PharmD with MBA vs Residency (or both together)

[mercerpharmacist]

So one school I'm looking at has a PharmD/MBA program, but that program cuts into when residencies are supposed to start (so it goes into the summer after graduating Pharmacy school). I really wanted to do a residency, but the opportunity to get an MBA with only a very minimum time extra is amazing. I'm wondering, which was is superior? A residency or MBA ?

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[PharmDBro2017]

It depends what route you want to go, and you need to factor in the extra loans/debt from the MBA program you'd need in addition to your PharmD. Is it worth it (in terms of debt/interest rates)?

That said, I think neither (MBA/residency) is absolutely necessary.

Getting a good pharmacy education and being able to apply it in the real world (get work experience and work during pharmacy school), will land you a pharmacy manager spot straight out of school or a clinical pharmacist job without a MBA or residency. I know many new grads that are hired in retail settings as the PIC right out of school (simply because the older/wiser folks know better and don't want it, so its available to new grads... and they usually handle the job well). Hospital jobs are much less frequently encountered, but they are out there.

 

[Monsterdaddy]

That MBA is worthless. A good MBA program would require you to have several years of working experience so you would actually know what to do with the knowledge you gain.