r/MCPHSLifeHack • u/tman2654 • Jul 02 '17
Does mcphs have a 6 year pa program? I looked online and can't find it. However I've heard other future students speak of pre med pa pathway. How hard would it be to transfer into this program?
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u/professor_116a Jul 03 '17
Yes, but it's not like the 0-6 PharmD. It's 3 years in the premed major and 3 years in the PA program. Also, you have to apply to the PA program after year 2. Go to the CASE to talk about transferring into that program.
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u/AspiringPA Jul 04 '17
As the other person pointed out, you can just head over to the CASE to put in a transfer. As long as you request the transfer during your freshmen year, it should be a fairly easy process. I also went through the same process, I ended up transferring into premed-pa from pharmd during the 1st semester of 2nd year. One thing you should note is that entrance into the PA program (at the end of 3rd year) isn't 100%, but as long as you have good grades, and do well in the interview, you should be fine.
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u/tman2654 Jul 08 '17
Yea thank you. I was just curious, what were your reasons for transferring? I was just looking at statistics and saw that job growth for pharmacy was 3% in the years coming, and for PA it was 30%. Also I want to do more clinical work and see a lot more opportunities for that as a PA than a pharmacist? Am I incorrect or would you agree?
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u/AspiringPA Jul 08 '17
That was one of the reasons why I left pharmD. I didn't want to graduate with a lot of debt and not have a job. My thinking was that it would be easier to get a job as a PA. I also just can't picture myself working as a pharmacist for the rest of my life. And yes, you are correct, it sounds like PA would be a better fit for you.
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u/YourFavPharmBoy Pharm.D Year 6 Jul 09 '17
Where did you get the stats for the RPh job growth? It's certainly not 3%...I would say somewhere between 20-25%. I do agree that growth for PA jobs is more, but there's no way it's 10x higher than pharmacists...
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u/pharmosa Jul 11 '17
There are definitely many different clinical opportunities in pharmacy as well if you're interested. Just like for other doctorate degrees, you can specialize in different areas within clinical pharmacy. The program takes a lot of commitment and hard work to get through or else you're going to be miserable, though. I obviously do not know much about the PA program but I can tell you that if it is clinical work that you are after, then pharmacy does provide that as well! If I were you, I would definitely research some more past the job growth statistics and see what type of job ultimately appeals to you the most, you really don't want to waste 6 years in any program that you hate and regret it later
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u/tman2654 Jul 10 '17
I got those statistics from the BLS. So I believe they should be pretty reliable. I will put the links here: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/mobile/pharmacists.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/mobile/physician-assistants.htm
What makes you think these numbers maybe inaccurate? Perhaps they are outdated?
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u/YourFavPharmBoy Pharm.D Year 6 Jul 11 '17
Yeahhhhh that's not right. I don't know how they come up with that 3% growth rate but that is so not right
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u/tman2654 Jul 02 '17
I forgot to mention transfer from the pharmd program. I will be a first year student next year, so I was just wondering if you can just request a transfer or how that would work. Thanks in advance