Pharmacy vs Medicine?

<p>I am now in my sophomore year in college, majoring in an associate's degree as a prerequisite to get in to a pharmacy school. However, I am having second thoughts about my career path. </p>

<p>I have always wanted to be a doctor when i was younger but then my decisions changed when i realized that being a doctor will take like forever to finish. However, now that I am in college, i am confuse whether to finish pharmacy or swithch to any pre med program. Can anybody please help me make up my mind. Please include any option i can make like finsh pharmacy first then take medicine, or switch major as soon as there is still time left, or something like, if i am in your shoes, i'll prefer pharmacy than doctor. and please please help me to make up my mind. </p>

<p>Note that my grades are good and i will be starting to do volunteer works in a hospital this summer and to be honest, i really want to help people. Thank you.</p>

<p>Pharmacy school is still four years just like med school, so there isn’t much of a difference. In med school you’d have to go through a residency, but if you don’t want to do that you probably wouldn’t like being a doctor. Have you done any shadowing or anything else that might help you make up your mind? Pharmacists still help people, just not in the same way a doctor does. Try to get a volunteer position in the hospital that will put you in contact with patients, doctors, nurses, etc. and see how you like it. As for your current situation, someone more knowledgeable than I will have to help you. Are you currently at a community college?</p>

<p>yes i am in community college right now and i am really trying to figure things soon because the community college i am attending right now does not offer any bachelor’s degree. so if i decide on pursuing medicine i must transfer. Is it true to all community colleges, i mean does all community collges does not offer any bachelor’s degree? and i have this university in mind, if ever im gonna go with medicine, which offers pre med. i thought pre med is just any bachelor’s degree you are good at.</p>

<p>A lot of times, a school will say they offer pre-med under their list of majors just to attract kids that are interested. However, you are right; you don’t need to major in “pre-med” and if it really exists as an actual major, it’s better to major in something else. As far as I know, no CC by itself offers bachelor’s degrees unless it has some agreement or program with a 4-year university. If it is financially possible (among other factors) to transfer and you’re serious about going the pre-med route, your best bet would be to transfer.</p>

<p>It IS possible to transfer directly from a community college into a Pharmacy school as long as you finish your pre-reqs. The pre-reqs vary from each school, you do NOT need a bachelors to apply or be admitted into pharmacy schools.</p>

<p>yeh i know that and thats my initial plan then all of a sudden i became confused with pharmacy and medicine. See, i dont know now what could be the best thing for me to do. Should i stick to the plan or should i follow what i want inspite of the uncertainties of becoming a full pledged doctor. and now i am so distracted about these things so i really need to make my mind up. i need help.</p>

<p>Maybe post your stats ? have you taken the PCAT ? You’re already in your second year, I would finish the pre-reqs and try to get into pharmacy schools. If you don’t get in, transfer and finish your bachelors and go on from there. (this is just what I would do)</p>

<p>Ummmmm… where to begin? I think you need to spend time in a hospital, shadowing physicians, in order to make a smart decision. And honestly, it is a long, hard road to becoming a doctor, so you need to do a self assessment and think realistically if you have what it takes to get in. It’s a lot more than good grades for either field. You must show initiative and involvement. Shadowing both a pharmacist and a medical doctor should give you an idea of which career fits you better. </p>

<p>Also, if you changed your mind about becoming a doctor after you discovered it takes a long time~ why would you ever consider finishing pharmacy and then going back to medical school~ talk about a long time!</p>

<p>Since you want a definite answer, I suggest sticking with pharmacy as long as you are great at chemistry!</p>