rollin_stoned
Bluelighter
no, trust me, when i say pharmaceuticals, i mean all pharms......not just the ones that get you high, but just how any drug works on the body and brain. i find it very interesting.
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MEGA - Courses and Careers related to Drugs
- Thread starter joeldatroll
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no, trust me, when i say pharmaceuticals, i mean all pharms......not just the ones that get you high, but just how any drug works on the body and brain. i find it very interesting.
OpiodSlave
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2009
- Messages
- 260
I'm thinking about becoming a pharmacist technician =]
satricion
Bluelighter
^^
Probably don't introduce yourself as OpioidSlave then
Probably don't introduce yourself as OpioidSlave then
helium-4
Bluelight Crew
Yep, university chemistry is harder and a lot more time consuming.
ThaiDie4
Bluelighter
Haha, I actually drug tested people today at my internship 
I'm working at a substance abuse counseling center. Interesting stuff. You could be a S.A. counselor, which only requires a masters degree VS a doctral or med school which is needed for some of these other professions.
Although, I will say, based on what I've seen, the S.A. sessions are not all that focused on the actual drugs themselves, but more so on recovery. Obviously a decent amount of knowledge on drugs is necessary to run these classes, but as far as extensive drug studying, you're not going to get that being a counselor. It's a rewarding job though, some people are obviously court-ordered to take these classes, but many are actually dead set on getting clean, and to be able to give them the tools to do so is great.
Just an idea though.
I'm working at a substance abuse counseling center. Interesting stuff. You could be a S.A. counselor, which only requires a masters degree VS a doctral or med school which is needed for some of these other professions.
Although, I will say, based on what I've seen, the S.A. sessions are not all that focused on the actual drugs themselves, but more so on recovery. Obviously a decent amount of knowledge on drugs is necessary to run these classes, but as far as extensive drug studying, you're not going to get that being a counselor. It's a rewarding job though, some people are obviously court-ordered to take these classes, but many are actually dead set on getting clean, and to be able to give them the tools to do so is great.
Just an idea though.
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tathra
bluelighter
just because you're on this board doesnt mean you abuse drugs. some people are here just to provide information to others. (thats their story and they're sticking to it!)
i'm only an undergrad, but i'm going for behavioral neuroscience, and i'd like to do my graduate studies in medical neurobiology (phd/md). some of the posts on the board through the years have given me ideas for stuff to study, if i ever find the funds to get my doctorate...
i'm only an undergrad, but i'm going for behavioral neuroscience, and i'd like to do my graduate studies in medical neurobiology (phd/md). some of the posts on the board through the years have given me ideas for stuff to study, if i ever find the funds to get my doctorate...
MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
I'm currently a second year medical student. Feel free to ask me anything. Except which school I'm attending.
I'm still not sure what exact specialty I'm going to go into, but I'm leaning toward geriatrics -- I absolutely LOVE working with older people. I know I definitely want to be a 'doctor doctor', ya know, a primary care provider who sees patients on appointment in a clinical setting, examines them, and prescribes treatments for their physical problems. I really have very little interest in any of the sexy or arcane specialties, or non-clinical work settings. I'm vehemently against the notion that I need to think and act like a businessman in order to do my job, and wouldn't go into a job or specialty where business acumen was key; I just want to put food on the table taking people's pain away.
toa$t, you might be surprised. I know of at least one other medical student, and one formerly practicing physician, who post regularly here. I'm sure there are more.
Recreational drug use carries a heavy stigma in the entire healthcare sector. This is a matter of both principle ("It's kind of the opposite of what we do/promote."), and practicality (having other people's lives and safety in your hands). That said, it very much exists. I meet at least one new nurse at every rave I attend, and occasionally another medical or psychology student. But on the job, it is never, EVER talked about or admitted openly. I've avoided the topic at all costs when in a hospital or nursing home.
fncrazy, this could be a national or cultural difference, but here in the US at my school, students are very cautious about openly admitting past or present illicit drug use. Very subtle hints get dropped to trusted friends, but that's about it.
I don't plan on quitting anything I currently enjoy, unless I'm in an academic or professional setting that has gotten my written permission to randomly drug test me at any time. And I see any such arrangements as ultimately temporary.
It helps that I'm not a user of opiates, benzos, or most other pharmaceuticals of abuse, at all. The only non Schedule I substances I enjoy are Adderall and ketamine. I'm easily able to get a legitimate script for the former, because I have a documented diagnosis of ADD from age five, long before the diagnosis was popular. I use k rarely, and don't feel compelled to use it with any frequency. Therefore, I'm not worried I'd be tempted to abuse scripting or locked-box-access privileges to pet my brain. The world in which I buy and use drugs, and the world in which I provide healthcare, intersect in no way whatsoever.
I don't think I would take on someone I knew from the world of recreational drugs as a patient, except to provide on-the-spot first aid as needed, and then refer the person to someone reputable.
In the interest of protecting my future career, I have never given out my full real name, my exact location, the school and class I belong to, or as much as a single photograph of myself, on BL. Someone would have to really be out to get me, to link this account to me definitively and take it to the authorities. I don't doubt that it could be done by a competent detective who was very tech savvy. But I've given them so little to start with, that as I said, they'd have to already be on my trail.
I don't take stupid risks with drugs anymore. I don't do any drug in public that I can't act completely normal on, and am extremely picky about who I'll be un-sober around. But most of all, I NEVER mix drugs and automobiles. Driving a car is the situation when you're most vulnerable to the whims of law enforcement. If I have to transport anything illegal, I'm fully prepared to be stopped, before I even put the key in the ignition. Everything illegal is in the trunk, everything about me and my car appear conventional and conservative, and I break no road rules.
One criminal charge of any sort, and at this point, my career would be finished.
I'm still not sure what exact specialty I'm going to go into, but I'm leaning toward geriatrics -- I absolutely LOVE working with older people. I know I definitely want to be a 'doctor doctor', ya know, a primary care provider who sees patients on appointment in a clinical setting, examines them, and prescribes treatments for their physical problems. I really have very little interest in any of the sexy or arcane specialties, or non-clinical work settings. I'm vehemently against the notion that I need to think and act like a businessman in order to do my job, and wouldn't go into a job or specialty where business acumen was key; I just want to put food on the table taking people's pain away.
toa$t, you might be surprised. I know of at least one other medical student, and one formerly practicing physician, who post regularly here. I'm sure there are more.
Recreational drug use carries a heavy stigma in the entire healthcare sector. This is a matter of both principle ("It's kind of the opposite of what we do/promote."), and practicality (having other people's lives and safety in your hands). That said, it very much exists. I meet at least one new nurse at every rave I attend, and occasionally another medical or psychology student. But on the job, it is never, EVER talked about or admitted openly. I've avoided the topic at all costs when in a hospital or nursing home.
fncrazy, this could be a national or cultural difference, but here in the US at my school, students are very cautious about openly admitting past or present illicit drug use. Very subtle hints get dropped to trusted friends, but that's about it.
I don't plan on quitting anything I currently enjoy, unless I'm in an academic or professional setting that has gotten my written permission to randomly drug test me at any time. And I see any such arrangements as ultimately temporary.
It helps that I'm not a user of opiates, benzos, or most other pharmaceuticals of abuse, at all. The only non Schedule I substances I enjoy are Adderall and ketamine. I'm easily able to get a legitimate script for the former, because I have a documented diagnosis of ADD from age five, long before the diagnosis was popular. I use k rarely, and don't feel compelled to use it with any frequency. Therefore, I'm not worried I'd be tempted to abuse scripting or locked-box-access privileges to pet my brain. The world in which I buy and use drugs, and the world in which I provide healthcare, intersect in no way whatsoever.
I don't think I would take on someone I knew from the world of recreational drugs as a patient, except to provide on-the-spot first aid as needed, and then refer the person to someone reputable.
In the interest of protecting my future career, I have never given out my full real name, my exact location, the school and class I belong to, or as much as a single photograph of myself, on BL. Someone would have to really be out to get me, to link this account to me definitively and take it to the authorities. I don't doubt that it could be done by a competent detective who was very tech savvy. But I've given them so little to start with, that as I said, they'd have to already be on my trail.
I don't take stupid risks with drugs anymore. I don't do any drug in public that I can't act completely normal on, and am extremely picky about who I'll be un-sober around. But most of all, I NEVER mix drugs and automobiles. Driving a car is the situation when you're most vulnerable to the whims of law enforcement. If I have to transport anything illegal, I'm fully prepared to be stopped, before I even put the key in the ignition. Everything illegal is in the trunk, everything about me and my car appear conventional and conservative, and I break no road rules.
One criminal charge of any sort, and at this point, my career would be finished.
samb834
Bluelighter
Psychopharmacology is the course for you then - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopharmacology
I did an undergrad degree in pharmacology, which was good, but focused on all drugs - CNS drugs as well as drugs that act peripherally such as in the heart, liver etc...
Personally, peripheral drugs bore the shit out of me but am fasinated by drugs that act upon the brain, so I am currently about to start my 3rd year in a Phd in psychopharmacology and fucking love it.
The funny thing is, when applying for uni, the prerequisit was that you had to have A-levels (I'm in the UK, not sure what he US equivalent would be) in Chemistry but didn't mention anything about biology. Now most of the degree was biology, learning about the physiology of the body, neuroscience etc. There was a small amount of maths for calculating drug dosage, statistics and things like that but its managable and hardly any chemisty. It was mostly about learning how the body works and the biological reaction resulting from drugs binding to receptors.
Definitely look into it and dont let the fact that your not too good at chemistry put you off...
ThaiDie4
Bluelighter
^ Try Cognitive Psychology, if your school offers it! Really interesting, you learn a lot more about the brain directly. At my university they have it as a 300-level class and a lab course.
Liric
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2006
- Messages
- 372
Early in my college career I considered straight chemistry for study, but went with more wet-lab molecular biology/biochem instead. Nowadays I am comfortable working in molars and the kinetics of physiological reactions and am again considering a drier chem/computational stat approach for graduate study. This works better for me than taking dry abstract theoretical university chem courses where 2% of the effort has any application to biomedical.
Also, I work in a pharm/tox lab that deals with d9-THC. There is no way Id risk my future on taking any pure compound for personal use. Although it would be a great experimental.
Also, I work in a pharm/tox lab that deals with d9-THC. There is no way Id risk my future on taking any pure compound for personal use. Although it would be a great experimental.
double ewe
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
- Messages
- 2,143
i got a degree in psychology, and interned/worked in the field of substance abuse treatment for several years. for me, it was a really interesting topic, but the actual work environment didn't suit me terribly well. what i was doing was largely research-oriented (rather than actually counseling addicts), and at the end of the day it's a lot of article-combing and data-entry (combined with stagnant pay) unless you're willing to get a masters/Ph.D. in order to make marginally more money.
granted, that wasn't the "hard science" end of things, which is a whole different ballgame in terms of math and science.
granted, that wasn't the "hard science" end of things, which is a whole different ballgame in terms of math and science.
poopie
Bluelighter
i graduate with my ADN (assoc. degree of nursing) in december. after some real work experience, i really hope to travel. from what i've seen international nursing is not super common. but, throughout the states, yes. i have two friends who have travelled throughout this country- with stints as little as 3 months all the way to an indefinite amount of time. the one guy went out to l.a. and had a place in the same complex where they filmed "the hills". his stipend was great! they obviously paid for the apartment, and he was bringing home about $2200/paycheck. i had another friend and her first assignment was to the virgin islands!
seems are a bit dreary right now in the world of nursing though, depending on your location. here in central florida, there have been ridiculous hiring freezes.
good luck with whatever you decide.
check out allnurses.com
seems are a bit dreary right now in the world of nursing though, depending on your location. here in central florida, there have been ridiculous hiring freezes.
good luck with whatever you decide.
check out allnurses.com
Shimmer.Fade
Bluelighter
This made me chuckle. Depending on what type of nurse you are, nursing can be a very tough career. For my medical studies I have had to work in both Urological and Internal Medicine stations. If you are working in a station with beds and very sick people be ready to work your ass off. Nursing is tough, and I respect it very much, but it is not all sunshine and daffodils. However, you can also work in a station with no beds (like at the doctor's office), and the work would most likely be much less rigorous. Do some research, and make sure you end up in a station that you want to work in.
rollin_stoned
Bluelighter
i was considering of getting a degree in psychopharmacology and was wondering what steps should be taken in doing so.
should i be taking psychology classes, chemistry classes, and pharmacology classes? i'm attending a junior community college right now and i've never heard of any specific "psychopharmacology" classes.
i've tried doing a google search but all that came up was stuff about Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology but this seems more like a graduate school.
should i be taking psychology classes, chemistry classes, and pharmacology classes? i'm attending a junior community college right now and i've never heard of any specific "psychopharmacology" classes.
i've tried doing a google search but all that came up was stuff about Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology but this seems more like a graduate school.
delta_9
Bluelighter
^You should eventually take all of those and more.
If you live in Illinois you can earn a Bachelor's in pharmacology at SIU if I recall. This would be a fine place to start. Of course there are many great places to go to school around the country. Looking at new potential schools is pretty exciting actually
If you live in Illinois you can earn a Bachelor's in pharmacology at SIU if I recall. This would be a fine place to start. Of course there are many great places to go to school around the country. Looking at new potential schools is pretty exciting actually
izzy66
Bluelighter
I have been an RN for 22yrs and have worked primarily in critical care and emergency dept. the pay is very good and work is steady but nursing can be very emotionally draining. not only do we care for patients but we also deal w/ families who are often frightened and confused by the technology. seeing a loved one on life support is terrifying to most families and they look to the nurses for support and reassurance.
travel contracts for nurses can be fantastic but many assignments can look great but the reality may be much different. as one example, poopie mentioned the virgin islands. the facilities are often rundown and working conditions are difficult w/ little support staff and shortages of drugs and equipment are common. (this opinion is from personal experience in st. thomas, usvi.)
nursing is a difficult but very rewarding profession w/ excellent employment prospects and opportunity for advancement if you continue your education. although often emotionally difficult, there are many non-monetary rewards.
travel contracts for nurses can be fantastic but many assignments can look great but the reality may be much different. as one example, poopie mentioned the virgin islands. the facilities are often rundown and working conditions are difficult w/ little support staff and shortages of drugs and equipment are common. (this opinion is from personal experience in st. thomas, usvi.)
nursing is a difficult but very rewarding profession w/ excellent employment prospects and opportunity for advancement if you continue your education. although often emotionally difficult, there are many non-monetary rewards.
samb834
Bluelighter
From my experiance Dr's (in the UK anyways) know very little about drugs... The medicine degree at my uni was 5 years, and of those 5 years only a semester was dedicated to pharmacology...
That always baffled me...
But yeh, pharmacists need to know there shit to spot any contraindications of medications, correct dosages etc... But for me I couldn't hack standing in a small back room counting out pills all day long...
Pharmacology, for me, is much more interesting then pharmacy. I love actually learning about the drug mechanism of action, the biology behind the drug effects - specifically the neurobiology of drug action...
poopie
Bluelighter
thanks so much for your input, izzy66.
22 years in critical care/ed? i'm impressed.
i hope to precept in the ed this fall before i graduate.
22 years in critical care/ed? i'm impressed.
i hope to precept in the ed this fall before i graduate.
izzy66
Bluelighter
for the first 6 yrs after I graduated, I worked in the ED of several level 1 trauma centers absolutely loved it. it was the very best time in my career and and I have many great memories from that time... but after awhile burnout sets in. luckily, nursing affords many opportunities for change.
and things have changed a lot over the years. technology that was "cutting edge" 15 yrs ago is totally gone now. continuing education is essential so your skills keep pace w/ changes in treatments and technology.
idk that I could ever work on a med/surg floor. seems like the shifts would just last forever. and after a brief stint in oncology, I found that was not for me either. it was prob the most difficult work emotionally. critical care has never been routine or predictable/boring and, for me, has been a perfect fit. I generally work 3 7p-7a shifts a week so I have time for family/social life.
poopie, I really encourage you to continue your education and get at least your BSN and, if you can, your MSN. you'll never regret it.
very best of luck to you
-izzy
and things have changed a lot over the years. technology that was "cutting edge" 15 yrs ago is totally gone now. continuing education is essential so your skills keep pace w/ changes in treatments and technology.
idk that I could ever work on a med/surg floor. seems like the shifts would just last forever. and after a brief stint in oncology, I found that was not for me either. it was prob the most difficult work emotionally. critical care has never been routine or predictable/boring and, for me, has been a perfect fit. I generally work 3 7p-7a shifts a week so I have time for family/social life.
poopie, I really encourage you to continue your education and get at least your BSN and, if you can, your MSN. you'll never regret it.
very best of luck to you
-izzy