Whether to apply or not?

Hi,
I’m having a life crisis lol!I have always wanted to get into/do medicine (I still do) I applied but got rejected! Im now doing pharmacy but planning to do medicine postgraduate! Butttt I’m getting so frustrated that I can’t figure out truly why I want to do it, which I know is a very important question! I know it’s not enough to just want to help people and you can help people in many different fields too! If anyone knows what I can do to figure out then please help!! Thanks in advance

Hi,
I’m having a life crisis lol!I have always wanted to get into/do medicine (I still do) I applied but got rejected! Im now doing pharmacy but planning to do medicine postgraduate! Butttt I’m getting so frustrated that I can’t figure out truly why I want to do it, which I know is a very important question! I know it’s not enough to just want to help people and you can help people in many different fields too! If anyone knows what I can do to figure out then please help!! Thanks in advance

I've moved this to the medicine forum where you are more likely to get a better response.

But from my experience seeing other's reply to similar comments, postgraduate medicine is a terrible idea-its even more competitive than undergraduate medicine, you have to wait longer, pay for two degrees etc. Hopefully someone else can come in and flesh out the details a bit more

How far are you into a pharmacy degree? If you’re close to finishing or even if you’re in year 3, you may as well finish and get a year or two of clinical practice under your belt. Being able to locum at band 7 would be a massive asset during a medical degree and your application should be significantly improved for having the clinical experience.
If you’ve only just started and you feel medicine is still for you, however, you may as well finish the year and take an exit qualification. No point in continuing with something for another 3 years that you don’t really want to do long term.
How to figure it out though? Question is, do you really like what you’re doing? Do you think you’ll get the satisfaction you crave from doing this even short to medium term? I know pharmacists who love their jobs and they’re definitely not wannabe medics. Our regular ward pharmacist probably enjoyed more patient contact than most of the doctors on the ward, really enjoyed the MDT aspects of the job and really loved the technical aspects of the job. She fully intended to progress as far as possible. I know another pharmacy soon to be graduate who has a job lined up in pharmaceutical development and she can’t wait to get into it. I also know a few who did it due to parental pressure or as the next best thing to medicine who are a bit miserable and fed up with the job. It’s not something to stay in if you’re doing it as just second best.
That said, I did something else as a next best thing to medicine and have ended up really liking it and finding a lot of opportunities, which almost makes medicine a difficult choice. But I know my clinical experience and specialist knowledge will be an asset in medicine and I have the ability to afford to do it now which I don’t really think I could have managed any other way. It’s worked out and I know plenty of people who’re finding that medicine the long way round is actually working out for them.
Be careful of assuming that medicine will be better, though. I’m holding my nose against some of the less pleasant aspects of doing medicine that don’t affect my current job (I know a would-be psychiatrist who has basically described his F1/F2 job as a count down to freedom during which time he is a ward b**** or ward monkey depending on which ward he’s based on). Whilst I do a weekend or two at the moment, I’m doing it by choice and I get much better pay than most junior doctors. I can also take a break whenever I want, whereas doctors don’t have that luxury. I’m also passing up the chance of having another child in all likelihood. It’s not a kind profession and for some I’d say it probably isn’t worth it.
Do it because it interests you. Do it because the job will ultimately be better than anything your own career path will lead you to. Do it if the final salary is something you think is worth it. Do it because you want to learn things that only medicine can teach you and can only be satisfactorily applied in the role of a doctor. Do it if all of those things balance out the negatives.
But give your current role a chance. Really reflect on whether you’re enjoying it. If you think you can be happy, stay put, learn, earn and thrive for a bit. Don’t throw away any good things that you’ve got going for you lightly.

I’m actually in first year! And don’t get me wrong pharmacy is not bad whatsoever I do enjoy it and I can see myself being good at it! I will most definitely finish this degree, but it’s the matter of staying or going into medicine! I actually never thought I’d go into pharmacy but in my head it was the “closest” to medicine! You probably wonder why I didn’t take a gap year, I have many reasons; even though I always wanted to do medicine I still wasn’t sure/ I’m still not (trying my best to figure it out), the idea of taking a gap year wasn’t pleasant and also my application wouldn’t have been so different cause of COVID not so many opportunities! I guess with more placements during this degree I will come to a conclusion maybe? We’ll see I guess! But I appreciate your examples and your opinion thank you so muchhh

I think you’ve identified a really good reason to keep going with your degree. If you enjoy it and could see yourself being happy in the career path, even if you don’t stay there long term, you may as well keep going. It would be if you were certain you would be doing medicine afterwards that I would probably say drop it now.
It sounds like you’ll get a lot out of pharmacy wherever you end up. And it’s a great base from which to attempt medicine. Even if you applied and don’t get in, it’s not as if you’re stuck in a bad career you don’t like and you can continue to progress and develop as a clinician in the meantime.

Hi,
I know it’s not enough to just want to help people and you can help people