Is a bachlors in science the best way to go to become a pharmasist or is there some better way to go about doing that?
2006-09-10 12:48:20 · 7 answers · asked by Joe K 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Unfortunately, some of these folks do not know what they are talking about. Oh well.!
OK, to be a pharmacist in the USA you have to graduate from a recognized school of pharmacy and then pass a qualifying exam approved by the state where you want to be a pharmacist. There is a national test and many states accept that, but some do not.
In the old days many pharmacy schools had a 5 year program that gave the graduates a B.S in Pharmacy. About 20 years ago some schools started switching over to what is called the Pharm. D - that is, Doctor of Pharmacy (not a PhD, not pharmacology). I think now that all USA pharmacy schools have stopped giving the Bachelor degree and only give the PharmD.
To get a Pharm D you have to go to regular college for two years, then you switch over to the College of Pharmacy at that university and study for four years in the College of Pharmacy. Besides your course work, you have to do quite a few hours of internship before you graduate -- I think it is about 1500 hours in most states. That's a lot of hours!
In the old days pharmacists just stood around in drug stores handing out drugs, but nowadays they have all kinds of interesting jobs involving drug research, and specialized kinds of drug management (like say, working with radioactive drugs!)
because pharmacy has become such an interesting job, and because the salaries are so high (like, a Pharm D can start at over $100,000 per year) the applications to Colleges of Pharmacy are really skyrocketing. So, it used to be easy to get in and now it is getting quite hard, like getting into an Ivy league school.
You have to take a lot of tough courses, like Organic Chemistry and calculus even before you get in. And pharmacy has a lot of math in it, so you have to be very good at math.
2006-09-11 13:44:22 · answer #1 · answered by matt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Matt has offered a very comprehensive answer. Yes, now it's only Pharm.D. degree offered in all the pharmacy schools in the U.S. Regardless what you major in college, you do need to take all the pre-reqs for pharmacy school. You can finish the pre-reqs in 2 yrs in any college; however, the competetion is tough now a days, you might not be accepted after 2 years of college. In California schools, most students (yes, greater than 90%) have a B.S. or B.A. degree.
The licensing exam is called NAPLEX, accepted by 49 states in the U.S. Hawaii is the only state that requires it's own board exam.
2006-09-12 00:42:09 · answer #2 · answered by Mei Mei 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First you need to get your pre-reques done to even get into a pharmacy school so in all it's 6 years. 2 years of college then 4 years in the actual pharmacy school.
It's not a bachelors in science. You come out of it all with a doctorits in pharmacuticals.
2006-09-11 00:01:48 · answer #3 · answered by Amber L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To actaually become a pharmisist you have to go to pharmacy school, that take another four years at least, and from what I hear is hard.
2006-09-10 19:51:14 · answer #4 · answered by J R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard that you dont have to have a BA in science in order to be a pharmasict. But you do have to have the science prerquisites. Then you just do a pharmacy program.
2006-09-10 19:59:53 · answer #5 · answered by Casey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
umm... well that would be a good place to start. A major in biology, preferrably chem would be a good idea. But its best to ask your advisor in school. Or better yet, walk into a pharmacy, ask. No harm in doing that right?
2006-09-10 19:51:46 · answer #6 · answered by Carlos D 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A true pharmacist has a Doctorate of Pharmacology ....
2006-09-10 19:54:21 · answer #7 · answered by sam21462 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋