Hi, I am currently a Senior at my high school and I want to pursue a career in Pharmacy. I am the first person in my family to pursue this field, and while I have many family members who entered the medical field, they have no idea what path I should take to become a Pharmacist. Can someone please give me some advice and tips to help me become successful in this field?
Thank you!
Have you applied to colleges with pharmacy programs?
There are lots of schools that have pharmacy programs. Tiny little Presbyterian (Clinton SC) has one, U of Maryland Baltimore does (but most of the school is grad students so it is different than most undergrad schools and is in downtown Baltimore), Regis University in Denver…it just depends on what type of college experience you want.
University of Rhode Island, Northeastern. Two more examples. These programs are typically 5 year programs.
@twoinanddone do you mean University of Maryland Baltimore County which is located in Baltimore?
It’s a lot easier to apply to a direct admit pharmacy program, but there are grad programs you can do as well.
I have to ask…why do you want to be a pharmacist? There seem to be way more pharmacists now than there are jobs. Or at least that’s what we are seeing here.
@merc81 any chance you have a link for pharmacy schools?
Pitt has a strong PharmD program. They also have a summer program, but Im not sure if youd be too old next summer. Pitt has Guaranteed Acceptance Programs too when you apply as an undergrad. You can get accepted into the PharmD program with the GAP acceptance right when you apply as an undergrad. Please reach out to Pitt Pharmacy Admissions if you are interested. They are very helpful.
The OP can find colleges with an available pharmacy major here. The OP also should be aware that virtually any college with strong health professions advising may be suitable for a student who would like to pursue graduate school in pharmacy.
OP may find this article of interest:
No, University of Maryland Baltimore County is in…Baltimore County, which is not in the city of Baltimore! Baltimore County and Baltimore City are separate political entities for everything.
UM -Baltimore is the professional schools in the city (right by the football and baseball stadiums). Medicine, Law, Dentistry (grad programs) plus nursing, pharmacy, and social work are there. At least in my day, no real student center or housing. I think some of the undergrad students did 1 or 2 years at a more traditional undergrad campus and then transferred to this campus. It is very (very) urban.
Becoming a pharmacist requires a pharmD degree. There’s more than one way to get there, but generally you’ll need to go to college and complete the required prerequisite classes, which are similar to those required for medical school, and apply to pharmacy school after that. There are also direct admit programs at several colleges as others have mentioned. It usually takes a minimum of 6 years to get through the prerequisites and pharmacy school, although many students enter a four year pharmacy program after receiving a bachelor’s degree.
I would suggest minimizing debt and looking for affordable college and pharmacy school options given the current job market.
Creighton University and University of Arizona are two more pharmacy programs to look at. You can look up their admission requirements and begin to get an idea of first steps for you to take.
Another suggestion is to get a job in a pharmacy. In our state you can get a job in a pharmacy and then work toward becoming a licensed pharmacy technician. This would gain you experience in a pharmacy and an understanding of what the job entails as you work through the prerequisites for pharmacy school.
Oh, not here in Denver or many other places.
When I was in Hilton Head SC last year, the Publix grocery stores were closing the pharmacy at least one day per week as they didn’t have enough pharmacists to staff their instore pharmacies as there has to be a pharmacist on site to dispense drugs. The pharmacist would travel from store to store so that each only had to close for one day per week.
Our pharmacy at a grocery store now closes for 30 minutes for lunch because the pharmacist needs a break. It is always really busy, especially now that they do so many vaccinations.
Check your state and area where you hope to work first, before you consider this field.
Our middle daughter started pursuing a career in pharmacy. She did the undergrad to med school route because a majority of pharmD programs are combined within medical schools.
There is no funding, so you will be paying medical school prices. Can you afford $260k to $300K for a professional program of 4-6 years? Most of my daughter’s classmates were on med school loans.
It is a tough program and the return on your investment of time and money may not be what you expect. There are a slew of pharmacists looking for positions. Most of those positions are retail and many are part-time (4-6 hour shifts/ every other day including weekends). Our daughter chose to segue into medical research for new drugs with big Pharma companies.
Our elder daughter’s friend was fortunate that she was able to secure a full-time position at a hospital, with great benefits (10 years ago), but had to move to the desert. It is now a very coveted position when she has openings, and her interview team has piles of resumes to wade through from hopeful applicants. She asked our middle daughter about sending a resume but couldn’t guarantee that she would be selected.
To add to that, there are lots of mail-order pharmacies that only require 1 pharmacist to supervise many pharmacy clerks. That takes away the need to have brick and mortar pharmacists. The expected retirees didn’t retire, as they are staying longer in their positions.
Every university appears to be opening pharmacy programs because it is a financially viable boon to their coffers, but they don’t guarantee to place and match their students.
So before you spend a mountain of money and 6 additional years of schooling, do yourself a favor and ask current pharmacists about the job and any future outlook.
Here is UCSF’s school of pharmacy:
There are tons of available jobs in rural areas, offering some huge sign on bonuses, and even in major metro areas pharmacists are in short supply but not quite so desperately so. The pandemic definitely has caused a shift in the job market for pharmacists, but it’s also meant working conditions are rough in short staffed pharmacies. They tend to work long hours with no breaks and barely a lunch. My pharmacist family member gets asked to work on all of their days off— could work seven days a week if desired. And wages have not risen particularly strongly either, in spite of the short supply and added work expectations.
Not all shortages are in rural areas. My parents are on Long Island and a major pharmacy chain by them is (or was during the summer) offering a $75,000 bonus to new hires. That being said, the projected job growth for pharmacists is low and I would do your research before considering this path.
The Pitt summer program I mentioned introduced my S25 to retail, industrial, and hospital pharmacy. This thread is mostly focused on retail pharmacy.
Ohio State also has a solid PharmD program.
I still would like to know why the OP would like to become a pharmacist.
Another thing to remember about the 5 year combined undergrad pharm programs, you will need to check the financial aid situation at each school. At many, you become a grad student in year 3 or 4 and are no longer eligible for undergrad need based financial aid. So DO check this as it varies by college.
To piggyback on @aunt_bea post,
SUNY University at Buffalo has a Pharmacy program with different pathways
I know that the NYC DOE is rolling out a Healthcare Apprenticeship program, for current high school seniors, which is set to start in January 2024. There are approximately 60 schools in the pilot.
Student will begin their training as Pharmacy techs at a number of Partner Hospitals:
Non-Credit Course
-120 hours didactic
-50 hours on-the-job simulation
-250 hours of supervised work
CPhT Certification
Upon completion of the certification, students will be set up with entry-level union positions in some of the partner hospitals.
next step in the progression will be:
Sterile Compound Pharmacy Technician * Sub-Baccalaureate Certification
Another thing…I would suggest sitting down and talking to a pharmacist or two. Ask them about the profession, and how to best achieve the goal of being a pharmacist. See if you can make an appointment to meet and speak with one of them. I’m sure they will give you some great insight.
Pharmacy curriculum is very heavy in chemistry (general chem, organic, biochem), math (calculus), the biological sciences (anatomy and physiology, microbiology) plus a lot of lab work. So if you love that you’re a step ahead.
A good pharmacist is someone who loves science, pays attention to detail, organized, doesn’t mind routine, patient and can hold their breath while drowning in work…I digress…
Pharmacists can work hospital, retail or research (but advance degrees in Pharmacology etc may be required). Add to that mail order. Depends on the area you want to work. But pharmacies can be found anywhere location wise.
Pharmacy has changed a lot over the years. When I started working the demand for pharmacists was extremely high. It was easy to get a job and demand a good salary. There simply were not enough pharmacists to go around. With the very large increase in pharmacy schools there is an overabundance of pharmacists in some places now (not to mention some schools are overpriced and not very good leaving students with large loans).
The retail industry expanded over those years and put a pharmacy on every corner I think. Now they are cutting back–and not staffing pharmacies appropriately from what I gather making it stressful to put it mildly. Pharmacists do have a good education with special skills but many are looking for alternatives to the traditional pharmacy roles of the past. I worked retail and years in hospital (which I did enjoy). I did go into pharmacy initially because it is an easier career than most to stop work (have kids) and return to work full or part time. It does have advantages in that respect.
With the proliferation of satellite offices, clinics and changes in the medical field (prescribing regulations, insurance) I’d seriously consider nurse practitioner or physician assistant programs also. Or maybe pursue doctor–by the time you’ve done 6 years you might as well go the extra and get an MD.
Our daughter has an advance degree in pharmacology, but she also volunteered to do a rotation with patients who were receiving cancer treatments. Mostly pediatric patients in the hospital and she learned a ton of information about the disease and the drug side effects.
I know many pharmacists. Grew up in a family of them and my college roomie was one (just retired) and my cousin’s son and his wife are pharmacists. It can be a good job, but drugstore life is not for everyone. It is a job that you can be a bit of an entrepreneur in, too. You can open your own independent pharmacy. There are a couple in my town. My college roomie worked as a hospital pharmacist after doing a stint in retail.
Your state pharmacy school is probably your best bet and most cost effective. What state do you live in?
https://www.pharmcas.org has info about applying to graduate pharmacy school. You may find it helpful.
Some school websites to check out: