Pharmacists – Education And Career Prospects

Pharmacists - Education And Career Prospects

www.DegreeAuthority.com is the best online guide to students who are planning their educational pathway. One profession that has promising career prospects is that of a pharmacist. Pharmacists work in retail stores, healthcare facilities and are responsible for dispensing prescribed drugs to patients, they also counsel patients and physicians regarding the selection, usage and dosage of drugs. You can learn more about the various educational institutions that offer a Pharm.D. program as you browse through our website. In fact students interested in learning more about obtaining an online degree and those who wish to learn about the graduate degree programs that are available in most fields of study will find browsing through www.DegreeAuthority.com most informative.

 

Doctor Of Pharmacy

Students who wish to work as pharmacists can take up the doctor of pharmacy programs that are offered by many reputed and accredited educational institutions. They need to have completed 2 years of undergraduate studies and then can complete the four academic years of professional study. Most students who take up the program have completed 3 years of college study. Check out our website to get the latest information about online degree programs to help you obtain a graduate degree.

 

The students who take up the Doctoral program in pharmacy will be trained to develop and maintain medication distribution systems. They will learn how to operate a pharmacy, how to educate patients and physicians regarding the administration and use of drugs. The curriculum will include an introduction to pharmaceutical chemistry. They will learn about the various chemicals that are used in making drugs, how it is made, preserved and they will also learn about drugs that are made from products that occur naturally (plant or animal based). They will learn about the effect of drugs, the right concentration to be used and the various ways in which the medication can be administered.

 

Toxicology is another important area of study, they will learn about the various poisons and study antidotes that will nullify their effect. One other area that they will concentrate on is how to manage a pharmacy. They will learn the basics of economics, accounts and business management. Students who are interested in pharmacy and other fields of study will find that www.DegreeAuthority.com is a comprehensive guide that will help them learn all about the various institutions that offer master degree programs.

 

Students who have successfully graduated in Pharmacy can take up residency training in pharmacy practice. Such residency training is mandatory for those candidates who wish to seek employment in hospital pharmacies. If students want to take up research, they can opt to take up M.Sc. or PhD programs in pharmacy. These programs will have more clinical and laboratory work and will include research. Students can work for pharmaceutical firms, involved in researching new drugs or they can work as faculty in educational institutions. Students need a license to work as pharmacists and they are awarded the license only after they successfully complete the Pharm.D programs. Students need to successfully pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam, which are conducted by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The licensure procedures and requirements vary from state to state; students need to find out the rules that are applicable in the State that they wish to practice in. Students can find out the latest news an updates about how to obtain an online degree or a graduate degree at a regular brick and mortar educational institution at www.DegreeAuthority.com.

 

As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Pharmacists, nearly 92 educational institutions were offering programs in pharmacy that had been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. 70 accredited educational institutions offered master degree programs and doctoral degree programs in Pharmacy.

 

Auburn University, Drake University, Ferris State University, Idaho State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Notre Dame College, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, University of Arizona and the University of Florida are some of the educational institutions that offer Pharm.D program. Many educational institutions also offer graduate degree programs such as PHD and online degree programs in pharmacy

 

Job Outlook

Pharmacists held about 243,000 jobs in the year 2006 with a majority of them working for drugstore chains and a small percentage of them worked in hospitals. The employment outlook for those aspiring to train as pharmacists is very good, the employment growth rate is projected at 22% which is much faster than the employment growth rate of all other occupations. The demand for trained and qualified pharmacists is expected to increase in proportion to the increasing geriatric population. The median annual salary of pharmacists in the year 2006 was about $94,000. Those who worked on a part-time basis earned around $50,000.

 

If you are a student or a parent, www.DegreeAuthority.com is a great place to do some research regarding the educational opportunities that are available. Many students have benefited by planning their education ensuring that they achieve professional success at the earliest.

 

The recession and the economic lull has resulted in numerous lay offs. People can make good use of the time on their hands by taking up higher educational programs. There are numerous options available for adult learners; it is never too late to get an education. There are many financial aid packages available to help students fund their education. Just browse through www.DegreeAuthority.com and find out what the options available are. You can also benefit by taking up a career test at a website such as www.JobDiagnosis.com. By taking up such tests students can learn how suitable they are to train as pharmacists.