Clayton Said:

Psychiatrist or Pharmacist -- Which career path should I follow?

We Answered:

It depends on what you want out of life. Both pay the bills, which is the most basic and important thing. The question is, when you're on your deathbed looking back on your life, what will you have wished you had done? Go with your passion for psychology and see where it takes you, or take the pharmacy job and get your bills paid sooner/steady job. Certainly pharmacy job is a lot easier to do..less school, better job market, less debt. You just have do decide which choice you won't end up regretting 10-20 years down the road.

Personally, I've done plenty of jobs now that pay the bills (barely), and I'd rather not continue to wake up every morning to go to a job that makes me miserable for the rest of my life. This is my entire motivation to go back to school. And the potential to earn greater money helps. ;)

EDIT: A wise family member once told me, you go to school to get an education, not a career.

Chris Said:

Between a pharmacist or a physian's assistant which is a better career path?

We Answered:

HAHA yeah that is an easy answer, pharmacy all the way.
PA's are not really all that wanted right now. If you think about it, you just live in some doctors shadow your whole career.
Pharmacists, on the other hand, have been proven in recent studies to be in the top 5 most respected professions. I think they were #2 last time I checked. And there will be a shortage for the next 8 years so jobs will be throwing themselves at you. You are paid well and have the most job freedom you could ask for with a Doctorate.
All that time as a PA is definitly not worth it.... you have a doctorate in JUST 4 years with pharmacy.
My school had both PA and Pharmacy programs... I went pharmacy, just not to my undergrad where they had the program there for me.

Darryl Said:

Pharmacist Career Path?

We Answered:

Prepharmacy-2-4 years
Pharmacy- 4 years
Residency (optional) 1-2 years

The intern hours regulations vary by state. In Illinois, you do not need to do any extra intern hours outside of class.

Pearl Said:

I have a question about the career path to becoming a Pharmacist.?

We Answered:

im 26 years old. I am a 4th year pharmacy student at one of the top ten pharmacy schools in the nation...UTHSC. The reason you are confused on the number of years of pharmacy school is because some people include pre-pharmacy years as well. Well...just remember that it is 4 YEARS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL. you do your pre-pharmacy requirements during your UNDERGRADUATE school, which took me about 2 years to accomplish, but this varies depending on your major and school. I got my BS in Biochemistry, Cellular, & Molecular Biology.

You need to go to your student advisor at your college and ask to receive the pamphlet on Pre--pharmacy...each graduate school has different requirements so figure out which pharmacy school you want to go to and find out what requirements they have. For instance, at my pharmacy school at UTHSC (Univ. of Tenn. Health Science Center) they required Immunology, and a lot of people trying to get accepted had not taken this class yet in undergraduate school and got into trouble so they ended up having to take it in summer school just to be able to start pharmacy school.

Pharmacy is an excellent, respected, knowledgeable profession and im glad you are deciding to join this health field. The salary is great, and jobs are plentiful so if you decide to start a family and want to move around, just remember that you will never have to worry about finding a job. In fact, did you know that a Pharmacist is the top paid starting salary out of all the professions?

Judy Said:

What is the career path to become a pharmacist?

We Answered:

To become a pharmacist, you must take a series of undergraduate classes that are prerequisites for pharmacy school. This generally takes 2-3 years. You should keep your grades high (3.5 GPA is competitive), get involved in extracurriculars, and try to find a job as a pharmacy technician while you are in school. This will help you gain experience in pharmacy which will not only benefit you personally, but it will also help round out your PharmCAS application. (The PharmCAS is the universal online application that is used for the majority of pharmacy schools.) If you can't find a job as a tech, try to shadow a pharmacist in your area. Then, you take the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) in your sophomore or junior year, and you complete the PharmCAS at LEAST a year before you would enter pharmacy school. The PCAT is not required by some schools, though it is looked at as a "plus". You will have to check the website of your program of choice to make sure. Pharmacy school lasts for four years (although there are a few select colleges that have an accelerated three year program, but this is very rare). After you graduate from pharmacy school and gain licensure, you are free to practice unless you choose to specialize, and in that case, you will complete a residency of 1-2 years.

The prerequisites vary depending on each pharmacy school but it's generally along these lines:
General Chem I & II plus labs
Organic Chem I & II plus labs
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Microbiology
Biophysics I (and sometimes II)
College Algebra, Trig, Statistics, and Calculus I
Macroeconomics/Microeconomics
Public Speaking
Psychology/Sociology
History
Wellness
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior English

These are the major classes you'll need, and the majority of pharmacy schools require these basic courses. Some programs require additional classes such as A&P II and Immunology but you can check the exact prerequisites on the website of your pharmacy school of choice.

Also, you should make sure you get to know your professors while taking undergraduate classes. You will need letters of recommendation for your pharmacy school application and past professors are always good references. It's also good to get to know your advisor. Some schools require a letter of recommendation from him/her.

The entire process takes 6-8 years without residency. Here is a list of pharmacy schools in the United States:
http://www.univsource.com/phar.htm

Hope this helps and good luck to you. :)

Sally Said:

Im trying to decide on a career path, list good reasons to become a pharmacist, serious answers only please.?

We Answered:

Money, a clear career path, people work, helping others, challenging. And to stop yourself becoming a fishmonger.