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Pharmacy

A path to gain entry to pharmacy school.

What do Pharmacists do?

Doctors of pharmacy (PharmD) play a vital role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications. “Pharmacy is a blend of science, health care, direct patient contact, technology, ethics, and business” (Mayo Clinic). Some of their responsibilities include dispensing medications, educating patients on medication use, monitoring drug therapy, administering vaccinations, and research. There are over a hundred different fields that pharmacists can specialize into.

 

Conditions typically cared for by a pharmacist:

 

Pharmacists care for a wide variety of conditions due to their high level of knowledge of drugs. They are familiar with the biochemical makeup of drugs and how that impacts their use, their side effects, their interactions, and their level of effectiveness (Mayo Clinic). So, pharmacists do not deal with one single type of condition, but a plethora of different conditions.

 

Pharmacists also work to:

● Be easily accessible to work closely with physicians to determine the best medication and dosage for a specific patient

● Pay full attention to details and possible errors that could have occurred when writing and filling prescriptions

● Counsel patients on the correct way to take a medication or which over the counter treatments would work best for them.

 

Salary: The median salary for pharmacists was $137,480 in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Pharmacy School Preparation

Bachelors Degree: Not always required.

Requires at least two years of undergraduate study.

Prerequisites: Will vary per program, but here are a few commonly required courses:

  • Biology I and sometimes Biology II
    • Biology I with lab | BIO 1134
    • Biology II with lab | BIO 1144
  • Chemistry I and II
    • Chemistry I with lab | CH 1213 & 1221
    • Chemistry II with lab |  CH 1223 & Ch 1221
  • Organic Chemistry I with lab | CH 4513 & CH 4511
  • Microbiology with lab | BIO 3304
  • Behavioral Sciences 
    • General Psychology | PSY 1013
      • Useful Behavioral Electives:
        • Human Growth and Development or Developmental Psychology | EPY 2513 or PSY 3803 
        • Psychological Behaviors | PSY 3213 
  • Statistics
    • Elementary Statistics | ST 2113
      • Some programs may require a specific type of stats course like Inferential Stats, or they may not accept other types of stats like Behavioral or Business. 
  • Calculus I | MA 1713
  • Anatomy & Physiology 
    • Human Anatomy with lab | BIO 3004
    • Human Physiology with lab | BIO 3014
      • If taking combined A&P courses at other institutions, those cannot be combined with MSU's Anatomy or Physiology courses to fulfill this requirement. 
      • BIO 1004 at MSU will not satisfy any portion of this requirement. It is an introductory course.
  • Biochemistry  
    • Principles of Biochemistry- BCH 4013
    • General Biochemistry I | BCH 4603
  • Other common requirements include but are not limited to: 
    • Physics or General Physics I with Lab (hours may vary)
    • Humanities: English, history, literature, philosophy, etc. 
    • Communication/Speech

 

GPA: Most pharmacy schools require a minimum GPA between 2.5 and 3.0. However, a competitive GPA is considered to be a 3.5 or higher. All of these depend on the certain school you are applying to. Some schools also calculate GPAs differently. For example, schools may use your cumulative/overall GPA, your Math/Science GPA, Prerequisite GPA, etc.

 

Observation/Shadowing:

Shadowing/observation hours may vary by school, but most schools do not require them. However, shadowing is very highly encouraged because it is invaluable experience and insight into the career of pharmacy.

 

Entry exams:

The PCAT is no longer required anymore because the American Associates of College of Pharmacy was retired in January of 2024. Some schools require the GRE and some have no requirements at all

 

Involvement/Extracurriculars:

Involvement is encouraged for any student pursuing applying to a professional school. Any type of involvement to build your resume is great. A job or club relating to pharmacy also is a great idea to partake in. I would recommend joining a club related to your major (ex: Biochemistry Club) and the Pre-Pharmacy Club at MSU

 

Letters of Recommendation:

The number and type of recommendation varies from school to school. Some may require a specific type of recommender (like a professor or pharmacist). So, make connections with your science professors and local pharmacists to have those people to write you recommendations.

 

Pharmacy School Application Process 

The Pharmcas:

"The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service to apply to multiple Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree programs offered by schools and colleges of pharmacy. PharmCAS is designed for first-year professional Pharm.D programs” (https://www.pharmcas.org/).

 

● Before application year, meeting with your pre-health advisor is highly recommended to create a timeline for application and strategize the best way to prepare for interviews, essays, etc.

● Confirm priority dates for individual pharmacy programs.

● Begin to fill out the PharmCAS application for your desired pharmacy school.

● Reach out to evaluators ahead of time. Once they agree to write a letter of recommendation for you, input their information through PharmCAS. Everything will be submitted through the liaison portal digitally and each of you will receive links and confirmation of submission.

● PharmCAS begins accepting applications around July 10, more than a year in advance of when students would begin the program the following fall.

● Each school has their own set of pre-requisites. Most schools recommend manually inputting your classes from your transcript into PharmCAS. This includes transcripts from every university you have taken class through (Dual-enrollment, summer classes, etc.)

● Once these have been manually inputted, you request your transcript through PharmCAS through Parchment from each school you have inputted you have attended.

● Acceptances are often granted on a rolling admissions basis.

● Verification of applications takes time! Try to submit early if possible.

● Keep pursuing meaningful experiences, maintaining strong professional relationships, volunteering, and beginning interview preparation practices.

 

Regional Pharmacy Programs

Mississippi has two PharmD programs:

The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy 

 

William Carey University School of Pharmacy.

 

National Directory of Pharmacy Schools PharmCAS School Directory