To become a pharmacist, there are certain requirements to be met. In this article by Kiiky Team, we will focus on the requirements for admission into a Pharmacy School. Stay with me as I spell out the requirements for pharmacy school.
The art and practice of solving health issues by producing, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs are essential in the medical world. Therefore, to be among the number that heal the world through essential medicines, they’re certain pharmacy school requirements to be met.
So, this post seeks to bring to your notice all you need to gain admission into a pharmacy school and start your career journey to being a pharmacist. In addition, you will know the required grades, tuition fees, and basic skills to excel in the field.
Table of contents
- What is Pharmacy?
- Who is a Pharmacist?
- What do Pharmacists do?
- Where does a Pharmacist work?
- How do I become a Pharmacist?
- Where can I study Pharmacy?
- How long is Pharmacy School?
- What do you Learn in Pharmacy School?
- Best Pharmacy Schools
- Best Pharmacy Schools
- Pharmacy School Requirement FAQs
- Conclusion
- References
- Recommendations
What is Pharmacy?
Basically, when a patient is diagnosed with an ailment, the physician prescribes drugs to aid the healing process. Someone produces these drugs, and a scientific procedure is followed to achieve this feat.
So, Pharmacy is the art, practice, or profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs. Also, a place where drugs are compounded or dispensed is called a pharmacy. People who study Pharmacy are called pharmacists.
Who is a Pharmacist?
Well, a pharmacist is a healthcare professional who practices in the Pharmacy. A pharmacist is involved in all aspects of medicine, from production to packaging to delivery.
They are involved in all aspects of medicine delivery to patients. They will prepare and package medication that a doctor has prescribed and sell it over the counter.
Based on a physician’s prescription, they prepare and package drugs for a patient to aid recovery.
Also, they are called chemists and have a license to sell drugs over the counter.
What do Pharmacists do?
A pharmacist works with a physician to help a patient get well soon. When a physician diagnoses an ailment, he makes some prescriptions. The pharmacist takes over to make the drug available to the patient.
Also, he explains to the patient components of the drug and what it’s for. Then, he lets the patient know how the drug works and what to expect when taking the medication, and the basic drug reaction to expect.
Where does a Pharmacist work?
Well, with a degree in Pharmacy which provides extensive knowledge on the biochemical mechanism of drugs, drug uses, therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions, and monitoring parameters: the services of a pharmacist are essential in a hospital, healthcare facility, or a community pharmacy.
Additionally, a pharmacist can work in a government agency or in the military. Also, you can work as academia with additional educational certifications.
Furthermore, a pharmacist may work in the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, a pharmacist may work in all the aforementioned as one of the following;
- Health professionals
- childcare, health, and education
- business, Hr and financial specialist
- research scientist
- science writer
- clinical research associate
- higher education lecturer
- pharmacologist
Finally, roles for pharmacists may grow by 3% or 9, 100 between 2014 and 2024, according to a study by the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
How do I become a Pharmacist?
Absolutely, at this point, you understand what Pharmacy is and what pharmacists do.
If you’re still interested in becoming a pharmacist, I will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to become a Pharmacist.
Here are four basic steps to become a pharmacist:
1st Step: Sit for and pass the Pharmacy college admissions Test
Upon choosing a degree path, you may take a college admission test for Pharmacy. Basically, this test is a multiple-choice section covering topics such as biological processes, critical reading, and quantitative reasoning. You may also complete an essay section.
Furthermore, to pass, you must meet the passing score of the university or college you have applied to, as there is no general grading system. In fact, each school determines its passing score for admission.
Step 2: Get a Degree
Pharmacists are trained professionals. So, you will need a degree and a license to be a certified pharmacist. You may have to choose a degree path.
Firstly, you may enroll in undergraduate coursework that may last for four years or two years, depending on the program type, after which you proceed to a graduate degree program or get the dual in one program.
Interestingly, many schools for Pharmacy offer a dual degree program where you can earn a bachelor’s degree alongside your doctoral degree over 6-7 years.
Step 3: Get your License
Upon graduation from a degree program, you must meet the licensing requirement as slated at the state level. Actually, even though it’s mandatory, there are variations at the state level. So, as a graduate, you must check the local board before applying for a license.
However, the general and basic requirement is to:
- graduate from a doctoral program from an institution duly accreditated by the accreditation council for Pharmacy Education
- Pass the licensing examination series for pharmacists that is written in three parts: The North American Pharmacist Licensing Exam, The Multi-state Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam, and the written and practical exam.
4th Step: Apply for a License
Obviously, you should apply for licensure once you have completed your degree and met the licensure board requirement in your state. In your application, make sure you pass the background check. Also, submit internship proof tour state’s board.
In addition, be sure to complete additional postgraduate experience hours if you plan to work in a specialized field like psychopharmacology or pharmacoepidemiology.
Furthermore, you must maintain your license by completing continuing education hours that may last 15-30 hours before the renewal period.
Where can I study Pharmacy?
To become a pharmacist, we have concluded that you must have the educational pharmacist requirements.
So, you can study Pharmacy in any pharmacy school. However, there are prerequisites and requirements you should meet to gain admission into a pharmacy school.
In addition, depending on the pharmacy school course, requirements may also change or be more inclusive.
Pharmacy School Requirements?
While some schools/departments insist that students must finish full undergraduate programs, others may request proof that prerequisite classes have been completed satisfactorily.
To this effect, you must have good grades. You should have a good academic record from high school, especially for chemistry and biology classes.
Generally, most schools require at least a 3.0 overall grade point average. Additionally, you must pass the Pharmacy College Admission Test, which is in five segments, including:
- writing -(Essay Section) 1 prompt
- 48 questions on Biological processes
- Chemical process offering 48 questions
- 48 questions on critical reading
- 48 items based on quantitative reasoning
Actually, an intending student is expected to complete 192 multiple-choice questions in 175 minutes. Approximately you should spend about one minute, and eight seconds on each question if you must attempt all.
Also, for the essay section, the student is given 30 minutes to complete it. In addition to passing the college admission exam for a pharmacy school, please include a biographical sketch and two or three letters of recommendation.
Finally, get ready for a potential interview with departmental faculty.
Pharmacy School Courses and Requirements
Subsequently, depending on the degree type, you may need to fulfill basic requirements to complete your studies.
Three-degree programs are usually available in Schools of Pharmacy. Basically, you’re either getting a Doctor of Pharmacy, a Bachelor and Doctor of Pharmacy Hybrid degree, or a Doctor of pharmacy combined degree.
Let’s see these degrees in detail to aid you in choosing which to enroll for.
Students must complete nearly 2,000 hours of clinical experience and maintain a certain average grade point. You may need to complete research and write dissertations.
Actually, this program is different from others because it prepares students, especially those who do not have post-secondary coursework experience, to become general pharmacists.
In fact, this pharmacy course is great for students who are done with undergraduate coursework and seek to start their career journey as a pharmacist.
Furthermore, this pharmacy course has a pharmacy school length of four years.
Students seeking out this pharmacy course must complete at least two years of relevant undergraduate coursework within the program.
They must have good chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology, advanced math, and English information.
Subsequently, the student must sit for PCAT examination and pass to qualify for the advanced portion of the combined degree.
Interestingly, this program offers a dual degree of Bachelor’s and doctor of Pharmacy upon graduation.
In fact, you need not complete coursework at different universities cause this program allows the student to get all in one place at the same duration or period.
Furthermore, the pharmacy school length for this course is six to eight years and is perfect for high school graduates who are certain they want a combined degree in Pharmacy.
This course lasts for six to eight years of school length at any pharmacy school. Basically, a student must complete the requirements of a Doctor of Pharmacy degree alongside individual requirements of the second degree.
In fact, this program is perfect for zealous and highly motivated students to combine their pharmacology knowledge with additional academic discipline.
How long is Pharmacy School?
Well, depending on what degree program you enroll in, pharmacy school’s length usually takes four to five years to complete.
Also, completing a bachelor’s degree before enrolling in Pharm.D will take about eight years. However, you may run a hybrid program combining your pharm.d from with alternative courses.
With three to four years of undergraduate pre-professional study followed by four academic years in the professional program, it takes at least eight years to earn a pharm.D and become a pharmacist.
Interestingly, if you enter a program after two or three years of undergraduate study, you can start practicing sooner.
How much do pharmacists make?
Actually, pharmacists’ income is higher than expected. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, Pharmacists earn an average of $120,270 annually.
In fact, the survey shows that the highest-paid pharmacist earns more than $157,950 per year, and the lowest-paid pharmacist earns $87,120.
Check Out: Pharmacology vs Pharmacy: Amazing Differences You Must Know
What do you Learn in Pharmacy School?
Well, to succeed in a pharmacy school, you must aim to be smart all around, not just book smart. Also, you must think outside the box, make an impact, create lifelong connections, and find a mentor. Subsequently, below are some pharmacy courses you will come across.
Pharmacy Practice Skills
This pharmacy course is taught in pharmacy schools to build numerous skills required in working with drugs. Students learn laws that bother around pharmacists and drug dispensation, top medications prescribed, and proper means o providing drugs to individuals
- awareness of common drugs in the field
- understanding of health promotion and disease prevention
- Ability to compound medicines.
BIOORGANIC PRINCIPLES OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
This pharmacy course for Pharm D students covers interactions, inhibitors, DNA, and bioactivation. It lets students into a blended approach of using organic chemistry and biochemistry, especially concerning the macromolecular targets for drug action.
- foundational knowledge of energetics and stereochemical.
- ability to work with introductory pharmacokinetics and dynamic modeling
- awareness of how drugs are metabolized
Biopharmaceutics
In pharmacy school, you will learn the idea of ADME or absorption, distribution metabolism, and excretion. Basically, this foundational course is taken in the first two years and teaches students how drugs travel through the body.
- understanding of how drugs are distributed in the body
- ability to work with introductory pharmacokinetics and dynamic modeling
- Awareness of how drugs are metabolized.
U.S Health Care System
Basically, this course teaches students about the chain of command and how drugs move from the research phase to approval by FDA.
- Ability to make decisions based on a thorough knowledge of healthcare.
- Understanding of how pharmaceutical companies inform new drugs coming out.
- Awareness of how to provide pharmaceutical products in light of health economics.
Other Pharmacy Courses include:
- Pharmacognosy and traditional medicine
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal chemistry
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology
- Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy
- Clinical Pharmacy and Administration
- Pharmaceutical Calculations
Best Pharmacy Schools
According to US news, following market research by Ipsos Public Affairs where 125 Doctor of Pharmacy programs accredited by the accreditation of council of Pharmacy, Here are the best schools to study Pharmacy;
Best Pharmacy Schools
According to US news, following market research by Ipsos Public Affairs where 125 Doctor of Pharmacy programs accredited by the accreditation of council of Pharmacy, Here are the best schools to study Pharmacy;
Actually, this university ranks number one as the best school for Pharmacy. It is a public research university established in 1789. However, the door of the department of Pharmacy got opened to students in 1897. It’s in Collaboration with two other universities, which maximizes research and education, consequently giving students an international edge.
In fact, students of Pharm.D in this university have an excellent track record of doing well on the NAplex Exam. Actually, in 2015 the passing rate was 96.10%.
Finally, this university offers three distinctive degree programs: a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science in Continuing Education. Furthermore, visit the school website for a Virtual Tour of the chapel hill campus
According to US News rankings, this university ranks number 2 with a peer assessment score of 4.5. Well, it is a public university in the state of Minnesota and one of the most reputed research universities in the nation.
Its School of Pharmacy was founded in 1892 and is currently one of the best pharmacy schools in the country. Actually, being the only Pharm.D program in Minnesota, its goal is to educate the next generation of pharmacists.
Subsequently, this pharmacy school is known for its innovative research in drug discovery and development, neuroscience, cancer therapies and chemoprevention, geriatrics, pharmacy management economics, ambulatory care practice, and rural Pharmacy.
Consequently, this school of pharmacy has recorded a 98% graduation rate, a 95.1% success rate at the NAPLEX exam. Also, it’s a prerequisite requirement for an undergraduate degree with majors in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry.
Interestingly, the school of pharmacy makes boast of 99% placement of students within 6 months of graduation with a 49% employment rate and 37 % of them pursuing residency programs.
For more information visit the school’s website
With a $.4 peer assessment score, the University of Texas ranks 3 in the best school of pharmacy.
Basically, the University of Texas – Austin College of pharmacy prepared and educated pharmacists of tomorrow since 1893 with just 3 professors and 11 students.
Recently, it celebrates 125 years of excellence in Pharmacy education, and is known for its pioneering research which NIH, pharmaceutical companies, and private foundations fund.
The Pharm.D program helps students gain knowledge, skills, and experience to practice patient-oriented pharmaceutical care.
In addition, coursework includes core pharmacy subjects like biopharmaceutics, pharm biochem, patient care, pharmacotherapy, patient assessment, pharmacoeconomics, and pharmacy law. For more information please visit the school website
Other universities where you can enroll for a Pharm.D degree program include:
- University of California—— San Francisco
- Kentucky University —- Lexington
- University of Michigan Ann Arbo
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Purdue University —–West Lafayette.
- University of Maryland —- Baltimore
- University of Iowa—- Iowa City
What Is The Difference Between PharmD and PhD In Pharmacy?
Pharmacy School Requirement FAQs
It is assumed that if you must pursue a career in Pharmacy prerequisite subjects or assumed knowledge in these subjects is necessary. Maths, English, Chemistry, Physics, and biology are quite essential.
Well, depending on the degree program you enroll for, it takes from four years to eight years to earn a Pharm.D degree.
This solely depends on the individual, while getting through the School of pharmacy may be hard, once you meet the general requirement of Pharmacological school and the University’s prerequisite, you stand a greater chance to get admitted into the school of Pharmacy.
You will need a grade point average of 3.0 on a grade scale of 4.0 to get into the school of pharmacy. Note that this may slightly differ depending on the school.
Conclusion
This article is specially designed for you. Critically, it analyzes the duties and obligations of a pharmacist. The job outlook for this profession is expected to rise by 4 percent.
This explains the importance of pharmacists in the world with a teeming population. Basically, these professionals do not just produce drugs, they also sell to patients and do all the explanations a patient may need concerning a particular medicine ranging from how to effects.
So, it is important that does who are qualified are licensed to take up this role. Actually, the Pharmacy school requirement is to get in the best hands in order to churn out the best professionals.
Furthermore, this article provides details on who pharmacist is, career pathways for pharmacists, pharmacy school requirements.
Also, it throws more light on the best schools to get a degree in Pharmacy and the three major types of degree programs available and how long you may spend in school.
So, get the school requirements and start your career journey by enrolling for a degree program that best suits you.
References
- US News: Best graduate schools for pharmacy
- Drug experts: Pharmacy as a profession
- Career Addict: Pharmacist Skills
- Top University: Pharmacy Guide
- Career Match: Salary of a Pharmacist
