How Hard?

[sistermike]

Ok I know someone (I believe Somoa) said that Pharm school is hard but no where near that of Med School. I am just curious to whether pharm school requires you to study 24/7 like med school, or does it just require you to study hard and keep up with the material but at the same time allows you to have an actual life outside of school?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pharmer]

For me pharmacy school was not hard at all. There is a lot of material to learn but one is given time enough to do so. I have been able to maitain a near 4.0, hold a job, and keep up with an active social life. I would compare it to picking one of the more difficult majors in undergrad like chemical eng. except that the material is not conceptually as complex, just more of it to learn.

 

[tlh908]

I would have to agree that pharmacy school is not as hard as like med school, although that does not mean you can blow it off. A lot depends on what you want to do - if you just want to get by in class, then you will have plenty of time to party. If you want to master all of the material then it will take a lot more time. Pharmacy school is not a push over however.......

 

[LSUMED2006]

It probably was me who said that pharmacy school was nowhere near as hard as med school. Everything TLH said is right on. I spent much more time on pharmacology than did many of my class mates, and as such I achieved a much higher grasp of the material than many of them. I found that entering pharmacy school was a big adjustment, but once I was adjusted it wasn't that terrible. That being said, you cannot blow it off, because it covers a huge base of material. You can certainly can have all the freetime and life outside of school you want. The fact that you are expected to work when in pharmacy school says something.

 

[aallaei]

I'm not too clear on the pharmD program. After u graduate, are you u given the possibility of an actual job? or how many years in residency do u have to do?

Also, how many hours a week do u work?
Plenty of time for family...?

I am deciding between pharmacy and medicine. I would enjoy both, medicine more than the other. I'm having a hard time deciding because I need to have enough time for a family and it seems like pharmacy does a much better job accomidating for that seeing as how (i think) they have 2x as much time and get paid much better than doctors for the amount of stress they handle...what do u think??

thanx

 

[INevrLearn]

Your path after graduation is completely up to you. Unlike medicine, a pharmD can go directly to work (provided he/she passes the NABPLEX and states' exams) in the retail/basic hospital setting. While many feel that a pharmD is an unnecessary degree for a retail pharmacist (I happen to agree,) it IS the highest paying option at present. (Some estimates have current students starting out at better than 100K/year by 2005/2006.)

If, by chance, you want to pursue a career in clinical pharmacy and USE your pharmD, a residency of one, two, or sometimes more years would be standard procedure. I think it usually depends on your specialty and where you want to practice.

Hope that is of some help to you. Pharmacy is a changing field. I don't think anyone is quite sure what the final scope of practice will be. It will, for sure, be more accommodating to your desire to have a family.

 

[LSUMED2006]

aallaei,

Ineverlearn covered most of it. Retail pharmacists work anywhere from 40-50 hours a week. Forty is the number often thrown around, but there are many times that that is just not realistic. If you choose to work in retail, as many do, it pays well, and you do NOT have to do any further training after school.

>I'm having a hard time deciding because I need to have enough time for a family and it seems like pharmacy does a much better job accomidating for that seeing as how (i think) they have 2x as much time and get paid much better than doctors for the amount of stress they handle

Medical school and beyond is a huge time investment, but it certainly is possible to have a family. As for the stress and pay issues, there certainly is a huge amount of stress in either, but obviously much more so in medicine. As for pharmacists having 2x more time, that is close to being true in a physicians residency, depending on the specialty, but very seldom the case after residency. Pharmacists do make better money than physicians right out of school, but physicians' pay increases dramatically after residency (in some cases 10x right off the bat), meaning that after residency it is very uncommon for an MD to be making less than your average retail pharmacist.

I personally believe that medicine is a calling. I know from experience about both pharmacy and medicine; the MD route will be much more demanding and trying on you and your family, although BOTH are very possible.

Hope this helps,
Jason

 

[Dr JPH]

I know retail pharmacists making from $74,000 - $112,000.

That's right out of school.

Not too shabby.

Seems in the Philadelphia area $38-$41 an hour is a fair estimate. Or at least it is for my friends who are there now.

 

[Modnar]

Continuing in this vein...

Is it possible to hold down a job while in pharmacy school? It seems as though med students don't have time to do that and I was wondering if it was the same way for pharmD students.

 

[Kovox]

Originally posted by Modnar
Continuing in this vein...

Is it possible to hold down a job while in pharmacy school? It seems as though med students don't have time to do that and I was wondering if it was the same way for pharmD students.

I asked my student interviewer this. He replied that the first year is difficult and that he would not recommend me working the first year. The professor who interviewed me said the same thing. However, second year and so forth, becomes more lenient with just about 3 hours of class a day, which would allow you the time to work.

 

[Dr JPH]

Originally posted by Modnar
Continuing in this vein...

Is it possible to hold down a job while in pharmacy school? It seems as though med students don't have time to do that and I was wondering if it was the same way for pharmD students.

Med students? Not likely.

Pharmacy students? Sure. Most states require you to work X amt of hours in a pharmacy prior to licensure anyway, so working as an intern is more than just $$$.

I would say that 10-20 hours per week was about avg for myself and the people I went to school with.

Just make sure if you are working retail you find a preceptor that realizes SCHOOL COMES FIRST. I was lucky. I needed a day off to study...no problem. I had friends who were pulling 12 hour shifts the day before Friday exams. Thats nuts.