changing courses

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 11:54am #1

i was accepted to pharmacy this year. but now i really think that i'd prefer dentistry, i got the points for both (565) and I was wondering if anyone knew what it's like to change courses...(is it even possible, do they hate changing you etc) i have a few good valid resons for changing. i'm going to make an appointment with my pharm tutor tomorrow to talk it over. should i speak to the dentistry dean too?
any help would be great...thanks

25-09-2005 12:46pm

With 565 points you're probably in a position to do anything you please. Do you get diplomatic immunity for that score? You should - holy ****!

Sorry for being completely unhelpful!

Sisu · 25-09-2005 12:48pm

In principle it's possible and I know it happens in other departments, but if dentistry's full up, as it's quite likely they are, then you might not be able to move. You have to talk to your tutor about it and he or she will submit an application for you before the end of week two. If there are any places in dentistry free (say if someone else applies to transfer out) then I think they will give the place to the person with the highest points who has applied to transfer in. You'll find the rules about transfers at section G9 of the College Calendar (which contains all the College rules). You're doing the right thing talking to your tutor about it anyway - they can tell you exactly how it works.

PHB · 25-09-2005 1:25pm

You will probably have to wait until a space in Dentistry opens up, which it probably will.
You should talk to your tutor right away so you can be first on the list

ZWEI_VIER_ZWEI · 25-09-2005 2:18pm

Freddy77 wrote:

But then you'll have to change your USERNAME.

Beat me to it.

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 3:26pm

Thanks everyone, the ultimate goal was always medicine, but since i missed out by 10 points i'm pretty sure i'll do it as a graduate. so i thought pharmacy would prepare me pretty well, but now i think that i'd prefer to spend the next five years with patients, having studied anatomy, and not just pharmacology. long term career prospects for either pharm or dent are irrelevant because i'll be doing medicine anyway, so now i'm thinking that i would enjoy dent more than pharm, because it's closer to med, has anatomy, and has a lot of patient contact. that said, if i have to do pharm, i'll have fun anyway, so it's all good...
do you think i should speak to dentistry or my tutor first? if it's not likely that there'll be a place i don't want to annoy my pharm tutor, i might need him in the future!

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 3:51pm

it doesn't bother me. obviously, i'd prefer to go straight in, but as a graduate you have a lot of advantages over first timers, also, when i'm going as a grad, i can work as either a pharmacist or dentist, which will pay my tuition fees. as long as i'm not in an office, i'm ok. i'd be happy with almost anything in science, but i love anatomy..

John · 25-09-2005 4:01pm

pharmboy wrote:

it doesn't bother me. obviously, i'd prefer to go straight in, but as a graduate you have a lot of advantages over first timers, also, when i'm going as a grad, i can work as either a pharmacist or dentist, which will pay my tuition fees. as long as i'm not in an office, i'm ok. i'd be happy with almost anything in science, but i love anatomy..

Medicine is a very tough course and you'll have to do placements in that. I mean you'd have very little time to work outside of your coursework.

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:07pm

well, i have 3 years before clinical placements. and once they start i will still have summers and weekends to work in. it's actually really common for pharmacists to start medicine and work as locums throughout the course (i know 2!), when you consider that junior pharmacists can earn about 370 euro a day in a community pharmacy a few days here and there go a long way

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:16pm

53846 wrote:

I love this guy.

So you're going to a pharmacy degree or a dental degree then become a graduate medicine student. you are aware you'll definitely not get into tcd med yeah? But you'll more than likely get into RCSI. so by day you're med student and by night you're a pharmacist? or a dentist? or are you going to take a year or two off in between to make some money and then become a med. student?

so why did you pick pharmacy? because science would have been a waste of your 550 points? How much anatamony do you do in dentistry? i hear the first 2 years are quite broad but tooth and jaw anatomy is hardly exhilirating.

farmboy you need to rethink some things in my opinion. do you want to be the health science wonder kid? why don't you do a vet. degree part time too? physio could be helpful.

well you're right about not getting tcd med as a grad, but rcsi take on a lot of paramedical graduates, and in 5 years there'll be a lot more places in medicine (esp for grads).
you really don't understand the situation, i've always wanted to do medicine...but i can't. i can't reapeat because it's too risky when there are only 10 points at stake, that's not knoledge, it's luck.
i can't go to england, because i can't afford it. so my only option is to do med as a graduate. so what are the closest subjets to med for the next 5 years? pharmacy and dentistry! so i'll do one of those and get an excellent grounding in medicine so that i'll have a much easier time in 5 years. i'm only tryign to make the best of a bad situation, not be "a health science wonderkid"

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:22pm

53846 wrote:

scotland tbh.

what? how does that make any difference? the only place i'd study in scotland is st andrews and they require 6 A1s for LC, but it's not the fact that there are tuition fees, it's that to live in england for 9 months of the year is too expensive.
it's just not very feasible

snorlax · 25-09-2005 4:27pm

all medicine courses are being reduced to 5years and if it means doing something you like go for it pharmboy.

you might end up falling in love with either pharmacy/ dentistry along the way.

snorlax · 25-09-2005 4:35pm

wtf?!

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:38pm

i'm afraid that all of my children will have to be adopted superhero children..i wonder if there's a super hero agency? i should go on the waiting list...
believe me, i've looked into every loophole way of getting into medicine. going as a graduate is the best option for me, it's not that easy to just move your live to another country. i'll have a ball doing either phar or dent fro the next 5 years and then we'll see.
it's not that bad really, if you were going into scientific research you could have your degree, a masters, a phd and about 10 years of post doc research to do before being finished with college. what's 5 years at this stage in my life?
i didn't want nursing at all because i knew that it couldn't hold my interest, i know a few nurses and from what they tell me, you get treatd like crap from everyone, get paid nothing and they can be really lax about making sure you have the actual medical knoledge you need.
i might as well do pharmacy, it's intersting, takes the same time, is 9-5, wand when i graduate i'll be on about 200k a year. so really, a few years of working would pay for everything you needas a med student

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:45pm

no! pharmacy is one of the best paid jobs you can get. most pharmacies have turn overs of several million a year.
my sister's best friend is 23 and earns E4000 a week after tax. actually, a pharmacist would earn far more than doctor ever would, just look at the price of prescription medicines, and you only pay a tiny percantage of the cost, the rest comes form the government under both medical card and medicard schemes.

snorlax · 25-09-2005 4:57pm

deregulation of the pharmutical industry is coming, and competition is increasing, you have to have enough money to purchase a pharmacy/or buy a share and get yourself set up if you want to go the private route.

do you want to work in a hospital?

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 4:58pm

53846 wrote:

Episode 3 Pharmboy goes to LALA land

are you in bess or something? you're so naive about what goes on within the medical profesions!
it's ridiculous to try to expain anything to you because you're so unwilling to listen. i actually know what i'm talking about, this has been my life for the past few years, i know every single way of getting to my goal, and the most feasible ones.
my original question wsa how dificult is it to transfer across whan you have the points...

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 5:01pm

snorlax wrote:

deregulation of the pharmutical industry is coming, and competition is increasing, you have to have enough money to purchase a pharmacy/or buy a share and get yourself set up if you want to go the private route.

do you want to work in a hospital?

if i was planning to stay in pharmacy then yes, i would do an msc in hospital pharmacy, it's the most interesting part of the course.
but if i wasn't going to stay, then i'd do locum work in an established pharmacy, which is extremely lucrative, hospital pharm is less so.

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 5:07pm

53846 wrote:

We are no longer friends pharmboy, now we are enemies. Nemesises if you will. See you in episode 7 "Attack of 53846"

tht's such a shame! i was hoping to make a friend in BESS, i shouldn't be such a snob when it comes to people's courses.
are you sure we can't be friends?

pharmboy · 25-09-2005 5:10pm

53846 wrote:

my granny is a pharmacist in a hospital and earns 500000 a year. after tax. not including perks.

i don't know if you're being sarcastic, but you shouldn't be, because that sounds about right for an experienced pharmacist.
but she'd be the exception for a hospital, becasue most of the money is in community pharm, where if you own a pharmacy, you could expect 500k and up

snorlax · 25-09-2005 5:16pm

just ran a search anyhow, check http://www.irishjobs.ie/query_new.asp?IsProvince=1&MatchPerc=40&Ranking=&Roles=&Recruiter=Both&Category=0&Location=0&referrer=local&KEYWORDS=pharmacist&I7.x=22&I7.y=9

Diablolical · 27-09-2005 12:45pm

Just left the trin to do pharmacy abroad,I'd just like to say that I doubt there are many if any pharmacists earning anything like 200,000e unless of course there running their own aftrehours pharmacy

.Where did you get those figures on wages as at best the first year you work as a fully registered pharmacist you'd be looking at 50,000e, as far as I know .I'm only halfway through my second day of lectures here so I can't really tell you if the course is great or not,but best of luck this year.

mpkelly · 08-10-2005 12:50am

pharmboy wrote:

no! pharmacy is one of the best paid jobs you can get. most pharmacies have turn overs of several million a year.
my sister's best friend is 23 and earns E4000 a week after tax. actually, a pharmacist would earn far more than doctor ever would, just look at the price of prescription medicines, and you only pay a tiny percantage of the cost, the rest comes form the government under both medical card and medicard schemes.

Pharmboy,

This quote is absolute RUBBISH. I have several good friends who are practising pharmacists in Dublin who earn nothing like the money you quote above. You are only kidding yourself if you think you will be earning a salary of this proportion when you graduate.

Also, as an experienced dentist (TCD graduate) in private practice, I should tell you that if your ultimate goal is to become a doctor (and the best of luck to you in achieving this goal), then simply accepting a position in Pharmacy or Dental School is NOT the move to make.

If you do visit the dean of the dublin dental hospital (a nice chap by the name of Prof Noel Claffey), be sure to mention your career plan to him and he will reiterate my advice to you.

If you really want to do medicine, then either go back and do the Leaving again (I realise that on 565 pts, this is tough decision to make) and try and obtain a higher result or just reapply through the CAO next year in the hope that the points will drop (highly highly unlikely)

In any event, I wish you the best of luck for the future, and PM me if you ever need any advice on the dental end of things.

Mark.

mpkelly · 08-10-2005 12:53am

Diablolical wrote:

Just left the trin to do pharmacy abroad,I'd just like to say that I doubt there are many if any pharmacists earning anything like 200,000e unless of course there running their own aftrehours pharmacy .Where did you get those figures on wages as at best the first year you work as a fully registered pharmacist you'd be looking at 50,000e, as far as I know .I'm only halfway through my second day of lectures here so I can't really tell you if the course is great or not,but best of luck this year.

Diablolical, you are absolutely correct here. The figure you've come up with is about right starting out. I hope that Pharmboy does a little more research into his career choice and I hope also that he uses a more reliable source of reference than he did for looking at salary scales!

snorlax · 08-10-2005 1:00am

i can tell you the points won't drop in TCD for medicine next year, as the number of places available to irish students has dropped from 60 to 40 as i result of it being changed to a 5 year course.

also ucd med school is converting to graduate entry by 2010, but the fees will be about 15,000 a year if the goverment aggrees to pay 7,000 in free fees towards the degree,as it costs around 23,000 every year to train a med (source: irishtimes). (it will be 50:50, cao entrants and graduates, the biggest school in the country)

mpkelly · 08-10-2005 1:05am

snorlax wrote:

i can tell you the points won't drop in TCD for medicine next year, as the number of places available to irish students has dropped from 60 to 40 as i result of it being changed to a 5 year course.

also ucd med school is converting to graduate entry by 2010, but the fees will be about 15,000 a year if the goverment aggrees to pay 7,000 in free fees towards the degree,as it costs around 23,000 every year to train a med (source: irishtimes). (it will be 50:50, cao entrants and graduates, the biggest school in the country)

Yes. I believe most people in the running for high points courses like Medicine will be well aware of this.

Also, Pharmboy should know that if he does manage to secure a place in medicine, there is almost no way that he could expect to take a part time job as a dentist / pharmacist while in med school. He simply won't have the time! He might be able to hold down a part time job in a pub / retail outlet, but certainly won't manage part-time 'dentistry by night' - it simply isn't realistic to expect this to be feasible!

angeldelight · 08-10-2005 1:16am

pharmboy wrote:

no! pharmacy is one of the best paid jobs you can get. most pharmacies have turn overs of several million a year.
my sister's best friend is 23 and earns E4000 a week after tax. actually, a pharmacist would earn far more than doctor ever would, just look at the price of prescription medicines, and you only pay a tiny percantage of the cost, the rest comes form the government under both medical card and medicard schemes.

I could have chosen any of your comments about pharmacy to quote but that one made me laugh the most. Yes pharmacy is well paid at the moment. Salary after pre-reg year is going to be in the range of fifty-sixty thousand. However due to deregulation and the possibility of fee per prescription rather than per item under the drug schemes in the proposed Pharmacy Act 2006, profit margins of pharmacies are going to drop and more and more pharmacies are going to open. Yes pharmacy is still going to be a secure and well-paying job but don't lose the run of yourself.

Before you come out with a "I can't explain the health sciences to you" comment, I'm a second year Pharmacy student. Also just a point how much research did you do into Pharmacy? I'm in RCSI and 1st Pharmacy there do anatomy.... if you liked it so much may have been a slightly better option.

LovelyHurling · 08-10-2005 4:58pm

pharmboy wrote:

i don't know if you're being sarcastic, but you shouldn't be, because that sounds about right for an experienced pharmacist.
but she'd be the exception for a hospital, becasue most of the money is in community pharm, where if you own a pharmacy, you could expect 500k and up

Money money money. Were I on a panel Im not sure Id put you in medicine, maybe economics or bess (thats business right?) Im actually in UCD Vet, its a high point course but the thing I love about it is that everyone knows we never really make money, we're just in it cos we love it. Pharmacy Medicine Dentistry urgh pass the puke bucket with my P45 in it!

Pitseleh · 10-10-2005 7:37pm

<Jonny> wrote:

With 565 points you're probably in a position to do anything you please. Do you get diplomatic immunity for that score? You should - holy ****!

I got 565 and am currently unemployed and have to re-apply through CAO next year because I lost a raffle due to the ol' 565*. I'd be happy enough with my course thanks and politely decline the diplomatic immunity.

eth0_ · 10-10-2005 7:48pm

snorlax wrote:

i can tell you the points won't drop in TCD for medicine next year, as the number of places available to irish students has dropped from 60 to 40 as i result of it being changed to a 5 year course.

also ucd med school is converting to graduate entry by 2010, but the fees will be about 15,000 a year if the goverment aggrees to pay 7,000 in free fees towards the degree,as it costs around 23,000 every year to train a med (source: irishtimes). (it will be 50:50, cao entrants and graduates, the biggest school in the country)

WHAT??? That is utterly obscene! This country is crying out for doctors and what does the government do? TRAIN LESS!

As for fifteen thousand euro a year for med school, that is ridiculous. Who the hell could afford that? In the UK the fees for graduate entry medicine are only 3-4000 a year.

Unbelievable.

And to pharmboy - you're incredibly naive, it worries me greatly to think you might one day be attempting to save lives?

snorlax · 10-10-2005 8:54pm

read the irish times (4/10/04), it was in the paper a few days before i posted the above(cost/ fees and article about grad/entry to ucd), also iv a friend who's just completed 2nd year med in tcd and she informed of the reduction in places. i was also working with the admissions office sorting out the registration packs and they're was only 40 sent to irish students. it will be the same next year. or until the goverment plans to double the places in 2010.

medicine in the UK is probably subsidised by the BHS. seriously international students are paying 23,000-30,000 a year for their place and only have to get 420 points in the leaving to get in. ask all the international students in Lesson street, aka the Institute

the goverment didnt make the decision tcd did, they had to reduce the numbers as i said before pre med is being gotten rid of.

i expect most people will take out bank loans, or will have rich parents.

the course i'm doing is 7,000 a year (Occupational therapy), but the goverment won't pay more the that per student under the free fees system, that's why they subsidise it via international students fees which in some medical schools account for more then 60% of the places available and these students mainly leave ireland anyway when they graduate.

changing courses

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