Pre-Med vs. Pharmacy

[Gkw07001]

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I'm a freshman in an undergraduate program right now. My plan when I applied was to be pre-med and to decide later exactly which type of physician I wanted to become. However, I have become interested in the Pharmacy program at my school which is a 6 year PharmD. program. I do not need to make any immediate decisions but I would need to apply for the Pharmacy school at the end of my next semester if that is the route I chose. I've been going back and forth and would really appreciate any outside opinions. If you are pre- med or pre-pharmacy, what made you pick your field of study? what are the good things and the bad things about the profession? maybe you could show me something that I'm not seeing. Thank you!

 

[DoctorDeMan]

Try to get experience with both professions. Shadow a pharmacist and then a physician, see which you like better. You could also work as a pharmacy tech it as a longer-term view of the profession. You could volunteer in your local hospital as well to see if you like being around sick people.

Pharmacy schools, as with medical schools, want to see that you know what you're getting yourself into. Shadowing is a good way to do this, but volunteering at a hospital or working as a pharmacy tech, both for several months will result in a more complete experience.

 

[mtnman12]

I agree with the above post, shadowing is probably the only way to know for sure. Also, think about the lifestyles because pharmacy is probably one of the best health care professions as far as wage/time spent. Plus you can do residencies in pharmacy school after you graduate and specialize.

Just in my case - if I could start undergrad ALL over I would for sure do pharmacy school after my soph year because I would be almost done by now! But I wasn't sure what I wanted to do until this year, so I was looking at 4 more years of pharmacy or 4 of med. Probably not a big deal, but if you think you will enjoy pharm then why not?

Really - do some shadowing.

 

[rx515]

As with the above poster, I recommend shadowing members of both professions. I am one of the those PharmD to MD guys and I really don't recommend that route. I did a 6 year program and didnt really know enough about pharmacy before I started. Don't do pharmacy just because is less of a time commitment now. Think about what your long-term goals are. If you are someone that needs autonomy and wants to give more comprehensive care then maybe pharmacy isn't for you. (Some of the reasons why it wasnt for me.) On the other hand, as a pharmacist, you will make great money, have lots of patient interaction, and be a valuable member of the team. You can also get involved in clinical pharmacy. But, remember there is a more limited scope of practice. If you can deal with that then it may be an option for you.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

If you're really undecided about what health profession to do and are willing to check into the different ones, I'd think about looking into dentistry as well. They are probably more respected than pharm's and have more autonomy in their work. The pay is probably better than pharm, but not quite up to par with MD's on average. But in any case, I say be an physician!

 

[Van Chowder]

I agree with the above post, shadowing is probably the only way to know for sure. Also, think about the lifestyles because pharmacy is probably one of the best health care professions as far as wage/time spent. Plus you can do residencies in pharmacy school after you graduate and specialize.

Just in my case - if I could start undergrad ALL over I would for sure do pharmacy school after my soph year because I would be almost done by now! But I wasn't sure what I wanted to do until this year, so I was looking at 4 more years of pharmacy or 4 of med. Probably not a big deal, but if you think you will enjoy pharm then why not?

Really - do some shadowing.

You say that liuke there arent 6 year MEdschool programs, so is there somehting ELSE thats detering you?

 

[MuscleCrunch]

I'm a freshman in an undergraduate program right now. My plan when I applied was to be pre-med and to decide later exactly which type of physician I wanted to become. However, I have become interested in the Pharmacy program at my school which is a 6 year PharmD. program. I do not need to make any immediate decisions but I would need to apply for the Pharmacy school at the end of my next semester if that is the route I chose. I've been going back and forth and would really appreciate any outside opinions. If you are pre- med or pre-pharmacy, what made you pick your field of study? what are the good things and the bad things about the profession? maybe you could show me something that I'm not seeing. Thank you!

I had the same dilemma few years back. What really made my decision easier was working in a very busy retail pharmacy. Seeing people yell at the pharmacists as if they were a piece of dirt made my choice clear. I'm not saying that being a doctor will be much easier, but hopefully nobody will spit in your face. My experience is subjective though, some pharmacists may tell you that they love their job, but they are most likely not retail pharmacists.