How to Become a Pharmacist

• by Darcy Logan

Introduction

• As a pharmacist, you are responsible for filling drug prescriptions for individuals. While this might appear simple on its face, pharmacists have to responsible for understanding thousands of drugs, counseling patients and planning drug therapy programs. Read on for information on the training you'll need to become a pharmacist.

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Starting Early

• High school is the best place to start if you want to become a pharmacist.

1. While still in high school, you should take all the steps necessary to get into college.
2. Take as many mathematics and science courses as possible, preferably advance placement classes such as AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry and AP Physics.
3. You will also need to strengthen your writing skills.
4. Learning a foreign language, especially Latin can also be helpful.^{1 2}
5. Obtaining experience working in a pharmacy, hospital, nursing home or similar setting is also beneficial.²
   • This can be either paid or volunteer work. Not only will you acquire skills that will help you later on, it will look good on your application to pharmacy schools.

Finding the Right Pharmacy School

• To be a pharmacist, you need a doctorate of pharmacy, better known as the PharmD.

• The PharmD is a professional degree that will take 5-6 years to obtain. It is not an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree. In fact, those with a bachelor's degree will discover that they are still required to complete four years of school before they can become a pharmacist.

Choosing a School

• The type of pharmacy school you choose will depend a great deal when you want to enter school and how quickly you'd like to earn your PharmD.

• Most students enter pharmacy school after completing a series of prerequisite courses in an accredited four-year college or university. However, some choose to enter pharmacy schools immediately after high school in either a "0-6" or "early assurance" program. Another option is to enter an accelerated program. These schools are covered in more depth below.

• Whichever route you decide to take, there are several factors you should consider:

1. Is the school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)?
2. Are the computers, science labs and science courses up-to-date? ³
3. Will you have access to prepharmacy advisers that can help guide you?³
4. Is it a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)?

• If you are interested in pursuing a degree beyond a PharmD, you will want to find a school that offers a joint degree program, which allows students to pursue a M.S. or Ph.D. while obtaining a PharmD. These programs will take longer than than four years to complete and will require the student to have a B.S. before entering.⁴

• Several sites online offer a list of available pharmacy schools including:

1. ACPE's Accredited Professional Programs of Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy⁵
2. AACP's Pharmacy Schools⁶
3. Pharmacy College Application Service School Information⁷

Accelerated and 4-Year "Traditional" Pharmacy Schools

• Accelerated and 4-year traditional pharmacy schools are very similar because students are required to take the same steps before entering. Attending a 4-year pharmacy school is often referred to as the "traditional pharmacy degree program" because it is how must future pharmacists get their degree.

• An accelerated program is often referred to as a 3-calendar year program, because students in this program are taking courses year round, and not just in the fall and spring. No matter which you choose, you will need to complete prerequisite courses and possibly take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) before applying.⁸

• Only a handful of schools offer an accelerated program including:

1. Albany College of Pharmacy Albany, NY
2. Duquesne University: Mylan School of Pharmacy Pittsburgh, PA
3. Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
4. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy Erie, PA
5. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science - Manchester Manchester, MA
6. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science - Worcester Worcester, MA
7. Midwestern University - Chicago Chicago, IL
8. Midwestern University - Glendale Glendale, AZ
9. South University Savannah, GA
10. University of Southern Nevada Henderson, NV
11. University of Appalachia Oakwood, VA
12. University of the Pacific Stockton, CA

Prerequisites

• The prerequisite courses required by pharmacy schools vary greatly. Some schools require students to obtain a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy or similar baccalaureate degree while others do not.⁹

• According to some studies, applicants with a baccalaureate degree have a better chance of being accepted to a pharmacy school.⁴ Studies have also shown that students with a B.S. in pharmacy have a better chance of being hired for some pharmacy positions.¹⁰

• Prerequisite courses most schools require include:

1. One year of general chemistry with labs
2. One year of organic chemistry with labs
3. One year of general physics with labs
4. One year of general biology with labs
5. One semester to one year of calculus
6. One year of English (composition and/or writing)
7. One semester of economics
8. One semester of psychology or sociology
9. One semester public speaking

• In addition, some schools require biochemistry, microbiology and statistics.¹¹ You will need to check with each school that you are interested in to find out what academic requirements they have. The AACP has extensive information about pharmacy school admission requirements on their website.¹² It can also be found on PharmCas.¹³

The Pharmacy College Admissions Test

• About 1/2 to 3/4 of pharmacy schools require students to complete the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT).¹⁴ The PCAT is a 4-1/2 hour exam which consists of approximately 280 multiple-choice questions and an essay. It is designed to test general academic abilities and scientific knowledge needed before entering pharmacy school. Students entering an early assurance or "0-6" program do not need to take the PCAT.

Applying to Pharmacy Schools

• Once the academic prerequisites and the PCAT and completed, it is time to start applying to pharmacy schools. Several sites online offer a list of available pharmacy schools including ACPE's Accredited Professional Programs of Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy, AACP's Pharmacy Schools and Pharmacy College Application Service School Information.

• The Pharmacy College Application Service, or PharmCAS, is a centralized application service for applicants applying to colleges and schools of pharmacy created by AACP. About half of all pharmacy colleges currently use this program. It is only for first-year professional pharmacy degree applicants and not for "0-6" or early assurance students.¹⁵

"0-6" and "Early Assurance" Pharmacy Schools

• Students who enter a "0-6" or "early assurance" pharmacy school are accepted directly from high school. Students will then complete the prerequisite courses at the college or university before beginning pharmacy school.

"0-6" Pharmacy Schools

• Students who enter a "0-6" complete their prerequisite and professional courses at the same school. Providing that they complete all the requirements, they are guaranteed entrance into the school. The following schools currently offer a "0-6" program:

1. Albany College of Pharmacy Albany, NY
2. Duquesne University: Mylan School of Pharmacy Pittsburgh, PA
3. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
4. Hampton University Hampton, VA
5. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science - Boston Boston, MA
6. Midwestern University Glendale, AZ
7. Northeastern University: Bouvé College of Health Sciences Boston, MA
8. Ohio Northern University: Raabe College of Pharmacy Ada, OH
9. Pacific University Hillsboro, OR
10. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia, PA
11. Rutgers University: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Piscataway, NJ
12. St. John's University Jamaica, NY
13. St. John Fisher College: Wegmans School of Pharmacy Rochester, NY
14. St. Louis College of Pharmacy St. Louis, MO
15. University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
16. University of Findlay Findlay, OH
17. University of Missouri at Kansas City Kansas City, MO
18. University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
19. University of Mississippi University, MS
20. University of the Pacific Stockton, CA
21. University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX

Early Assurance Pharmacy Schools

• Early assurance differ from "0-6" because students "transfer" into the pharmacy school after completing two years of college (even though they are staying at the same university). The following schools currently offer an early assurance program:

1. Butler University Indianapolis, IN
2. Drake University Des Moines, IA
3. Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
4. Midwestern University - Chicago Chicago, IL
5. Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
6. Ohio State University Columbus, OH
7. Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
8. Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL
9. Shenandoah University Winchester, VA
10. University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
11. University of Charleston Charleston, WV
12. University of Houston Houston, TX
13. University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
14. University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
15. University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
16. University of Nebraska Omaha, NE
17. University of New England Portland, ME
18. University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
19. University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
20. University of Toledo Toledo, OH
21. Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
22. Wayne State University Detroit, MI

Obtaining a License

• Before you can become a licensed pharmacist, you will need to complete an internship and pass any required examinations.

Internship

• All U.S. states require students to complete an internship in order to be eligible for a professional license. Many states require students to acquire a special internship license for this period, which can be obtained through your state's board of pharmacy. Internships vary in length from state to state, but average about 1500 hours.

Take Required Examinations

• There are typically two examinations required before students can obtain their pharmacist license.

• The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) was developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and is required in all fifty states. It contains 185 multiple choice questions; however, only 150 of them will count towards your score.¹⁶ The test is designed to test how well students can apply what they have learned to real-life situations posed as "scenarios."^{17 18}

• The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) is required in 44 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. It contains questions about federal-laws as well as state-specific laws. Although the MPJE contains 90 multiple choice questions, only 60 of these will be used to calculate the score.¹⁶ States that do not require the MPJE have their own state exam that will be required for licensing.

Apply with the State Board

• For a list of all requirements necessary to obtain a pharmacist license, it is best to contact the state in which you will be working. Here is a listing of the board of pharmacy for each state:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Conclusion

• Being a pharmacist is about a lot more about counting out pills and typing up a label. As a pharmacist, you will be assisting in the health care of hundreds of people. While it might take years of work to complete, at the end of the road you will have a well-paying job that is in high demand.

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References for How To Become a Pharmacist

1. ↑ Pharmacy Information Web Portal: How To Become A Pharmacist
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Pharmacy Admissions
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} CollegeBoard: Major: Prepharmacy
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} University of California, Merced: Health Advising: Pharmacy School Requirements
5. ↑ Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education: Accredited Professional Programs of Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy
6. ↑ American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy: Pharmacy Schools
7. ↑ Pharmacy College Application Service: School Information
8. ↑ Official Site: Pharmacy College Admission Test
9. ↑ University of California, Davis: Pharmacy School Preparation at UC Davis
10. ↑ BNET: Evaluating the Pharmaceutical Industry's Need for Graduates with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2003)
11. ↑ US PharmD: Pharmacy School Admissions
12. ↑ Pharmacy School Admission Requirements
13. ↑ Pharmacy College Application Service: School Information
14. ↑ Official Site: Pharmacy College Admission Test
15. ↑ PharmCas: Before You Apply
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Examinations
17. ↑ American Pharmacists Association: Getting Your License
18. ↑ A2ZColleges.com: NAPLEX - The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination

Additional Resources for How To Become a Pharmacist

• American Pharmacists Association
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
• National Community Pharmacists Association
• Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board
• Askville: "How do I choose a Pharmacy School? What should I look for?"
• The Student Doctor Network: Pharmacy Forum
• PharmacySchools.com: Directory of Pharmacy Schools in the United States

How to Become a Pharmacist Videos

• Video: A Career in Pharmacy: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (Time: 5:38)
• Video: Pharmacists Job Description (Time: 1:55)

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