Different countries and jurisdictions have different requirements for becoming a pharmacist, making it difficult to create a hard and fast checklist. However, education, licensure, and work experience are all common requirements. Candidates must typically complete graduate-level university coursework and pass national or regional licensing exams to be considered. These tests are usually comprehensive, and they must be repeated every few years to ensure that professionals have the most up-to-date information. It’s also common for people to gain work experience before pursuing full credentials, whether through internships or working for a few years. This is required for licensure in some jurisdictions, and it is also required for graduation in most degree programs.
Education is very important.
Pharmacists must have specialized degrees, usually at the doctorate or Ph.D. level, in order to practice. These programs are usually very competitive and necessitate a number of courses and scientific knowledge. Academic advisors typically advise students interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy to take a lot of math and science classes in high school and, ideally, earn an undergraduate degree in chemistry, biology, or applied mathematics. Although not all pharmacy schools require applicants to have a science degree, extensive coursework in these areas is usually required.
Graduate programs typically last at least four years. This means that a person aspiring to be a pharmacist should expect to devote at least eight years to formal university education, and possibly more once clinical experience and internships are taken into account.
A degree earned in one place is often honored and recognized in another, but this is not always the case. When it comes to the specific coursework and degree programs that a person needs to get started, different countries and localities have different requirements. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy may suffice, and some countries will accept degree programs from foreign universities on an equivalency basis; however, other authorities may be more stringent and require in-country training. People who want to practice in a different location than where they currently live should usually research the rules of their desired location before starting a degree program.
Obtaining a license
Typically, education is only a part of the process. Pharmacists, like the majority of medical professionals, are required to be licensed in order to practice. In most places, handling medications and giving advice to patients are considered highly specialized jobs. Governments are usually interested in ensuring that people in these positions are both qualified and knowledgeable about the latest trends and techniques.
In most cases, people take licensing exams shortly after receiving their degree. Exams are usually written tests that last several days and cover a wide range of topics. Some of the questions are about general chemistry or math concepts, while others are about hypothetical patient situations or drug dosing and interaction questions. There may also be an oral component, in which candidates must respond to questions in front of a panel of professionals on the spot.
Every few years, pharmacists must re-certify, though this is rarely as time-consuming as re-entering the licensing process. Attending lectures and earning continuing education credits may be sufficient in some cases, but professionals may also need to take additional exams on a regular basis. These are usually shorter than the initial licensing exams, and they only cover recent developments. Re-certification follows a cycle, with professionals having to renew their credentials every few years. The time between re-certification exams often increases with a pharmacist’s seniority, so a new employee may be required to take an exam every year or every other year, whereas someone who has worked for a decade or more may be able to wait three or five years between exams.
Experimentation
Many places also require field experience or on-the-job training. Some jurisdictions have formal apprenticeship programs in which pharmacists-in-training shadow more experienced professionals for a set period of time, usually a calendar year, before being allowed to work independently; others simply require internships or a set number of hours of supervised experience before a license is granted. Most pharmacology degree programs take these requirements into account, and most people graduate knowing that they have met or exceeded their locality’s requirements. However, people looking for work in a different location may have some catching up to do.
Job Responsibilities
Pharmacists can work in a wide range of settings. The most well-known jobs are in retail pharmacies, hospitals, and medical clinics, but this is far from the full scope of the profession. People can also work in fields such as research, manufacturing, and public health policy. However, getting started in any of these fields usually follows a similar path, with people from all walks of life receiving the same basic training and certification. Job-specific training, such as interacting with patients, learning dispensing techniques, or comprehending journal publication rules, usually takes time.