Pharmacist vs. Doctor (Choice!)

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
1

<p>Bear with me, I may sound extremely delusional and stupid.
I have to pick between going to a 6yr PharmD program at a nearby college and going to Johns Hopkins University. If I go to Hopkins, I'll be premed (bio) I'm not obsessed with prestige.</p>

<p>My choice is basically between becoming a doctor and becoming a Pharmacist. Unless there are other secure, well-paying jobs you know of. I really had to search deeply to answer this question for myself.</p>

<p>My material & personal goals in life are as follows:
(1) a small decent house in a nice neighborhood.
(2) a car; I don't care about getting a BMW or Mercedes, I'd rather get a Toyota considering the fact that after 20 days owning either a Toyota or BMW, I'd feel the same.
(3) financial security: money-in-the bank, well-paying secure job, being able to retire safely, etc.
(4) satisfying personal life with family and friends
(5) decent job that does not interfere with your personal life
(6) I'm really not that materialistic, I don't want mansions, jewels, $1000 clothes, etc. I'm not a big spender, but I like investing money (stocks) and knowing that I have money when the need arises</p>

<p>If I go to the 6yr PharmD Program:
- I'll graduate by the time I'm 24
- I'll have a life and I won't be dead on the inside
- the PharmD program will be difficult, but I'll make it through
- I'll be interning in a pharmacy while in pharmacy school, making $14/hr, etc.
- I'll most probably have achieved the aforementioned goals by the time I'm 28
(correct me if I'm wrong) considering I'd be getting paid about 100k/yr, I ran
the calculations
- life shouldn't be too difficult and I think I can count on not losing my job</p>

<p>If I go to Hopkins and attempt to become a doctor:
- will become a doctor when I'm 30-34 (depending on specialty)
- **** loads of debt
- dead on the inside
- EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to get into medschool, painful residency, don't know
If I can make it through
- If I'm lucky, I'll make $350k+ and be able to pay of my debt and achieve the
aforementioned goals
- work/personal life balance will be horrible; won't be able to pay attention to
kids/wife/etc.
- will have to put my personal life behind and probably won't have kids until
my late 30s</p>

<p>I know what you're thinking, doesn't he care about helping people as a doctor or pharmacist?
They're noble professions that include mutual benefit of the highest order. What I mean is: the patient and doctor/pharmacist both benefit from the exchange of medicine for money.
I don't think most premeds/meds/residents who go to sleep at 2AM after studying tell themselves that they are doing this ONLY to help others. Determination, prestige, self-worth, and money together play bigger roles than simply helping others. There's a huge difference between saying you care about people and actually caring about people. Bottom-line: even if I became a doctor, I would do my job honestly and help my patients.
Helping others is a factor but not the main factor. I see it as a byproduct of a profession, not the chief intent of the majority entering the field.
Doctors are also not getting compensated as well as they used to and that is, statistically, their biggest complaint about the profession (HMOs and malpractice). I could argue about this forever but I'm open minded enough to consider all sides and understand others.
If helping other people as a doctor means sacrificing my personal life, 20s, bad hours, and not getting compensated properly after that, then I'm not interested. Also, doctors report 32% job satisfaction and about 75% say they would not encourage their children to become doctors.</p>

<p>I'm also worried about the future of these professions:
- will doctors begin to have better lives and compensation in the future due to some much-need national health care reform?
- will the pharmacy job market fall out of favor?</p>

<p>As for my own dimensions:
My personal interests: they fluctuate among many things every year, like finance, politics, history, research, etc.
However, I do lean towards the sciences.
My academics:
2010 SAT (700M, 660CR, 650W)
800s and 5s in Chem/Bio/PhysicsB
Moderate ranking and GPA.
I can be hardworking when needed and I don't really NEED to party/have fun.
However, I am susceptible to burnout and laziness; my GPA and SATs, which I did not study at all for, show this fact.</p>

<p>I understand that my science scores (800s and 5s in Chem/Bio/PhysicsB) are probably the norm for med school acceptances? (Yes, I know you take the MCATs)</p>

<p>I'm basically looking for a secure, well-paying job that does not entail sacrificing entire parts of your life and that is why I will probably pick the 6 year Pharmacy Program over Hopkins unless you guys know of any other job market with the same potential that I could enter?</p>

<p>Again, bear with me. An year ago, I did not anticipate this choice to be the problem it is.</p>

2

<p>There's always the choice of waiting to go to a better pharmacy school. Depending on which 6 year program you are talking about, each 0-6 pharmacy school has its strengths and weaknesses. You may not get the same clinical rotations sites as you would at say a good research/clinical oriented school, and you might not have the name recognition should you choose to pursue a residency and/or specialization PGY2 focus. There's also the other point of Johns Hopkins as a school. It's notoriously difficult there, and only the best survive. There's a lot of smart people like you out there - but how will you know if you can beat the curve? Johns Hopkins only puts forth its strongest faculty letter of recommendations for its best applicants, and those who had the 3.1 will get left behind. This is not to say that this will be you, but it's something to think about. You also might not want to lock yourself into pharmacy school at the age of 18. Trust me, your career choices probably will change depending on what you experience in college and as you get older. I'm somewhat short on time here, but if you want to know more about pharmacy school and what directions the career can offer/and school selection, send me a private message.</p>

3

<p>You have clearly given this a lot of thought. I just wanted to say that your goals in life are most likely going to change...you're too young to know what you want (not just YOU, practically everyone in college). You might have an idea, but as the saying goes, **** happens. So, I guess my point is, don't over think things. Just follow your heart. Nothing is set in stone, so if you make the wrong choice, you can turn things around. =)</p>

4

<p>because of an aging population and the baby boom generation beginning to retire, i would imagine that both professions have a very strong future and that job security should be very good. Bodacious does make a point on how your goals and values can change. What you want know as a high school senior can drastically change as an adult. Not to say that your values will change, but it's a possibility and something to consider if you're talking about finances. if you're stuck between the two professions, i would probably do alot of research on these two careers and find which you like better. getting work experience and shadowing a doctor/pharmacist will also help which career you feel is right for you. ask yourself: what's more important, how well off you are in the future financially, or what career you work in for the rest of your life? if you have a job that you hate, but are financially secure, you still might not be happy. still you can always change your career. ive heard of PharmDs going to med school so there's always that avenue, though it'll be mad long. (10yrs?) anyways, it's good to see you've put alot of thought into this and hopefully you find what's right for you.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
will doctors begin to have better lives and compensation in the future due to some much-need national health care reform?

[/quote]
Any reform will almost certainly make these worse -- much worse. Not bad, but worse than they are now.</p>

6

<p>I've read all of your replies but due to constraints, I couldn't login and reply.
I've shadowed few doctors and a pharmacist.
Here's my analysis:</p>

<p>Most of the high schoolers, premeds, and even med school students (I've been to two of the top-5) I know have this screwed up and romanticized view of being a doctor where after they finish all of their grueling training, they will have a 9 to 5 job, make $500k, live in condos, and face patients grateful for solving their problems (they expect no complications). These are genuinely intelligent people who very well have the capacity to make it to and through medical school. High schoolers and premeds make nothing of the average $150k of med school loans. They know nothing of and even belittle the taxes, the malpractice, the bureaucratic nonsense, the stress, the toll on your personal life, and the fact that they have to delay their personal life. They believe that they will take home $40k paychecks a month and never be sued. While this may be true for a few doctors, a good lot of them are not happy. This is funny because every single person I know of in the medical field or in the process of entering the medical field does nothing but complain. Forget what salary.com says, you won't be taking home $350k as a first-year specialist. The taxes, malpractice, student loans, training, stress, and payoff are not worth it. A career in medicine is not worth it unless you know exactly what you are getting yourself into and understand the risks and rewards. It doesn't matter if you love medicine, if you don't love the lifestyle, then you are in for one hell of a disappointment. You cannot go into medicine saying "after premed, I'll be fine, after med school, I'll be fine, after residency, I'll be fine", you must even enjoy the journey. The entire thing is a journey and not a destination at all. In real life, all I see from preMDs and MDs is constant complaining and bitterness even from the well-paid.</p>

<p>The reason I think this happens is because kids grow up in a safety-bubble created by their parents and schools where they expect to excel in the real world since they worked hard and virtuously in their bubbles. I took the time to research and look outside my bubble and saw that the outside world is quite different. In fact, it doesn't even reward virtue, but that's another matter.</p>

<p>If you have the academic skill and desire a good lifestyle with low stress and are not obsessed with being a doctor, then becoming a pharmacist is much better. On the other hand, if you are obsessed with being a doctor and know exactly what you are getting yourself into, then be my guest.</p>

<p>What do I like being, a doctor or a pharmacist?
I (selfish, I know) like the lifestyle of a pharmacist much more.
What excites me more?
They both excite me and the ups and downs balance each other out.
I see both careers as being a combination of practicality, professionalism, education, technology, bureaucracy, and public interaction. I like the balance much more in Pharmacy.</p>

<p>And whether or not I will be satisfied with my job? Every single person around the age of 40 that I known of from a doctor, to teacher, to accountant, says that their job is "okay." And that is all I expect to say when I'm 40. I don't expect to be thrilled to go to work every single day at that age. Also, in being a Pharmacist, unlike in being a doctor, I am not immersed in a single purpose. I have the ability to pursue side interests like educating myself about world affairs, politics, philosophy, psychology, financial investment, reading, etc. (they change every 6 months).</p>

<p>My best case scenario:
(1) I become a pharmacist in 5 to 6 years.
(2) In my 20s I plan to work a lot and settle down with a house, car, etc. on Long Island.
(3) Max out my 401k, IRA, have a 529 plan, a cash safety net, etc.
(4) See if I can move up the ladder in my job.
(5) Ease my hours in my 30s and onwards.
(6) Meanwhile, I continue with my personal life and pursue any side interests.
(7) Retire.
(8) DIE</p>

<p>I know I can achieve this. Like I said, I'm not aiming to be a millionaire (although my retirement funds should probably be worth quite a lot by then). These predictions are obviously made with the hope that nothing bad happens with my personal life and that the American Empire doesn't screw itself over.</p>

<p>P.S.: You know exactly what I mean when I say 'dead on the inside'. We've all felt that way at some point in our lives.</p>

7

<p>I have the same exact problem. I don't know if I shoudl go into pharmacy or medicine. I want to be a doctor, but from reading these posts it feels like I'll never be satisfied. Also, I don't know if i can handle the workload of being a doctor. </p>

<p>BTW, with all the malpractice insurance do you think a doctor who makes around 200K make the same as a pharmacist?</p>

8

<p>to the OP: what did you end up doing then? You must have sent accept / decline by now</p>

<p>Personally, I kinda have the same dilemma. You really have to weigh the pros and cons, and account for the possible fact that there are going to be dramatic reforms in our health care system within the 20 to 30 years due to the massive demand for doctors.</p>

<p>I actually have a 5 year BS/PharmD program near me that I was considering doing…I would graduate as a pharmacist by the time I am 22 and make 100 - 120 K in my area…pretty good although not much room for salary growth.</p>

<p>Although I can barely find a 6 or 7 year BS MD program for med school, and those are hard as hell to get into. If I go to med school, I would graduate from med school when I am 25 in a crap load of debt, and go on to a residency for 3-7 years depending on specialties, then finally in late 20’s or early 30’s i would start making some money (160 - 500K depending on specialty) and deal with all the BS that a doctor has to go through, although in the long run it would have more prestige and make more money.</p>

<p>Although from a financial standpoint, by the time I am 28 (either a pharm or a md) I will have accumulated 600K networth as a pharm and have hopefully paid off half my student loans from MD and be 100K in the whole. About 10 years from then a MD would catch up and have greater net worth than a pharm…and if you work till 50+ then MD will have much more money…</p>

<p>Im really torn about this, and I am also considering engineering (make BANK if you hit the right start up) or IBanking if i get into HYPSM, although IBanking is so damn competitive now…</p>

9

<p>You’re forgetting interest rates from debt as a doctor and investments as a pharmacist. I highly doubt the doctor will ever catch up, once those are included.</p>

10

<p>I have found myself in a similar position. Each day I lean one way or the other.</p>

11

<p>If you are on the fence, I would suggest you guys just go to a 4 yr college prior instead of jumping into a 0+6 program. I am a first year student in pharmacy school , and I went the 4 yr route (was also unsure btw pharmacy and medicine myself). </p>

<p>You can major in ANYTHING to get into medicine or pharmacy (I have a BA in Psychology) as long as you take the pre-reqs (I usually suggest people to choose a major they like and not BIO or CHEM because you feel that you need to).</p>

<p>By going into a 4 year university, you can shadow pharmacists and volunteer for doctors so that you can choose the career that you want.</p>

<p>Personally, I do not want to do retail nor work in a hospital. There are so many other career options which include research, industry, owning a pharmacy, etc.</p>

<p>The grades / PCAT to get into pharmacy school out of college is getting more competitive, so if you are sure you want to do pharmacy, you should take the guaranteed route out of high school. </p>

<p>Some resources:
[Pharmacy</a> Schools](<a href=“http://pharmapplicants.com%5DPharmacy”>http://pharmapplicants.com) - PharmApplicants.com Statistics
[url=<a href=“http://studentdoctor.net%5DStudentDoctor%5B/url”>http://studentdoctor.net]StudentDoctor[/url</a>] - check the Pharmacy Forums</p>

12

<p>Hi there, I am currently a first year pharmacy student at a university which is ranked 61st in the world according to THES world rankings, and also the faculty of medical and health science (school of pharmacy is apart of this faculty) is ranked in the top 1% of the worlds universities according to the latest Times Higher Educational Supplement rankings.</p>

<p>Anyway, to my point…</p>

<p>It sounds like you have your mind set of pharmacy as a career path, just last year i was contemplating the same thing, (premed, pharmacy, biological engineering) I chose pharmacy as premed didn’t guarantee me a spot in medical school. My passion is still to become a doctor. Currently in pharmacy, 6 of our 8 papers are the same as premed students, at my university about 10% of students get into med from premed.</p>

<p>My little experience in pharmacy has shown me that pharmacy is not really fun (again this is my opinion), it is a degree which leads to an average lifestyle in which most reasonable financial goals will be reached in 7 years after registration. Also, my friends in med (not premed) are having the time of their lives in medical school, however they do admit all they need to do is pass, however, passing is hard as it is. To be perfectly honest, if your financial goals out weigh your humanitarian goals, pharmacy is the way to go. However, if what you want to do is have the potential to save peoples lives, despite the pain you must endure, medical school will be hugely rewarding.</p>

<p>My current plan is to finish my pharmacy degree as quick as possible, with the best grades as possible and go on to study medicine.</p>

13

<p>worriedperiod,</p>

<p>I think that you are rational, thoughtful, and honest. I am wondering if you would like to consider being a dentist. The training is less demanding compared to that for MD, but it will be less affected by the reform. If you have the aptitude of a small business owner, it could be perfect for you.</p>

<p>Comments from all are welcome.</p>

14

<p>Hey there…I have the same problem you had…can you please tell me which decision you made? and if you are happy with it? I would really appreciate a response…thanks in advance… :)</p>

15

<p>I know this thread is old but I see a new reply. I personally am not a doctor or Pharmacist but are friends with many. From a personal observation, the Pharmacist has a better quality of life outside the profession. This is not always true, as you can love being on call all of the time or working crazy hours at the hospital, but when most Pharmacists reach 30 they are earning a comfortable living, have more personal time and time to start a family if they so choose. Many doctors I know seem perpetually exhausted and miss out on a lot of family events. So by all means follow your passion, but if it’s a “tie” I think Pharmacy wins out as you can find jobs with relatively normal hours, good pay, and time for yourself.</p>