I’m leaning towards pharmacist but how do you become one?
There’s going to be massive shortages of both over the next few years, and salaries and benefits will probably grow commensurately. Pharmacy is more chemistry-oriented, particularly when you’re getting your education, while nursing is (mostly) a very people-oriented career.
People who actually do both of these things will pop in shortly and tell you what the life is like, which would be better than my WAGs.
Welcome to the SDMB!
I’m already a certified pharmacy technician, but can’t find work.
Pharmacist, hon. The hours appear to be sweet and you’ll be rolling in dough. I’ve yet to meet a poor pharmacist.
Nurses are overworked, underpaid and on their feet constantly. They have to put up with doctors who think they’re God and treat them like crap. God BLESS nurses, but I’d never wanna be one. Not enough money to put up with what they put up with.
Hello,
I am not a pharmacist but I used to work for a College of Pharmacy, doing continuing education for practicing pharmacists and working with an online Pharm.D. program. Also, my SIL is a Pharm.D.
If you’re in the U.S., the only pharmacy degree you can get now is a Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy). They have done away with the B.S. in Pharmacy. See http://www.acpe-accredit.org/docs/ProfProg/content_Policies.htm :
A Pharm.D. is a pretty intensive degree. Admissions to Pharm.D. programs are very competitive. Once in, you’ll take lots of courses in pharmacokinetics, chemistry, etc although they are trying to work on the “people skills” part more in programs too. You’ll also do a lot of clinical rotations similar to what MDs do.
A few Pharm.D.s end up working in hospitals where they have quite a bit of patient contact and work closely with M.D.s. This is especially true in the NICU and the ICU where drug doses need to be calculated precisely and there are a lot of different drugs involved. Pharm.D.s also work a lot in nephrology (kidneys) and geriatrics, since both kidney problems and aging affect how the body processes drugs.
However, most of the Pharm.D.s I know (and used to teach) work in a retail setting, where patient contact is minimal and they do not use the majority of their knowledge on a daily basis. These jobs pay well and have good benefits (I know a Pharm.D. who is working for Walgreens; one of her benefits is that they are paying off her student loans).
I have some opinions of pharmacists based on my past work with them, but I will keep those to myself 
If you are an extremely detail oriented person with a head for calculations and formulas, it would be a good fit.
Take care,
hill
My son is going into nursing. Hospitals will pay your tuition if you promise to come back and work for them. He wants to do trauma work, which pays considerably more than your standard nurse makes. You can also freelance and scab for hospitals when nurses are on strike. That’s where the real money is, but you have to deal with the guilt.
Also, I should add that a Pharm.D. takes about 7 years to earn depending on your past schooling (2-3 years of prepharmacy coursework work and 4 years of Pharm.D. coursework) and almost all programs are full-time and residential. Think going to med school, since that’s what Pharm.D. programs are shooting for ( to be the equivalent of med school for pharmacists).
Again, this only applies if you’re in the U.S. And I’m not sure if states have alternate paths to licensure for the R.Ph. that don’t involve a Pharm.D., but hopefully someone who knows will jump in if there’s another path.
Take care,
hill
I’m in Southern California and I’m almost finished with community college. I’ve been going there for 2 years and my major is Biology. I’m not sure if I want to dedicate all those years to pharmacy. Nursing sounds good, but 4 of my family members are nurses and they say it’s stressful and the patients are mean to them. It’s so confusing to pick my career. I’m thinking of going to Cal State Long Beach after community college, but I’ll just take who accepts me.
** … That’s where the real money is, but you have to deal with the guilt.**
And flying bullets.
It all depends on what you are good at. Are you good with people? Can you stay up all night working? Then you might prefer being a nurse. Are you good with numbers and names (like hill o beans said)? Then you might prefer being a pharmacist.
What do you like in a job? If you prefer a steady schedule then nursing will be a challenge. If you like working with people then you wouldn’t be having much fun as a pharmacist. You seem a little confused as to career paths right now. Maybe you should evaluate yourself first and decide what you want outta life. There’s nothing worse then being stuck in a job you hate.
Of course, if you only care about the money, then become a pharmacist. They make about double what a nurse makes (judging by the hospital I use to work at).