Are you unsure if a Pharm D certification qualifies you to
pursue MD specializations such as Cardiology, Neurology, and Orthopedics? Are
you looking for further information?
So, you’re a pharmacist considering a career transition from
pharmacy to medicine, or you’re ready to graduate and want to change careers.
Whatever your circumstances, it is never too late to change occupations and
pursue your passion.
Doctors and pharmacists both work in the healthcare area,
yet they have different educational backgrounds, talents, and experiences.
So, if you are currently pursuing or have completed your
pharmacy degree, you should be aware that if you wish to pursue a career as a
physician rather than a pharmacist, you must return to school. You won’t be
able to apply what you learned in pharmacy school to medical school, at least
not totally.
Pharmacists who have completed their pharm-D (doctor of
pharmacy) degree have a plethora of options. It is a similar degree to MBBS in
that it is related to health and takes 17 years to complete. Some people wish
to go farther and pursue postgraduate degrees such as M.sc., M.Phil., and so
on. After earning a Pharm-D, you can pursue an MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree.
Here are some of the specifics:
Why do pharmacists want to do MD to become doctors?
There are a variety of reasons why pharmacists want to
become doctors. Most importantly, pharmacists will not be able to prescribe
medicine; instead, they will have to wait for the doctor’s approval before
administering medicine to the patient. Diagnosis is not a specialty of
pharmacists. If they do MD, they will be able to improve. Pharmacists are not
permitted to do even minor procedures; but, after obtaining their MD, they will
be permitted to do so.
MD after Pharm-D Good Option or Bad?
Many professionals would tell you that you should not pursue
an MD after completing your pharmacy degree. This is due to the fact that you
can achieve great things as a pharmacist with putting in the same amount of
effort as you would to become an MD. You have completed 5 years of medical
school and will continue to study for another 2-4 years before beginning a
one-year residency. The worst thing is that if you are pursuing your MD from a
foreign country, you will be required to pass a doctor of medicine assessment
examination in your home country or any other country where you wish to
practise. In Pakistan, PMC conducts this type of test. You can’t practise
without PMC’s permission. It is a deception if someone claims that you can
practise without a test as soon as you arrive from Russia. The fee for the MD
is extremely steep, and there is only one seat for a pharmacist in each batch,
making it extremely difficult to obtain the post.
Read Also Study MBBS in Europe
After Pharm-D, where should I go to get my MD?
This degree is offered by a variety of institutions. Russia
is the cheapest, but several other nations, like the United States, also offer
this degree. If you live in Russia or the United States, getting an MD will be
simple because there are numerous institutes that provide it, but if you live
in Pakistan, getting an MD after a Pharm-D will be a tremendous challenge.
King Edward Medical University in Lahore and Aga Khan
University in Karachi are the only two institutions that offer MD following
pharm-D, albeit the MD at King Edward Medical University has yet to be approved
by PMDC. If you wish to do MD in a foreign country like Russia or the United
States, you’ll need to transfer your pharm-D credit hours to a Russian
university. In the case of the United States, you will need to be a registered
pharmacist in the United States, which is a difficult task for international
pharmacists.
How to get into MD school after a Pharm-D:
You must first review the list of courses that you must
study before taking the M.CAT for MD, which is an admission examination for MD.
If you haven’t studied some of them, you’ll need to enrol in a short course programme
that lasts around 6 months and covers all of the areas you didn’t study in
pharmacy but are required for MD following pharmacy. After that, you’ll contact
the university where you wish to pursue your MD and inquire about the costs,
and after everything is in order, you’ll be able to take the M.CAT. You will be
admitted to MD if you pass with excellent grades. Now is the time for you to
put in a lot of effort in your studies.
Dual Degree Program in Pharmacy and Medicine (PharmD/MD):
The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (EMSOP) has designed a unique PharmD/MD dual degree programme with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). To be considered for the programme, you must be a current Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy PharmD student.
This one-of-a-kind and highly selective programme at Rutgers University is designed to produce an elite group of interdisciplinary practitioners who are highly skilled in both pharmacy and medicine, and who are ready to lead in collaborative clinical practise, academic research, public policy, and the pharmaceutical industry.