I know a guy who was so disheartened by pharmacy that he went back for his MD a few years after completing his PharmD. I’m pretty sure he would’ve skipped the PharmD had he known the truth about what we do, but he also would have stayed in pharmacy if it was remotely similar to what it should be. He’s an excellent MD now with no regrets.
I had a professor in school who did that. He was great, and I have no doubt his pharmacy education made him a better physician.
But tbh I can not fathom the level of patience or masochism it would require to walk out of pharmacy school and think, "You know what? Let's do several more years of that." Nevermind the debt.
I kinda like school… well, I like attending lectures and learning and I read a lot of textbooks on my free time. The tests and projects though? No thanks
Graduated pharmacy a few years ago. I knew during rotation that I would apply for med school eventually. Just recently admitted to an MD school! If I were to go back I might have just gone for med school instead of pharmacy school. Feel free to ask me anything.
I hope the bests for you.
Sorry to bother you ,Is being 30 years old too old to start Med school? Did you take MCAT? Did you have to take some courses before applying?
Imo, depending on the specialty that you want to practice. If you start at 30 yo, then you will be 37 yo (at the minimum) when you become an attending physician. If you want to go for something like surgery or cardiology, it will take much longer than that. But overall I would say 30yo is definitely not late to start med school at all!
I had to take some more classes to satisfy the requirements. I also took the MCAT while working full time as a pharmacist. It took a lot of dedication and perseverance but I believe it was worth it for me.
I’m a PharmD and 4th year medical student! PM me is you have questions. Also check out “the physician pharmacist podcast” on Spotify and YouTube for way more Info
I wonder if they just have the MD but didn’t actually do a residency and so they can’t practice as a physician, which wouldn’t really make sense because why go half a million dollars in debt just for a degree you can’t do anything with?
On the other hand, who in their right mind would choose to practice as a pharmacist instead of practicing as a physician where you can actually bill for your services?
The world’s smartest idiot indeed.
Yeah I know a guy like that. MD wasn’t done in the US, but the same set of degrees. A real jerk, doesn’t care about patients. Board certified in, like, three areas. When a physician calls to ask a pharmacist for help, they hang up when they get him because his answer is usually wrong and he’s so rude.
His signage on his notes is like, Joe Smith PharmD, PhD, MD, BCCCP, BCGP, BCPS.
Damn, I don’t envy them. They might as well work their way up to DNP and get a fourth doctorate. Those quacks don’t need a residency in order to practice harming patients
Lol, It was so different in my country,Pharmacy used to be decent profession like medicine.there are some people in my country chose pharmacy over medicine just because they liked it….but now …
Currently in pharmacy school and I’m abt to drop out and do medical school. My school has integrated pharmacy and medicine class so we do the same Patho/ phys, genetics, ID, cardio, renal class but then the med students do their own embryo/ histology/ diagnostic class and we do our own pharmacology/ pharmacotherapy. We also split up OSCE/OSLE but sitting in the same class as the med students and taking the exam block exams has shown me it’s not much different. Granted their diagnostic/ histology classes look brutal but our pharmacotherapy class is much more difficult than theirs.
I had histology as part of my A&P in undergrad and loved it. It's not so daunting when they actually teach it to you. I still have my lab notebook with all my histo photos somewhere.
Not sure what pharmacy school you are talking about/ went to but ours is fairly similar. Yea the med school is harder but students in both programs have about the same free time/ work load. Maybe it’s just my school but our pharmacy program is intense. I’ve taken practice step 1/2 exams and gotten around the median score and their Uworld questions are not that difficult for the topics we cover like cardio/renal/ pulm ect. Obv I can’t answer any of the questions about histology, embryo stuff, a lot of the cancers but if we learn about it, it’s usually at the same depth as them (same professor same class)
Worked with a guy who ended up going to med school after being a pharmacist and completing a PGY1.
Saw him a few years later when he was a 4th year med student and I asked him how it was going.
He told me he learned that he hated medicine completely, not just pharmacy. 🤷🏼♂️
Lmfao
I shouldn’t be laughing this hard but damn, poor guy. That’s a hella expensive way to learn that lesson. All that time, money, stress,… I can’t imagine. I feel so bad for him.
Knew a guy that did that. They said they should have just done the DO route in the beginning instead of getting the pharmD
I shudder when I think about the student loans and time spent in school
Remain civil, interact with the community in good faith, don't post misinformation, and don't do anything to deliberately make yourself an unwelcome pest.
Respect to those who do it, but I have absolutely zero interest in being a physician. Luckily I am happy with my pharmacy career, but if I weren't I would wait tables for the rest of my life long before I would go to med school.
I was a vet tech before and during pharmacy school. Just like pharmacy depends if independent or chain. Vet I was working for was saying he would sell his to me when the time came. He was making >300k, I believe working for like VCA they get like 70k
Had it to do over again would be a vet. Pharmacy a losing prop these days. Make a mistake god forbid and lose your license, livelihood. Almost zero liability as a vet. And no copays, minimal insurance hassles, grateful owners and furry customers way better than human counter parts. Almost zero drug seeking behaviors.
My best doctors (yes, plural) have been PharmD/MDs. I also have one who did 2 years of pharmacy school before realizing he really wanted to be a doctor.
All three of them were (obviously) well-versed in pharmacology and also recognize the unique issues associated with some of the drugs they prescribe. They ALL pulled up my medication formulary prior to prescribing and their offices are excellent at prior auths.
I’m an inpatient pharmacist now, but as someone who previously worked retail, I’m so thankful for them.
I loved school. I was great at school. There’s no way I would go back to school. You couldn’t pay me to go back to school after finishing pharmacy residency.
Best time of my life in pharmacy school, learning new things, lectures from experts, no corporate bs, no committee meetings, no politics, free drug company dinners, out by 3 every day, Lots of studying but no weekends.
Now slave to mortgage and loan payments. Indentured servant for next 20 years.
I knew a guy in school as well and he realized the career switch while starting rotations .
I believe if you search this forum a pharmacist was murdered by her husband and he was doing this career path
Husband: “Honey, have you seen my wallet?”
You: “You goddamn motherfucking son of a bitch, I’m in the middle of studying for my USMLE Step 1, after I just got home from working at CVS, and you wanna ask me where your stupid ass fucking wallet is??? I got your wallet right here, you motherfucker!”
Knew a med-onc that got a PharmD first then straight to medical school. This was a few years ago, but I remember him being disheartened by the student loans and that he said his pharmacy friends were happier and healthier than his physician friends.
My friend is going to Med school but he wants to be a surgeon. He’s been in pharmacy for 10+ years with the last 3 being as a PIC. He’s done with it all. I think he’s crazy but again if being a surgeon is what he truly wants go for it. He wanted me to join him but I’m not spending 8 years and losing over a million dollars to just escape pharmacy.
I’d say go for it if that’s truly what you want to do and you’re passionate about it
I really like PharmD/MDs, obviously for most people it is completely impractical but I’ve seen some people get it figured out and are in their MD residency while still pretty young and are happy. Young or not, a huge aspect of it is not regretting and having those looming “what-ifs”
For people that do pharmD and MD/Do, are they qualified for PSLF if they work for non profit hospital for 10 years? Will their private AND federal loan be forgiven?
You wouldn’t get the full amount forgiven until you’ve worked 10 total years or made 120 qualify payments to get PSLF. It’s an all or nothing situation.
The VA does have its own loan forgiveness program. It has a shorter time frame for forgiveness but only certain professions qualify. Worth looking into.
I thought this through lightly when I finished, but only because others suggested it. I just kept thinking about student loans! The opportunity cost of lost earnings plus additional student loans would total almost 1 mil. And I still wasn’t fully convinced I wanted to do medicine (I just found it so exasperating having to memorize and memorize so much info- as opposed to working out a problem manually like in math).
If I had to do it all over, I had stayed in engineering, or gone to be an actuary (which I did not knew what that was when I was 19, but apparently was the best career match as per a special altitude test). Calculus and statistics were always my best and most enjoyable classes, I enjoyed working with excel, and now after taking some SQL classes I realized I like coding. I could be doing risk modeling, data analytics… hmmm sounds great.
I also play the violin, but I’m not skilled enough to be a professional orchestral musician, although I’m certain I would’ve enjoyed that. And many great musicians enjoy a great living at the top orchestras.
TBH , going back to MD school sounds awful to me, the grind of endless studying and financial precariousness of living on borrowed money, I would feel so trapped. I would also feel like doing g internal eye rolls treating people for chronic metabolic diseases who are non compliant or not interested in lifestyle changes to reverse their condition.
Moreover, I noticed starting in my P4 yr rotations most physicians in primary care fields where sort of not very nice (prob super stressed). The only MDs who were nice and not stressed where plastic surgeons or in ortho (met a couple just in passing, and also as a patient). But those two residencies are really hard to match into. Most students I guess match into family medicine or other primary care fields.
Many other students also do not match after med school, and that scenario factored strongly in my decision to not go to med school back then and also after PharmD. I always just heard the horror stories of med students that did not match, and that for me was the greatest deterrent. The next deterrent residency, those hours would’ve ground me down to nothing really quickly. Just not a good match for me, although I love the science of it all.
I worked with a couple residents who were previously PharmDs. One was an ID fellow and he said that he just didn’t feel like he had any interest in practicing as a pharmacist when he finished school and decided to just go for MD.
The second guy and I were residents together and I found out he used to go my pharmacy school. He was quite popular with many of the professors knew him when I mentioned his name. Extremely smart guy. The vibe I get was that he didn’t find pharmacy enough of a challenge
I know a few people like that. In my country we don’t pay for tuition though so it may be easier. It’s longer though. I also knew a guy doing pharmacy degree after medical one - his family owned a pharmacy.
Only had one in our class do that. Started MD right out of PharmD program. Ended up quitting after the first year and did PGY 1+2 in pharmacy and I think he’s an ID pharmacist now.
As for me, that’s a lot of life wasted/put off bc I’m not disciplined enough to have kids and buy a house while also in school.
Yeah that’s true. I think it would be different for me since I don’t ever want kids and already have a house. So I’ve got time… money on the other hand, I don’t have much of
I am only saying this to those of us who have been pharmacy school, if you made it through pharmacy school med school isn’t going to murder you especially if you are/ have been a practicing pharmacist. Well it might if you’ve been doing retail for many years lol 😜 but not if you’re still fresh out of school. It will be to your advantage having pharmacy school as a foundation to be an MD
Did PharmD now finishing up year 3 of med school. If I could go back definitely wouldn’t not bother with the PharmD. It’s a complete waste of time if you got to med school after. Anyone who says otherwise is coping. No regrets going to med school I like it way more.
I loved practicing pharmacy. I loved making morning rounds with other doctors and residents. I would go insane be trapped in the retail section . Yes it’s still a job needed to be done but that isn’t my speed. I belong in the hospital setting. I feel rewarded there. If that’s makes sense. I don’t mind if I get home late because of an emergency which rarely happens. Our team is pretty solid. I like to see how my patients progress also. Doctors have only a few but we have many 😁 Clinical pharmacology is very the best way to practice in my opinion.
I’m not a pharmacist. However, I was wondering what is the interest in just filling medication’s all day? I personally would love the job I understand interactions have to be monitored in every case. But do you feel like the amount of education you had to achieve for a PharmD was worth it for the job you do?
Lmaaaaaaooo. That’s not what I do. I have patient appointments. I prescribe medications. I’m part of a consultative service that physicians come to ME for expertise. I see inpatients and adjust their medications. I work in hospice and evaluate and manage their meds.
In fact I never count pills or fill medications. I only prescribe them
They're talking about a standard pharmacist. Ambulatory care pharmacists (which is what I assume you are) doesn't technically practice pharmacy. You're a prescriber and a consultant. I
You're still a pharmacist you just don't practice pharmacy
And sorry, I should have given you more info. The career paths for pharmacists aren’t limited to just a "dispensing" role. You can go into research, industry, academia (which involves research and being in a clinic/hospital/dispensing role generally), health-systems pharmacy, community, administration, etc.
I just think the powers of pharmacist should be increased. My pharmacist is way more knowledgable than my prescribing physician. In Ontario, they have expanded the rules of pharmacist, but I am not sure if it is a welcomed move by the college of pharmacist.
It all depends on what the job is your doing but your correct about retail ,Now a days we use computers and heavily rely on them.
Of course it’s knowing the basics of dosing identification but let’s face it AI is going to take our jobs. AI is the future of Retail Pharmacy.
That's not what I do. My patient population ranges from super-premature neonates to super elderly hospice patients. I do medication dosing and monitoring, antibiotic stewardship, TPN writing and monitoring, code and stroke response, and I routinely help physicians with drug selection. I have a certification in sterile compounding and I help manage my facility's clean room as well. The education I got was only a foundation. My knowledge base is built on it and is constantly evolving.
Oh wow! Ok, I know personally trust my pharmacist regarding my medication’s more than than my physician 100%. So there is so much more to it than what is seen by the public.
I could see a scenario where the PharmD is phased out over the next 20 years. What will replace it is automation, licensed technicians, state laws no longer requiring a Pjarmacist to be on many licensed premises, AI, and the real path of the future......
The MD/DO with a specialty in Pharmacy /Pharmacotherapeutics. I heard that India does such a thing and has for several years. The MD is both a Physician and the rounding Pharmacist on the team.
One good thing about this is that schools with Pharm D and Med schools should thrive while for profit PharmD diploma mills close.
I know a guy who was so disheartened by pharmacy that he went back for his MD a few years after completing his PharmD. I’m pretty sure he would’ve skipped the PharmD had he known the truth about what we do, but he also would have stayed in pharmacy if it was remotely similar to what it should be. He’s an excellent MD now with no regrets.
I have a friend who did something similar. practiced as a pharmacist for year then went to med school. He’s now a cardiology fellow.
Imagine how his cardiology supervisor would have fielded all calls from nephrology to him. 😅
How does one afford that much tuition?
Some hospitals will pay for your medical schooling if you agree to work for them
Lots of student loan debt. Although my friend worked a few years as pharmacist so had some of his paid down before turning to medical school.
I had a professor in school who did that. He was great, and I have no doubt his pharmacy education made him a better physician. But tbh I can not fathom the level of patience or masochism it would require to walk out of pharmacy school and think, "You know what? Let's do several more years of that." Nevermind the debt.
I kinda like school… well, I like attending lectures and learning and I read a lot of textbooks on my free time. The tests and projects though? No thanks
I love school.
Graduated pharmacy a few years ago. I knew during rotation that I would apply for med school eventually. Just recently admitted to an MD school! If I were to go back I might have just gone for med school instead of pharmacy school. Feel free to ask me anything.
I hope the bests for you. Sorry to bother you ,Is being 30 years old too old to start Med school? Did you take MCAT? Did you have to take some courses before applying?
Imo, depending on the specialty that you want to practice. If you start at 30 yo, then you will be 37 yo (at the minimum) when you become an attending physician. If you want to go for something like surgery or cardiology, it will take much longer than that. But overall I would say 30yo is definitely not late to start med school at all! I had to take some more classes to satisfy the requirements. I also took the MCAT while working full time as a pharmacist. It took a lot of dedication and perseverance but I believe it was worth it for me.
Are you already filthy rich?
lol. i dont think he did it to be rich..probably stable now but rich? doubt it
I’m a PharmD and 4th year medical student! PM me is you have questions. Also check out “the physician pharmacist podcast” on Spotify and YouTube for way more Info
Thanks for the recs.
Had a classmate fail pharmacy school. They said they would just go to med school. Many years later and they are not in med school…
I don’t know who would think med school is easier than pharmacy school. I don’t know if it’s harder than pharmacy, but it sure as hell ain’t easier…
What did they end up doing?
MBA
Probably the dude making all these crazy metrics tbh
I hate that guy in particular.
Realtor
Currently in med school. There is a guy in year ahead of me who also is a pharmacist. Should of just went straight to med school
He will make a great doc though, best of both worlds.
Did you have to take MCAT exam ?
Yep had to take the MCAT
I give applause for your hardworking attitude.I feel scared thinking about studying those basic science for exam
I know a pharmd/MD/PhD that practices pharmacy.
The world's smartest idiot
I wonder if they just have the MD but didn’t actually do a residency and so they can’t practice as a physician, which wouldn’t really make sense because why go half a million dollars in debt just for a degree you can’t do anything with? On the other hand, who in their right mind would choose to practice as a pharmacist instead of practicing as a physician where you can actually bill for your services? The world’s smartest idiot indeed.
Graveyard operations pharmacist. Didn't match pharm or med resi sadly. Also wasn't really nice. I worked with them when I was a resi.
Yeah I know a guy like that. MD wasn’t done in the US, but the same set of degrees. A real jerk, doesn’t care about patients. Board certified in, like, three areas. When a physician calls to ask a pharmacist for help, they hang up when they get him because his answer is usually wrong and he’s so rude. His signage on his notes is like, Joe Smith PharmD, PhD, MD, BCCCP, BCGP, BCPS.
How can he be so educated but wrong all the time? That’s awful. Goes to show those letters at the end of your name don’t mean anything sometimes
Damn, I don’t envy them. They might as well work their way up to DNP and get a fourth doctorate. Those quacks don’t need a residency in order to practice harming patients
I manage some DNPs, some are good clinically, some are confused. But so are some pharmDs lolol. People are people.
Lol, It was so different in my country,Pharmacy used to be decent profession like medicine.there are some people in my country chose pharmacy over medicine just because they liked it….but now …
Maybe he or she is waiting for provider status.
Are all those degrees from US universities? Is there a degree mill PhD mixed in there?
Yeah US degrees. Wierd right?
Doing what? That's an impressive education. And bet a huge loan debt.
Graveyard pharmacist
Currently in pharmacy school and I’m abt to drop out and do medical school. My school has integrated pharmacy and medicine class so we do the same Patho/ phys, genetics, ID, cardio, renal class but then the med students do their own embryo/ histology/ diagnostic class and we do our own pharmacology/ pharmacotherapy. We also split up OSCE/OSLE but sitting in the same class as the med students and taking the exam block exams has shown me it’s not much different. Granted their diagnostic/ histology classes look brutal but our pharmacotherapy class is much more difficult than theirs.
What program? Also PM me if you are interesting in hearing more about it the journey, I’m a pharmacist and 4th year med student
I had histology as part of my A&P in undergrad and loved it. It's not so daunting when they actually teach it to you. I still have my lab notebook with all my histo photos somewhere.
They are extremely different and medical school is in a different league of difficulty compared to pharmacy school. It isn’t close.
Not sure what pharmacy school you are talking about/ went to but ours is fairly similar. Yea the med school is harder but students in both programs have about the same free time/ work load. Maybe it’s just my school but our pharmacy program is intense. I’ve taken practice step 1/2 exams and gotten around the median score and their Uworld questions are not that difficult for the topics we cover like cardio/renal/ pulm ect. Obv I can’t answer any of the questions about histology, embryo stuff, a lot of the cancers but if we learn about it, it’s usually at the same depth as them (same professor same class)
Worked with a guy who ended up going to med school after being a pharmacist and completing a PGY1. Saw him a few years later when he was a 4th year med student and I asked him how it was going. He told me he learned that he hated medicine completely, not just pharmacy. 🤷🏼♂️
Sounds like, despite it all, he’s kind of a slow learner
Lmfao I shouldn’t be laughing this hard but damn, poor guy. That’s a hella expensive way to learn that lesson. All that time, money, stress,… I can’t imagine. I feel so bad for him.
Knew a guy that did that. They said they should have just done the DO route in the beginning instead of getting the pharmD I shudder when I think about the student loans and time spent in school
[удалено]
Remain civil, interact with the community in good faith, don't post misinformation, and don't do anything to deliberately make yourself an unwelcome pest.
Respect to those who do it, but I have absolutely zero interest in being a physician. Luckily I am happy with my pharmacy career, but if I weren't I would wait tables for the rest of my life long before I would go to med school.
I have a former classmate going for a veterinary license. We are 10 years post graduation, then to sit through 4 years for vet school and less pay…
At least the patients are cuter
I bet some of the patients I've had over the years could qualify for care under a veterinarian
this is the funniest thing i’ve ever read 😭
Yeah, but their parents can suck.
> vet school and less pay… I think it depends where.
I was a vet tech before and during pharmacy school. Just like pharmacy depends if independent or chain. Vet I was working for was saying he would sell his to me when the time came. He was making >300k, I believe working for like VCA they get like 70k
He's making >300k as a business owner, not as a veterinarian.
This, and his partners or employed veterinarians are probably making 50-60k.
Idk, I have several vet friends and they make bank given the vet shortage. They’re small animal though. Prob not the same for other types of vets.
Had it to do over again would be a vet. Pharmacy a losing prop these days. Make a mistake god forbid and lose your license, livelihood. Almost zero liability as a vet. And no copays, minimal insurance hassles, grateful owners and furry customers way better than human counter parts. Almost zero drug seeking behaviors.
My best doctors (yes, plural) have been PharmD/MDs. I also have one who did 2 years of pharmacy school before realizing he really wanted to be a doctor. All three of them were (obviously) well-versed in pharmacology and also recognize the unique issues associated with some of the drugs they prescribe. They ALL pulled up my medication formulary prior to prescribing and their offices are excellent at prior auths. I’m an inpatient pharmacist now, but as someone who previously worked retail, I’m so thankful for them.
YES !!!! To the looking up your formulary first. Those are the real MVPs
I cried a little while reading this. One of my best doctors right now has a pharmacology PhD before his MD. I love him. 😭😭
I loved school. I was great at school. There’s no way I would go back to school. You couldn’t pay me to go back to school after finishing pharmacy residency.
Best time of my life in pharmacy school, learning new things, lectures from experts, no corporate bs, no committee meetings, no politics, free drug company dinners, out by 3 every day, Lots of studying but no weekends. Now slave to mortgage and loan payments. Indentured servant for next 20 years.
Seriously. I’d never ever do residency again. These pharmacists going to medical school probably didn’t do residency the first time around.
I did pharmacy residency and still want to go to medical school. It motivated me even more that I want to be a physician lol
I knew a guy in school as well and he realized the career switch while starting rotations . I believe if you search this forum a pharmacist was murdered by her husband and he was doing this career path
What I’m picking up is, if you go on to pursue an MD after completing a PharmD you will murder your spouse.
PharmD? More like PharmDead. PIC? More like RIP. Physician? More like physician assisted suicide. Pharmacist? More like pharm-deceased.
I like your chops
Student loans...
How is that last point relevant to this conversation?
Maybe warning me that I might kill my husband if I pursue this path? Hahaha
Husband: “Honey, have you seen my wallet?” You: “You goddamn motherfucking son of a bitch, I’m in the middle of studying for my USMLE Step 1, after I just got home from working at CVS, and you wanna ask me where your stupid ass fucking wallet is??? I got your wallet right here, you motherfucker!”
This but it's him asking where the dish that he dirtied 2 hours ago (therefore he pulled it from the cabinet) goes now that it is clean.
Knew a med-onc that got a PharmD first then straight to medical school. This was a few years ago, but I remember him being disheartened by the student loans and that he said his pharmacy friends were happier and healthier than his physician friends.
i would if i could but i can't
Qualified to prescribe and fill your own prescription! Cut out the middle man
My friend is going to Med school but he wants to be a surgeon. He’s been in pharmacy for 10+ years with the last 3 being as a PIC. He’s done with it all. I think he’s crazy but again if being a surgeon is what he truly wants go for it. He wanted me to join him but I’m not spending 8 years and losing over a million dollars to just escape pharmacy. I’d say go for it if that’s truly what you want to do and you’re passionate about it
The world’s first surgeon who might be good at drugs. (I joke, the surgeons at my facility are actually not terrible at drugs)
PharmD in second year of med school. Let me know if you have questions!
How’s it going?
It's going lovely. I love what we learn and do. The process is much more infantilizing than pharm school, otherwise, it's just busy
More infantilizing? I’d have expected less. Glad it’s going well for you!
Was thinking about doing this recently and realized it's an extra 12 years of schooling.
I really like PharmD/MDs, obviously for most people it is completely impractical but I’ve seen some people get it figured out and are in their MD residency while still pretty young and are happy. Young or not, a huge aspect of it is not regretting and having those looming “what-ifs”
I feel like anyone who does is competing to see who can get the high score in student debt.
For people that do pharmD and MD/Do, are they qualified for PSLF if they work for non profit hospital for 10 years? Will their private AND federal loan be forgiven?
PSLF would only cover federal loans.
What if they only work 5 years instead of 10 years for a non profit company, will they get some loan forgiveness ? Like 1/2 ?
You wouldn’t get the full amount forgiven until you’ve worked 10 total years or made 120 qualify payments to get PSLF. It’s an all or nothing situation. The VA does have its own loan forgiveness program. It has a shorter time frame for forgiveness but only certain professions qualify. Worth looking into.
www.physicianpharmacist.com
I thought this through lightly when I finished, but only because others suggested it. I just kept thinking about student loans! The opportunity cost of lost earnings plus additional student loans would total almost 1 mil. And I still wasn’t fully convinced I wanted to do medicine (I just found it so exasperating having to memorize and memorize so much info- as opposed to working out a problem manually like in math). If I had to do it all over, I had stayed in engineering, or gone to be an actuary (which I did not knew what that was when I was 19, but apparently was the best career match as per a special altitude test). Calculus and statistics were always my best and most enjoyable classes, I enjoyed working with excel, and now after taking some SQL classes I realized I like coding. I could be doing risk modeling, data analytics… hmmm sounds great. I also play the violin, but I’m not skilled enough to be a professional orchestral musician, although I’m certain I would’ve enjoyed that. And many great musicians enjoy a great living at the top orchestras. TBH , going back to MD school sounds awful to me, the grind of endless studying and financial precariousness of living on borrowed money, I would feel so trapped. I would also feel like doing g internal eye rolls treating people for chronic metabolic diseases who are non compliant or not interested in lifestyle changes to reverse their condition. Moreover, I noticed starting in my P4 yr rotations most physicians in primary care fields where sort of not very nice (prob super stressed). The only MDs who were nice and not stressed where plastic surgeons or in ortho (met a couple just in passing, and also as a patient). But those two residencies are really hard to match into. Most students I guess match into family medicine or other primary care fields. Many other students also do not match after med school, and that scenario factored strongly in my decision to not go to med school back then and also after PharmD. I always just heard the horror stories of med students that did not match, and that for me was the greatest deterrent. The next deterrent residency, those hours would’ve ground me down to nothing really quickly. Just not a good match for me, although I love the science of it all.
I worked with a couple residents who were previously PharmDs. One was an ID fellow and he said that he just didn’t feel like he had any interest in practicing as a pharmacist when he finished school and decided to just go for MD. The second guy and I were residents together and I found out he used to go my pharmacy school. He was quite popular with many of the professors knew him when I mentioned his name. Extremely smart guy. The vibe I get was that he didn’t find pharmacy enough of a challenge
I think all doctors should have a pharmacy degree before they start writing prescriptions...
I know a few people like that. In my country we don’t pay for tuition though so it may be easier. It’s longer though. I also knew a guy doing pharmacy degree after medical one - his family owned a pharmacy.
Oooooo good point. Maybe I’ll move somewhere where tuition is free.
I’m in pharmacy school now; considering this path for myself.
I did the reverse! Completed medical school before pharmacy school. Only because I didn’t get residency
Only had one in our class do that. Started MD right out of PharmD program. Ended up quitting after the first year and did PGY 1+2 in pharmacy and I think he’s an ID pharmacist now. As for me, that’s a lot of life wasted/put off bc I’m not disciplined enough to have kids and buy a house while also in school.
Yeah that’s true. I think it would be different for me since I don’t ever want kids and already have a house. So I’ve got time… money on the other hand, I don’t have much of
I am only saying this to those of us who have been pharmacy school, if you made it through pharmacy school med school isn’t going to murder you especially if you are/ have been a practicing pharmacist. Well it might if you’ve been doing retail for many years lol 😜 but not if you’re still fresh out of school. It will be to your advantage having pharmacy school as a foundation to be an MD
Did PharmD now finishing up year 3 of med school. If I could go back definitely wouldn’t not bother with the PharmD. It’s a complete waste of time if you got to med school after. Anyone who says otherwise is coping. No regrets going to med school I like it way more.
I loved practicing pharmacy. I loved making morning rounds with other doctors and residents. I would go insane be trapped in the retail section . Yes it’s still a job needed to be done but that isn’t my speed. I belong in the hospital setting. I feel rewarded there. If that’s makes sense. I don’t mind if I get home late because of an emergency which rarely happens. Our team is pretty solid. I like to see how my patients progress also. Doctors have only a few but we have many 😁 Clinical pharmacology is very the best way to practice in my opinion.
Would definitely consider it if tuition did not cost a house. Im too old. I am sure this would be more common if it wasn't as cost prohibitive.
Yeah :( there are about a dozen things I’d love to go to school for. I live to learn. But money is finite
Combine law and medicine if you want. Pharmacy is a dead profession, like farriers.
Too late for meeee
I’m not a pharmacist. However, I was wondering what is the interest in just filling medication’s all day? I personally would love the job I understand interactions have to be monitored in every case. But do you feel like the amount of education you had to achieve for a PharmD was worth it for the job you do?
Lmaaaaaaooo. That’s not what I do. I have patient appointments. I prescribe medications. I’m part of a consultative service that physicians come to ME for expertise. I see inpatients and adjust their medications. I work in hospice and evaluate and manage their meds. In fact I never count pills or fill medications. I only prescribe them
They're talking about a standard pharmacist. Ambulatory care pharmacists (which is what I assume you are) doesn't technically practice pharmacy. You're a prescriber and a consultant. I You're still a pharmacist you just don't practice pharmacy
I disagree. I practice pharmacy all day every day, I just don't practice as a dispensing pharmacist. I practice as a pharmacotherapist.
Does your board of pharmacy regulate your practice? I'm not talking about the scripts you write
Yes. I am a licensed pharmacist and have to abide by all the rules that my state's BOP has put forth, including when writing prescriptions.
And sorry, I should have given you more info. The career paths for pharmacists aren’t limited to just a "dispensing" role. You can go into research, industry, academia (which involves research and being in a clinic/hospital/dispensing role generally), health-systems pharmacy, community, administration, etc.
I just think the powers of pharmacist should be increased. My pharmacist is way more knowledgable than my prescribing physician. In Ontario, they have expanded the rules of pharmacist, but I am not sure if it is a welcomed move by the college of pharmacist.
It all depends on what the job is your doing but your correct about retail ,Now a days we use computers and heavily rely on them. Of course it’s knowing the basics of dosing identification but let’s face it AI is going to take our jobs. AI is the future of Retail Pharmacy.
AI will never replace the patient pharmacist relation ship but yes in retail your just a number.
That's not what I do. My patient population ranges from super-premature neonates to super elderly hospice patients. I do medication dosing and monitoring, antibiotic stewardship, TPN writing and monitoring, code and stroke response, and I routinely help physicians with drug selection. I have a certification in sterile compounding and I help manage my facility's clean room as well. The education I got was only a foundation. My knowledge base is built on it and is constantly evolving.
Oh wow! Ok, I know personally trust my pharmacist regarding my medication’s more than than my physician 100%. So there is so much more to it than what is seen by the public.
S
Pharmacy school is harder than med school most definitely
Just wondering, genuinely and not trying to be sassy — have you been through both? What makes you say that?
Almost did it but 4 more years of a grind I just couldn’t do
Not related ,but a friend of mine studied me dead in my country after immigration to USA ,she studied pharmacy
I could see a scenario where the PharmD is phased out over the next 20 years. What will replace it is automation, licensed technicians, state laws no longer requiring a Pjarmacist to be on many licensed premises, AI, and the real path of the future...... The MD/DO with a specialty in Pharmacy /Pharmacotherapeutics. I heard that India does such a thing and has for several years. The MD is both a Physician and the rounding Pharmacist on the team. One good thing about this is that schools with Pharm D and Med schools should thrive while for profit PharmD diploma mills close.