The PharmD

During a visit to the pharmacy a customer may not consider the credentials of his or her pharmacist. The requirements for becoming a pharmacist changed radically in the past twenty years. Now, a pharmacist is required to have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree or more casually known as the PharmD.

The process to become a licensed pharmacist in the United States generally looks as such:

• 2-4 years of undergraduate study including study in mathematics and natural science

• Take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)

• Apply for accredited university or school of pharmacy

• Approximately 4 years to complete PharmD

• Pass both the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) and appropriate pharmacy law exam

The Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) declared that a PharmD would be the new first-professional degree. The PharmD typically takes four years to complete after a prior two to four years in undergraduate study. On top of the undergraduate study most if not all pharmacy schools in the United States require potential pharmacists to take the PCAT. The score on the PCAT along with the student’s performance during undergraduate study determines entrance in to the prospective pharmacy school.

However, once a student completes pharmacy school and obtains his or her PharmD the process is still not complete. Once awarded the PharmD the person must then pass both the NAPLEX and proper pharmacy law exam according to the state.

Pharmacists licensed before the PharmD was required are not required to go back to school for the PharmD. These pharmacists share the same license as the incoming pharmacists who acquired the PharmD and therefore equally qualified. However, only pharmacists who acquired the PharmD may use the prefix “Dr.”.