Will a PharmD and PhD help me get a job, if I pursue research?

[Hello9753]

I will only want to go to pharmacy school if I can get accepted into a PharmD and Phd. I have a passion in computer science, and would like to go into AI and drug design. My plan would be to work for the federal government or start my own start up AI drug company. Can you all give me your opinion if this path is viable? I have been having doubts about whether the job market will accept me. Should I worried about getting found out if I would like to get my resume looked over? I have been considering the medical school path, since I think I am doing well in school and think I would just have a mediocre application to medical school.
How can I check how bad the job market is in Maryland or Virginia regarding the pharmacist job market.
Thanks

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[TranslationalRPh]

I will only want to go to pharmacy school if I can get accepted into a PharmD and Phd. I have a passion in computer science, and would like to go into AI and drug design. My plan would be to work for the federal government or start my own start up AI drug company. Can you all give me your opinion if this path is viable? I have been having doubts about whether the job market will accept me. Should I worried about getting found out if I would like to get my resume looked over? I have been considering the medical school path, since I think I am doing well in school and think I would just have a mediocre application to medical school.
How can I check how bad the job market is in Maryland or Virginia regarding the pharmacist job market.
Thanks

Sounds like vastly different paths to me: start up AI/drug company versus federal government. Where would you be interested in the federal government? Having the combination of PharmD/PhD is no guarantee for a government (or any) job nor start up success, regardless. You should ask yourself whether you need both degrees, only one degree (ie, CS), different degrees, etc. I know of business people with life sciences or CS bachelors degrees who own and operate thriving AI-driven drug companies; I know of VCs with similar bachelors who invest in them. Given the state of pharmacy, going to a MD/PhD program certainly provides significantly more career options AND you may not have to pay a cent. In short, there are many ways to get to the path you desire, and a PharmD/PhD is not required. I have both but graduated eons ago. Consider your ROI, whether a fellowship could be substituted for a PhD, whether a PhD alone is enough or if you need to do a postdoc, whether you need an advanced science degree at all or just need to partner with someone who has it, etc. Also, consider what happens if you change your mind along the way (ie, you may have fewer options if you stop with a PharmD given the declining job market.)

 

[rxkrafted]

If you have a passion for computer science, why not just major in computer science and go down that path? Doing a pharmd/phd would make sense if you were interested in the research aspect but if you don't get to work for the government or start this AI drug company you want to do, you'd most likely get stuck doing retail pharmacy (if even able to find a job). At least with a computer science degree, you can still work for the government, drug company, or whatever.. you have more flexibility in what areas you want to work while doing what you have a "passion" for. Significantly much less debt and time wasted too.

 

[deleted562805]

I will only want to go to pharmacy school if I can get accepted into a PharmD and Phd. I have a passion in computer science, and would like to go into AI and drug design. My plan would be to work for the federal government or start my own start up AI drug company. Can you all give me your opinion if this path is viable? I have been having doubts about whether the job market will accept me. Should I worried about getting found out if I would like to get my resume looked over? I have been considering the medical school path, since I think I am doing well in school and think I would just have a mediocre application to medical school.
How can I check how bad the job market is in Maryland or Virginia regarding the pharmacist job market.
Thanks

If you want to know how bad the job market is ask some retail pharmacists in your area.

I am not sure what your GPA is and unless you have a MCAT score, it is difficult to tell what your chances of getting into medical school is like. Plus, you need some clinical work experience in med scribe, EMT as well. Do you have research experience as well? That would be a plus.

If I were you, I go the MD/PhD route because they have better options than PharmD/PhD. And you can still work for a biotech company with a MD/PhD. Or if you really interested in AI, CS background would be a good route to pursue.

Overall, shoot for medical school. If you don’t get in, pursue CS. Don’t waste time with pharmacy. The federal jobs are very limited for pharmacists. And it takes an expansive network to get into Biotech companies with a PharmD/PhD. You will more than likely end up in academia in some up and coming pharmacy school.

 

[Hello9753]

If you have a passion for computer science, why not just major in computer science and go down that path? Doing a pharmd/phd would make sense if you were interested in the research aspect but if you don't get to work for the government or start this AI drug company you want to do, you'd most likely get stuck doing retail pharmacy (if even able to find a job). At least with a computer science degree, you can still work for the government, drug company, or whatever.. you have more flexibility in what areas you want to work while doing what you have a "passion" for. Significantly much less debt and time wasted too.

If you have a passion for computer science, why not just major in computer science and go down that path? Doing a pharmd/phd would make sense if you were interested in the research aspect but if you don't get to work for the government or start this AI drug company you want to do, you'd most likely get stuck doing retail pharmacy (if even able to find a job). At least with a computer science degree, you can still work for the government, drug company, or whatever.. you have more flexibility in what areas you want to work while doing what you have a "passion" for. Significantly much less debt and time wasted too.

I have connections at NIH and the FDA, that I have made through research. Also I would rather not spend my time on learning CS languages that I don't need, but I still do want to learn about how drugs work. So I am currently working on CS projects, a good github and stackoverflow is all that I believe is nessecary to get a good job in the CS community. Also my friends that are working in the CS industry will be able to give me a heads up about getting a job there.

 

[Hello9753]

If you want to know how bad the job market is ask some retail pharmacists in your area.

I am not sure what your GPA is and unless you have a MCAT score, it is difficult to tell what your chances of getting into medical school is like. Plus, you need some clinical work experience in med scribe, EMT as well. Do you have research experience as well? That would be a plus.

If I were you, I go the MD/PhD route because they have better options than PharmD/PhD. And you can still work for a biotech company with a MD/PhD. Or if you really interested in AI, CS background would be a good route to pursue.

Overall, shoot for medical school. If you don’t get in, pursue CS. Don’t waste time with pharmacy. The federal jobs are very limited for pharmacists. And it takes an expansive network to get into Biotech companies with a PharmD/PhD. You will more than likely end up in academia in some up and coming pharmacy school.

Would pharmacy tech still count as clinical work? I will be reapplying to a scribe job that I almost go but didn't get in due to internal issues and I was only a freshman. I am at a 3.8 right now. I am currently in two labs, which take up about 40 hours of my week. How about prison pharmacy? Do you know about the outlook on that? Also I should mention I do volunteer 4 hours a week at a food bank, as well as random volunteer work with the Red Cross Club at VCU. For extracurriculars, I am currently a powerlifter and tennis, and do coach tennis and getting started to do some weightlifting coaching too. I am currently in my second year, but my credits put me at junior. It is however still easy for me to prolong my stay to make time for other additions.

 

[deleted562805]

Would pharmacy tech still count as clinical work? I will be reapplying to a scribe job that I almost go but didn't get in due to internal issues and I was only a freshman. I am at a 3.8 right now. I am currently in two labs, which take up about 40 hours of my week. How about prison pharmacy? Do you know about the outlook on that?

Not many jobs in Bureau of Prisons. Long waiting list and usually fill their positions internally. I would give medical school a shot. Pharmacy tech does count as clinical work experience. Take the MCAT. You are too smart for pharmacy school. The standards are dropping for even established pharmacy schools. They are taking students below a 3.0 without the PCAT, an exam for admissions to pharmacy school.

 

[Hello9753]

Not many jobs in Bureau of Prisons. Long waiting list and usually fill their positions internally. I would give medical school a shot. Pharmacy tech does count as clinical work experience. Take the MCAT.

Yes, I do I still am young as it is only my second year of college. That's good to know I have around 150ish clinical hours to start. Thank you very much for your help. I will start studying and probably take it in June. I was hoping that I could skip that beast of an exam, but sadly it seems that it is a wall I will have to climb. Should I still waste my time with my pharmcas? I was still considering getting in and try to defer as a back up since I would like the phD in biological and chemical drug design.

 

[Hello9753]

Not many jobs in Bureau of Prisons. Long waiting list and usually fill their positions internally. I would give medical school a shot. Pharmacy tech does count as clinical work experience. Take the MCAT. You are too smart for pharmacy school. The standards are dropping for even established pharmacy schools. They are taking students below a 3.0 without the PCAT, an exam for admissions to pharmacy school.

Bad habit of mine to make several backup plans and planning too far ahead.

 

[deleted562805]

Yes, I do I still am young as it is only my second year of college. That's good to know I have around 150ish clinical hours to start. Thank you very much for your help. I will start studying and probably take it in June. I was hoping that I could skip that beast of an exam, but sadly it seems that it is a wall I will have to climb. Should I still waste my time with my pharmcas? I was still considering getting in and try to defer as a back up since I would like the phD in biological and chemical drug design.

Also, Make sure you also shadow a wide variety of physicians. From FM to surgery.

And add some leadership experience as well and volunteering. You can volunteer on teaching orphans at a school in a third world country etc or volunteer in a organization that gives food to the homeless. It does not have to be generic volunteer in a hospital. Leadership experience can be become a SI for organic chemistry

 

[Hello9753]

Also, Make sure you also shadow a wide variety of physicians.

Dang it. I also never wanted to do that unless I'm getting paid, so I hope I can get that scribe job. Also would obtaining and working as a cna be just as good or is scribing the best pre-med job to have without a certification?

 

[rxkrafted]

I have connections at NIH and the FDA, that I have made through research. Also I would rather not spend my time on learning CS languages that I don't need, but I still do want to learn about how drugs work. So I am currently working on CS projects, a good github and stackoverflow is all that I believe is nessecary to get a good job in the CS community. Also my friends that are working in the CS industry will be able to give me a heads up about getting a job there.

Have you tried asking your connections at NIH and the FDA that you made through research? They may provide good insight into what you should be looking into. With your GPA, I wouldn't risk spending time and money in pharmacy school if there is a way to avoid it to get where you want with your goals.

 

[Hello9753]

Also, Make sure you also shadow a wide variety of physicians. From FM to surgery.

And add some leadership experience as well and volunteering. You can volunteer on teaching orphans at a school in a third world country etc or volunteer in a organization that gives food to the homeless. It does not have to be generic volunteer in a hospital. Leadership experience can be become a SI for organic chemistry

How important is leadership? Since I doubt I can deal with that with the hectic schedule I have, due to research in 2 labs, volunteering, and on average 17+ credits a semester. Most clubs at vcu are rather lackluster in both people and good leaders, as they are just friend groups leading them. Also is DO a good option to go for? They seem to be pretty well off despite looking as easy as pharmacy school to get into.

 

[rxkrafted]

Dang it. I also never wanted to do that unless I'm getting paid, so I hope I can get that scribe job. Also would obtaining and working as a cna be just as good or is scribing the best pre-med job to have without a certification?

You need a certificate to work as a CNA.. If you don't plan on becoming a nurse, i wouldn't even consider this. You'd be doing all the dirty work the nurse doesn't want to do... including cleaning up s***, bathing patients, etc

 

[deleted562805]

Dang it. I also never wanted to do that unless I'm getting paid, so I hope I can get that scribe job. Also would obtaining and working as a cna be just as good or is scribing the best pre-med job to have without a certification?

Medical laboratory tech does not need certification. Some hospitals offer this program MLS lab tech also is a option. Lab tech is less formal than EMT or CNA. Lab tech looks good because you will know what labs doctors order and what tests they order. Doctors also visits the lab and speak with the Medical laboratory scientist.

NA is working more closely with nurses more so than doctors. Medical scribe works the closets with doctors because they type the soap notes. Medical scribe in the ER is the best experience because you have to learn to think on your feet and many Physicians may not have the time to go back and document.
You don’t get get paid to shadow.

 

[Hello9753]

You need a certificate to work as a CNA.. If you don't plan on becoming a nurse, i wouldn't even consider this. You'd be doing all the dirty work the nurse doesn't want to do... including cleaning up s***, bathing patients, etc

I am aware of that its just that CNA training is much much shorter than EMT or other stuff, and that it is very very commonly needed. I am fine with doing dirty work makes a better essay.

 

[deleted562805]

How important is leadership? Since I doubt I can deal with that with the hectic schedule I have, due to research in 2 labs, volunteering, and on average 17+ credits a semester. Most clubs at vcu are rather lackluster in both people and good leaders, as they are just friend groups leading them. Also is DO a good option to go for? They seem to be pretty well off despite looking as easy as pharmacy school to get into.

Well it depends on your MCAT score.
A 511 or above gets you into MD and 500-510 gets you into DO. DO and MD also depends on what speciality in medicine you want to pursue. If you want to pursue Oncology for example, it is now much harder to get into Oncology as a DO compared to MD. Most DOs end practicing in FM, IM. If you want to pursue something like a PhD in any speciality, MD would be the best route.

 

[deleted562805]

How important is leadership? Since I doubt I can deal with that with the hectic schedule I have, due to research in 2 labs, volunteering, and on average 17+ credits a semester. Most clubs at vcu are rather lackluster in both people and good leaders, as they are just friend groups leading them. Also is DO a good option to go for? They seem to be pretty well off despite looking as easy as pharmacy school to get into.

Don’t join any clubs. Waste of time. I would try for leadership positions in academia.
If you can make time in the summer, for tutoring people in Biochemistry etc or what ever subject you are strong in. That’s good. Or an abassador to your college.
If you don’t have time in the summer, then it is okay. No Leadership experience will not end your chance for medical school. It is just icing on the cake. It is not as important as clinical work experience.

 

[Hello9753]

Rx1992 rxkrafted
Thanks you two for replying so quickly. I will most likely do my best to pursue a MD/PhD path, but I will keep the CS as part of my main hobby. If you know any MD's in Richmond,VA, I would love to hear from them, since I haven't had much interactions with doctors. Otherwise, I will be hoping that the Covid era of shadowing or pre-med opportunties will open up again.

 

[rxkrafted]

I am aware of that its just that CNA training is much much shorter than EMT or other stuff, and that it is very very commonly needed. I am fine with doing dirty work makes a better essay.

I don't get what kind of work you're interested in anymore... I'd figure since you had a passion for computer science and health, you would like to work behind a computer most of the time doing technical stuff but a lot of the stuff you've been looking into is more hands on (i.e. CNAs and EMTs). Again, talk to your connections at NIH and FDA.

 

[Hello9753]

Forget about clubs. Summer tutoring in Biochemistry or working as a TA in the summer looks much better than joining a club.

Well the clubs are just ways for me relax as well. I will try and apply for tutoring and SI positions at my school.

 

[Hello9753]

I don't get what kind of work you're interested in anymore... I'd figure since you had a passion for computer science and health, you would like to work behind a computer most of the time doing technical stuff but a lot of the stuff you've been looking into is more hands on (i.e. CNAs and EMTs). Again, talk to your connections at NIH and FDA.

Ha yea sorry. I just really enjoy research and everything. I do love hands on stuff as well with patient interactions. YOUNG AND BURNING WITH PASSION.
I am every durable.

 

[deleted562805]

Well the clubs are just ways for me relax as well. I will try and apply for tutoring and SI positions at my school.

That’s good. Only if you can make time for it.

If tutoring is going to conflict with your research or even more dangerously affect your GPA. I would avoid it. It all depends on whether it will work with your schedule.

The three big things are GPA, MCAT and clinical work experience and your research experience since you are interested in MD/PhD. Once you have high MCAT 511 or above score and you can write your personal statement around your interest in MD/PhD even without leadership experience, I think they will give you shot for Medical school

 

[Hello9753]

Medical laboratory tech does not need certification. Some hospitals offer this program MLS lab tech also is a option. Lab tech is less formal than EMT or CNA. Lab tech looks good because you will know what labs doctors order and what tests they order. Doctors also visits the lab and speak with the Medical laboratory scientist.

NA is working more closely with nurses more so than doctors. Medical scribe works the closets with doctors because they type the soap notes. Medical scribe in the ER is the best experience because you have to learn to think on your feet and many Physicians may not have the time to go back and document.
You don’t get get paid to shadow.

Since most jobs are asking for full time, do you think if I have a chance of obtaining a healthcare job that is listed to look for full time jobs, despite being only free for part time? I am looking for CNA, medical laboratory tech, and scribing positions right now, and I am just thinking that the more applications I can send the higher my chances are but I don't wanna spend too much time with applying since this is my hardest semester. I , however, don't want to look ignorant by just completely disregarding the fact that they are only seeking full time positions.

 

[deleted562805]

Since most jobs are asking for full time, do you think if I have a chance of obtaining a healthcare job that is listed to look for full time jobs, despite being only free for part time? I am looking for CNA, medical laboratory tech, and scribing positions right now, and I am just thinking that the more applications I can send the higher my chances are but I don't wanna spend too much time with applying since this is my hardest semester. I , however, don't want to look ignorant by just completely disregarding the fact that they are only seeking full time positions.

Do you still have the pharmacy tech job? Are you still working as pharm tech?

See if you can get part time. Let the work site know you are a undergrad student and would like some clinical work experience that offers part time. Option2 if the work site can’t offer PRN: Are you done with registering for classes? Is there any way you can reduce the load to 14-15 credit hours? The number of credit hours are not particularly important. What matters is A’s in all your classes.

Medical schools look at a continuation of work experience. They might question why you dropped this semester etc or they will think you did the work experience prior just as a check list for application. And yes, they are picky. YouTube Medical school Headquarters, you can see that ADCOM is very picky.

If you do a heavy load this semester.and you don’t do well meaning 3.4 or below that will reduce your GPA which will not look good on your transcript . What are you taking this coming semester?

I think that getting a 3.8 GPA is impressive taking 17 credit hours your previous semesters, and making time for research and volunteering. If this going to be your hardest semester, you might want to reduce the workload to 14 credit hours, you will be able to maintain or increase your GPA, you will have time for research, and have clinical work experience PRN. Even with 14 credit hours, I do not think it is possible to do Full time clinical work experience. You need to do PRN.

 

[Hello9753]

Do you still have the pharmacy tech job? Are you still working as pharm tech?

See if you can get part time. Let the work site know you are a undergrad student and would like some clinical work experience that offers part time. Option2 if the work site can’t offer PRN: Are you done with registering for classes? Is there any way you can reduce the load to 14-15 credit hours? The number of credit hours are not particularly important. What matters is A’s in all your classes.

Medical schools look at a continuation of work experience. They might question why you dropped this semester etc or they will think you did the work experience prior just as a check list for application. And yes, they are picky. YouTube Medical school Headquarters, you can see that ADCOM is very picky.

If you do a heavy load this semester.and you don’t do well meaning 3.4 or below that will reduce your GPA which will not look good on your transcript . What are you taking this coming semester?

I think that getting a 3.8 GPA is impressive taking 17 credit hours your previous semesters, and making time for research and volunteering. If this going to be your hardest semester, you might want to reduce the workload to 14 credit hours, you will be able to maintain or increase your GPA, you will have time for research, and have clinical work experience PRN. Even with 14 credit hours, I do not think it is possible to do Full time clinical work experience. You need to do PRN.

I am taking cell biology (pre-rec for micro biology), biochem 1, University Physics 1, Speech, organic chem 2 lab. Its just the fact that I'm living alone and have to cook, clean, and buy groceries for myself. I would honestly like to apply to be a scribe once more, but I will take whatever I can get. I register for the spring semester oct 27. I will try and reduce it to 14 credits, as I will no longer have to take anatomy and some other pre-pharm classes. The online switch is annoying since I am not a great test taker. I want to thank you for the advice, but I do have a lot of work to complete and typically won't be able to respond super fast. I do think I see a path to take and will ask about things.

 

[lord999]

I have connections at NIH and the FDA, that I have made through research. Also I would rather not spend my time on learning CS languages that I don't need, but I still do want to learn about how drugs work. So I am currently working on CS projects, a good github and stackoverflow is all that I believe is nessecary to get a good job in the CS community. Also my friends that are working in the CS industry will be able to give me a heads up about getting a job there.

Those connections really did a bad job of advising you if you're not trolling. Skip the PharmD. You have no good reason to do it. Skip the PhD as well, the MS is the terminal degree for practitioners as the PhD is not a good financial tradeoff for the practice.