Retry pharmacy?

[HighlandMinority]

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Hey guys, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and have been pondering the though of getting back into pharmacy school to finish a pharmD to supplement my current degree/practice.

Here's my situation: A while back right after graduating with my bachelors, I had enrolled in a top 5 pharmacy school (received my bachelors from same university too) and due to a lot of personal issues, I sunk into a massive depression and failed out of pharmacy school for academic reasons. For two years, I withdrew into a massive depressive phase, but with help and family support, pulled myself out of my depression and decided to enroll into an accelerated BSN program, worked and attend a DNP (all from the same university with the same pharmacy school I had failed from). My original Bachelors (Biology) and 2nd Bachelors (Nursing) GPA are all decent >3.5., was on full scholarship as an undergraduate due to grades and URM status. I am now a psych NP (DNP degree), also attended with full scholarship and would like to supplement my pharmaceutical knowledge through a formal pharmD program or something more. I also feel like, going back to finish a pharmD degree would bring about closure to something that has always been weighing on my mind. I have done all of my education at this state university and the chances of being readmitted to the pharmD program is probably zero, but there might be a program out there who may give me a 2nd chance?

How beneficial do you guys think having a pharmD, DNP is to being a psycho-pharmacologist/practitioner? Or should I go to DO/MD school and become a psychiatrist? I'm currently in my early 30's, single, make about 66 dollars an hour with full benefit as a Psych NP with only minimal loans.

HighlandMinority

 

[blackwolf2000]

Stay where you are. You won't do much better as a pharmacist and will incur massive loans unless you can pay for some/all of your pharmacy school tuition. You can read through this forum or go on /r/pharmacy on Reddit and read about the present and future of pharmacy. Salaries dropping, mergers, lay-offs, and ever increasing supply of pharmacists. At my hospital we had lay-offs and I took a $15,000 paycut. If you want something else then the psychiatrist route would be a better option. Good luck.

 

[y0ssarian87]

Hey guys, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and have been pondering the though of getting back into pharmacy school to finish a pharmD to supplement my current degree/practice.

Here's my situation: A while back right after graduating with my bachelors, I had enrolled in a top 5 pharmacy school (received my bachelors from same university too) and due to a lot of personal issues, I sunk into a massive depression and failed out of pharmacy school for academic reasons. For two years, I withdrew into a massive depressive phase, but with help and family support, pulled myself out of my depression and decided to enroll into an accelerated BSN program, worked and attend a DNP (all from the same university with the same pharmacy school I had failed from). My original Bachelors (Biology) and 2nd Bachelors (Nursing) GPA are all decent >3.5., was on full scholarship as an undergraduate due to grades and URM status. I am now a psych NP (DNP degree), also attended with full scholarship and would like to supplement my pharmaceutical knowledge through a formal pharmD program or something more. I also feel like, going back to finish a pharmD degree would bring about closure to something that has always been weighing on my mind. I have done all of my education at this state university and the chances of being readmitted to the pharmD program is probably zero, but there might be a program out there who may give me a 2nd chance?

How beneficial do you guys think having a pharmD, DNP is to being a psycho-pharmacologist/practitioner? Or should I go to DO/MD school and become a psychiatrist? I'm currently in my early 30's, single, make about 66 dollars an hour with full benefit as a Psych NP with only minimal loans.

HighlandMinority

Personally, I would just simply stay where you are. Why take on mountains of debt and so much more time when you are in a great place? If you're extremely unhappy with your job, that's another issue, but doing a PharmD simply because you feel like it's unfinished is not smart and won't get you anywhere. I would try to get to a place where you can accept that you didn't finish that degree and just look forward. No what ifs.

I had a similar experience. I started a degree in engineering in undergrad. I'm probably one full year away from finishing the requirements, and there are days when I think about finishing that up. Then I remember, that doesn't get me closer to where I want to be, and I don't want to take out additional loans for a BS in engineering. It just doesn't make sense going forward. I have to remind myself of that when I get that feeling of finishing up something I started.

Also try to consider the future market for PharmDs. Things have changed since you were in school.

If you want additional psychopharmacology education, I think Stahl (as in the author of the textbook) offers a program that helps give additional education.

 

[HighlandMinority]

Thanks guys. There's always this yearning to want to finish something that I had started. Stahl was one of the books we utilized in my psycho-pharm course, so I am familiar with it. I think maybe I will practice for a year or two and rethink where I want to be again.

HighlandMinority

 

[y0ssarian87]

Thanks guys. There's always this yearning to want to finish something that I had started. Stahl was one of the books we utilized in my psycho-pharm course, so I am familiar with it. I think maybe I will practice for a year or two and rethink where I want to be again.

HighlandMinority

Wishing you the best going forward!

 

[PAtoPharm]

Stay where you are. You won't do much better as a pharmacist and will incur massive loans unless you can pay for some/all of your pharmacy school tuition. You can read through this forum or go on /r/pharmacy on Reddit and read about the present and future of pharmacy. Salaries dropping, mergers, lay-offs, and ever increasing supply of pharmacists. At my hospital we had lay-offs and I took a $15,000 paycut. If you want something else then the psychiatrist route would be a better option. Good luck.

Just out of curiosity, can I ask what state you're in (or at least what part of the country)?

 

[HighlandMinority]

Think Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan 🙂. I'm from there.

HighlandMinority

 

[genesis09]

In Wisconsin, it is very easy for psych NPs to find a job anywhere. There is a huge shortage of psychiatrists.

 

[BMBiology]

You are already making $66 an hour plus full benefits? We should be asking you how to become a psych NP!

 

[steveysmith54]

If I were you, I would stay put. That being said, I am not you.... It costs 200K to 300K to get through pharm school. lets just say 250k for the sake of estimation. plus your opportunity cost is roughly 450K to 500K (money you would have earned working as a NP). So, by completing your pharm.d., you are giving up to 800K... Obviously, this is a very gross estimate, taxes and other things not factored in. Unless you absolutely despise being a NP, I wouldn't do it.

 

[YF786]

Hey guys, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and have been pondering the though of getting back into pharmacy school to finish a pharmD to supplement my current degree/practice.

Here's my situation: A while back right after graduating with my bachelors, I had enrolled in a top 5 pharmacy school (received my bachelors from same university too) and due to a lot of personal issues, I sunk into a massive depression and failed out of pharmacy school for academic reasons. For two years, I withdrew into a massive depressive phase, but with help and family support, pulled myself out of my depression and decided to enroll into an accelerated BSN program, worked and attend a DNP (all from the same university with the same pharmacy school I had failed from). My original Bachelors (Biology) and 2nd Bachelors (Nursing) GPA are all decent >3.5., was on full scholarship as an undergraduate due to grades and URM status. I am now a psych NP (DNP degree), also attended with full scholarship and would like to supplement my pharmaceutical knowledge through a formal pharmD program or something more. I also feel like, going back to finish a pharmD degree would bring about closure to something that has always been weighing on my mind. I have done all of my education at this state university and the chances of being readmitted to the pharmD program is probably zero, but there might be a program out there who may give me a 2nd chance?

How beneficial do you guys think having a pharmD, DNP is to being a psycho-pharmacologist/practitioner? Or should I go to DO/MD school and become a psychiatrist? I'm currently in my early 30's, single, make about 66 dollars an hour with full benefit as a Psych NP with only minimal loans.

HighlandMinority

I wouldn't suggest going back at all! Be proud of all that you have achieved so far, it's really great. Going to pharmacy school today will not help at all except the massive burden of loans.

 

[HighlandMinority]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the responses. Will keep on trucking as an NP for now.

HighlandMinority

 

[gwarm01]

Yeah, you make a hell of a lot more than I do as a clinical pharmacist. I would just take up some reading to fill in any gaps in knowledge you feel you have. I understand the feeling of wanting to complete the degree, as I was accepted into pharmacy school with only a year left of a double undergraduate degree (bio/chem), but hell, I already have the job I was taking those classes for.