A Short Introduction To The PharmD Program
Posted by brahastoparker | Posted in Education | Posted on 22-02-2012
Pharmacists are professionals working in the health care industry. They are educated and trained to use and dispense medical drugs. They are also aware of the dangers behind them including negative side effects of drugs when not dispensed or taken properly. Medicines can also be addictive and cause overdose problems when ingestion is not monitored.
For pharmacists to practice professionally, they are required to earn a doctorate degree in pharmacy or a PharmD. Before the 1997, pharmacists only had to take a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. That rule has changed since the late 1990s and all pharmacists were required to take a course in PharmD to be licensed as a professional.
By 2005, the first batch of pharmacists with the new license graduated with a doctorate of pharmacy degree. Graduates were still required to pass a licensing exam to practice professionally. Applicants for this program are still required to graduate from at a 2-year course in natural science, or math, biology, pharmacy, genetics or chemistry prior to enrolling in a PharmD program.
You can apply for a doctorate degree in pharmacy from any school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Some students who do not work at the same time they take the course, are able to finish the program in less than 4 years. If you plan to be a working student, it might be best to stick to the standard number of classes per semester to finish the course in 4 years.
Graduates are required to pass a licensing exam. The licensing exam is administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy or the NABP. Click Here to find the website of NABP. Some states also require graduates to pass a Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam or an MPJE test that focuses on legal issues in the pharmaceutical industry. Click here to find out if you need to take this latter exam.










