Switching to Pharmacy

[Medstudent 98]

I've just finished my first semester as a first year medical student and I've been developing quite an interest in pharmacology. (I originally went into medicine to pursue either aneasthesiology or dermatology). I was told that it would be best to finish a degree course then pursue pharmacology at a masters level, then maybe move on to a PhD.

I've been thinking of making a switch from medicine to pharmacy because medicine has been so emotionally and physically draining for me over the last semester that I can't see myself living like that for the rest of my life. (In the event that pharmacology becomes an impossible pursuit).

Pharmacy would be a good option as it still helps satisfy my desire for a well- paying career in healthcare but would provide me with more leisure time. Also students who did pharmacy seem to fair better at pharmacology. In addition the processing needed to work abroad as a pharmacist also seems to be less stressful than that of a medical doctor. Private practice pharmacists in my country also tend to do just as well as private GPs if not better, and tend to work for a lot less.

However I am getting my medical degree on a full-ride scholarship with the government; something that may not be possible with pharmacy. Also medicine pays better which would come in handy paying for the pharmacology masters.

There is a huge shortage of healthcare personnel in my home country (a problem that is expected to get worse if the situation in Zimbabwe improves ) so I'm almost guaranteed employment no matter which path I choose.

I would love it if some of you could come up with some extra points I may have missed so I can really explore all my options before making a decision.

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[AlbinoHawk DO]

First semester is always the worst for your body and mind.

You seem unclear here. Do you want to do pharmacy the clinical profession or pharmacology the research profession? These require different degrees and have different roles and knowledge necessary to master

 

[Gilakend]

Pharmacology and pharmacy are very, very different. If you love pharmacology I think being a pharmacist will let you down. If you want a stable job that isn't too stressful, I think you'll enjoy being a pharmacist.

 

[Jesus1]

Before making that switch, think of how terrible the pharmacy job market is. There's a ton of new schools that opened over the last few years pumping out grads by the truckload. It's the same amount of time as med school and you can count on approx. 50k coming out of med school. You have no such guarantees in pharmacy. In addition, pharmacy is pretty stressful with very little upward mobility in terms of salary given that most jobs are retail. I personally know how badly retail pharmacies treat staff as there's multiple people wanting the job you have. You don't have to believe me but investigate before you jump ship. I'd hate for you to have regrets after seeing that the grass may not be so green after all in pharmacy. There are lots of opportunities for you with an MD degree (even w/o residency). And you'll probably find something else you like along the way before residency apps go out.

 

[AlwaysContrary]

If you really want to pursue pharmacy instead of medicine I would say do it. I do not know what the profession is like in your home country, but here in the states doing a residency really opens up the world of pharmacy. Since you're already in med school I assume doing a residency would be no problem.

 

[Medstudent 98]

First semester is always the worst for your body and mind.

You seem unclear here. Do you want to do pharmacy the clinical profession or pharmacology the research profession? These require different degrees and have different roles and knowledge necessary to master

I honestly hope that is the case and that the proceeding years will be better. I want to eventually move into drug development and research (pharmacology). I was under the impression that you could only pursue it at a masters or PhD level so I would need a bachelor's degree in something else.

Also we have no drug industry in my home country so having a degree in something that would be marketable locally would be a good fall back.

 

[Medstudent 98]

Before making that switch, think of how terrible the pharmacy job market is. There's a ton of new schools that opened over the last few years pumping out grads by the truckload. It's the same amount of time as med school and you can count on approx. 50k coming out of med school. You have no such guarantees in pharmacy. In addition, pharmacy is pretty stressful with very little upward mobility in terms of salary given that most jobs are retail. I personally know how badly retail pharmacies treat staff as there's multiple people wanting the job you have. You don't have to believe me but investigate before you jump ship. I'd hate for you to have regrets after seeing that the grass may not be so green after all in pharmacy. There are lots of opportunities for you with an MD degree (even w/o residency). And you'll probably find something else you like along the way before residency apps go out.

Well finding employment in my home country will not be a problem. But you do raise a good point about salaries. Most pharmacists here go into private practice because government hospitals under pay and private hospitals overwork them (though the pay is good).

Also could you please point out some of the other opportunities available for an MD would be, because other than specialization or teaching I can't really think of any.

 

[Medstudent 98]

If you really want to pursue pharmacy instead of medicine I would say do it. I do not know what the profession is like in your home country, but here in the states doing a residency really opens up the world of pharmacy. Since you're already in med school I assume doing a residency would be no problem.

I want to give myself some time to really think this through properly and also gain some experience in pharmacy before making the switch.

Medicine has been a really big deal to me for a really long time now so I want to be sure before abandoning it.