PharmD to Medical School
Started by RxConfused
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Yep more common then you think. I will be starting in the summer right after P4.
If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to switch to medicine?
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Did not find pharmacy intellectually stimulating, wanted more patient interaction, wanted to expand my knowledge base.
Ya I feel the same way. Are you planning on working as a pharmacist part time to help pay for med school?
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The financial issues are a whole different story 😛. I was hoping to but I'm planning to attend the university of Pittsburgh if I get some sort of scholarship to make it more comparable to my state school. I am however not eligible for PA licensure. I might seek WV licensure though but I will most likely wait a semester to see if I have time to pick up shifts.
Thats a really good school! Congrats! Hope the financial stuff works out for you
P4 here. I've been accepted to two schools, but I'm not sure I will end up attending. My sole area of interest is primary care...nothing else that I've seen really does it for me. So, I'm debating the financial burden I will resign myself to, the seven years I'll lose, and the lack of significant gains from a salary standpoint. For us, it's a lot different, because we're not looking at minimum wage with a biology degree as our alternative to going to med school. It makes you seriously evaluate why you want to go and what you hope to gain from the experience.
🙁🙁 (<---This is how I've felt for the past two months as I've been hashing this out in my mind). Best of luck with your interest, though! I think if you're interested in higher-paying specialties, it could definitely be worth the transition.
I'm a P3 right now strongly considering medical school and pursuing oncology. I bought some MCAT study materials and registered to take the May MCAT, pending that score result I'll either apply to DO schools.
P4 here. I've been accepted to two schools, but I'm not sure I will end up attending. My sole area of interest is primary care...nothing else that I've seen really does it for me. So, I'm debating the financial burden I will resign myself to, the seven years I'll lose, and the lack of significant gains from a salary standpoint. For us, it's a lot different, because we're not looking at minimum wage with a biology degree as our alternative to going to med school. It makes you seriously evaluate why you want to go and what you hope to gain from the experience.
Thank you for your input! I have actually decided not to apply for the same reasons that you have mentioned. Also, I don't know whether you did your Pharm.D. in 6 yrs or 8 yrs, but I'm in a 6 yr program, which means I need to complete my bachelor's degree and additional pre-med coursework before I apply. So it will be another 6 yrs before I'll graduate from med school, plus at least 3 or 4 more yrs for residency. So I've decided that the financial burden wouldn't be worth it for another 10+ yrs. You make a good point that we're not looking at a salary with a biology degree as an alternative. Good luck with your decision!
I'm sure you've probably already heard of this but the MCAT is changing a lot starting this year. Just giving you a heads up that the results of the score are also different and not what they used to be. Are you only thinking of applying to DO schools and not MD schools?
Right now I'm mainly looking at DO schools partially due to liking the DO philosophy but also because I feel I'd be more competitive there. I'll apply to MD schools, but realistically as a non-trad who didn't have a 3.8 ugrad GPA I don't predict to get in.
I've been looking into the MCAT since last year and brushed up on some of the changes and bought some 2015 study materials that contain review info for new sections. Fortunately I've taken stats courses, phych and others in undergrad as well as all the pre-reqs for med school.
Yup im a pharmacist since 2010 and thinking about going to med school. Actually, ive been thinking about going to med school since I was in pharmacy school but decided to complete school in order to get a job so that I can get a green card (see much easier to get entry into US med school as a resident vs international). Got my green card late 2013 and now getting ready to do mcat prep.
Having a great salary ofcourse makes it much more difficult to make this move, especially now that ive become used to the >100k i bring in. However I find that even as a clinical pharmacist in a large academic center, I keep on wanting to do more for my patients, and honestly, that I dont have the medical knowledge sometimes that md training will provide. Anyhow, just wanted to let you know...theres quite a few of us pharmd who want to make the switch. I did work with a night pharmacist who ended up going to med school and one that did the mcats and later said "screw it - my time with my family is more important to me". Its a tough choice and im glad you have decided on what you think is best for you.
I have been a pharmacist for ten years and I'm currently in my second semester of medical school (my school starts in the summer). I will echo mik30102 regarding my reasons for the switch. I think it's a common feeling among pharmacists. I have no regrets whatsoever about the switch. Feel free to pm me with any questions if you'd like.
P4 here. I've been accepted to two schools, but I'm not sure I will end up attending. My sole area of interest is primary care...nothing else that I've seen really does it for me. So, I'm debating the financial burden I will resign myself to, the seven years I'll lose, and the lack of significant gains from a salary standpoint. For us, it's a lot different, because we're not looking at minimum wage with a biology degree as our alternative to going to med school. It makes you seriously evaluate why you want to go and what you hope to gain from the experience.
Ouch. Unless you got rich parents or won the lottery, going from undergrad to P1 thru P4 then immediately med school and specialize in primary care is akin to financial torture to put it lightly.
Pharm.D., R.Ph. of 6+ years, also pharmacist preceptor here.
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Totally concur. Get some savings to pay tuition, come outta med school relatively debt free, so you wouldn't have to compete for super hot specialties just to pay off your student debt, and less debt makes primary care much more realistic.
Personally I think after practicing pharmacy for a while will make you a much better physician down the road.
I've had some time to rethink my decision and I've decided to go for it. Life is too short to live with regrets. Thanks for all of your help and input!
