Pharmacy Vs Nursing, Which One Should I Study? (Explained)

Given the current situation, healthcare careers are easily some of the most popular choices for students.

However, healthcare careers aren’t just limited to being a doctor.

Pharmacy and nursing are two incredibly prestigious healthcare careers that allow you to improve people’s lives immensely.

However, many students have limited information regarding these topics.

Below, we’ll talk more about which one you should study based on the career prospects and areas covered by both.

Should I study Pharmacy or Nursing?

Nursing is seen to be better since it offers more diverse career opportunities but pays less than a pharmacy career. Pharmacists are specialists, whereas nurses are generalists who must study and understand drugs as well as administer them. In terms of patient care, nurses have a broader scope of responsibility.

Choosing whether you opt for pharmacy or nursing depends on your career goals and your academic inclinations.

Although both careers are healthcare-based, they have different educational requirements and give students a completely different roadmap.

There are thus various factors to consider when picking a degree program.

Both careers have different opportunities and both are challenging and rewarding.

If you pursue a career in nursing, you can avail many prestigious career opportunities.

Nurses work closely with a range of clients and are responsible for ensuring that all treatment protocols are implemented correctly.

Furthermore, nurses also provide much needed emotional care to clients and help make treatments much more bearable.

When you start, you can pursue a more generalized career where you work with all kinds of patients.

However, to take your career to the next stage you can opt for an MSN or DNP program and get a specialization.

Specializations in nursing include dialysis nursing, pediatric nursing, geriatric nursing, nurse educators, or as a family nurse practitioner.

As a pharmacist, you work with patients too, but differently.

Pharmacists are integral to the healthcare system because they ensure patients have access to the best treatments.

They guide patients about the medications they are prescribed and can help them refill their prescriptions.

Furthermore, they help patients ensure they stick to the right doses and prevent any harmful drug combinations.

With a pharmacy degree, you can work in a wide range of settings as a toxicologist, research scientist, lecturer, community pharmacist, or medical sales representative to name a few.

Therefore, whichever career line you pick depends on what your academic inclinations are. Both of these careers allow you to work closely with patients, albeit in very different settings.

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Pharmacy vs Nursing school, Which One Is Harder To Study? (Explained)

Pharmacy school is much more difficult than nursing school because the workload is greater, the subjects are more demanding, the duration is longer, and the cost of education is much higher.

The Healthcare system has become infinitely more complex now with rapid changes.

So a doctoral degree is required to become a pharmacist and to become a nurse you need a bachelor’s degree.

In nursing school, most of the nursing programs require high GPAs and an impressive score in many subjects like math, chemistry and few other subjects.

Depending on you what kind of nurse you want to become, you might need to study additional years to earn your specialization. MSN and DNP programs can help you achieve greater expertise in your nursing career.

A Nursing Degree can cost you up to $100,000 annually.

A nursing degree also includes residencies which can be incredibly stressful.

These residencies have long hours, and trainee nurses often need to work gruelling night shifts.

Furthermore, nurses work very closely with patients, and might often encounter challenging cases they can’t save.

All of this can be incredibly challenging, emotionally and physically, and is one of the hardest parts of being a nurse.

Whereas in pharmacy school you have to study for 6 years and it’s much harder than nursing school.

Pharmacy is one of the toughest and challenging subjects as it covers many parts of science.

A pharmacy degree has become more competitive now, and pharmacy students are expected to have excellent grades.

Pharmacy degree students need to study chemistry, human physiology, pharmaceutics and pharmacology to name a few subjects.

The wide range of subjects aspiring pharmacologists need to study can make it hard for students to memorize so much material.

A pharmacy degree can cost up to $200,000.

If you want to become a pharmacist you need to give the PCAT exam, choose your degree program and get admission to a Pharm-D school and complete your degree.

Then a licensure exam is required and finally, you can apply for a license.

It isn’t easy for anyone to study pharmacy but it’s an incredibly rewarding career to choose.

Pharmacists work in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, medical centers and drug stores.

They may have some evening and overnight shifts too and most of the time is spent on their feet

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Pharmacy Vs Nursing, Who Earns More? (Solved)

Pharmacy and nursing are among the best-paid professions in the world.

Pharmacists earn more than Registered Nurses, with Pharmacists earning $139,679 per year compared to Registered Nurse of $77,460 per year

Whenever you choose a career field it’s really important to know the basic details about your career opportunities, pay scale and job growth.

If you compare both careers, you can learn that pharmacists earn more than nurses but a nurse’s salary could differ depending on what type of nursing program they’ve completed.

If you talk about job opportunities, the demand for nursing is increasing, especially due to the pandemic.

So you can expect to see excellent job growth and earning prospects as a nurse.

More and more people are hiring family nurse practitioners, and healthcare institutions have an increased demand for nurses to manage the heavier workload.

The average salary of a registered nurse is $77,460 per year and the annual salary of a nurse practitioner is $111,840.

Furthermore, with a nursing degree, you can make extra money working as a nurse instructor or a teacher on the side.

As you progress through your career, you can expect to make a higher amount and achieve financial stability.

Generally, pharmacists earn more, the average salary of pharmacists is $139,679 per year and this salary can vary in different states.

Your salary as a pharmacist depends on various factors, such as your educational level, experience, additional skills, and certifications.

Pharmacists generally enjoy comfortable work environments and job opportunities, especially in the current situation.

Nursing has various career opportunities and responsibilities in healthcare but it pays less.

Conversely, pharmacists are specialists in medication and they earn more.

Final Thoughts

Pharmacy and Nursing are two completely different careers though both come under the healthcare sector.

They both have entirely different duties, but both remain integral to the healthcare sector.

Both degrees aren’t easy for anyone they demand your dedication and hard work.

Both careers have good job opportunities in the public and private sectors, and with experience and further advanced courses, you can achieve more in these careers.

Whichever career path you pick depends on where you see yourself in the future, and which job environment you feel most comfortable and interested in.

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