed by people who thought they were superior to him because they had that confidence in what they want. To this day, I don't know how he got through it. Right now, he finally got into medical school after finishing his engineering degree. In school he gained that confidence and drive to succeed.

***I understand not everyone going into pharmacy wants to become doctors. That I respect, but are you going to say that everyone going into pharmacy wants to be a pharmacist? It is a respectful profession and I have no qualms about it, but some use it as a stepping stone.
 
Disagree with what. Your post is all about people going to pharmacy because they lack confidence to be an MD. This is completely untrue. In fact, it is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Most people dont choose medicine because of the things I listed, and not because they lack confidence. Most pharmacists I know really dont like "physical contact." and this is why they chose the route they did. I am not going to get into a contest with a pre-pharm or p1 but you have a lot to learn.

Are you telling me these people lack confidence?/
http://www.cvspectrum.org/cms/templates/bio.aspx?articleid=14&zoneid=5

http://www.reachmd.com/xmradioguest.aspx?pid=8265

http://www.csmc.edu/12194.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442006_side1

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/inde...nnel=7cc71436e3218010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/health/29conv.html

I would strongly discourage anyone from going to pharmacy school if they know they want to be an MD. Get your bachelors and give yourself time to think about what you really want to do. Pharm school is not easy, and it can be expensive.
 
Granted, most medical schools don't like seeing a health professional switch from another profession to theirs. However, can you really say that you know where someone is coming from until you have been in their shoes?

I think a major part of why people choose pharmacy when what they really want is to be a doctor is confidence. Patients deserve the best care they can get and that you can give as a doctor. If you aren't confident that you can discharge those responsibilities... then you shouldn't be a doctor. However, if you do happen to find yourself and gain that confidence, then by all means become a doctor. Anyway, I would be honored to have someone who has struggled with their inner demons about what they really want than someone who has said all that they wanted to be was a doctor.

**StudentDoctora, I applaud you for your efforts... go for your dreams to become a doctor.

Most medical schools don't care if you were in an allied health care profession as long as you are competitive for medical school. There is nothing "set in stone" in terms of staying in one profession for the rest of your life. I had five professions before medical school (two of them allied health care) and no one cared other than my being able to excel in medical school (no problems there). If pharmacy isn't your thing, then make sure medicine is and that you can convince the medical schools that you apply to of that interest.
 
Most medical schools don't care if you were in an allied health care profession as long as you are competitive for medical school. There is nothing "set in stone" in terms of staying in one profession for the rest of your life. I had five professions before medical school (two of them allied health care) and no one cared other than my being able to excel in medical school (no problems there). If pharmacy isn't your thing, then make sure medicine is and that you can convince the medical schools that you apply to of that interest.

This is the post that should bring this thread to a conclusion. :thumbup: for relevance.
 
This is actually the route I plan on taking. Just know that the route will be a hard one and they will be asking you the question why.
So you plan on doing 15 years of education after highschool?? Why? If you don't have any intention of following pharmacy as a career why take the spot of someone who will stay with it for a career? Why waste hundereds of thousands of dollars and a good part of your life to follow this path? Just insane in my opinion. I would just go straight to MD if that is your final goal. If like mentioned above, if you are in the field and decide it is not for you, fine, change your field. But you are planning to do this. Sorry just makes no sense.
Sorry for the rant.
 
Disagree with what. Your post is all about people going to pharmacy because they lack confidence to be an MD. This is completely untrue. In fact, it is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Most people dont choose medicine because of the things I listed, and not because they lack confidence. Most pharmacists I know really dont like "physical contact." and this is why they chose the route they did. I am not going to get into a contest with a pre-pharm or p1 but you have a lot to learn.

Are you telling me these people lack confidence?/
http://www.cvspectrum.org/cms/templates/bio.aspx?articleid=14&zoneid=5

http://www.reachmd.com/xmradioguest.aspx?pid=8265

http://www.csmc.edu/12194.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442006_side1

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/inde...nnel=7cc71436e3218010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/health/29conv.html

I would strongly discourage anyone from going to pharmacy school if they know they want to be an MD. Get your bachelors and give yourself time to think about what you really want to do. Pharm school is not easy, and it can be expensive.

Please refer to StudentDoctora's post above about his condition. I have not said all pharmacist do not have confidence or that they want to become doctors.
 
So you plan on doing 15 years of education after highschool?? Why? If you don't have any intention of following pharmacy as a career why take the spot of someone who will stay with it for a career? Why waste hundereds of thousands of dollars and a good part of your life to follow this path? Just insane in my opinion. I would just go straight to MD if that is your final goal. If like mentioned above, if you are in the field and decide it is not for you, fine, change your field. But you are planning to do this. Sorry just makes no sense.
Sorry for the rant.

If you go the traditional route for MD its going to be 13 years (2+ extra). As for following through with pharmacy, I might just do that depending on my circumstances. No one knows the future but its never to early to plan. As for the amount spent on education, its actually just as much as I would spend otherwise in undergrad/masters, so there is no lost there to get a solid degree.

I'm looking at clinical pharmacy but I'm not sure if I want to spend my life consulting on meds. Eh, won't know until I do it.
 
Most medical schools don't care if you were in an allied health care profession as long as you are competitive for medical school. There is nothing "set in stone" in terms of staying in one profession for the rest of your life. I had five professions before medical school (two of them allied health care) and no one cared other than my being able to excel in medical school (no problems there). If pharmacy isn't your thing, then make sure medicine is and that you can convince the medical schools that you apply to of that interest.

I think we've had this conversation before on another thread. Thank you for your advice and I agree with you that nothing is set in stone. This whole conversation is something I have had with my advisors throughout the course of my undergrad education.
 
It's a myth that schools will count having another health professions degree against you. I have plenty of classmates from nursing and pharmacy backgrounds. You just need a strong application and good reasons for why you are switching. :luck:
 
Thank you for all of the opinions. :) Do you think that my situation is a good enough reason for wanting to switch? My physical disability was related to when I broke my lower spine and had problems with my sciatic nerve thereafter (very painful condition, couldn't walk for a while, etc.), but I finally got the right combination of medications where my pain is controlled and I feel that I could physically handle being a physician. My heart was never in pharmacy, but I wanted desperately to be a part of the medical field helping patients in any way that I could, so I figured a career in pharmacy would be the most physically feasible option. :(
 
Thank you for all of the opinions. :) Do you think that my situation is a good enough reason for wanting to switch?

Yes, absolutely. Deciding to pursue your true passion will be a good enough reason for most admission committees. Good luck!
 
Thank you for all of the opinions. :) Do you think that my situation is a good enough reason for wanting to switch? My physical disability was related to when I broke my lower spine and had problems with my sciatic nerve thereafter (very painful condition, couldn't walk for a while, etc.), but I finally got the right combination of medications where my pain is controlled and I feel that I could physically handle being a physician. My heart was never in pharmacy, but I wanted desperately to be a part of the medical field helping patients in any way that I could, so I figured a career in pharmacy would be the most physically feasible option. :(

That reason sounds fine to me... A lottt of people are going to be asking you why you want to shift career paths, so just be prepared with a detailed answer like the one above and you should be good.
 
Thank you SO MUCH for all the replies so far! Any additional opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated! :)
 
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