On this blog my objective is to hopefully answer your questions about how to become a pharmacist. One thing that you should know right up front is that the earlier in life that you decide that you want to become a pharmacist the more likely that you will follow the most direct path to becoming one.
The reason I say this is for instance, let’s say that you are still in high school, this will afford you the opportunity to plan out your courses in line with the requirements that you will need to meet later on to continue your studies. It would be wise to take many science and math courses as possible. Courses in things like social sciences, chemistry, biology, physics, and humanities will give you a “leg up” with your studies later on.
This is not to say that if you have already graduated from high school that you will not be able to become a pharmacist but it is just easier if you are already in the mindset of what it will take earlier on while your still in high school.
The time commitment for a pharmacist program is a pretty big one. First off you will have to get the normal core requirements out of the way. This will take about two years. Sometimes this is called the per-requisite coursework. After you are finished with that then you have to complete usually three to four more years of studies concentrated more closely on the profession or the more formal pharmacological coursework.
Once you are through with the formal studies, depending on what you would like to do with your degree you might have to then complete a one to two year residency program. For example if you want to be a clinical pharmacist you need to go through the additional residency 1-2 years. If you start the process early in your life it is possible to have this all completed by the time you are thirty years old.
Since pharmacists dispense medication it is a licensed profession. You will have to pass the NAPLEX which stands for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam. In addition to the NAPLEX your state might also require you to pass the MPJE or Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam.
Since the requirements in Pharmacology are so strict there will be no problem finding employment when you are finished and the starting salary is a good one. You can expect to earn around eighty thousand dollars your first year working a forty hour week. Again this is just the starting salary and will increase as you become more experienced.
Although this has been a very brief overview of how to become a pharmacist. It should begin to make you think about the time and financial commitment that will be required for your education. If this prospect seems too daunting for you right now, maybe a career in one of the supporting roles such as a pharmacy technician or other pharmacological roles might be a better fit at first. This would also afford you time to see if this is truly the profession that you want for yourself.
