3 Things you Should Know to Transfer from Pharmacy to Medicine

Have you ever thought to transfer from pharmacy to medicine? As a junior, you’ll be able to easily transfer from pharmacy to medicine program if the pre-requisite science classes are already taken care of. Medical schools always welcome nontraditional students, so having a pharmacy degree will definitely help you a lot. In addition, you will be well prepared to handle the science of the first two years of medical school.

Whether you are a pharmacist who wants to transfer from pharmacy to medicine, or you are about to graduate and want to change careers. It is never too late to change occupations and pursue your passion. Doctors and pharmacists are both parts of the healthcare industry, yet, their educational backgrounds and skills are different.

Therefore, if you are a student or a graduate of pharmacy school, you should be aware that you have to go back to school if you wish to pursue a career as a doctor instead of a pharmacist. What you learned in pharmacy will not, at least not totally, count toward medical school. Before making your decision, you need to think about why you want to be a doctor in the first place. And once you make up your mind, you may also decide to go further to study a Master’s degree in medicine too.

Read more: 5 Simple Steps to Transfer from BSc to Medicine

1. Can you transfer from pharmacy to medicine?

After finishing your pharmacy education and getting your certification, you cannot simply do the tasks and duties of a doctor. You need to first enrol in medical school. First, you should know there are differences between the educational qualifications, abilities, and experience of both pharmacists and doctors. As a result, if you want to transfer from pharmacy to medicine, you need to go back to school to complete the MD degree, residency, and certification.

If you have any educational loans after getting your pharmacy degree, attending medical school will not only add debt but also will take you some time. You have to be aware of this fact since having such a large loan obligation to repay might be stressful for you. This might make the move from pharmacy to medicine difficult.

Also, keep in mind that what you have studied in pharmacy school may not be recognized in medical schools. In case you don’t care much about money, and you are eager to transfer from pharmacy to medicine, you should consider switching from pharmacy to medical school right away via uni-app.

2. Is Medical School more difficult than Pharmacy School?

Both pharmacy school and medical school are extremely demanding academic professions. You should choose the pharmacy or medical area that best suits your interests and career goals while deciding between the two fields. However, if you want to transfer from pharmacy to medicine, you might want to know which is more difficult. Well, medical school may be harder than pharmacy school since the graduation rate is lower due to the longer time frame required for medical education.

In order to become a pharmacist, you must complete two years of an undergraduate degree. Following that, you must complete a four-year program to become a doctor of pharmacy. Some pharmacy schools provide a six-year program that allows students to complete their pharmacy study and earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. You will also need to complete three and a half years of advanced pharmacy studies before beginning the rotations process. Plus, you will work and gain experience while on rotation in pharmacy.

On the other hand, medical school is a four-year program. After medical school, the residency will take another 3 to 7 years to complete. So, you can easily become a doctor after completing medical school and residency.

3. Why become a doctor and not a pharmacist?

There are certain benefits to choosing medicine over other healthcare professions if you’re interested in working in the healthcare industry. If you want to develop more relationships or deal with many people, it might be the right idea to make the transfer from pharmacy to medicine.

Here are the top reasons to study medicine, instead of pharmacy, in case you want to move fields:

1. Developing better relationships

One of the most important reasons to transfer from pharmacy to medicine is the relationships you will develop. You will play an important role in making people feel better as a doctor. If you want to work in a field where you can directly interact with patients, medicine is the right choice for you. Aside from developing relationships with patients, doctors also collaborate with colleagues to come up with the best medical decisions.

2. Many medical career opportunities

Medicine is also an excellent career option due to its breadth and plenty of options. This is a major reason to make the transfer from pharmacy to medicine. You can choose from a variety of medical specializations based on your interests and expertise. You can work as an academic doctor, a hospital doctor, and so on. The majority of doctors could also work either independently or as part of prestigious hospitals around the world.

It’s worth mentioning that there are a lot of opportunities for doctors to work in healthcare professions at the federal and state levels. “There’s such a shortage of physicians that, as long as you’re credentialed and haven’t lost your license, you will always have a job,” Dr Tulenko, one of the doctors from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), says.

Medicine is one of the most competitive degrees to study in the UK, especially when many international students are accepted into medical schools every year. If your grades are excellent and you can show that you are committed to studying and working in the medical field, then enrolling to study a bachelor’s degree in medicine in the UK is for you.

3. Becoming a doctor is more worth it

It is definitely worth it to become a doctor after completing four years of medical school, three or more years of postgraduate training, and continuing education responsibilities throughout your career. You’ll be encouraged to know that many doctors are pleased with their decision to pursue a profession in medicine. This is a major reason to transfer from pharmacy to medicine.

Dr Odugbesan, a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology and a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of London, says: “Taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages, becoming a doctor was eventually worth it to me”, “I would go to medical school all over again”.

When deciding whether transferring from pharmacy to medicine is the right fit for you, Dr Odugbesan says you should consider the career path that interests you. It’s also a good idea to hear different points of view from actual doctors.

Dr Kate Tulenko, physician and health systems and health workforce expert with extensive experience in developed and developing countries, recommends: “Talk to as many doctors as you can,” and “How do they feel about their work? What do they look to the future of medical care?” These kinds of discussions could be so helpful in figuring out which field to choose.

Read more: 6 Interesting Facts to Help You Transfer from Biomedical to Medicine

Schools that accept a transfer from pharmacy to medicine

If you want to make a shift from pharmacy to medicine, it’s important to know which schools actually accept a transfer from pharmacy to medical degrees:

1. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in the United States is a part of George Washington University and allows transfers of students there. It allows transfers from any Canadian medical schools, any health-related schools that are listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Osteopathic schools.

2. Charles University

Charles University in the Czech Republic is also a great option to move from pharmacy to medicine. It’s possible for international students to transfer if they have received grades that are excellent or very good. However, all students will need to pass an entrance exam to be eligible to join the medical school program. After passing the exam, students may skip the first and second year if they have already taken equivalent subjects, but the maximum is being accepted into the third year.

The deadline for transfers to the university is at the end of May, so you should keep that in mind if you want to apply to this school. It’s also important to note that there are compulsory subjects that need to be fulfilled if students want to skip study years. These subjects include the Czech Language courses and Physical Education courses.

3. University of Debrecen

The University of Debrecen in Hungary is also an option for students who would like to shift from pharmacy to medicine. Students can either join the general medicine program or the dental medicine program. However, students must pass an entrance exam to be entered into either of the medical school programs, even if they have already covered similar subjects, before choosing to transfer from pharmacy to medicine. This exam covers topics in the subjects of biology and either physics or chemistry, based on students’ preferences.

Sometimes, it’s possible for students to transfer to higher years than the first year if they have relevant previous studies. It’s important to mention that students that transfer can only transfer up to 60 per cent of the course programs. This means that you have to complete at least 40 per cent of the medical degree to graduate with the medical degree from the University of Debrecen.

4. Wroclaw Medical University

Another option to transfer from pharmacy to medicine if you wish to do so is Wroclaw Medical University. Located in Poland, students can transfer if they meet all requirements for previous subjects completed. It’s also possible to be transferred up to the third year of studies if students want to do so. Importantly, studies can’t be interrupted between the transfers, which means that students must transfer directly with no gap years before entering the university.

Some documents to be submitted to enter the university are the transcript of records and syllabuses, high school graduation certificate and proof of English language proficiency. They must also submit a passport or ID copy, as well as a letter of confirmation from a  Polish embassy proving that the student is eligible to study in Poland. They’ll also need to submit a medical report proving good health conditions.

5. University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

In the United States, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is also a good school to think of if you want to make the shift between the two degrees. The school has been ranked as one of the best medical schools and ranks highly in the top 30 medical research universities in America.

The excellent university allows students to easily transfer to medical school if they meet all requirements to do so. They are especially welcoming to international students who want to join the faculty of medicine.

6. Northeast Ohio Medical University

Another medical school in America that accepts transfer students to its medical programs after studying a pharmacy course, or another degree course,  is the Northeast Ohio Medical University. This school is located in the town of Rootstown in Ohio. The school specialises in Graduate education in the fields of both Medicine and Pharmacy but also has a good undergraduate medical degree if you want to transfer from pharmacy to medicine.

Northeast Ohio Medical University accepts any transfer student that meets the eligibility criteria, such as covering subject courses previously in their home university and English language proficiency requirements.

What is graduate entry medicine?

When deciding to make the shift from pharmacy to medicine, you might read the term Graduate Entry Medicine, especially if you are applying to a medical school in the UK. Graduate entry medicine, sometimes called GEM, is a medical degree for those who want to study medicine in an accelerated fashion. The first GEM course was offered around 20 years ago. It takes students around 4 years to graduate, rather than the regular 5 or 6 years that medical students would usually take to graduate from their degree programs.

This program has been developed for students who want to move into the field of medicine but already have a bachelor’s degree. Sometimes, the program only accepts students with a previous bachelor’s degree in science or health-related subjects, but this isn’t always the case. It is, however, an undergraduate degree, not a post-graduate degree, so if you choose this degree, you will earn a medical bachelor’s degree at the end of your study period.

Graduate Entry Medicine courses are popular in many countries, including the United Kingdom. Actually, around half of the Medical schools in the United Kingdom offer a GEM course as it is becoming a more popular option. However, you should keep in mind if you choose this course that it’s a very competitive course to get into, infinitely more difficult than other medical school programs.

This is because there are usually only a small number of places available in the course. For example, there may be more than 1,500 applications for only 40 places. Some of the schools that offer these medical programs include the University of Cambridge, the University of Chester, King’s College in London, Newcastle University, the University of Sheffield and Cardiff University.

Medicine will give you a lot of independence, a wide range of patient populations, and a variety of practice options. Overall, there are a lot of benefits from making the transfer from pharmacy to medicine. As you may be aware, the United States is facing a physician shortage, which is expected to reach 159,000 by 2025. This makes it the perfect profession to choose to study.

As a result, your abilities will undoubtedly be required, and the same goes for pharmacy. Uni-app will help you study medicine in Europe and earn your degree. It has so many partnerships with the most prestigious universities around the world, which are all internationally acknowledged. Thousands of doctors, dentists, and veterinarians have graduated from these universities and now work in a variety of countries worldwide.