MD to PharmD? Has anyone done it in this order, and is it worth it?

[dr_andi2]

Hello,

There are a few posts out there about people doing PharmD --> MD, but has anyone with an MD done a PharmD after? Is there any sense in doing this?

I am an MD student at an accredited international medical school. My fiance is a DO student in the US. We both want to start a family as soon as we graduate.

There is no guarantee that we will both find medical residency through couples matching so we need to prepare accordingly. From my previous research, it seems that an MD without residency in the US (and you need at least one year of residency to get a license) does not offer many stable career paths. As far as I know, I can't even do a clinical pharmacology fellowship with an MD if I'm not board certified (completed residency) first!

I found out about some online PharmD programs after I already accepted my position in medical school. I went to medical school because I am passionate about the biomedical sciences - neuroscience in particular - and wanted a stable career while making a difference in the field of clinical medicine. I worked with many PhD students and graduates and the job situation post-grad seemed rough, so I didn't go that route. I love the idea of working in clinical research or doing some type of consulting. Interestingly, my favorite subject in medical school so far has been pharmacology.

If I were to do an online PharmD, after four years I would be a licensed PharmD! This would be about the same amount of time it would take me to complete an MD residency (provided I was offered a position immediately and didn't take time off to have a child).

What's your insight into this - is there any benefit to tacking on a PharmD after doing an MD?

Oh - and if you're wondering about student debt/loans - I've saved about 150K in student debt by going to a very inexpensive medical school abroad, so if I were to do an online PharmD, I would likely come out with the same amount of debt as the average US medical school graduate.

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[BC_89]

has anyone with an MD done a PharmD after? Is there any sense in doing this?

No.

I went to medical school because I am passionate about the biomedical sciences - neuroscience in particular - and wanted a stable career while making a difference in the field of clinical medicine.

Do an MD/research combo program and do what you are passionate about. Pharmacy research is not the available PharmD job you are looking for.

What's your insight into this - is there any benefit to tacking on a PharmD after doing an MD?

There is no benefit. Please look at the following hyperlinks about the Pharmacy crisis happening:

Job Saturation: Is Pharmacy Worth It? Here's What You Need to Know - The $200 Challenge

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Oh - and if you're wondering about student debt/loans - I've saved about 150K in student debt by going to a very inexpensive medical school abroad, so if I were to do an online PharmD, I would likely come out with the same amount of debt as the average US medical school graduate.

It is not about the money in the sense that your are asking, it is about the time - effort - and money lost in a field that is decreasing in hours and salaries with the majority of your line ups being in retail and nothing to do with pharmacology research. Your opportunity cost is better spent either chasing down a residency in the US or starting over again in medical school. If your passion is not that strong to start again (and its understandable), you'll be let down with the opportunities you wish you would've had pursuing a PharmD.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Stop complaining about saturation... you cant get a job because #1 you have very high expectations for salary, work hours, and location... If you work hard, there is no one who will let you go.

 

[BC_89]

Stop complaining about saturation... you cant get a job because #1 you have very high expectations for salary, work hours, and location... If you work hard, there is no one who will let you go.

I will assume you are addressing me. ok...ill bite.

MD degree wanting to do research in pharmacology with a PharmD. Is it possible? if so, give me numbers. I can think of dozens of people who went on to obtain a secondary degree tied into the research aspect. So they should get a secondary and third degree yes?

Or....call it crazy, they should do what they are passionate about in the first place and not settle with a degree they never intended on getting. For a user who is asking about pharmacy, you may call it a safe bet that they would not know about the bottleneck effect the PharmD has gotten over the past decade. Do you think they shoudnt be aware?

Obivously if pharmacy was the primer of a goal (like myself....in school....studying....knowing the outcomes but confident to get a job....) then people will be alright. Never settle for a bottleneck degree and yes, this degree is just that.

Your turn.

 

[DagS132]

Stop complaining about saturation... you cant get a job because #1 you have very high expectations for salary, work hours, and location... If you work hard, there is no one who will let you go.

In other words, "Let them eat cake."

 

[RxEvileye]

Immediate job prospects aside, it seems to make little sense to go back to do a PharmD when you can just continue to pursue residency as an MD. That way you can independently manage your patients in any setting, and will at least get paid during residency instead of starting over with more loans during pharmacy school. You will likely end up needing a pharmacy residency anyway to get into more clinical roles as a pharmacist.

You can get into pharmacology research without a PharmD. I would suggest the MD/PhD route, or look into other consulting/regulatory jobs as an MD if you want something nontraditional.

Have you considered medical toxicology? They study much of what we do as pharmacists (often work with us in Poison Control Centers) and might be a similar kind of background you are looking for if you want additional training:

ACMT - Becoming a Medical Toxicologist

www.acmt.net

 

[lord999]

Hello,

There are a few posts out there about people doing PharmD --> MD, but has anyone with an MD done a PharmD after? Is there any sense in doing this?

I am an MD student at an accredited international medical school. My fiance is a DO student in the US. We both want to start a family as soon as we graduate.

There is no guarantee that we will both find medical residency through couples matching so we need to prepare accordingly. From my previous research, it seems that an MD without residency in the US (and you need at least one year of residency to get a license) does not offer many stable career paths. As far as I know, I can't even do a clinical pharmacology fellowship with an MD if I'm not board certified (completed residency) first!

I found out about some online PharmD programs after I already accepted my position in medical school. I went to medical school because I am passionate about the biomedical sciences - neuroscience in particular - and wanted a stable career while making a difference in the field of clinical medicine. I worked with many PhD students and graduates and the job situation post-grad seemed rough, so I didn't go that route. I love the idea of working in clinical research or doing some type of consulting. Interestingly, my favorite subject in medical school so far has been pharmacology.

If I were to do an online PharmD, after four years I would be a licensed PharmD! This would be about the same amount of time it would take me to complete an MD residency (provided I was offered a position immediately and didn't take time off to have a child).

What's your insight into this - is there any benefit to tacking on a PharmD after doing an MD?

Oh - and if you're wondering about student debt/loans - I've saved about 150K in student debt by going to a very inexpensive medical school abroad, so if I were to do an online PharmD, I would likely come out with the same amount of debt as the average US medical school graduate.

Questions:

1. Are you from a Bologna Process school with EU interchange for licensing?
2. Are you qualified and in practice in your home country in good standing?
3. If the answers for the two above are yes, can you qualify for an EB-2 (not H1B)?

If not, then @BC_89's advice applies. If so, then the following applies, have you lost your mind considering that you can enter as an EB-2?!

 

[Xarelto-10]

Stop complaining about saturation... you cant get a job because #1 you have very high expectations for salary, work hours, and location... If you work hard, there is no one who will let you go.

Not true. You or anyone else for that matter, no matter how smart you think you’re, hard working as you may be, etc,doesn’t matter. After you’ve served your purpose you can be disposed of to make way for the next one.

 

[Seriously Serious]

Hello,

There are a few posts out there about people doing PharmD --> MD, but has anyone with an MD done a PharmD after? Is there any sense in doing this?

I am an MD student at an accredited international medical school. My fiance is a DO student in the US. We both want to start a family as soon as we graduate.

There is no guarantee that we will both find medical residency through couples matching so we need to prepare accordingly. From my previous research, it seems that an MD without residency in the US (and you need at least one year of residency to get a license) does not offer many stable career paths. As far as I know, I can't even do a clinical pharmacology fellowship with an MD if I'm not board certified (completed residency) first!

I found out about some online PharmD programs after I already accepted my position in medical school. I went to medical school because I am passionate about the biomedical sciences - neuroscience in particular - and wanted a stable career while making a difference in the field of clinical medicine. I worked with many PhD students and graduates and the job situation post-grad seemed rough, so I didn't go that route. I love the idea of working in clinical research or doing some type of consulting. Interestingly, my favorite subject in medical school so far has been pharmacology.

If I were to do an online PharmD, after four years I would be a licensed PharmD! This would be about the same amount of time it would take me to complete an MD residency (provided I was offered a position immediately and didn't take time off to have a child).

What's your insight into this - is there any benefit to tacking on a PharmD after doing an MD?

Oh - and if you're wondering about student debt/loans - I've saved about 150K in student debt by going to a very inexpensive medical school abroad, so if I were to do an online PharmD, I would likely come out with the same amount of debt as the average US medical school graduate.

I'll answer as if this is not a troll post:

1. Yes, there are the occasional international MD's that don't have American physician privileges and end up going through a PharmD program. In fact, one of my preceptors was an MD/PharmD.
2. If being a physician is your goal, you need to exhaust every opportunity to become a licensed physician in the states before entertaining other degrees that offer less ROI (obviously)
3. If research is where your interests are... DO NOT pursue a PharmD, pursue a PhD (who cares if PhD job outlook is poor, PharmD outlook is also poor).
4. Being a non-licensed MD + licensed PharmD makes you a pharmacist, not a physician. In terms of clinical jobs, you may still need to have a pharmacy residency under your belt to work in the setting despite your MD, but I cannot confidently speak to that.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Stop complaining about saturation... you cant get a job because #1 you have very high expectations for salary, work hours, and location... If you work hard, there is no one who will let you go.

Worked my ass off but was still laid off once. Please explain.

 

[Lexington2012]

There was a student at my pharmacy school who had an MD. He was unable to get a residency, so he went to pharmacy school. He said that pharmacy school was almost as difficult as med school for him. He is currently working as a clinical pharmacist.

 

[HandsomeVampire]

I never heard of an online 4 year Doctorate program for PharmD. Is it even accredited? Can you get licensed and apply for national board and state board examination to get licensed?

 

[deleted859689]

There was a student at my pharmacy school who had an MD. He was unable to get a residency, so he went to pharmacy school. He said that pharmacy school was almost as difficult as med school for him. He is currently working as a clinical pharmacist.

Wonder where he got his MD... (caribbean *cough cough*)

 

[BidingMyTime]

I never heard of an online 4 year Doctorate program for PharmD. Is it even accredited? Can you get licensed and apply for national board and state board examination to get licensed?

I'm pretty sure OP was referring to the 3 year on-line + 1 year rotation programs available, the OP never actually said (s)he planned to do all 4 years on-line.

As for the OP, you say you are currently a medical student, what year are you? I would suggest you follow Lord's advice, although if you are only year 1 or 2, it might be worth it to cut your losses and go to school to get your Ph.D. I would only go to PharmD school, if you would be perfectly OK with working retail, because chances are that is where you will be working with a PharmD. If you are OK with working retail, and you have exhausted all possibilities of completing a residency so you could work as a doctor, then sure, go ahead and get your PharmD if that is what you want. But this is a sad 2nd choice, if at all possible, you need to figure out how to get a residency.

 

[samven582]

yes, check out one of the fellows. She has a MD and PharmD

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[mustang sally]

What year are you in school? Unless you are just starting out and are absolutely convinced you would hate being a doctor, I would just stick with MD.

If you are almost done with med school, I really can't see any benefit in going back for a PharmD.

 

[wucool33]

I heard an Italian MD that can’t get a residency here ended up working for one of the big pharma... maybe look into that...

 

[txpharmguy]

Had an MD, Pharm.D preceptor. Great guy. Halfway thru his M3 year he decided he didn't like medicine, but still finished the degree. Went to pharmacy school as a P3. Great clinical pharmacist.