<p>Hi, I'm going to UT this fall as a Pre-Nursing major.
I've been struggling to figure out if I want to become a Pharmacist or a Nurse Practitioner.
I've asked around and I know that pharmacy focuses a lot on chemistry and math, which I'd be fine with. With nursing, they focus more on biology, and AP biology has been pretty easy for me. And with both choices, I'd go to school for 6 years (ideally), and start off with about the same pay from my understanding.
I chose nursing as myfirst choice because when I went to Longhorn Saturday, the school of nursing said that it's harder to get in the professional sequence for nursing if you don't do pre-nursing at UT.
I know I still have time to decide on this, and it'll depend on if I can get in the Pharmacy school after pre-pharmacy or grad school after 4 years of nursing.
But if there are Pharmacists/Nurse Practitioners/ any of those majors out there, suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>both careers are completely different. so its most important to decide what you want to do. If you like to work with people and do the nitty gritty care up close and personal than you should try nursing. Nursing is not just doing well in classes, it is an art, that requires many qualities. I find people go into nursing trying to think of the money, job availability which is important, but one needs to really love people, who are not at their best and takes giving. good luck on your decision! i would suggest shadowing a nurse, Ihad my daughter do this and it solidified her decision to become a nurse!</p>
<p>Pharmacy can also take you to working close with people up close and personal, only in different ways; some pharmacists who work in hospitals will do things like administer flu shots etc. It really takes a lot of dedication to be one. I would do pharmacy if I were contemplating both. You could go lots of place with either degree, but I think pharmacy would have a better payoff. There isn’t just retail or clinical to go into either. You can work for the corporations were meds come from in testing them and stuff to make sure they’re effective. Ah, a lot.</p>
<p>SO but anyways ah yeah my dad is a pharmacist who graduated from UT. Maybe I’m biased in that way. But I have a nurse in my family too. The work seems to be just as demanding in either field. As far as the chemistry component goes, yeah I’ve talked to current pharm majors and they say after the first few years, it becomes second nature to them. Like all things really. You’d have time to get better at everything once you got to UT as far as chem v. bio.</p>
<p>There’s good opportunities here too. I see a lot of pharmacy students shadowing and interning at the pharmacy on campus and then there’s hospitals around Austin too like St. David’s - works for either field you decide.</p>
<p>So there’s my vote for pharmacy!</p>
<p>Thanks for those suggestions!
I wanted to shadow a Nurse or a Pharmacist, but I took AP English so I didn’t have to do our Senior Project (job shadowing). </p>
<p>And for the Pre-Pharm and Pre-Nursing courses, I see that Pre-Pharm is just mainly the course classes like Bio, Chem, Math, English, Microbio, Physics and Foreign Language ([University</a> of Texas - College of Pharmacy - Pharm.D. - Criteria for Required Pre-Pharmacy Courses](<a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/admissions/crit.html]University”>http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/admissions/crit.html)). But for Pre-Nursing, it’s:
Biology
Microbiology
Anatomy
Physiology
Chemistry
Statistics
Nutrition
Pharmacology
English
Government
US History
Psychology
Growth & Development
Visual - Performing Arts
First-Year Signature Courses
Global Health
Communication in Health Care
Ethics of Health Care
Nursing Research</p>
<p>which seems like A LOT more than Pre-Pharm. My question is, does Pre-Pharmacy not require any electives or Gov and courses like that? (Because some of the AP tests I’m taking might be used for elective credits), and are any of those Pre-Nursing courses electives that can be fulfilled with credits earned from AP tests?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi fareastmovement,</p>
<p>I majored in nursing while I was in college and it has definitely paid off. I have never been in the pharmacy field, but I have worked along side them for my whole life. Every time that I talk with someone who works in the pharmacy they always seem quiet and relaxed, but not necessarily having a good time. For me, I love going to my [nurse</a> job](<a href=“http://www.glassdoor.com/Job/nurse-jobs-SRCH_KO0,5.htm]nurse”>http://www.glassdoor.com/Job/nurse-jobs-SRCH_KO0,5.htm) every single day. I wake up every morning excited to go into work because I know that I love it and it is where my heart lies. I would definitely suggest going and trying to shadow both professions so that you get your own personal feel on them though. Everyone is different. Best of luck. :)</p>
<p>Charles, RN</p>
<p>PS. You are not alone 
[RN</a> vs. Pharmacist](<a href=“RN Nurse VS Pharmacist - General Nursing Talk”>RN Nurse VS Pharmacist - General Nursing Talk)</p>
<p>If you are unsure about which profession to go into, you should do some shadowing. Make sure you shadow in multiple settings in both fields so you don’t base your impressions of these careers off of one experience. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend shadowing both fields before making a decision. However, most pharmacies are very strict about only having certified workers inside, so it might be more beneficial to talk with some pharmacists about the field. Personally, I am not going into the medical field, but my dad is a pharmacist and graduated from Texas. From what I know, pharmacy takes A LOT of medical knowledge, patience, and communication skills. Sometimes you may be dealing with prescription drug addicts. Many times, if you work at a large chain pharmacy, you will deal with people who are impatient and want their medicines immediately. It can be very demanding, but that doesn’t mean it’s not rewarding. It is one of the most trusted professions, and you can make a lot of good connections in your community. My dad often comes home tired, but he never regrets making the decision to become a pharmacist.
I honestly do not know much about nursing, but this is my take on pharmacy. Hope you make the best decision that’s right for you, and good luck at UT! :)</p>