Undergrad needs advice from PharmDs

[MIkeNB]

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Dear Pharmacist/Future Pharmacist,

I am a undergrad right now planning to get into pharmacy school. However, during pharmacy school, I am also planning to apply to med school. I would like to know if any of you have seen this happen to any of your classmates and have succeed in getting in. I want to get into pharmacy school first to have security (knowing that I will get a career before I reach the age of 26). If I am taking this path, do you know if it will hurt my image in pharmacy school when they find out that Im applying to MD programs and if the Md programs also look down upon me as an applicant. Thank for your time guys.

 

[MIkeNB]

Hey guys, I am a undergrad right now planning to get into pharmacy school. However, during pharmacy school, I am also planning to apply to med school. I would like to know if any of you have seen or heard of this happening to any of you're classmates and were able to get in. I want to get into pharmacy school first to have security (knowing that I will get a career before I reach the age of 26). If I am taking this path, do you know if it will hurt my image in pharmacy school when they find out that Im applying to MD programs and if the Md programs also look down upon me as an applicant. Also, am I allowed to use my Pharmacy school GPA along with my Undergrad GPA on my application or will they only accept Undergrad GPA. Hopefully this tread wont offend any prepharm students. Im only trying to explore my options.

 

[mochiko]

If your intentions are to get into medical school, why bother wasting your money, a potential spot for someone who actually wants to pursue pharmacy, and adcoms' time by even applying to pharmacy schools? Many people spend years working and struggling just to get accepted. That you would think pharmacy is just a stepping stone to med school is insulting. 👎

I can't see anybody in the admissions process viewing your plans as anything but negative. If you want to explore your options, get some experience now working or volunteering in prospective fields before you even start the application process.

 

[scg]

So is pharmacy school your backup? You plan on going to your backup school first then trying for medical school?

This is so confusing.

Are you applying to medical school at the same time you're applying to pharmacy school?

 

[scg]

So is pharmacy school your backup? You plan on going to your backup school first then trying for medical school?

This is so confusing.

Are you applying to medical school at the same time you're applying to pharmacy school?

Isn't this time consuming and a waste of money?

 

[rxblitzrx]

That's a lot of money to waste on P1 year tuition. When will you find time to go on med school interviews while your doing your P1 year? If you really want to go to medical school then just do that. I'd start from the top and work your way down. MD, DDS, PharmD... not saying that PharmD is beneath doctors and dentists.

 

[steveysmith54]

Hey guys, I am a undergrad right now planning to get into pharmacy school. However, during pharmacy school, I am also planning to apply to med school. I would like to know if any of you have seen or heard of this happening to any of you're classmates and were able to get in. I want to get into pharmacy school first to have security (knowing that I will get a career before I reach the age of 26). If I am taking this path, do you know if it will hurt my image in pharmacy school when they find out that Im applying to MD programs and if the Md programs also look down upon me as an applicant. Also, am I allowed to use my Pharmacy school GPA along with my Undergrad GPA on my application or will they only accept Undergrad GPA. Hopefully this tread wont offend any prepharm students. Im only trying to explore my options.

i dunno, if i were a med school, i would never admit a student who is currently in pharmacy school. That shows the student does not know what he/she wants. That's just my personal opinion not based on anything.

I am sure ur image in pharmacy school would be hurt, but i would see absolutely no reason to tell anyone about it.

 

[MIkeNB]

I want to learn about medicine. Both fields are fine for me. However, I did not get interested into science until my late sophomore year. For this reason, my GPA is not competitive enough for Med School but it is average for Pharm school. For this reason, I went ahead and apply to Pharm school. I am not saying that pharmacy is below Med school (Pharm knows more about meds than docs), but it will be great if I can apply my med knowledge along with my judgement skills in diagnosing patients.

I need advice from some of you who already got accepted into pharm school and understand the conditions as a professional student. Would it be a great idea to start applying to med school AFTER my first year in pharm school to show them that i can ACE professional school (if I can) and can handle the work load. I choose this path because i have seen MANY people who are in their late 20's still trying to get into professional school and I really do not want that to be me.

 

[RxWildcat]

Let me get this straight, you want to apply and get into pharmacy school to make your med school application look better? How is it going to look that you would be a professional school dropout? There are better ways or raising your GPA prior to med school however taking one year of pharmacy school and dropping out is not one of them. Also, if the adcom had any clue what your intention was I seriously, seriously doubt they would ever consider admitting you even if you had a perfect app. I highly recommend that you do NOT do this.

 

[Quiksilver]

you face a long road my friend. Med school is a lot of extra stuff on top of schooling such as residencies, fellowships, etc. I see an advantage in doing something like this, my girlfriend is a med student and man if she knew what i learn as in depth, she would have an easier time in school.

That being said I know that there are a couple doctors in my area that are licensed pharmacists and MDs and I know that they are considered pretty good doctors (however they have only B.S. Pharm degree).

you need to weigh out the pros/cons and understnad there is more to pharmacy then counting by 5s. there are clinical jobs where you do evals on patients and let doctors know. after graduating with BS degree already and now working on the PharmD i cannot imagine going to school any longer then that, you feel burned out and annoyed that there are people who are done with school forever. I cant wait for that day and i don't think i could do more then that

 

[UES Girl]

Hey guys, I am a undergrad right now planning to get into pharmacy school. However, during pharmacy school, I am also planning to apply to med school. I would like to know if any of you have seen or heard of this happening to any of you're classmates and were able to get in. I want to get into pharmacy school first to have security (knowing that I will get a career before I reach the age of 26). If I am taking this path, do you know if it will hurt my image in pharmacy school when they find out that Im applying to MD programs and if the Md programs also look down upon me as an applicant. Also, am I allowed to use my Pharmacy school GPA along with my Undergrad GPA on my application or will they only accept Undergrad GPA. Hopefully this tread wont offend any prepharm students. Im only trying to explore my options.

I am neither going to criticize nor am I going to bash you but I want to offer a helpful advice - find out with you can do that before you start pharm school. I remember someone was telling me, and I don't know how true or legitimate that is but I remember hearing nevertheless that you can't get accepted into med school if you are currently already in professional school. Be sure to check.

 

[iphetamine]

you face a long road my friend. Med school is a lot of extra stuff on top of schooling such as residencies, fellowships, etc. I see an advantage in doing something like this, my girlfriend is a med student and man if she knew what i learn as in depth, she would have an easier time in school.

That being said I know that there are a couple doctors in my area that are licensed pharmacists and MDs and I know that they are considered pretty good doctors (however they have only B.S. Pharm degree).

you need to weigh out the pros/cons and understnad there is more to pharmacy then counting by 5s. there are clinical jobs where you do evals on patients and let doctors know. after graduating with BS degree already and now working on the PharmD i cannot imagine going to school any longer then that, you feel burned out and annoyed that there are people who are done with school forever. I cant wait for that day and i don't think i could do more then that

Did you start your PharmD right after your BPharm or waited a while to gain professional experience or something? Where are you doing your PharmD and how long will it take?

 

[Quiksilver]

i'm sorry, i think i might have led you the wrong way. I have a BS in biochemistry. While in undergrad i was originally torn with either going to medicine or pharmacy, i chose pharmacy. There no longer is a school graduates pharmacists with only a bachelors degree here in the US. UB, where i go, was one of the last in the country to graduate BS Pharmacists, so because of that, some went on to med school to become doctors

when its all said and done i will have 8 years of schooling under my belt, to be honest, thats a hell of a lot of schooling n i am done after this. I am ready to be out in practice.

you have a few years to think about this, but i advise you to pick one or the other. Focus on it, do what you have to to get in and get on with life.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

People do go through both of the programs, but they are very rare. Probably because there isn't really a point and you would be wasting a lot of time and money. I know there was at least one person on this board doing it. I would expect you need some really good reasons why you would do both.

DO NOT just do one year of pharm school. If you apply make sure you are going to go through the whole program and use that degree. You would be taking someone else's spot who really wants to go to pharmacy school to become a pharmacist, not just to later become a doctor. If you aren't committed to the profession, than what is the point? At least try to get into med school first if that is really what you want.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

And please don't post the same thread in multiple forums in the future. It keeps the board neater for everyone.

 

[maldini99]

Dear Pharmacist/Future Pharmacist,

I am a undergrad right now planning to get into pharmacy school. However, during pharmacy school, I am also planning to apply to med school. I would like to know if any of you have seen this happen to any of your classmates and have succeed in getting in. I want to get into pharmacy school first to have security (knowing that I will get a career before I reach the age of 26). If I am taking this path, do you know if it will hurt my image in pharmacy school when they find out that Im applying to MD programs and if the Md programs also look down upon me as an applicant. Thank for your time guys.

Going to Pharmacy school for one year is not going to benefit you in any way. you will definitely not get into med school since the adcom will question your determination and motivation (quitting one profession after a year).

on the other hand, if you are accepted to a pharm school, it would be in your best interest to retain that information, since it would make you a much better physician (if you want to be a doctor). as a 3p, you don't really learn much about drugs, kinetics and therapeutics, it is all kinda introductory to a much harder and more detailed 4p year. I would recommend to get a PharmD degree, and then apply to medical school. There are several MD's that have done that, and it is very beneficial to possess the knowledge of a pharmacist in situations that doctors face.

The problem would be money management. Your loans can potentially be very high after you graduate.

 

[jhafez87]

dude, im a pre-pharm too and I want to do the same, but I will get my PharmD and on my P3 if I'm not burned out yet I will apply to med school. Both are great professions and having them both is a big +

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

I want to learn about medicine. Both fields are fine for me. However, I did not get interested into science until my late sophomore year. For this reason, my GPA is not competitive enough for Med School but it is average for Pharm school. For this reason, I went ahead and apply to Pharm school. I am not saying that pharmacy is below Med school (Pharm knows more about meds than docs), but it will be great if I can apply my med knowledge along with my judgement skills in diagnosing patients.

Which field do you like/love more? Many people applied to pharmacy when deep down they knew they would rather become a physician. Even after graduating pharm school, they were unhappy pharmacists or later went to med school. If I were you, I would do research/work under a physician for a year to make yourself more competitive. Then reapply.

Please don't go to pharmacy school just to make yourself more competitive for med school. The opportunity costs are insane.

I'm going to assume a total of $100000 loans for pharmacy tuition, housing, food, etc. I'll also assume $40000 subsidized loans and $60000 unsubsidized loans at 6.8% interest. If you go to med school after pharm school, you'll get an additional $140000 in loans (estimated). But that $60000 will accrue interest for 7 yrs so extra interest is. You also lose out on a pharmacist's salary while doing 4 yrs of med school. Then lose out on $60000 while you're doing 3 yrs of residency.

So $35093 + 140000 + $400000 + $180000 = $755,093.

Of course, money isn't everything, but you have to ask yourself if it'll be worth it in the end.

 

[MIkeNB]

Thanks guys for your help. Hopefully I did not insult anyone with this treat (seems like i insulted many). Im pretty sure many people have the same questions like me but afraid to spill it out. But the reason why I thought few years in pharmacy would be better is to show them my potential. To me, both professions are the same. Both focuses on different aspect of treating a patient but they both have the same motive. The only reason why I would rather be an MD is their power over the patient's treatment. Well I would end this thread now to keep this clean.

 

[gmuskie]

My friend's dad really helped me out with the pharmacy/medicine thing. I've wavered back and forth ever since turning down a couple 0-6 schools at the beginning of college.

He originally went to pharm school, practiced for 2 years ,and his experiences in the hospital led him to want to be a opthalamologist. He loves his practice and what he does now, but he wishes he would've had some guidance or even the availability to do some more research on careers because he doesn't think he would've ever entered pharmacy. My friend remembers when he was 16 when his dad finally paid all this loans off and remembered that he had never seen him like that before.

So I guess my advice to you is take advantage of the information age that you are in...do basic reasearch on each career and then go out and do some shadowing in areas that interest you. Don't take someones pharm school spot, especially if you dont intend to finish/use your PharmD.

 

[117296]

My friend's dad really helped me out with the pharmacy/medicine thing. I've wavered back and forth ever since turning down a couple 0-6 schools at the beginning of college.

He originally went to pharm school, practiced for 2 years ,and his experiences in the hospital led him to want to be a opthalamologist. He loves his practice and what he does now, but he wishes he would've had some guidance or even the availability to do some more research on careers because he doesn't think he would've ever entered pharmacy. My friend remembers when he was 16 when his dad finally paid all this loans off and remembered that he had never seen him like that before.

So I guess my advice to you is take advantage of the information age that you are in...do basic reasearch on each career and then go out and do some shadowing in areas that interest you. Don't take someones pharm school spot, especially if you dont intend to finish/use your PharmD.

It may be hard to get loans to do that much schooling. Check your loan limits, it would be no good to start a professional school and not be able to complete it because you've reached your loan limits.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Thanks guys for your help. Hopefully I did not insult anyone with this treat (seems like i insulted many). Im pretty sure many people have the same questions like me but afraid to spill it out. But the reason why I thought few years in pharmacy would be better is to show them my potential. To me, both professions are the same. Both focuses on different aspect of treating a patient but they both have the same motive. The only reason why I would rather be an MD is their power over the patient's treatment. Well I would end this thread now to keep this clean.

The point of pharmacy school is to make someone a pharmacist, not to help you "show your potential." Don't go to pharmacy school if you don't want to be a pharmacist.