RN to PharmD

[RNMED]

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I am new to post but have been viewing your pages for a couple of weeks. I am currently working as a RN, I also have a BS in biology. I been a nurse for less than half a year and I am beginning to realize that I want more (well, more like I am admitting to a truth I have known for while). I just wanted to know if any of you know of any nurses who have made this transition successfully and what did they do to make themselves stand out among other applicants. For me, answering to others who know half as much as I do is annoying. This is one of the reason I am leaving the nursing field. Also I do not think I am as effective just doing the orders a physician writes.

Any insight would be great.

 

[OSURxgirl]

Well, although pharmacists are gaining ground and the support of physicians in the medical community, most pharmacists' jobs also revolve around carrying out the orders of physicians...those orders are prescriptions. If you really want to be the one calling the shots, then you should consider medical school.

 

[ZpackSux]

I have a counterpart who is an RN with PharmD. He is a pharmacy director. He's doing well.

 

[Sustiva]

I think you may be interested in ambulatory care pharmacy. At the hospital I work at, in ambulatory care, there are lots of pharmacist-run clinics such as warfarin monitoring, asthma care, diabetes care, TB prevention, and therapeutic management. Basically, a pts physician writes a referral, and the pharmacist cares for that patient in that specific clinic. This is an area where the pharmacist is the big kahuna. In a practice setting like this, it may be very advantageous to also be an RN.. good luck!

 

[pharmerted]

Honestly, why don't you look into becoming a nurse practitioner or physician assistant?

There is is still a lot of upward movement that you can do within the same field.

For PA's or NP's that move up the ladder, the level of responsibility would not be all that different, and your experience as a nurse would be helpful.

 

[RNMED]

I think you may be interested in ambulatory care pharmacy. At the hospital I work at, in ambulatory care, there are lots of pharmacist-run clinics such as warfarin monitoring, asthma care, diabetes care, TB prevention, and therapeutic management. Basically, a pts physician writes a referral, and the pharmacist cares for that patient in that specific clinic. This is an area where the pharmacist is the big kahuna. In a practice setting like this, it may be very advantageous to also be an RN.. good luck!

thank you for the insight. Managing/Operating a clinic or having a mobile clinic is an interesting concept. NP would take two years so I want to figure out if I want to do a 4 year degree first. As a nurse, all I do is take orders. It feels a little demeaning at this point. I know I should be making the decisions and caring for these patients. Nursing is hard work with little rewards, at times I feel as if I am a hamster in a wheel.

 

[ultracet]

i have several classmates who made this transition.

as has been pointed out.... most fields of pharmacy require doing what the physician writes


i would say that you need to have a little experience in pharmacy inorder to make your application really stand out... (just a guess) but i believe they want to see that you have made an informed transition and aren't just baseing your carreer change on what you think a pharmacist does.

 

[RNMED]

i have several classmates who made this transition.

as has been pointed out.... most fields of pharmacy require doing what the physician writes


i would say that you need to have a little experience in pharmacy inorder to make your application really stand out... (just a guess) but i believe they want to see that you have made an informed transition and aren't just baseing your carreer change on what you think a pharmacist does.

true. experience in any field is important. My theory is that i am constantly dealing with medications, their purpose and educating patients on proper usage. This is probably more exposure than a pharm tech will recieve. I find pharmacology very interesting and much of my work day is spent figuring out which drug is unnecessary in my patient. Ex. Why give a patient who blood pressures averages 120-130/60 2-3 diuretics along with Beta blockers and CCBs? Isn't giving all meds to an elderly patient who lives alone going to evidentually lead to noncomplaince and potential overdosage? How many people actually check their heartrate before they take a cardiac med or synthyroid? These are the things I deal with working in a hospital setting and discharging patients.
I am probably going to do some part-time work visiting patients and assessing their medical complaince at home. This primarily means are they taking their meds, are they physically safe, do they need additional assistance in their homes.
Developing a mobile diabetic and heart healthy clinic would allow me to go into underserved areas. Matching a PharmD with a NP will allow me to be self sufficient (Just as long as I donot develop any habits 😉 ).

 

[dgroulx]

true. experience in any field is important. My theory is that i am constantly dealing with medications, their purpose and educating patients on proper usage. This is probably more exposure than a pharm tech will recieve. I find pharmacology very interesting and much of my work day is spent figuring out which drug is unnecessary in my patient. Ex. Why give a patient who blood pressures averages 120-130/60 2-3 diuretics along with Beta blockers and CCBs? Isn't giving all meds to an elderly patient who lives alone going to evidentually lead to noncomplaince and potential overdosage? How many people actually check their heartrate before they take a cardiac med or synthyroid?

There's a lot of studies that show certain drugs increase life span even if it looks like they don't need it.

People shouldn't check their heartrate before taking cardiac meds or synthroid. They are not like pain pills. They require to be taken on a regular basis. If a person stops taking their beta-blocker, there is a danger of rebound hypertension. Drugs need to be titrated downwards if a person doesn't need to be on them. The physicians know this. It is our job as a pharmacist to make sure the patient understands why they need to be on a med. We can help patients make informed decisions about their medications and tell them the importance of being compliant.

If you want to actually adjust their meds and make those decisions, you should probably go to medical school.

 

[biturbomunkie]

I am new to post but have been viewing your pages for a couple of weeks. I am currently working as a RN, I also have a BS in biology. I been a nurse for less than half a year and I am beginning to realize that I want more (well, more like I am admitting to a truth I have known for while). I just wanted to know if any of you know of any nurses who have made this transition successfully and what did they do to make themselves stand out among other applicants. For me, answering to others who know half as much as I do is annoying. This is one of the reason I am leaving the nursing field. Also I do not think I am as effective just doing the orders a physician writes.

Any insight would be great.

it seems that you'd rather lead then follow (somewhat larger role, greater responsibilities), why not become a MD or a DO? i actually have been debating if i should go to med school instead of pharm school lately.

also, majority of the PharmDs that i know follow physicians' orders. the few that don't are administrative staff. although everyone is telling me that pharmacists will go more clinical and play a larger role, i have yet to meet a PharmD that leads in the patient care team. but this may change as i'll be working at a hospital's inpatient pharmacy.

in addition, whichever field you go in healthcare (or in real life), you will be answering questions to others that know half as much as you do. i can relate to your frustrations, but that's why pharmacy, nursing, medicine, etc. schools are considered professional schools right? on the other hand, if you are frustrated because your boss knows less than you, that's an entirely different issue. what about switching to a different department or work place?

 

[RNMED]

it seems that you'd rather lead then follow (somewhat larger role, greater responsibilities), why not become a MD or a DO? i actually have been debating if i should go to med school instead of pharm school lately.

also, majority of the PharmDs that i know follow physicians' orders. the few that don't are administrative staff. although everyone is telling me that pharmacists will go more clinical and play a larger role, i have yet to meet a PharmD that leads in the patient care team. but this may change as i'll be working at a hospital's inpatient pharmacy.

in addition, whichever field you go in healthcare (or in real life), you will be answering questions to others that know half as much as you do. i can relate to your frustrations, but that's why pharmacy, nursing, medicine, etc. schools are considered professional schools right? on the other hand, if you are frustrated because your boss knows less than you, that's an entirely different issue. what about switching to a different department or work place?

😕 I know that I not satisfied with being an RN, just not confident enough to dedicate 4-8 years to be an MD or DO. I wish there was a medication for that 😛