Rethink my career path: PharmD VS PMH-NP

Thanks guys for input. School is starting in two weeks and I still can't make decision. Some NPs (not psych NP) encourage me to stay in pharmacy school mainly because of the higher workload and being on call and compensation. Ha.. I hate to be indecisive. Basically, I didn't do anything productive this summer other than being indecisive.

I just started working in psych unit last week. I like talking to patient but I don't like workload as a staff Psych RN. Staff psych RNs don't have the opportunity to perform "official" psychotherapy due to workload. I am working again this Friday and I will do my best to listen to "my inner voice" or "gut feeling", even if I may not be able to shadow an NP in time before school starts.

At least, the peer environment will be different for sure. The classroom won't be full of 20s year old like PharmD. My inner voice said that "I like artistic and humanistic materials. I want career that is more than a job. I am a intuitive feeler, not a strong sensing/thinking type" I might have to give up the artistic and free-spirited part of me if I decide to continue with pharmacy school. Another practical voice is saying "Science is more prestigious and predictable than arts. Pharmacy school is more scientifically intellectual. Pharmacy is a diverse career path. I can also do research/teaching etc if I don't like routine... Jobs are jobs... It's ok as long as you don't hate it.
You're an introvert... pharmacy may be better choice due to my introvert personality"

Thanks for reply. I can see why being an introvert is not too bad for psych setting. I think psych requires good listening and introverted/reflective thinking. Congrats on your successful/satisfying career. The bad part of me is that I am the kind of thin-skinned introvert that is really sensitive to criticism... which could be a problematic when the job is more relationship-focused.....I need to be emotionally stronger..

Sorry…. this is quite lengthy. And, I am also at risk of revealing my identity here.

I had a degree in a foreign language and literature before coming to the US. I restarted my undergrad here. I started the pre-pharmacy course before nursing school. Because of not having money and being a foreign student without the benefit of the in-state tuition rate in pharmacy school, I went to nursing school instead. Due to my introverted personality and lack of confidence secondary to being a non-native speaker, I felt unsuccessful at work or previously at school. Consequently, I was burnt out and began taking music courses at a local college part-time to mentally “escape” from my job. Instead of finding other jobs and researching other nursing options like NP track, I finally resigned from my job and started music school full-time for a few semesters (of course, this was an “escape” to make me feel good)while studying for PCAT (pharmacy entrance exam). I was not working for while.

My decision to apply to pharmacy is the combination of seeking the feeling of accomplishment of attaining my original goal of getting into pharmacy school and wanting to find a “quick” fix to make me feel better about myself after “feeling” unsuccessful for the last few years. Not working for a few months, I feel that pharmacy school is easier to get into because my grades and PCAT scores are the main part of admission process.

Being shy and afraid of criticism had discouraged my optimism about patient and co-worker interaction in nursing. As a result, I had the wrong
self-perception that I would rather doing “routine jobs” rather than jobs which my success will depending on intense personal interaction like nursing.

I was accepted at a local in-state pharmacy school. After shadowing a retail pharmacist at Walgreen, I fear that pharmacy may not match my personality. Again, instead of thinking carefully, I chose to attend an expensive local private pharmacy school that offer the combo degree “PharmD/PhD”, which was not offered at the in-state school. I failed to get in the PhD program. I also found that I was not that type of nerdy scientist who likes impersonal details and logics in science. I hate physics and labs. Boom.. another failure!! Or.. maybe.. I am lucky. If I went to the much cheaper local in-state pharmacy school, I may not be thinking deeply about myself right now. The financial and time investments make me “paranoid” about making another wrong career choice and pressure me to think about myself/my personality..
I am introverted. I may appear aloof to others but I am not nerdy/geeky. Internally, I am very emotional and sensitive and seek connections with people. The fear of criticism, shyness, and my sensitivity, not the nerdy personality, made me afraid of people-oriented jobs. If I can gain a little more confidence and assertiveness, I will change to be myself. My skin has been thicker over the last two years though… I also found that I don’t like routine/detailed- jobs and a structured/task-oriented environment, which are the main reason I am dissatisfied with bedside nursing jobs. It’s not the human interaction part. If I can get over the fear of negative criticism, my ideal jobs would have a relationship-focused, intuitive, spontaneous environment. However, I could not make a living being a musician or teaching literature… Therefore, I think psychology/psychiatry is the only thing in medical field that would be a good compromise between the ideal and the practicality.



It would take more than a few years even if I earn six figures!! Yes, regardless of the fields, teaching is always the area I am interested in. But you can teach in any fields. I think I would have to like career in general, not just teaching. Pharmacy is more practical. However, if I want something that match the personality type then psych or other fields in humanity would fit me better..