<p>I know that a few threads similar to this have been posted on CC but I wanted to shed a light on my situation.
I got accepted to Ohio University and enrolled in Honors Classes for this upcoming fall. I am sure that I want to become either a doctor or pharmacist.
Ohio University is only 20 minutes from my home but I decided to live on campus for the following reasons (listed in accordance of importance):
1) My car is 12 years old and not so great. I come from a lower income family and if anything were to happen to my vehicle, I could not get to class.
2) Winter in Ohio can be vicious. Ohio University only closes on Level 5 (blizzard) conditions.
3) I wanted the "full" college experience.
As for my academics, I love science. Anatomy in particular. This was solidified when our senior A&P class visited a cadaver lab. It was invigorating. I asked so many questions and really relished the experience.
Now, I hate math. Hate it. I do realize and accept that statistics and probably calculus will be involved in either careers. However, I believe I can make it through both and then (hopefully) be done with.
The question resides in this: I'm unsure about med school. Quite frankly, it scares me. Being a pharmacist offers a less "stress" filled environment as I have heard.
I deeply enjoy helping others and want a job that allows me to earn six figures and live comfortably. I want to have a decent house with a decent car and be able to provide for an eventual family.
If I need to elaborate further please ask.
Any input with be held with the utmost regard.</p>
<p>There’s way more math involved in being a pharmacist. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are very math heavy. As a physician, I’m reliant on my inpatient pharmacists to tell me how to adjust my drug doses of vancomycin or gentamycin based on the drug levels when we draw peaks and troughs on patients. </p>
<p>In general though, you’re right, being a pharmacist certainly has some very low stress job placements. But there are specialties throughout medicine that are low stress as well. Radiology, pathology, infectious diseases, developmental pediatrics, genetics, physical medicine & rehab, are all fields where the stress levels are relatively low. Neurology, reproductive endocrinology, gastroenterology, and sports medicine are also areas where the stress level is lower than other fields. There are also plenty of other fields where the high stress situations and few and far between - certainly being a general pediatrician or general internist is way different than being an ICU or ER doctor. The thing is, that you can’t avoid high stress situations in residency (the exception being pathology). The reason is, you have to know how to take care of patients who are really sick, even if that means only stabilizing them long enough to get them to people with the training/experience to give definitive care. </p>
<p>Given that you are still in HS, you should remain open to other careers in medical fields - Speech Pathology, Audiology, occupational therapy…and given your interest in anatomy - Physical Therapy may be a good fit.</p>
<p>Shadow, might get more interested in one than another.</p>