Pre-Pharm to Pre-Med?

[tendram]

Not sure if I put this in the right place but if a mod can move it for me if it isn't I'd appreciate it.

Anyways, I'm a little over half way through my pre-pharm right now and after being on the boards for a while I have become very interested in the MD and DO section of the boards (usually browse these instead of the pre-pharm, just find it a bit more interesting). I work in a pharmacy as a tech and love the pharmacy and the whole aspect of it but I want to do something more than just telling people what to take, how to take it, etc... I really want to be involved somwhat in the process. I'm hoping to talk to an MD sometime soon to see if I would actually like going into this field. As for asking about my chances, well I know they're not even going to consider me with my GPA or anything that I have but right now I'm just looking for some advice, maybe from someone who has been in the same boat just so I might have something to work towards. Any advice is appreciated.

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[camaras2480]

Not sure if I put this in the right place but if a mod can move it for me if it isn't I'd appreciate it.

Anyways, I'm a little over half way through my pre-pharm right now and after being on the boards for a while I have become very interested in the MD and DO section of the boards (usually browse these instead of the pre-pharm, just find it a bit more interesting). I work in a pharmacy as a tech and love the pharmacy and the whole aspect of it but I want to do something more than just telling people what to take, how to take it, etc... I really want to be involved somwhat in the process. I'm hoping to talk to an MD sometime soon to see if I would actually like going into this field. As for asking about my chances, well I know they're not even going to consider me with my GPA or anything that I have but right now I'm just looking for some advice, maybe from someone who has been in the same boat just so I might have something to work towards. Any advice is appreciated.

What is your GPA? Overall and science?

You will need to work towards clinical shadowing and clinical volunteering. If possible, research, but the clinical stuff first. Also, look into non-clinical volunteering.

Leadership activities (which you may already have) also count a lot.

Then there is the MCAT, which we can comment on when we know your GPA. Also, with your GPA, we can suggest looking into MD, DO, or both.

 

[danny317]

well, i think youll get more insight from speaking with practicing doctors and pharmacists. ask them why they chose their respective fields and why did they not choose to go into other health fields, etc.

as far as your chances of getting into med school, youre very sparse on details so i cant comment.

good luck!

 

[Stratego]

Your time as a pharmacy tech could help you in the med school application process if you do any patient counseling/education. Regardless, it's a good job to list. You'd still need additional clinical experience and physician shadowing.

In making your decision, also consider the years of ecucation before making a decent salary, debt, malpractice, work hours, and impact on family life.

 

[tendram]

To answer the questions about GPA and stuff:

Cumulative GPA= 2.79

And as for dividing it up into the different categories, well I haven't done that yet but I'm assuming my science GPA is >3.0 since I have never made a C in a science class and most were B+'s and A-'s. I know I've got a way to go with my current GPA and I'm shooting for all A's this next few semesters which will hopefully bring it up considerably. And right now I am still on track class wise for pharmacy but I'm sure I will need a couple more classes for pre-med if I choose to go that route so that should bring my GPA up somewhat as well.

And right now I'm around pharmacists almost every single day and I talk to them about the career often. Of course I work in retail so there's only so much info they can give me regarding the other sections of pharmacy, but they help me where they can. Like I said, I'm hoping to talk to an MD soon that might be able to help me out deciding. I would like to shadow him but I'm not exactly how well that would go with him examining pt's and stuff.

Thanks for all the advice so far

 

[camaras2480]

To answer the questions about GPA and stuff:

Cumulative GPA= 2.79

And as for dividing it up into the different categories, well I haven't done that yet but I'm assuming my science GPA is >3.0 since I have never made a C in a science class and most were B+'s and A-'s. I know I've got a way to go with my current GPA and I'm shooting for all A's this next few semesters which will hopefully bring it up considerably. And right now I am still on track class wise for pharmacy but I'm sure I will need a couple more classes for pre-med if I choose to go that route so that should bring my GPA up somewhat as well.

And right now I'm around pharmacists almost every single day and I talk to them about the career often. Of course I work in retail so there's only so much info they can give me regarding the other sections of pharmacy, but they help me where they can. Like I said, I'm hoping to talk to an MD soon that might be able to help me out deciding. I would like to shadow him but I'm not exactly how well that would go with him examining pt's and stuff.

Thanks for all the advice so far

Yeah 2.79 is obviously low. With this upcoming year of classes, at 4.0, that should pull you pretty close to 3.0 overall though, no?

At that point, you would be looking into SMP programs, which is the best way to "compensate" for a low undergrad GPA.

 

[tendram]

Yeah 2.79 is obviously low. With this upcoming year of classes, at 4.0, that should pull you pretty close to 3.0 overall though, no?

At that point, you would be looking into SMP programs, which is the best way to "compensate" for a low undergrad GPA.

Yeah all A's this time around should bring me up to a mid 3.0 or around there, or so I hope.

 

[camaras2480]

Yeah all A's this time around should bring me up to a mid 3.0 or around there, or so I hope.

Good. Once you are above 3.0, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting into an SMP. Or any other Postbac for that matter, though I recommend SMP if you are shooting at MD schools.

 

[tendram]

Good. Once you are above 3.0, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting into an SMP. Or any other Postbac for that matter, though I recommend SMP if you are shooting at MD schools.

Just curious, what is SMP? Never heard of it.

 

[camaras2480]

Just curious, what is SMP? Never heard of it.

SMP = Special Masters Program. Georgetown and Boston University are generally considered to have the best/most established programs. There are threads here on SDN about them - check them out. I know the most recent BU one is titled BU MAMS 2009.

The general SMP student at BU/Georgetown has a uGPA of like 3.0-3.4, an MCAT of ~30, and most of their ECs complete. Note that many SMPs accept GREs as well.

Generally, a candidate with a uGPA of ~3.2, an SMP GPA of 3.5+, and MCAT of 32, decent ECs, and strong LORs is almost sure to get in to low tier school, and have a respectable shot at mid tiers. Also, SMP candidates do get into top tiers every year as well, they just have above average ECs, and an MCAT more like 35-37.

 

[jal06c]

i switched from pre-pharm to pre-med last august so i know what your going through. i had a full year to get in clinical experiences before the application process. i dont know what year your in though. so i would say focus on getting really good EC's from here on out. and if you can bring up your gpa in the next year or two ... they love to see an upward trend.

as for classes, you'll need to take physics if you haven't already. o.chem, gen chem, and bio you should have taken for pre-pharm anyways. those are the four main classes required for med schools. specific med schools require different classes, biochem, genetics, psych are the most common additional classes recommended or required.

i shawdowed a variety of pharmacists while pre-pharm, which was what turned me away from the career. its a great career dont get me wrong, just not for everyone. i would definitely recommend shadowing some doctors while remaining a pharmacy tech if you have enough time until you make a decision. good luck!