PhD vs. PharmD vs. MPH vs. ???

[midwestern_blot]

While gearing up to apply to biomedical graduate programs, I realized I had never considered pharmacy school (PharmD) or an MPH when deciding on a possible career. And now, after doing some more research, I'm seriously questioning myself with regard to my career plans.

 

I've done a lot of shadowing and volunteer work - both before and after I decided to NOT go to medical school - and realized that I really enjoy working in a clinical, patient-focused setting. My advisors kind of lured me into thinking that I could get involved in hospital work with a PhD in a biomedical field, but I'm learning now that that doesn't really happen. I'm worried that tracking myself into the grad school --> post-doc --> hope to get an industry/faculty job isn't really for me, nor are any of the "translational research" programs I've found so far which aren't quite clinical.

 

From what I've read and who I've asked so far, it seems that my career interests could align with PharmD and/or an MPH. I also have the GPA, research experience, clinical experience, and extracurriculars to be competitive for all three degree programs, so the options are there.

 

Can anyone offer pros and cons of the different degrees, career prospects, flexibility, etc.? The more information I have, the better.

[strugglebus2k17]

How did it end up going?

Baylor College of Medicine has a Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine program. I've looked into it and it seems like a great opportunity to do clinical trial studies. A PharmD would also be a great career path if you choose to follow the hospital residency track. Once you graduate with a PharmD you would do residency at a hospital and round with the physicians. I did a clinical observership at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the PharmD's would meet with patients regularly and explain the relationship between the different chemotherapies they were going through. They would also work as a team with the physicians on hand and recommend drugs and explain interactions and best course of action. Pharmacy school is also relatively competitive, many of my friends who are now completing their PharmD had to do a lot of work and gain experience as a Pharm Tech before applying.