PHARMACY
Prescription for a Rewarding Career
©
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
1727 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.aacp.org
www.pharmcas.org
Why Pharmacy?
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A well-rounded career
A vital part of the health care team
Outstanding career opportunities
Excellent earning potential
A trusted profession
Goals of
Pharmaceutical Care
• Cure disease
• Eliminate or reduce symptoms
• Stop or slow a disease
• Prevent disease
• Change physiological processes to
improve the health of a patient with
minimal risk
What Do Pharmacists Do?
• Educate patients about prescription and overthe-counter medications
• Advise other health care professionals on
drug decisions for patients
• Provide expertise about the composition of
drugs, including chemical, biological and
physical properties, as well as on use
• Ensure drug purity and strength
• Ensure drugs do not interact in a harmful way
PHARMACISTS
are
Drug Information Experts
No one knows more about
medications than
pharmacists
Pharmacy Career Options
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Academic Pharmacy
Community Pharmacy
Government Agencies
Hospice & Home Care
Hospital & Institutional
Practice
Independent Ownership
Long-term Care
Consulting Pharmacy
Managed Care Pharmacy
Medical & Scientific
Publishing
 Pharmaceutical Industry
 Trade & Professional
Associations
 Uniformed (Public Health)
Service
Shortage of Pharmacists
• Nationwide shortage of
pharmacists throughout U.S.
various industries*
• Shortage expected to last into the
foreseeable future
• Why?
– Increase in number of new
prescription medicines
– Growing elderly population
– Greater demand for patient care
– Growth in community pharmacy
* According to the results of the National Pharmacist Workforce Survey
(2006) and the HRSA BHPR National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
(2000).
Job Outlook
• Nationwide Shortage = Increased Demand
• Student pharmacists can expect multiple job
offers at graduation
• Median salary in 2007 = $107,403
*According to DrugTopics.com
• Regional mobility - Demand for pharmacists is
widespread in U.S.
• Opportunities to work in wide variety of
health care and industry settings
Should YOU Be a Pharmacist?
DO YOU LIKE...
• Chemistry, Biology, and Math?
• To Help People?
• To Solve Problems and Puzzles?
ARE YOU...
• Dependable? Organized?
• Detail-Oriented?
• Able to Communicate Well with Others?
If you answered YES, you may want to consider pharmacy as a career!
Pharmacy Education
and
Admission Requirements
The Pharmacy Degree
The Pharm.D. degree program requires...
At least 2 Years of pre-pharmacy study
+ 4 Academic Years of pharmacy study
= 6 or more years of study after high school
The majority of student pharmacists enter the
professional program with 3 OR MORE years of
(pre-pharmacy) college experience
Pharmacy Curriculum
The professional pharmacy curriculum is designed to
educate pharmacists to...
• Counsel patients on the proper use of medications
• Promote public health
• Develop and manage medication distribution and control
systems
• Manage pharmacy practice
• Plan and perform ongoing evaluations to provide
patients with the best drug therapy for their individual
health care needs
Recommended
High School Preparatory Classes
SCIENCE
• Chemistry
• Biology
MATHEMATICS
• Algebra I&II
• Geometry
• Trigonometry
• Calculus
OTHER
• English
• History
• Foreign Language
• Computer Programming
* Accelerated or Advanced Placement
(AP) level courses suggested
Common College Course
Prerequisites
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General Chemistry I & II
Organic Chemistry I & II
General Biology I & II
Physics
Microbiology
Calculus
Anatomy and Physiology
English I & II
Public Speaking
* These college courses are not required by all pharmacy
degree programs and do not represent all of the course
requirements for any pharmacy school. Admission
prerequisites vary significantly by pharmacy institution.
Pharmacy School
Admission Requirements
The classes required for admission to a
pharmacy program vary
Contact AACP or schools for details
Three-fourths of all pharmacy admission offices
require the
Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
Profile of 2008 Entering Class*
• GPAs
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Science 3.35
Non-Science 3.62
Math 3.40
Cumulative 3.45
66% = Composite PCAT
61% = Female / 37% = Male
10% = Underrepresented Minorities
89% = U.S. Citizens
* Data for 59 PharmCAS Institutions Only. Data
represents average for accepted PharmCAS applicants.
• 71 Participating PharmCAS Schools
• Allows an applicants to use one
application and one set of materials to
apply to multiple Pharm.D. degree
programs.
www.pharmcas.org
Don’t Delay…
Find Out More Today!
www.aacp.org
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
1727 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703/739-2330, x1024
JAthay@aacp.org