why not med school?

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Livingapparatus

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Hello pre-pharm students! Have a question for you all...

What stops you from going into medicine? pay, no required residencies, good hours?

If you are smart enough to get into pharm school you more than likely can get into med school.

I do not mean for this to be pissing contest at all, was just curious.
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Livingapparatus said:
Hello pre-pharm students! Have a question for you all...

What stops you from going into medicine? pay, no required residencies, good hours?

If you are smart enough to get into pharm school you more than likely can get into med school.

I do not mean for this to be pissing contest at all, was just curious.
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This will turn into a pissing contest. What I would tell you is, if you are really curious, search the pharmacy forums. This question has been asked before.

PS: You're still premed. You will probably get an inkling of the answer after you become a licensed physician.
 
medicalcpa said:
PS: You're still premed. You will probably get an inkling of the answer after you become a licensed physician.
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I have been in the pharm field long enough to know that I would not be happy as a phamacist as much as I would be as a physician.
 
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six years versus 8 years plus residency. . and pay plus job security.
 
For me, med school is not what I want to do; it's what everyone else wants me to do. It seems like since I was very young, everyone has expected that I would become a physician. An aunt of mine mentioned that I'm "too smart to be counting drugs." (Ironically, she's a pharmacist!) If I went to med school now, I would be doing it to make everyone else happy, not me. Pharm school is my decision, and no one is pressuring me to do it. That's why I would choose pharmacy over medicine.

PS: I took the MCAT and scored 33, and my GPA is 4.0, so it's not like I'm not qualified for medicine.
 
I think this highly depends on the individual...what profession they liked better, the pros and cons of each, their experiences, etc...

I used to consider medical as a profession until I started volunteering at the ER...I realized that the patients did not get as much care as they should get from all the long waited hours at the ER. Sometimes it bothers me to see how long they waited and when they get inside, more waiting and not much news from the doctor. They kept asking us volunteers and I feel so bad telling them that the doctor are still waiting for your test result. I just hope that they can develop a system to speed things up a bit. And most of the time, the patients are so bored that they practically fell asleep or they walk back and forth in the hallway to make sure that we know they are still there (hint...When can I leave this place? *_*). I tried to talk to them as much as I can so they wouldn't be so bored.

And when I volunteer at the inpatient pharmacy, I liked the immediate attention the patients get. Once the prescriptions was sent down to the pharmacy, we will usually deliver it in 15-30 minutes. But from there on, when the patients get their meds will depend on the nurses and doctors.:scared:

Pay? Well, it does pay well but so are many other professions.

Residencies? I personally would like to get into residency so that's not really a problem area for me either.

Good hours? In what way? 8 hours a day, 5 days a week? More standard hours than doctors who are on call? I don't think this is a reason because there are many pharmacist who are willing to work graveyard shifts and OT.

And for people who are family oriented, I think pharmacy will be a better choice. A personal opinion :).

So after my long awaited analysis, personal experiences seem to be a major point. Many people can argue otherwise but it does come as a major factor in this borderline decision between pharmacy and medical. :luck:
 
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medicalcpa said:
PS: I took the MCAT and scored 33, and my GPA is 4.0, so it's not like I'm not qualified for medicine.
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with those kind of stats your more than qualified.

So you could even shorten it to 5 years than at a school like mid western. I could not imagine being 23 and making 90 to 105k
 
Medicine just isn't what I want to do. Pharmacy is exactly what I want to do and I love it. That's all.
 
I used to be a pre-med student and was set to hit the med school admissions cycle hard. However, personal issues created personal drama and medicine didn't feel right. It still drew me but it just didn't feel right (you can look at my past posts for more explanation).

To go off on a tangent, I just finished watching an episode of the drama series The Closer where the lead actress investigates physicians for possible murder and/or malpractice after they screw up a kid's surgery leading to the kid's death. Part of the reason was one MD playing g*d based on probabilites and the other being fatigued due to finishing a 24-hour shift. Investigations were probing and malpractice suits became imminent and unappealing. Sum it up, and I find drama.

I realize that the previous example is just a dramatized T.V. show and that there is risk for patient harm in any health care profession. I gave up medicine when I decided that a life as during and after med school would create too much drama for my more fragile self-esteem. I didn't want my job to be my life both good or bad.

Aside from these personal reasons, the career reasons were more flexible scheduling, specialty changes (I could go from retail to hospital easy), shorter or no residencies, and subject matter.
 
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After stabbing my leg with gardening shears on Memorial Day, I realized I didn't want to be a doctor because I just don't want to deal with the blood. I don't want to learn how to sew someone up and I do believe every doctor has to learn to do that at some point. I mean, even if your goal is to be an anesthesiologist (which I admit would be interesting), you have to get through the blood first.
 
I like pharmacy and medicine, but if I were to do medicine I would go into anesthesiology. I like drugs more than I like scalpels.
 
simple. I don't want to be a doctor. I want to be a pharmacist. period.
 
Age. The time required to get an MD is longer than that required to get a PharmD. I am 40, so by the time I finished med school and residency, it would almost be time for me to retire. This means that I probably wouldn't be able to work enough years to pay back my school loans. As much as I would have loved to go to med school, it just didn't make any practical sense.
 
Livingapparatus said:
Hello pre-pharm students! Have a question for you all...

What stops you from going into medicine? pay, no required residencies, good hours?

If you are smart enough to get into pharm school you more than likely can get into med school.

I do not mean for this to be pissing contest at all, was just curious.
Click to expand...

Probably could have done either, but I had no interest in having to touch people or being responsible for diagnosis. Plus, I was completely fascinated with the different drugs, so I never considered medicine.
 
rxlynn said:
Probably could have done either, but I had no interest in having to touch people or being responsible for diagnosis. Plus, I was completely fascinated with the different drugs, so I never considered medicine.
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That's exactly what I was going to say. I don't want to touch people either. I love the health/medical field, but I don't want to deal with the yucky stuff. I realized that after I went to nursing school.
 
I think that being a pharmacist and a doctor are different enough for people to just prefer one over the other. It is like being a dentist vs a doctor, they are very different even though some basic classes overlap. I just wanted to study drugs and how they work, not re-attach fingers.
 
Livingapparatus said:
Is it not getting so competitive that you basically need a bachelors?
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This is a quote from SobeGekko (MD to PharmD):

From Sobegekko: "As physician recruiters began contacting me and I started considering practice opportunities post-residency, I realized I didn't like the fundamental tasks of my job. Basically I disliked the uncertainty and subjectivity in elucidating meaningful patient complaints, trying to make diagnoses, managing unpredictable patient courses, being on call etc. There was a lot less basic science to clinical medicine than I expected and I missed doing calculations and using tenets of basic science to solve medical problems. In short, I liked the science behind the medicine but felt the practice of medicine had very little to do with the science. It was more about recognizing signs, symptoms, assuaging patient concerns, etc. This is root of why I am changing to a career in pharmacy. Helping design and implement drug regimens, managing dosing schedules, helping adjust formularies and similar tasks seem much more up my alley."

Since you are pre-med, you do know that your major may have nothing to do with medicine at all. Hence, a major does not necessarily transcends success in medical school. Pharmacy administrators recognize that and even dentistry for awhile accepted students without a baccalaureate. However, most students probably major in biology to better handle the rigor of endless minutiae of information thrown at them in medical school.

Apart from some negative publicity at the retail level, after realizing that I can do a residency to be a clinical pharmacist, pharmacy was just the ideal career for me. As an added bonus, here's a link to feed your curiosity:

Pharmacy Careers

Good luck in medicine.
 
Livingapparatus said:
with those kind of stats your more than qualified.

So you could even shorten it to 5 years than at a school like mid western. I could not imagine being 23 and making 90 to 105k
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That's correct, you can potentially be 23 years old with a PharmD and make good money. I remember a SDN poster from a while back that said that he knew a pharmacist who took his prereqs in high school and went to a 3 year program...so he was a pharmacist at 21 and making $90k+!


For me, I chose not to go into medicine because I am not prepared to go through the hard work and stress (as compared to pharm school) that is required to become a physician. The appeal of 5-6 years > 8 years and residency is great to me. And the lifestyle of most physicians after school is not worth the great pay IMO. I've also had volunteer/work experience with physicians and pharmacists, and I found that I liked the job of pharmacists more. And I can't see myself interacting with patients in physical terms.

I've had many physicians that told me I am making a good decision to go into pharmacy. But in the grand picture, both fields are needed and it lies to the individual to decide what is best for him or her.
 
medicalcpa said:
For me, med school is not what I want to do; it's what everyone else wants me to do. It seems like since I was very young, everyone has expected that I would become a physician. An aunt of mine mentioned that I'm "too smart to be counting drugs." (Ironically, she's a pharmacist!) If I went to med school now, I would be doing it to make everyone else happy, not me. Pharm school is my decision, and no one is pressuring me to do it. That's why I would choose pharmacy over medicine.

PS: I took the MCAT and scored 33, and my GPA is 4.0, so it's not like I'm not qualified for medicine.
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Hmmmm... this doesn't sound right.
So when did you change your mind? Before or after you were accepted?
 
I also have a fascination with drugs but that is exactly why I switched. I personally am not excited about the dispension part of pharmacy I felt too much like the middle man. I am not at all interested in diagnosing patients with strange rashes, its not for me.

The autonomy of a MD degree is what really topped my decision. If I want more clinical exposure I can get with anesthetics, if I want no exposure I can do drug research (but a pharmacist could do this too) and then there is the raw information that I want to know.

The last thing that I can think of is what if lose my interest in pharmacology? What if I find something I enjoy even more? The fact that there is an option for me if my mind changes is also a big factor.

And I dont mind the yuck...
 
Livingapparatus said:
I also have a fascination with drugs but thats exactly why I switched. I personally am not excited about the dispension part of pharmacy I felt too much like the middle man. I am not at all interested in diagnosing patients with strange rashes, its not for me.

The autonomy of a MD degree is what really topped my decision. If I want more clinical exposure I can get with anesthetics, if I want no exposure I can do drug research (but a pharmacist could do this too) and then there is the raw information that I want to know.
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I still have med school in the back of my mind.
 
I don't have to deal with bodily fluids.

I want to have a family life. (I know things like the ROAD specialities, Psych, and Private Practice have good hours and great pay, but none of them appeal to me.)

I liked the time I spent volunteering at the pharmacy as opposed to the other departments of the hospital.
 
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PharmDstudent said:
I still have med school in the back of my mind.
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A intern from U of A told me that a professor there went to both medical school and pharmacy school.

The professor also said that pharm school was harder...
 
NewRx said:
Since you are pre-med, you do know that your major may have nothing to do with medicine at all. Hence, a major does not necessarily transcends success in medical school. Pharmacy administrators recognize that and even dentistry for awhile accepted students without a baccalaureate. However, most students probably major in biology to better handle the rigor of endless minutiae of information thrown at them in medical school.
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Unfortunatly this is probably true but I think my major may have some merit in med school.

And thank you for the website it is very interesting, I have worked around clinical pharmacists and there job is very interesting and their drug knowledge is jawdropping. The versatility in pharm is great, with BCPS your opportunities to work with drugs are limitless.
 
Livingapparatus said:
A intern from U of A told me that a professor there went to both medical school and pharmacy school.

The professor also said that pharm school was harder...
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I'm having commitment issues... I wouldn't be able to practice for another tens years --> 2 more years left in pharm school + 4 years of med school + 3-4 years in residency +/- one or two years of fellowship for sub-specialty work.

Just thinking about it makes my head hurt...
 
PharmDstudent said:
Hmmmm... this doesn't sound right.
So when did you change your mind? Before or after you were accepted?
Click to expand...
Touche. But goals have a sneaking way of changing on you. I guess I should have said, "I thought I would be happy with all three options."

But to answer your question, it was before. ;)
 
I wouldn't enjoy the physical side of being a physician. I would be uncomfortable touching strangers, performing physicals, performing surgeries, examining sick children, etc. As a pharmacist, the closest I'll get to patients is testing their blood pressure or showing them how to use a glucose meter. I'll be able to keep my distance from sick patients, while still being able to provide quality health care, recommendations, and consultations.

I also like the flexibility of pharmacy and the fact that you can have a life outside of work, to enjoy your family and time off.

Other than that, I've never wanted to be a doctor. :D
 
Sounds to me like many of us have very similiar reasons. I too chose PharmD partially because I didn't want to be responsible for diagnosing illnesses as well as the potential for a patient dying on my watch. Also, I have a family and I'm also going on 32 so I didn't want to spend the extra time (4 years vs potentially 8 or more) and the extra stress of being a physician. Some people want to make the big bucks...I'm perfectly happy with the salary of a pharmacist. Also one of the main reasons for me is the fact that I've been working in pharmacology research for a decade and I've become fascinated in the field. This type of debate shouldn't be a contest as both parts are necessary. I know a some people that said they would never do their PharmD over if given the choice as well as a few physicians that said the same thing.

Klemmentine said:
I wouldn't enjoy the physical side of being a physician. I would be uncomfortable touching strangers, performing physicals, performing surgeries, examining sick children, etc. As a pharmacist, the closest I'll get to patients is testing their blood pressure or showing them how to use a glucose meter. I'll be able to keep my distance from sick patients, while still being able to provide quality health care, recommendations, and consultations.

I also like the flexibility of pharmacy and the fact that you can have a life outside of work, to enjoy your family and time off.

Other than that, I've never wanted to be a doctor. :D
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I still haven't made my decision about it. I'm waiting for my MCAT results. The only field in Pharmacy that I would consider working in is Clinical and Nuclear Pharmacy.

Medicine has a degree of mystery and excitement that you cannot get from Pharmacy.

I have no qualms about touching people. There was this one time in the Pharmacy when someone went into cardiac arrest. I was the only one who knew CPR, and the Pharmacist was one of those people who don't want to touch other people, so I started CPR, I later got reprimanded because they told me that I should have waited for the paramedics to arrive, which didn't happen for another 8-10 minutes, by this time the person would have died, or if they lived, they would have severe brain function loss due to the lack of oxygen.
 
rxlynn said:
Probably could have done either, but I had no interest in having to touch people or being responsible for diagnosis. Plus, I was completely fascinated with the different drugs, so I never considered medicine.
Click to expand...

Same
 
Livingapparatus said:
I also have a fascination with drugs but that is exactly why I switched. I personally am not excited about the dispension part of pharmacy I felt too much like the middle man. I am not at all interested in diagnosing patients with strange rashes, its not for me.

The autonomy of a MD degree is what really topped my decision. If I want more clinical exposure I can get with anesthetics, if I want no exposure I can do drug research (but a pharmacist could do this too) and then there is the raw information that I want to know.

The last thing that I can think of is what if lose my interest in pharmacology? What if I find something I enjoy even more? The fact that there is an option for me if my mind changes is also a big factor.

And I dont mind the yuck...
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Y'know, there are lots of nondispensing positions. That's the best thing I like about pharmacy, that there are so many options.
 
I have a question guys. Being a pharmacist, will you be able to diagnose and figure out whats wrong with a patient or family member if they are ill. ?
 
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jhafez87 said:
I have a question guys. Being a pharmaciest, will you be able to diagnose and figure out whats wrong with a patient or family member if they are ill. ?
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Not legally. Leave that up to a physician.:)
 
I've tortured myself and had many sleepless nights trying to decide whether to go into pharm school or med school. What it came down to was the number of years of training and the potential for a lawsuit. It's the opinion of many doctors I've spoken to that all doctors get sued at least once during their career. Knowing the type of person that I am, being sued because I made a major mistake would destroy me emotionally. I'd rather be the one covering someone's ass by checking their work. Not that pharmacists can't get sued, but it seems far less common.
 
jhafez87 said:
I have a question guys. Being a pharmacist, will you be able to diagnose and figure out whats wrong with a patient or family member if they are ill. ?
Click to expand...

No, but if you go to MTM you can sort of be a part of the "diagnosis" by advising on drug dosages and monitoring responses, from my understanding.
 
death.

I don't think i'm a strong enough person to deal with death like it's an everyday thing. When you're a doctor, you're probably going to kill someone when your doing your residency or while your still learning. I don't want that responsibility. I couldn't just think of death as something that "happens". It would be very depressing.
 
I am still debating over Pharm school or Med School. So many pros and cons in my situation:
Pharmacy Pros:
Perhaps less competitive (?)
No residency
Interesting subject matter
Working with people
Normal working hours
Pharmacy Cons:
I have more pre-reqs to take
Sooo scared of Physics and Calculus!
Medical Pros:
Working with people
Fewer pre-reqs for me to take
Not as much required math
Medical Cons:
LOTS of schooling and residency
I am already 31, so by the time I'd be done with res, I'd be around 40ish
Stress of long hours as a student and resident and having no time for my family

so..at this point, I am kind of on the fence, but we'll see how my pre-reqs go...
 
I've always wondered if they ask potential med school students in interviews why they chose med school and not pharm school.

I guess the "why pharm and not med" question just seems strange to me.
 
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I once asked a 3rd year med student "Why medicine?" and he replied "instead of pharmacy?..." He didn't even know I was pre-pharm. During that time I just told everybody I was "pre-health."
 
me0wmix said:
I once asked a 3rd year med student "Why medicine?" and he replied "instead of pharmacy?..." He didn't even know I was pre-pharm. During that time I just told everybody I was "pre-health."
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I once asked a pre-med the same question and his answer was because MDs make more. His sole motivation was more money. There's a doctor I wouldn't want. :thumbdown:
 
pharmpilot said:
I once asked a pre-med the same question and his answer was because MDs make more. His sole motivation was more money. There's a doctor I wouldn't want. :thumbdown:
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That describes every single Pre-Med/health student in my former university, who wanted to become an MD... That was one of the reasons why I did not want to become a doctor. I was really disgusted by their actions... I rather want to help people instead of go after money...
 
Zapages said:
That describes every single Pre-Med/health student in my former university, who wanted to become an MD... That was one of the reasons why I did not want to become a doctor. I was really disgusted by their actions... I rather want to help people instead of go after money...
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I agree. I can't believe how they can get their motivation to finish so many years of schooling and training from a higher income. I met a resident that kept bashing about how the sleepless nights and stressors were worth it after coming home to a big paycheck. :bullcrap:
 
I will play devil's advocate here and say that money is a big factor in many people's decisions to become pharmacists, even those who sound the most altruistic. I do not believe competition for pharmacy school, or even med school would be as intense if both professions began paying $30K a year.

In addition, if I were a patient, I would not care what made you become a pharmacist. Money, altruism, whatever. Just don't be incompetent.
 
medicalcpa said:
I will play devil's advocate here and say that money is a big factor in many people's decisions to become pharmacists, even those who sound the most altruistic. I do not believe competition for pharmacy school, or even med school would be as intense if both professions began paying $30K a year.

In addition, if I were a patient, I would not care what made you become a pharmacist. Money, altruism, whatever. Just don't be incompetent.
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Wow. That's. Sounds like we have a winner here!
 
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