pharmD to MD switch?

[kitkatpharmd]

Hi everyone! any advice on my situation and where to go from here and my options are appreciated! thanks in advance

A little background on me

I did 3 years of undergrad at U of T studying neuroscience and psychology. I didnt get my bachelors degree and ended up entering U of T pharm (4 year program) after completing my third year. 

GPA after completing 3 years of undergrad: 3.46 (18.5 credits--i dont know if this matters)

Im currently heading into my third year of pharmacy school (3.7 gpa). The reason I'm considering the switch from pharmD to med (most likely will finish pharmD first though) is because I want more patient interaction. I've had the chance to work in a pharmacy for a while now and although I can see how pharmacist are able to help patients, I do think they are limited by time restraints and the amount of time they can dedicate to providing one on one patient care. As a doctor I can take the time to get to know the patient and their history and preferences more in depth and orient my care to best assist them. My parents are also both doctors which does apply a bit of pressure on me because I've always admired the profession. I do have a deep respect for pharmacy and the idea of being a pharmacist does still excite me. I just want to know what my options would be if I was to go down the med path. 

I've looked into schools in ontario that do not have MCAT as part of their admission requirements because I find it challenging to incorporate a study schedule for MCAT alongside fulfilling my other requirements to complete my pharmacy degree. I'm aware that Uottawa is one of them, but I dont know how feasible an acceptance from them would be because of my undergrad gpa and my lack of a bachelors. 

 

Any insight or advice from anyone who is/was in a similar situation would be great!

[envisioning]

.

[LUUO]

12 minutes ago, Itanne said:

If you don't want to take the MCAT then uOttawa is your only option in Ontario. They have a GPA cutoff of 3.85 for an interview in the English stream. This is still possible for you if you do extremely well in your final 2 years of pharmacy school because uOttawa weighs more recent years heavier, and only consider your most recent 3 years (so your undergrad GPA won't matter if you apply after you finish pharmacy school).

NOSM doesn't' require the MCAT as well. However, the chances of getting into NOSM without being from Northern Ontario/rural regions is extremely slim. I would recommend uOttawa as well for the safest bet.

[Edict]

2 hours ago, kitkatpharmd said:

Hi everyone! any advice on my situation and where to go from here and my options are appreciated! thanks in advance

A little background on me

I did 3 years of undergrad at U of T studying neuroscience and psychology. I didnt get my bachelors degree and ended up entering U of T pharm (4 year program) after completing my third year. 

GPA after completing 3 years of undergrad: 3.46 (18.5 credits--i dont know if this matters)

Im currently heading into my third year of pharmacy school (3.7 gpa). The reason I'm considering the switch from pharmD to med (most likely will finish pharmD first though) is because I want more patient interaction. I've had the chance to work in a pharmacy for a while now and although I can see how pharmacist are able to help patients, I do think they are limited by time restraints and the amount of time they can dedicate to providing one on one patient care. As a doctor I can take the time to get to know the patient and their history and preferences more in depth and orient my care to best assist them. My parents are also both doctors which does apply a bit of pressure on me because I've always admired the profession. I do have a deep respect for pharmacy and the idea of being a pharmacist does still excite me. I just want to know what my options would be if I was to go down the med path. 

I've looked into schools in ontario that do not have MCAT as part of their admission requirements because I find it challenging to incorporate a study schedule for MCAT alongside fulfilling my other requirements to complete my pharmacy degree. I'm aware that Uottawa is one of them, but I dont know how feasible an acceptance from them would be because of my undergrad gpa and my lack of a bachelors. 

 

Any insight or advice from anyone who is/was in a similar situation would be great!

The other school you can consider if you are happy just studying for the verbal section of the MCAT is McMaster, but they would look at your entire GPA including undergrad, you'd still be eligible to apply. See how well you do on the verbal section at baseline and see if you think its worth applying. If you are able to get very high verbal scores, it can offset your GPA. It is true you can just write the verbal section and ignore the other sections and still get into McMaster. 

[la marzocco]

Another option is McGill, which also does not require the MCAT. However, like McMaster, they do look at your cGPA (i.e., all your undergraduate studies pre-pharm + pharmacy). Fortunately, there is an "academic context" score that you would qualify for.

"A candidate’s academic background is weighted at 70% during the prescreening process. Within this 70% academic score, 90% is based on the undergraduate CGPA and 10% is based on academic context. The assessment of an applicant's academic context consists of (a) the progression of difficulty of coursework, (b) post-bachelor's academics and (c) the recognition of professional degree programs (i.e.: programs that lead to the practice of a profession for which one must be a member of a professional order)."