Pre-Med Interested in Pharmacy

[dystorsion]

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Hi! I am going to be a pre-med student with solid reasons of why I want to pursue medicine. However, pharmacy also interests me greatly, and I would definitely consider a career as a pharmacist if I do not get into medical school. (Please feel no offense as I am not saying/implying that medicine is superior to pharmacy. I have come to the conclusion that I would like to pursue a health profession, and after thorough research/experience, medicine and pharmacy are my top two choices.)
As a pre-med student, how can I keep my doors open to pharmacy school? Although I plan to research the topic more, how do the course requirements vary, if at all? How about extracurricular activities? I would expect many of my extracurricular activities to be geared towards medicine. Would that be harmful in my application to pharmacy schools? Is there anything else I need to know?
Thanks.

 

[DoctorRx1986]

Prerequisites for pharmacy and medical school are practically the same with a few exceptions. Two semesters each of general biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics are standard. Additionally, most pharmacy schools will also require one or two courses in anatomy and physiology. In contrast, medical schools do not require AP, and in fact, they discourage students from taking it. Furthermore, unlike medical schools that require two semesters of physics, NOT ALL pharmacy schools require both semesters and some don't even require physics at all. The norm though is two semesters of physics. I did not have to take physics to get into pharmacy school and was accepted last month. As for standardized testing, you will have to take the PCAT, which is approximately 5 hours in length, to assess your knowledge of general biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative ability, reading comprehension, verbal abilities, and two writing sections, one of which is experimental and not scored. This test will cost you $125, so it is less expensive than the MCAT. On the other hand, the MCAT is generally regarded as more difficult and requires more critical thinking and application of the material to unknown of or unusual circumstances. In terms of competitive grades, you are doing well if your gpa is around a 3.5-3.6, though as I'm sure you know, the higher your gpa, the better. Any other questions, pm me.

 

[Weekender]

Also, med schools usually don't require calculus (its recommended) but pharmacy schools do. Some schools also have specific course requirements of their own...usually public speaking (intro speech) and an economics course, but check with each school website. I don't think med school extracurriculars would harm you as long as you have some solid experience in the pharmacy field...good luck with everything!

 

[CCdarling]

I would say most of the pharmacy schools do require physics, at least the ones in CA do. Also, I'm not sure where you're located, but certain pharmacy schools and all CA schools do not require PCATs. Like what was stated above, I don't think the ECs geared towards med will hurt you at all. BUT make sure you have experience working in a pharmacy as well. Besides you will need a LOR from a pharmacist 🙂

 

[jessica525]

I was in the same boat as you!!! I realized pharmacy is what I wanted to do!!