Health sciences and medicine are the two most prominent fields in education. With the changing paradigms of the world, the importance of doctors and pharmacists has increased manifolds. A Pharmacy degree belongs to pharmaceutical sciences whereas a doctor of medicine and doctor of surgery (MBBS) degree belongs to health sciences. A pharmacy degree (Pharm-D) takes 4-5 years for completion, while an MBBS degree takes 4-5 years for completion. These are the 2 topmost professional degree programs that people choose.
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What is A Pharmacist?
According to Merriam-Webster, a pharmacist is a health care professional who has the license to engage in pharmacy-related duties. The duties include monitoring drug interactions and counseling patients regarding drug usage.
What is A Doctor?
According to Merriam-Webster, a doctor is a skilled person who has a license to practice medicine and surgery. The duties of doctors include surgery, diagnosing diseases, and providing prescriptions.
Statistics:
World Health Organization (WHO) keeps a database to determine the number of doctors and pharmacists in the world. The given bar graph represents the number of doctors and pharmacists per 10,000 people continent-wise and globally.
Differences Between the Two:
Pharmacist | Doctor |
Pharmacist is a person who study medicine. | Doctor is a person who study medicine and surgery. |
Pharmacists prescribe medicines. | Doctors diagnose the diseases, treat illness and ailments. |
A pharmacist studies degree of Pharm-D. | A doctor studies degree of MBBS. |
Salary:
According to a study conducted by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median salary of pharmacists is $128,090 per year or $61.58 per hour. This makes being a pharmacist one of the highest-paying career paths.
On the other hand, the annual median salary of doctors is $208,000 per year or $100.00 per hour. This makes doctors a part of a very reputed and highly paid career path.
Skills Learnt:
Skills in Pharmacy Degree | Skills in Doctorate Degree |
Accuracy | In-depth Knowledge |
Communication Skills | Medical Ethics |
Patient Counselling | Communication Skills |
Technical Expertise | Time Management |
Data Analysis | Diagnostic Analysis |
Laboratory Skills | Research Skills |
Job Prospects for Pharmacists and Doctors:
Pharmacists have a wide variety of career prospects for them. For example, they can work as drug inspectors, ensuring the quality of medications. The research field is also open for them to find out new drugs to introduce into the market. They can be a medicine information analyst and work on analyzing medications. All pharmacies are bound to have a pharmacist working in them. Hospitals need skilled pharmacists to assist them with medication as well. In short, pharmacists can choose to provide their services to various government agencies.
On the other hand, doctors also find multiple options for their field. They can be a surgeon in various specialized domains. They can also work as consultant therapists. They can work as anesthetists, cardiologists, clinical radiologists, general practice doctors, neurologists, ophthalmologists, pathologists, and psychiatrists. They can go for research writing or being a lecturer as well.
According to data gathered by The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of physicians and surgeons will grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029.
Top Universities for Pharmacists and Doctors:
Some of the top universities offering degrees for pharmacists and doctors are:
Program Offered: MD program-Pathways and Health Sciences & Technology (HST)
Ranking: 3rd in World Ranking
Program Offered: Multiple Programmes like MD
Ranking: 2nd in World Ranking
Program Offered: Multiple Programmes with Specializations
Ranking: 10th in World Ranking
Program Offered: Pharm-D
Ranking: 30th in World Ranking
Program Offered: Pharm-D
Ranking: 31st in World Ranking
Program Offered: Pharm-D
Ranking: 41st in World Ranking
Conclusion:
The debate of pharmacist vs doctor is not something to worry about. Both of the fields are excellent career paths for students specializing in the field of medicine. The difference is in the inclination towards a specific career path. People who want to go into the field of surgery ought to be doctors. The ones who are more interested in medicine should go into the field of pharmacy. Both of the fields are equally promising. There is also the option of taking a different pathway to other fields related to medicine.
Christina Lyon is the author of this educational blog and she is involved with student’s life and education. She has a passion for writing articles related to education including Degrees, Diplomas, exams, students’ experience, and her prime objective is to support worldwide students by answering all their FAQs through this blog.
