Navigating Your Journey to Becoming a Pharmacist

Although the responsibilities are dependent on the work environment, pharmacists generally ensure patients have the necessary aids for their medical treatment. Not only do they need to keep track of the patient’s medical history, but they also need to educate the patients to use the prescribed medication in the correct way. Keep on reading to find out the requirements in becoming a pharmacist.

As healthcare continues to be one of the fastest growing industries, the need for pharmaceutical professionals will only grow subsequently. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 13,600 openings projected annually from 2021 to 2031, while the median annual wage for pharmacists was 128,570 in May 2021.

The pharmacist requirements involve acquiring many years of training and education, as the job entails many responsibilities and deep professional understanding. Here is an overview of the steps and requirement that you need to become a pharmacist:

Pharmacist Education Requirement

Undergraduate Degree

An undergraduate degree in biology or medicinal chemistry can be good starts for those who hope to advance to a pharmacy school. Make sure to complete all the prerequisite requirements to guarantee the smooth transition to pharmacy schools.

Pharmacy Program

As long as an undergraduate completes all the prerequisite courses and passes the bar exam, they can apply to the four-year professional degree in pharmacy. There are also undergraduate programs where students are granted both the undergraduate degree and PharmD in a total of 7 years.

Postgraduate Education

A postgraduate degree is designed for students who hope to enter a pharmacy school after their completion of a bachelor’s degree. It usually takes less years in comparison to a normal 4-year pharmacy school.

Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)

Before you can attain a doctoral degree in pharmacy, students need to pass the PCAT in order to apply to the pharmacy school of their choice. Make sure to take the prerequisite courses and meet the requirements during your preparation in your undergraduate years. 

Internship/ Residency

Formal internship residency programs are compulsory for its experimental experience in pharmacy practice settings. During the training program, aspiring pharmacists can pursue different specializations according to their interests during this period.

State Licensure Exams

To be a practitioner of pharmacy, one needs to be granted credential from the state’s licensing board by passing two exams, namely, North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam.

Job Application

Professional pharmacists can look for many different settings of their career once they obtain the state license to practice pharmacy. One can join the pharmaceutical industry for drug development or government agencies such as the National Institute of Health.

Continuing Education

For professionals that are more research-oriented, they can consider a career in academia for specific fields of pharmaceutical science and help train the future generation of pharmacists. Besides, to maintain your professional license, professionals may need continuous learning for each license renewal.

Since pharmacy is a highly specialized field, a successful operation in pharmacy involves a whole spectrum of various professionals to carry out. For those who want to pursue a career in pharmacy. Below are careers that are commonly associated with the field of pharmacy.

Pharmacist

Pharmacists play a big part in the industry of pharmacy, as they are the chief in command in the pharmaceutical department in any healthcare setting. Working in various settings such as hospitals, healthcare facilities and drug dispensaries, they dispense prescription drugs with professional advice on the safe use of the drugs.

Pharmacy Technician

As the second-in-line in a pharmacy or a drug dispensary, pharmacy technicians help the pharmacist to distribute the patients’ prescriptions and collect the medical history of the patient to help smoothen the whole operation in a pharmacy setting. Their assistance compliments the pharmacists both technically and administratively.

Pharmacist Assistant

Pharmacist assistants have more administrative responsibility in comparison to a pharmacy technician. From billing to restocking, their job requires a lot of the maintenance of the pharmacy and customer service, since they are the direct contact that patients will most likely interact with first.

How to become a pharmacist? What are the requirements of a pharmacy technician? For those who have a dream in becoming a pharmacist or starting a career in this industry, we have gathered some of the most frequently asked questions.

What degree do I need to become a pharmacist?

Pharmacists are responsible for dispensaries of prescription drugs, which requires a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.), a 4-year professional degree. To enter a pharmacy school, one must undergo Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), and it requires certain prerequisites from an undergraduate level.

How long does it take to become a pharmacy technician?    

The time it requires to become a pharmacy technician varies according to the local regulations. Generally speaking, the job requires a formal training that takes up to a year, a pharmacy technician licensure exam, or a postsecondary degree such as a 2-year associate degree in pharmacy technology.

How long does it take to become a pharmacist?

Besides the prerequisites attained from their undergraduate, students must pass PCAT before they will be deemed admissible for pharmacy schools. Now, they will spend the next 4 years on meeting the education requirements for becoming a pharmacist, followed by the subsequent training in residency.

How much do pharmacists make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 128,570 dollars was the median annual wage for pharmacists in 2021, with an average salary up to 52.29 dollars per hour.

What are the prerequisite requirements for pharmacy school?

A collection of courses is required for students to acquire in the undergraduate level for them to meet the prerequisite requirement for pharmacy school. Technically speaking, students can enter a pharmacy school with any major, as long as they acquire the prerequisite courses and meet the other educational requirements.

The journey to become a pharmacist takes time. From the prerequisite course in undergraduate to pharmacy school and then to be granted the license to practice as a pharmacist. Becoming a pharmacist, one needs to have a thorough and meticulous plan. Here are some key takeaways for those who want to set their career path in the pharmacy field.

--- Originally written by Jim Mao ---