They are completely different careers with similarities and differences. They are both close to the medical field and are doctorate programs. Both jobs require hard work and determination to achieve a degree in the profession. Pharmacy is a wide field, and it ranges from clinical, pharmaceutical companies, teaching, retail etc. It lasts four years to get a ParmD. Pharmacy is an engaging career since you have to interact with patients with diverse problems and suggest how to solve them which is quite rewarding. Pharmacists have a schedule that they have to stick to (work on week days.) This career is stable, as well as the pay, because if you see 1 or 20 patients a day you are still getting your monthly pay. Often, pharmacists are not self-employed; therefore it would be hard to find a job.
I found that pharmacy is often boring; it’s mostly typing up and putting together prescriptions, which is quite repetitive. There are hardly any challenges and nothing interesting to discuss. Some pharmacists make their job more interesting so they locum, allowing them to change their environment, therefore seeing and talking to a wide range of people. Dentistry seems to be the coming thing, since people are more concerned about their looks and health a lot nowadays. Therefore it would be rewarding to improve people’s self-esteem. Dentistry requires six years in university, but you can do more dentistry as in moving up in future.
Dentists have a flexible schedule, because most run their own practice; therefore they have potential of yielding a flexible income depending on the number of patients they have. Dentistry may be costly at first when opening your own practice or running one, so it may become a challenge at first. A dentist doesn’t have to work like a doctor (24/7) and can even work a little as three days a week and earn an excellent salary, so they can ‘have a life.’
Dentists tend to be detail oriented people, “perfectionists.” They are creative and very tolerant with their patients. A dentist must be able to communicate in a good manner with his customers, and should be aware if they have any unpleasant feelings about the operation. A dentist must also have basic hygiene standards e.g. cut hand nails. I found dentistry to be very interesting and I liked the profession for its challenges.
