Can I change my university course?

Hey throwawaypharm,

Firstly, it's totally normal to have these worries and it is a big decision picking what degree you would like to do. I personally think it would be worth emailing so you can have the extra time to think. In terms of deciding which you want to do it might be useful to take a year out and see what it is like in both departments in a hospital (if that is what you're wanting to do). You could try applying to your local hospital as a healthcare assistant and hopefully, that'll give you exposure to both roles.

To be honest, I don't have much experience of what it would be like studying Diagnostic Radiography but, I can tell you what it is like studying pharmacy. Personally, I also did have a hard time thinking about what degree I wanted to do but now I really couldn't see myself studying anything but pharmacy. I really have enjoyed all aspects of the degree and find it extremely interesting.

In terms of pharmacy being a dying job, I think there are huge reforms that are currently occurring within pharmacy to spread the workload within the NHS but also utilise the wide variety of skills pharmacists gain throughout their degree. One of these is that those who are starting the pharmacy degree from Sept 2022 will enter the GPhC register as independent prescribers from day 1. To add to this, pharmacists have played a crucial role in the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines setting up vaccination sites in collaboration with vaccine volunteers and other healthcare professionals.

I think there are fantastic opportunities in either profession but you should take the time to chose which sort of one would suit you more. I hope this reassures you and feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
From,

Amina 😊
3rd-year pharmacy student