<p>I have a friend interested in pharmacy. What process does one have to follow to become a pharmacist? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Getting a PharmD. requires a minimum of two years at an undergraduate institution, taking a designated pre-pharm sequence of couses (general chem, a semester or two of organic, some biology, humanities course, some business), taking the PCAT, and applying to 4 year pharmacy schools and completing that curriculum.</p>
<p>The exact entrance requirements for pharmacy school are going to vary slightly from school to school, so it's important to make sure one has completed all the necessary courses a school may require.</p>
<p>Pharmacy is unlike medical school in that many places only require 2 years of college work to apply and be admitted. However many people take 3, 4, or 5 years (complete their bachelor's degree if they want) and then apply. If your friend plans on being pharmacy from the beginning, they really don't even have to declare a major. Obviously if they plan on sticking around to get their bachelor's, then they would need a major.</p>
<p>Tell your friend to go to the website for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy(AACP). It has lots of really useful information about the specific requirements for becoming a pharmacist. It will tell you about the 89 schools in the US that offer the Pharm.D. degree and the specific admissions requirements for each, what subjects you will need to study, about the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test), and other relevant topics.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate you can obtain a BS degree in Pharmacy (5 year program) and practice after passing a board exam. A PharmD is a graduate degree. It is not the same as a Ph.D. in pharmacology. I would check into schools such as Rutgers College of Pharmacy, which by the way has an outstanding program!!!</p>
<p>Two questions:
1-I recently read that a BS in Pharm is no longer available, that one must get their Pharm.D. Anyone know?
2-Is it better to do one's pre-pharm sequence at the preferred pharm school? Better for admissions? Transition to Pharm school? Prep for pharm school?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li>Yes, genereally there are not BS in Pharm anymore.</li>
<li>It is VERY hard to get into a pharmD after going to school for 4 years so if you can get in to a 6 year program straight out of high school, I would go for it.</li>
</ol>
<p>"It is VERY hard to get into a pharmD after going to school for 4 years..."</p>
<p>Why is that? It would seem like if you have a BS degree, the Pharm school would be impressed and excited to have you. Please tell me more.</p>
<p>Hi! I was wondering if anyone knew about the "0+6" programs...the programs that allow entry into phramacy directly from high school? Also, which colleges have this program and how competitive it is? Thanks!</p>
<p>Getting into a 0+6 program is ideal. As stated above, it is harder to get into a pharmacy school after obtaining a B.S degree -- this is probably due to the fact that more people, such as students who used to want to be doctors, decide that pharmacy is the career for them. Also, the advantage of a 0+6 program as preparted to a 2+4 program is that in a 0+6 program, as long as a GPA is maintained, around a 2.0 in most cases I believe, one will become a pharmacist. In a 2+4 program, one can waste 2 years of their life in pre-pharm if they don't get into the pharmacy school. </p>
<p>The following are some 0-6 programs.</p>
<p>Albany College of Pharmacy <a href="http://www.acp.edu%5B/url%5D">www.acp.edu</a>
Duquesne University <a href="http://www.pharmacy.duq.edu/%5B/url%5D">www.pharmacy.duq.edu/</a>
Florida A & M University pharmacy.famu.edu
Hampton University <a href="http://www.hamptonu.edu/academics/s...rmacy/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.hamptonu.edu/academics/s...rmacy/index.htm</a>
Massachusetts - Boston <a href="http://www.mcphs.edu%5B/url%5D">www.mcphs.edu</a>
Northeastern University <a href="http://www.bouve.neu.edu/pharmacy%5B/url%5D">www.bouve.neu.edu/pharmacy</a>
Ohio Northern University <a href="http://www.onu.edu/pharmacy%5B/url%5D">www.onu.edu/pharmacy</a>
Philadelphia <a href="http://www.usip.edu/academics/pharmacy.html%5B/url%5D">www.usip.edu/academics/pharmacy.html</a>
Rutgers University pharmacy.rutgers.edu
St. John's University <a href="http://www.stjohns.edu%5B/url%5D">www.stjohns.edu</a>
St. Louis College of Pharmacy <a href="http://www.stlcop.edu%5B/url%5D">www.stlcop.edu</a>
University of Findlay <a href="http://www.findlay.edu/%5B/url%5D">www.findlay.edu/</a>
University of Mississippi <a href="http://www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu%5B/url%5D">www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu</a>
University of Rhode Island <a href="http://www.uri.edu/pharmacy/%5B/url%5D">www.uri.edu/pharmacy/</a></p>
<p>While Basketball makes a compelling arguement for a 0-6 program, there are drawbacks.</p>
<p>I will be the first to admit that what I say may not be true for most schools, but I am comparing them to similar set ups for getting an MD in an accelerated program. I did look at the Rutgers curriculum and it fit what I was expecting.</p>
<p>The number one concern is of course, what happens if you take that first gen chem test and realize that you are hate chemistry, or some other class on down the line. Or what if you take a psych class and realize that you love it, and you would be much happier spending your life doing that. It happens, and research shows most people change their major at least once, regardless of how "set" they originally were on the first profession. Switching out of such a program is likely not easy, and if you only went to the school because of it's 0-6 program, then you may have to go through the hassle of transferring, or stay some place you hate. </p>
<p>Of the programs I looked at, they all had a 2 year pre-pharm curriculum that closely matches what any other pre-pharm would take (which is much more than I could say about many of the accelerated MD programs). This is a very good thing in my opinion, but again, there is still plenty of time to realize that you don't want to be a PharmD. </p>
<p>Cost is another issue, something that is not readily found for most of the programs. If it costs much more than a normal undergrad, then a change of heart could be financially difficult. </p>
<p>I also believe that there is plenty to be said of having a typical undergrad experience, which some of these schools may give you and some may not. I know that my roommate (also a fraternity brother) who got his Bachelor's really appreciates that he got to go to undergrad for 4 years and have all the fun that he/we had during that time. Depending on the set up, some programs may group all the pharm kids together effectively leaving you with a much smaller circle of contacts - none of whom are not pharmacists.</p>
<p>Finally, one should not freak out about the chance that you might "waste" 2 years as a pre-pharm. You can apply again, improving your application during the waiting period. To opt for one of these programs without exploring all the positives and negatives and looking at how you personally fit in to a place is never a good decision.</p>
<p>I heard getting into a 6 year program directly after HS is extremly hard. He also said it's easier to first get a BA degree first and then go for pharmacy.</p>
<p>Nope, couldn't be more wrong. It is much much much eaier to get into a 6 year out of high school vs. going to college for 4 years and then applying to pharm school.</p>
<p>BBB can you give some stats on the number of applicants and number of spots for 0-6 programs vs a normal pharm path?</p>
<p>"It is much much much eaier to get into a 6 year out of high school vs. going to college for 4 years and then applying to pharm school."</p>
<p>Why is that??? I still don't understand? It would seem to me that #1 If you did your pre-pharm or a BS at a school that has PharmD, that school has a great chance to REALLY see what you can do. #2-If you can get through a four year degree successfully, you have already proven you are up to academic rigors.</p>
<p>What am I missing here?</p>
<p>I agree -- it is strange that the difficulty of getting into pharmacy school increases after getting a BS vs. applying right out of high school. My best guess for this would be that the applicant pool increases. For example, not many high school seniors apply to a 0-6 program because they have not really yet thought about their career. However, many pre-med type students may decided that being a physician is not for them, or chemistry majors who may be looking for more schooling to increase their salary potential, may see pharmacy school as a great option. The schools can only take the best out of the B.S applicants. It is important to understand that the 0-6 high school senior's are not applying directly against the college students with a B.S -- they are completely different programs.</p>
<p>Okay, so here's one for thought-
What if you start out in a 0-6, then decide you want to be in a different part of the country, etc. Difficult to transfer after say two years and getting all your pre-pharm stuff done?</p>
<p>I think you would be in the same position as if you started in a 2+4 program, as the prerequise classes are probably the same. You may want to check, though, because while everyone will require general chemistry, some schools may have more quirky prerequisites.</p>