Need Help!!!!!

[Nasim288]

Wondering if I could get a little advice on a few questions? First, are there any thoughts as to the future demand of pharmacists 5 to 10 years from now? I am not in a program as of yet but I am thinking of applying for the fall of 2004 and would like to make sure I don't obtain a degree that will be hard pressed to use 5 years from now. Secondly, I am a 29 year old consultant for a large technology firm that has been out of the field of science for 2 years. I graduated with my BS in Biology in 1998 with an overall GPA of 3.11 and a transfer GPA of 3.68. My science and math GPA is about a 3.0 but I do have 2 C's in Organic Chemistry and a C in my second semester of Physics. Although they are not the best grades, I did have extenuating circumstances while going thru my last 2 years of college: brother died my senior year, bankrupt my fjunior year, and worked full time while helping my parents out financially. My question is, would I need to go back to a science job to be competitive for a PharmD program? And, how do admissions boards look at older students that have switched jobs, for financial reasons, and wish to obtain a graduate professional degree? Last, what financial support is available to a student like me who does not want to take out a ton of student loans? Thank you all for your replies in advance.

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[Dr JPH]

I can't see the demand for pharmacists declining. Possibly changing focus a bit, but not dissapearing all together.

There may be less of a demand in retail pharmacy where machines and (hopefully) better trained technicians will be picking up extra workload.

But also keep in mind that with the aging population and growing drug companies, the workload of pharmacists in the retail setting will only continue to grow.

I also see more of a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare in the hospital setting...utilizing the pharmacist more in clinical decisions. As a future doc myself, this is one area where I HOPE expands more than it is now.

As far as your grades, that should not be a problem. Talking to admissions folks is probably you best bet if you are concerned. Many pharmacy programs right now are not terribly competitive...althought this may change over the course of the next few years as salaries rise and demand increases. I know that admissions criteria have been declining recently in order to attract and admit more students. Maybe not the best way to keep a full class, but it works.

As far as the financial aspect, I wish I could give you some advice. Loans are probably the best way to go unless you go to a cheaper state school. I am not sure about the area you live in, but in the Northeast, there are tons of state schools...if you don't mind moving for a year. I know you can gain New Jersey residency basically by driving on the New Jersey Turnpike...very easy to do...and then you qualify for in-state tuition discounts.

Best of luck and congratulations on your decision.

 

[INevrLearn]

With the current shortage, your pharmacy degree, should you choose to follow that path, will still be valuable in 5, 10, 20 years at least. If trends persist (and they will,) the increase in the number of prescriptions to fill will far outweigh the rate of graduating pharmacists in the next ten years. I read (and I can't direct you to the specific article-- sorry!) that the shortage will only decline by about 7% (relative to prescription growth) over the next decade.

As far as 'older' students returning to school... the adcom at my school looks favorably upon continuing ed. students. There are five or six students in my class alone (class size = 60) with 30 years+ under their belts. As long as your numbers are up to par, there is really nothing to be said about your age (and at 29, you're still a spring chicken! are ya kidding?)

ANYWHO... good luck.

 

[Kovox]

Don't worry about the age factor. One of the schools that I interviewed at was a top 10 pharm school that valued older applicants since older applicants tend to know that they really want a pharmd degree. There was even student interviewer who was in her 50's (first year student) and applicants who were in their 30's. I am not sure if the entrance into pharmacy is competitive right now or not but I can definitely see it increase in its competitiveness.

There will always be a demand for pharmacists because of the nice things about the field. As for the future, I think that the demand for pharmacists will always grow. One of the admissions dean told us that their pharm school only admitted about 120ish students out of the 600 or so that applied, and that the amount of students they graduate does not satisfy the increasing demand for pharmacists.