Prepharm Vs. PA Vs. Premed

[justwondering18]

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Im currently a senior premed student seriously thinking of switching to prepharm or PA. I really enjoy the healthcare field and I enjoy working with patients as well, my main reason for wanting to switch is the timeline of med vs. prepharm or pa. The additional years of residency working 80+ hours a week while making minimum wage seems not only stressful but also not very "life friendly". I really prioritize having a family and having a life outside of medicine and I don't know if it'd be possible if I went down the medical school route. I've volunteered at a hospital for 400 hours and I've had the chance to talk to med students and residents and they all seem very stressed out. They have told me that it is a huge commitment and for the most part, unless you are absolutely willing to make that commitment, they wouldn't recommend it.

I am now seriously considering pharmacy because I do like that you can still work with patients and counsel them and I also think the material is somewhat interesting. I'm just worried about some of the downsides you often hear, such as "pill pushing jobs" etc. Anyt houghts?

On the other hand PA, while less autonomous and less respected allows for more direct patient interaction on a diagnostic level which was what generally drew me to medicine ( I was interested in peds or family med).


How do you guys see the pros and cons of each of these three? If you are currently in any of these professions or in school to be, what drew you to that specific profession? Thanks so much for any input.

 

[Parklife]

🙄

 

[474671]

Im currently a senior premed student seriously thinking of switching to prepharm or PA. I really enjoy the healthcare field and I enjoy working with patients as well, my main reason for wanting to switch is the timeline of med vs. prepharm or pa. The additional years of residency working 80+ hours a week while making minimum wage seems not only stressful but also not very "life friendly". I really prioritize having a family and having a life outside of medicine and I don't know if it'd be possible if I went down the medical school route. I've volunteered at a hospital for 400 hours and I've had the chance to talk to med students and residents and they all seem very stressed out. They have told me that it is a huge commitment and for the most part, unless you are absolutely willing to make that commitment, they wouldn't recommend it.

I am now seriously considering pharmacy because I do like that you can still work with patients and counsel them and I also think the material is somewhat interesting. I'm just worried about some of the downsides you often hear, such as "pill pushing jobs" etc. Anyt houghts?

On the other hand PA, while less autonomous and less respected allows for more direct patient interaction on a diagnostic level which was what generally drew me to medicine ( I was interested in peds or family med).


How do you guys see the pros and cons of each of these three? If you are currently in any of these professions or in school to be, what drew you to that specific profession? Thanks so much for any input.

If your interest lies primarily in patient care, I would say PA is a nice gig, and the least time consuming. I wouldn't go into pharmacy unless you really loved it and knew a lot about the profession- there are too many people going into pharmacy that don't have the passion or drive for it. That said, have you considered something like an Anesthesiologist Assistant? They make a high starting salary, that increases decently with time.

 

[gh0lee]

If your interest lies primarily in patient care, I would say PA is a nice gig, and the least time consuming. I wouldn't go into pharmacy unless you really loved it and knew a lot about the profession- there are too many people going into pharmacy that don't have the passion or drive for it. That said, have you considered something like an Anesthesiologist Assistant? They make a high starting salary, that increases decently with time.

She's driving you away from pharmacy so one less competition!

Sarcasm intended.

 

[474671]

hey hey! Not true. I just don't like people going blindly into the field without a focus. Don't do pharmacy or any other job for that matter for the money, "ease", or "job stability". (not saying that's what the OP is saying, but they seem to have more interest in direct patient care.)

 

[justwondering18]

I don't think I'd be interested in Anesthesiology. I'm not interested in Surgery or being in the operating room for the most part. Also they are not licensed in California which is where I hope to work in the future. Thanks for the recommendation though! And pharm school as an option isn't entirely for just those reasons although they do play a factor. I do think it would allow me to still work with patients such as through patient counseling, working in a hospital with a team of physicians, or other clinical pharmacy options. I've looked into it and found out there are options that aren't simply working at a CVS or Ralph's which is what has made me reconsider it 🙂

 

[474671]

I don't think I'd be interested in Anesthesiology. I'm not interested in Surgery or being in the operating room for the most part. Also they are not licensed in California which is where I hope to work in the future. Thanks for the recommendation though! And pharm school as an option isn't entirely for just those reasons although they do play a factor. I do think it would allow me to still work with patients such as through patient counseling, working in a hospital with a team of physicians, or other clinical pharmacy options. I've looked into it and found out there are options that aren't simply working at a CVS or Ralph's which is what has made me reconsider it 🙂

There are tons of options in pharmacy. The thing with clinical pharmacy is it's not very easy to find a job. Other than the time factor, what's dissuading you from medicine?

 

[justwondering18]

It's a combination of the time, the debt, and the stress/hours. I'm not sure if I could handle extra years of residency and fellowship and never getting any sleep. I also want to have a family at some point and that is really difficult to do when you're working 80 hour weeks. Every med student and resident I've met seems to have said something along the lines of "If there's absolutely nothing else you want to do then stick with med. If there is, then go with that instead". Not the most encouraging advice either when I'm already hesitant I guess. Mostly it comes down to having a life outside of medicine I guess.

 

[30Percent]

You also should check with the PA programs. Usually they require 1000 hrs of "health care experience" before you can apply. You need to check with the programs to see if your volunteering at the hospital will count.

 

[Kwiz]

PAs are too disposable if your concerned about the future. Let's say the whole "behind the counter" aka whatever u wanna call it goes through by the 2015 goal and some basic rx meds such as a -statin drug and idk let's say Metformin or a beta blocker start being given in the proposed/borderline over the counter fashion. Physicians lose some PTs, and some money and bye bye PAs. That's a lot of ifs, and not necessarily likely. So here's my real advice:

Go for what you'll like the most, and if you're better than most of your classmates/colleagues than you'll always have a job.

 

[oliviaalta123]

Im currently a senior premed student seriously thinking of switching to prepharm or PA. I really enjoy the healthcare field and I enjoy working with patients as well, my main reason for wanting to switch is the timeline of med vs. prepharm or pa. The additional years of residency working 80+ hours a week while making minimum wage seems not only stressful but also not very "life friendly". I really prioritize having a family and having a life outside of medicine and I don't know if it'd be possible if I went down the medical school route. I've volunteered at a hospital for 400 hours and I've had the chance to talk to med students and residents and they all seem very stressed out. They have told me that it is a huge commitment and for the most part, unless you are absolutely willing to make that commitment, they wouldn't recommend it.

I am now seriously considering pharmacy because I do like that you can still work with patients and counsel them and I also think the material is somewhat interesting. I'm just worried about some of the downsides you often hear, such as "pill pushing jobs" etc. Anyt houghts?

On the other hand PA, while less autonomous and less respected allows for more direct patient interaction on a diagnostic level which was what generally drew me to medicine ( I was interested in peds or family med).


How do you guys see the pros and cons of each of these three? If you are currently in any of these professions or in school to be, what drew you to that specific profession? Thanks so much for any input.

I am currently in a doctorate of pharmacy degree program. Both my parents are doctors, my mother is a pediatrician and my father is an ER doc. I felt the health care field was natural for me but I didn't want to become a doctor necessarily. Becoming a doctor, in my opinion, would take too much time and stress out of my life. My mother did 8 years at UVA to get her MD and 3 years of residency. She said residency was so stressful and she barely made any money. Although it did pay off, she makes over 250k a year and my dad much more than that. I am deff interested in making money but I did not want to spend so many years in order to do so so I went into pharmacy. There are some pharmD programs that only require you to do 6 years instead of 8. The course load is a lot, but its not overwhelming in my opinion. The average salary of a retail pharmacist is 115k a year +. If you go into nuclear pharmacy, you can make 200k+. You can make even more if you become the pharmacy manager at a retail location. In my opinion, 115,000 a year for completing a 6 year degree isn't bad. Pharmacy is a growing field and there is always a promise of a job in this career, just like becoming a doctor. I believe it is a lot less stressful and almost as rewarding. I would recommend pharmacy school because it requires less of your time and it is still great pay. Also, certain types of pharmacist are still interactive with patients. You can specialize in pharmacy counseling where you counsel patients on their medication. Also some pharmacist give flu shots and are practicing immunization. The pharmacy field is becoming more and more interactive with patients. Good luck.