Pharmacy or Science?

chatterboxxx95

Okaaaay so here goes...
I am currently in leaving cert and in the very scary process of filling out the CAO. I know my interests lie in science and roughly in the healthcare field but am really not sure what 3rd level course to pursue. I was considering med for a while but I wasn't 100% sure about it so I've basically ruled that out as if I were going to do it I'd want to have my decision made because of Hpat and also I don't think it's a road to go down unless you are certain. I've now whittled myself down to either Pharmacy or a Science degree, either Biomed or something along the pharma line or UCD's common entry. I've researched all the courses, am in the process of going to open days but I'm finding it very difficult to choose. I love the idea of the course content in Pharmacy but think i would hate to be a retail pharmacist. I know you can go down the hopsital, industrial or research route from a pharmacy degree but then again is it a bad thing to go into a Bpharm with my current attitude?
Then, regards science it just seems so broad and what are you really qualified for after 4 years? I went to UCD open day and was well impressed with what their science courses have to offer and the new building but then on the tour around the labs I was just thinking "I can't see myself in a lab forever".
I'm beginning to doubt myself as regards wanting to a science based course but then by process of elimination I've ruled myself out of all others
Basically I'm really confused and any advice would be appreciated or any info on courses!

weirdspider

chatterboxxx95 wrote: »

Okaaaay so here goes...
I am currently in leaving cert and in the very scary process of filling out the CAO. I know my interests lie in science and roughly in the healthcare field but am really not sure what 3rd level course to pursue. I was considering med for a while but I wasn't 100% sure about it so I've basically ruled that out as if I were going to do it I'd want to have my decision made because of Hpat and also I don't think it's a road to go down unless you are certain. I've now whittled myself down to either Pharmacy or a Science degree, either Biomed or something along the pharma line or UCD's common entry. I've researched all the courses, am in the process of going to open days but I'm finding it very difficult to choose. I love the idea of the course content in Pharmacy but think i would hate to be a retail pharmacist. I know you can go down the hopsital, industrial or research route from a pharmacy degree but then again is it a bad thing to go into a Bpharm with my current attitude?
Then, regards science it just seems so broad and what are you really qualified for after 4 years? I went to UCD open day and was well impressed with what their science courses have to offer and the new building but then on the tour around the labs I was just thinking "I can't see myself in a lab forever".
I'm beginning to doubt myself as regards wanting to a science based course but then by process of elimination I've ruled myself out of all others
Basically I'm really confused and any advice would be appreciated or any info on courses!

I'm currently doing Pharmacy in UCC so I'm likely to be biased here but I'd advise you to do it if you have a flair for chemistry and a strong interest in science. The course is heavily gravitated towards chemistry, I didn't actually realise how much would actually be involved! We have anatomy/physiology modules also as well as a physical-chemistry one within the chemistry module and about 6/7 hours of labs a week.
You absolutely do not have to go into community pharmacy. Although the majority do, you can opt for research, industry or hospital pharmacy. So no, its not a bad idea going into Pharmacy with your attitude. I still don't know which path I want to take!
I have friends doing science and it is very broad. You can generally specialize in 2nd year and even further in 3rd/4th year. Many finish their science degree however and go straight into a PhD since its difficult to get a relevant and secure job with a science degree alone. With Pharmacy you are much more restricted and lead towards a specific career path. Although there are fewer jobs available in Pharmacy than there were and the pay is lower than it was, jobs are more abundant than they are in the field of science. But again, it depends on what you specialise in. Job prospects vary depending on people's respective degrees.

aitpaustralia

I think you should go for a course/study which you find interesting. Do not worry about the career opportunities as you will definitely get a job if you are a master in your stream.

pfannkuchen

I'm a final year pharmacy student in RCSI. Would say that it is a good course to go for if you have a general interest in science and healthcare. Our course is quite varied, I don't think that it's quite as chemistry-focused as UCC and TCD, but there is at least one chem module every year. 3rd and 4th year are quite heavily focused on clinical aspects, so the course became hugely interesting once we got through 1st and 2nd year.

I personally have no interest in pursuing a career in community pharmacy - though I have worked part-time in a pharmacy the past 2 years and have really enjoyed it. Plenty of my classmates would be in a similar situation, though as weirdspider has said, most probably WILL end up in community. So many options though, really hoping to head down the hospital route myself.

If you have any specific questions, just send me a PM, would be more than happy to help!

chatterboxxx95

Thanks a million for all the info guys, greatly appreciated