RN or Pharmacy.. I need help..!

[smile1010]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I recently graduated college with BS in biology.
I knew that job market for college graduates is not good,
but honestly, I think it is tougher than I expected.
I searched online for entry level biology jobs for several days,
and I felt like I'm going nowhere with my job search.
I know that I'm not a "lab-person", and
I just couldn't see myself working as lab tech for rest of my life.

Then, I started searching for advanced degrees that I can pursue,
and RN and pharmacist were the two jobs that I wanted to look more into.
I contacted community college near my home, and found out that they have
RN degree curriculum. If I follow that route, I will be able to become a RN in about 3 years
.
I also thought about taking pre-pharmacy courses, and eventually
applying to pharmacy schools.
While I was in college,I stumbled on some of the science courses,
(this is my biggest regret at this moment..) and so I have to raise my gpa, and finish taking all the pre-pharmacy courses.
This will take me about 3 years also.

I know that RN and pharmacist are the two totally different (but related) jobs.
(RN is more hand-on, and patient contact involved then pharmacist etc..)
What "worries" me the most at this moment is the "course work and the job itself"
To become a RN, or to enter pharmacy school, It is both going to take about 3 years.
However, if I follow "RN route" I can be almost sure that I will be a RN after 3 years.
On the other hand, if I choose to work my way for pharmacy school,
I might be able to apply for pharmacy school, but it is not guaranteed that I will get in.

I like both professions almost equally,
but I'm leaning slightly more towards pharmacy school.
Putting the working condition and job nature aside just for now,
what would be the better choice for me?

I'm not saying I want to be a pharmacist or RN simply because
I'm struggling to find a job at the moment.
I have interest in both fields, but I just can't decide what would be the better choice for me.

It is bitter to find out that I can't really do much things with my college degree,
but I want to stop worrying, and start acting.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! 🙂

 

[Travex]

Putting the working condition and job nature aside just for now, what would be the better choice for me?

Those are pretty much the most important things, I'm not sure why you would put them aside while deciding... Anyway, shadow both and see what you like better maybe. Other than that, pharmacy job market is tanking hard. More schools are opening every year with not many new jobs being created. It will only be worse by the time you graduate unless something big (legislature) happens. Almost no jobs in places like California, FL, Chicago, etc. If you live in a rural area (or would be okay moving to one) it might be less of an issue.

Not sure about RN job market and it might be a grass is greener on the other side issue but... their profession is advancing in a positive direction. A lot of possibility for job advancement if you get additional schooling for advanced practice. NPs are getting independent practice rights in many states. Same with CRNAs. APRN salary is comparable with RPh and it would only take you ~5 years instead of 7. Or if you are okay with just RN then that's only 3 years. A much better investment I would say.

Logistics aside... if you don't enjoy what you are doing then you will be miserable for the rest of your life. So that should always be priority #1. Going back to what I said before, try to shadow both and see what you like better.

 

[RN2RPh]

I've seen many RNs (including me), who switch career to pharmacy, but I've NEVER seen the opposite !!!

Advance nursing practice (NP, CRNA) sucks !! Why? Because NP/CRNA will always compete against MD & PA (Physician Assistant). And guess what? The MD always favors the PA.

If you are good at science (science GPA is above 3.5) then go for Pharmacy. If not, go for RN (because the core of nursing practice is "common sense" not "science"). You don't have to be good at science in order to be a good RN.

Nursing school is maybe easier to get in, but it is not easy to become an RN. Besides, most NP/CRNA programs require a few years of full-time working experience to apply.

Job market: it will be hard for both RN & RPh to get their first job. It all depends on your networking ability.

 

[Jibby321]

I recently graduated college with BS in biology.
I knew that job market for college graduates is not good,
but honestly, I think it is tougher than I expected.
I searched online for entry level biology jobs for several days,
and I felt like I'm going nowhere with my job search.
I know that I'm not a "lab-person", and
I just couldn't see myself working as lab tech for rest of my life.

Then, I started searching for advanced degrees that I can pursue,
and RN and pharmacist were the two jobs that I wanted to look more into.
I contacted community college near my home, and found out that they have
RN degree curriculum. If I follow that route, I will be able to become a RN in about 3 years
.
I also thought about taking pre-pharmacy courses, and eventually
applying to pharmacy schools.
While I was in college,I stumbled on some of the science courses,
(this is my biggest regret at this moment..) and so I have to raise my gpa, and finish taking all the pre-pharmacy courses.
This will take me about 3 years also.

I know that RN and pharmacist are the two totally different (but related) jobs.
(RN is more hand-on, and patient contact involved then pharmacist etc..)
What "worries" me the most at this moment is the "course work and the job itself"
To become a RN, or to enter pharmacy school, It is both going to take about 3 years.
However, if I follow "RN route" I can be almost sure that I will be a RN after 3 years.
On the other hand, if I choose to work my way for pharmacy school,
I might be able to apply for pharmacy school, but it is not guaranteed that I will get in.

I like both professions almost equally,
but I'm leaning slightly more towards pharmacy school.
Putting the working condition and job nature aside just for now,
what would be the better choice for me?

I'm not saying I want to be a pharmacist or RN simply because
I'm struggling to find a job at the moment.
I have interest in both fields, but I just can't decide what would be the better choice for me.

It is bitter to find out that I can't really do much things with my college degree,
but I want to stop worrying, and start acting.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! 🙂

If you want to be overworked and underpaid then go the RN route. I have ran in to many RN's who end up making a career change after a few years of being an RN. Either way good luck.

 

[chadwickctt]

I've seen many RNs (including me), who switch career to pharmacy, but I've NEVER seen the opposite !!!

Advance nursing practice (NP, CRNA) sucks !! Why? Because NP/CRNA will always compete against MD & PA (Physician Assistant). And guess what? The MD always favors the PA.

If you are good at science (science GPA is above 3.5) then go for Pharmacy. If not, go for RN (because the core of nursing practice is "common sense" not "science"). You don't have to be good at science in order to be a good RN.

Nursing school is maybe easier to get in, but it is not easy to become an RN. Besides, most NP/CRNA programs require a few years of full-time working experience to apply.

Job market: it will be hard for both RN & RPh to get their first job. It all depends on your networking ability.

There is a lot of mis-information here. Sure, an RN working on a floor or office doesn't need to know much science, but good luck being in the ICU. Having patients on ECMO, CRRT, pressors, IABP, Swans, etc. Those RNs are generally very different in their knowledge of "science" than floor RNs. And you can't compare a CRNA to an NP or PA. A CRNA is independent in all 50 states and is able to do the exact same job description as an MDA as far as administering anesthetics and managing patients in the OR. And before you try and discuss opt-out, it has nothing to do with being "supervised" by an MDA. It is purely about billing medicare. In no state is there a law stating that a CRNA must be supervised by an MDA. Furthermore, in many instances an NP is favored to a PA because it is simply easier to hire one. They require less supervision/chart review/oversight which is appealing to many physicians. As for the NP vs PA debate, it is really more important which state or area you are in. It comes down to whether you live in a PA or NP friendly state? In fact, some of the ICUs (in a >2000 bed level 1 trauma center) where I work, are run entirely by Acute Care NPs at night. I got my first degree in molecular biology and was looking at med school, pharmacy and going into an advanced nursing specialty. I chose nursing because I felt I would get more from it than either med school or pharmacy. But I don't disparage those choosing pharmacy.

 

[RN2RPh]

"There is a lot of mis-information here" I agree, my information is the one that the public usually "miss" when they think about nursing profession. I myself didn't even realize those issues until after a few years working as an RN and was about to matriculate in a FNP-DNP program.

"Sure, an RN working on a floor or office doesn't need to know much science, but good luck being in the ICU. Having patients on ECMO, CRRT, pressors, IABP, Swans, etc. Those RNs are generally very different in their knowledge of "science" than floor RNs" It's true that ICU RN have extra training to operate those fancy advance monitoring system. However, most of those training are "nursing science", not the "science" that are used in med school or pharmacy school (please don't ask me to explain wtf is "nursing science"!!!)

"A CRNA is independent in all 50 states and is able to do the exact same job description as an MDA as far as administering anesthetics and managing patients in the OR." Thank you for elaborating my point! So, since CRNA and MDA can do the same job, do you think that they are happily sharing the work? Hell no ! I remember reading a comment about finding jobs in metropolitan areas on a CRNA forum. It was "those-MDA- rather to commit a ritual mass suicide than working with CRNA". If a CRNA does not know the right people, he/she will probably end up where no MDA want to work (aka rural areas where you don't have 4G LTE 😀)

"Furthermore, in many instances an NP is favored to a PA because it is simply easier to hire one. They require less supervision/chart review/oversight which is appealing to many physicians" Really? Don't you know that if the MDs put their signatures on the chart review, they get a share of $$?

" I got my first degree in molecular biology and was looking at med school, pharmacy and going into an advanced nursing specialty. I chose nursing because I felt I would get more from it than either med school or pharmacy" Have you ever got accepted to any med school or pharmacy school and then declined their offers? If not, then I think you choose nursing because either your GPA or MCAT/PCAT is too low to get in any med school or pharmacy school . Oh don't get me wrong here. I am a proud RN, but the fact is still the fact (and you can see it in any Gen Chem, O Chem, or Gen Bio course)

 

[VictorAlpha]

shadow more until it's obvious.

IF I went pharmacy, personally, I'd have to work in a hospital. I work in a hospital pharmacy now as a tech and everyone, pharmacists and techs, say they never want to go to retail. Personally, I would want to do Pharmacy over RN but maybe there is some kind of nursing specialty that would give more privilege/responsibility that might be kind of cool.

 

[chadwickctt]

"There is a lot of mis-information here" I agree, my information is the one that the public usually "miss" when they think about nursing profession. I myself didn't even realize those issues until after a few years working as an RN and was about to matriculate in a FNP-DNP program. You're oh so clever...

"Sure, an RN working on a floor or office doesn't need to know much science, but good luck being in the ICU. Having patients on ECMO, CRRT, pressors, IABP, Swans, etc. Those RNs are generally very different in their knowledge of "science" than floor RNs" It's true that ICU RN have extra training to operate those fancy advance monitoring system. However, most of those training are "nursing science", not the "science" that are used in med school or pharmacy school (please don't ask me to explain wtf is "nursing science"!!!) The science is basically the same. No RNs are not taught molecular mechanisms and the like, however, on a big picture scale interpreting clinical scenarios is the same whether you're an RN or MD. Interpreting invasive monitoring numbers leads to the same conclusions for all providers. Of course MDs will have a much broader knowledge base off of which to build. But the pharmacists that round with us in the ICU don't even know how to interpret swan numbers and the like. Everyone has knowledge limits but everyone serves their role.

"A CRNA is independent in all 50 states and is able to do the exact same job description as an MDA as far as administering anesthetics and managing patients in the OR." Thank you for elaborating my point! So, since CRNA and MDA can do the same job, do you think that they are happily sharing the work? Hell no ! I remember reading a comment about finding jobs in metropolitan areas on a CRNA forum. It was "those-MDA- rather to commit a ritual mass suicide than working with CRNA". If a CRNA does not know the right people, he/she will probably end up where no MDA want to work (aka rural areas where you don't have 4G LTE 😀) What're you talking about? CRNAs work in all large metropolitan locations across the country. The only time a CRNA wouldn't be hired if it was a MDA only group. But that is by far the rarer of the anesthesia delivery models, and that doesn't mean they wouldn't be hired at any specific hospital. And MDA only groups are the most expensive for the hospital I might add. This statment is just made up.

"Furthermore, in many instances an NP is favored to a PA because it is simply easier to hire one. They require less supervision/chart review/oversight which is appealing to many physicians" Really? Don't you know that if the MDs put their signatures on the chart review, they get a share of $$? Again, what are you talking about? This isn't how it works. Just signing their name to the chart doesn't get more money. That's a basic requirement of supervision, but a patient seen by the NP or PA only is going to be reimbursed at 85% regardless of whether the physician signed their name to the chart. In order to get 100% reimbursement the MD has to actually see the patient. But that isn't how they would make more money, is it? So again, you're making things up.

" I got my first degree in molecular biology and was looking at med school, pharmacy and going into an advanced nursing specialty. I chose nursing because I felt I would get more from it than either med school or pharmacy" Have you ever got accepted to any med school or pharmacy school and then declined their offers? If not, then I think you choose nursing because either your GPA or MCAT/PCAT is too low to get in any med school or pharmacy school . Oh don't get me wrong here. I am a proud RN, but the fact is still the fact (and you can see it in any Gen Chem, O Chem, or Gen Bio course)

I actually went through the MCAT and application process. I applied to one school because I was not too set on going to medical school and if I did it I only wanted to go to the military's school so it would be free. I got an interview invitation and declined. I was recently engaged and unsure of where my wife would get a job and in the end I basically didn't want it enough. I like healthcare and medicine but not enough to go through medical school and recidency/fellowship. That's when I started looking at RN vs pharmacy vs PT. I decided on RN because the option of going ACNP or CRNA was very appealing and pharmacy and PT looked far too boring. To each their own.

 

[RN2RPh]

I actually went through the MCAT and application process. I applied to one school because I was not too set on going to medical school and if I did it I only wanted to go to the military's school so it would be free. I got an interview invitation and declined. I was recently engaged and unsure of where my wife would get a job and in the end I basically didn't want it enough. I like healthcare and medicine but not enough to go through medical school and recidency/fellowship. That's when I started looking at RN vs pharmacy vs PT. I decided on RN because the option of going ACNP or CRNA was very appealing and pharmacy and PT looked far too boring. To each their own.

I suggest you should read the original post and response to it instead of trying to argue with my post. The original poster concerns about "course work and the job itself" (between RN & PharmD) and thus my post simply provides some facts about it. Facts can be true in one place and NOT in others. Agree? For example: I say" it's illegal to pump your own gasoline to your vehicle". That fact is true in 2 states and NOT true in the other 48 ones. If that fact is not true to you (because you have been pumping your own gasoline for years), it does not mean that I make up that fact. There is no need to argue with facts. You have your own facts, I have mine. We post them here so that the original poster can have some information to decide what to do with his/her career. Sorry if you don't like my facts. They do exist even though you have been trying to label them "fake".

To the original poster: the nursing profession values one thing the most: your working experience. After you have about of 5 years full-time exp in adult Med/Surg + ICU, you can find a job anytime anywhere in this country. If you also have decent GPA and GRE score, you can pretty much go to any MSN, DNP programs.