Why Not Medicine???????

[PharmTexas]

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I know this question has come up before, but why not Medicine?? Look I'm really undecided right now about Medicine and Pharmacy, I mean they are both great jobs (good $ and ability to help others)!!! How do I figure out which is the right one for me?? The compensation for Pharmacy is much lower though than an MD, which is NOT good. And the BEST $ in pharmacy is retail, which I've heard is rough because of the customers. Can anyone offer suggestions as to how to make this pivotal decision?? Thank you in advance!!

 

[sle3pyguii]

Shadow an MD and a Pharmacist to see what they do.

 

[Klemmentine]

I don't like touching people or strangers. I wouldn't be comfortable performing surgeries or physical exams.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

One of my friends pointed out to me that MDs might make more money but they also have huge malpractice to pay. Plus, you have to work a lot more hours for the money. You will still probably get paid more as an MD, but just something to think about. There are always sacrificies in both. But as sle3pyguii said, get some experience in each field. Also imagine yourself doing that job for the rest of your career.

 

[RPcLA]

...

 

[jonnyboi303]

I don't like touching people or strangers. I wouldn't be comfortable performing surgeries or physical exams.

agreed. and if you're thinking about salary why not be a dentist then?

 

[SGPharmD]

One of my friends pointed out to me that MDs might make more money but they also have huge malpractice to pay.

Agreed. My dad's a doctor and stopped doing surgeries a while ago because of the $35,000 a year he had to pay in malpractice insurance. Pretty rough. I suggest you get some experience in both fields so you can decide which one you like better. Do some volunteering or shadowing. I don't like touching people or having people's blood or vomit on me on a daily basis so MD is not for me. On the other hand I've worked in a pharmacy for the past 6 years and if you have the passion for it, it's a very fulfilling job!

 

[Knickerbocker]

Shadow an MD and a Pharmacist to see what they do.

This is definitely the way to do it! Unfortunately, people would rather keep posting instead of trying this.

Asking us is dumb - we aren't MDs or PharmDs. Most of us on these forums will also have a bias toward one field.

 

[CanPharm]

I saw a series of pictures of bacterial vaginitis, chlamydia, gonnorhea, and I knew I made the right choice
But seriously, you should make a pros and cons list for both the professions and see what you're willing to accept, or whats important to you.🙂

 

[Brandie28]

I know this question has come up before, but why not Medicine?? Look I'm really undecided right now about Medicine and Pharmacy, I mean they are both great jobs (good $ and ability to help others)!!! How do I figure out which is the right one for me?? The compensation for Pharmacy is much lower though than an MD, which is NOT good. And the BEST $ in pharmacy is retail, which I've heard is rough because of the customers. Can anyone offer suggestions as to how to make this pivotal decision?? Thank you in advance!!

I am in the same position!!!

 

[azPharmD2B]

I'm squeamish.

 

[arkgal]

I am choosing pharmacy because it is a good match for my interest in a healt-related career that combines my interest in the sciences while letting me help people at the same time. Being a dentist or nurse never fancied me. I had considered being a doctor for some time but my decision for pharmacy has been a quality of life issue. I want to be enjoying my life by the time I am 30, and have a life outside work, being able to pursue personal interests. If I went to medical school, I would be 35 to 36 when I finished my residency, and during that time working 80 + hours a week on a crappy wage. After that you start makng money, but you will still work 60 to 70 hours a week. Granted there are exceptions, but those are the norms. I want to have time for a family. I want to pursue interests such as hunting, rock climbing, aviation etc. As an MD, medicine is your life. I want a well-balanced work and personal life. So for me pharmacy is the answer.

 

[organicnerd]

People just disgrace medicine by saying that doctors work 80+ hours a week....and so on. But instead thats wrong if u have ur own practice because a doctor has more flexibility than a pharmacist.. furthermore a pharmacist is more bondable to his/her job because of the hourly shifts. Doctors have flexibility they can take a day off or work... however they like. If all doctors start working 80+ hours there wouldnt be shortage. Doctors are lazy... they dont want to work more if they aint gettin paid (the salary cap)..that y the secretary always says doctor is on vacation..so think about that as well....6 months work 6 months vacation crazy.....

 

[AngelaCL]

Salary should not be much of an issue at all - pharmacists are very well paid, and if you become a doctor just for the money you aren't going to be very happy. Either way you will have a comfortable lifestyle.

Personally, I've been thinking about working in healthcare for years. I have a BA in Psych, but I don't think I would want to be a psychologist or psychiatrist because it is too much responsibility and too many gray areas - you never know how your words might affect a very fragile person. Pharmacy is more straightfoward - if you take these drugs together, you'll get really sick. I worked in a mental health center, and sometimes things felt hopeless and I didn't know if I was really helping people. In pharmacy, it's more straightforward.

I have never wanted to be a doctor because I am squeamish - I can't handle vomit or feces or blood. Also, I want to be able to work part-time if I choose, and never have to work midnights or wear a pager. And again, it's more responsibility - diagnosing is very different from checking for drug interactions, and again it's just not quite as straightforward.

Plus, I really like the patient-pharmacist relationship - in my experience, pharmacists have more time to talk to patients and help them solve problems, and people are really grateful to have pharmacists willing to work with them, and not having to pay for a doctor visit. For example, my dad had a bad accident earlier this year, and asked the pharmacist for help with pain management when our insurance decided to not cover anything related to the accident. The naproxen the pharmacist helped him find manages his pain just as well as the ultracet the doctor prescribed, and he also got a wrist brace, vitamin supplements, etc. And oftentimes patients will see their pharmacists every week, and only see their doctors once a year, so they know us better and trust us more. Our pharmacy manager is a diabetic educator, and I think that's really interesting - he can educate people how to eat better and take care of themselves so they need less medicine.

So, yeah, my personality type really meshes with the type of problem-solving and decision-making a retail pharmacist makes, along with the type of patient interaction.

 

[Jbrown007]

It was an easy decision for me. Doctors are on call, med schools require intense anatomy, I am a chemistry guy.

Did you know that consumers on average speak with there doctor 2-3 times a year while they speak with there pharmacist 13-14, this of course is based off elderly patients

 

[arkgal]

People just disgrace medicine by saying that doctors work 80+ hours a week....and so on. But instead thats wrong if u have ur own practice because a doctor has more flexibility than a pharmacist.. furthermore a pharmacist is more bondable to his/her job because of the hourly shifts. Doctors have flexibility they can take a day off or work... however they like. If all doctors start working 80+ hours there wouldnt be shortage. Doctors are lazy... they dont want to work more if they aint gettin paid (the salary cap)..that y the secretary always says doctor is on vacation..so think about that as well....6 months work 6 months vacation crazy.....

I am not disgracing medicine. I have high respect for doctors and what they do. It is a very honorable profession but it's not for everyone. I simply stated my reasons why I chose pharmacy. You really need to pay close attention to my words also. I said 80+ hours a week in residency. I don't know many doctors that are lazy. I've never had a secretary tell me that doctor is on vacation. Also no doctor only works 6 months out of the year (only exception being those that work on oil rigs, but that is an extremely small minority).

 

[koercive]

Honestly, one of the factors for me was that I didn't have to take PCATs or any other standardized testing.

Also, in one of my soc classes, I learned about how doctors lose contact with their emotions as they are taught to do so in a professional setting. That is something I don't want personally.