Traditionally in the United States, the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy was the first-professional degree for pharmacy practice. However, in 1990, the
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) mandated that a
Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) would be the new first professional degree beginning with the class of 2006. Successful completion of an
Accreditation Council for Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE)-accredited pharmacy program allows pharmacy students to sit for licensure examinations (see Pharmacy Education, Pharmacist) and become registered pharmacists (R.Ph.) through each state's respective subsidiary of the
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
Admissions As of December 2022, there were 142 accredited Schools of Pharmacy. This statistic includes both fully accredited schools or those with candidate status. Today, individuals seeking to become pharmacists must first complete a
pre-pharmacy undergraduate program. This program consists of a minimum of 60-90
semester credit hours (90-100
quarter credit hours) of undergraduate coursework in basic and advanced sciences; however, many students find completion of a four-year program (between 120-130 semester credit hours) leading to a
Bachelor of Science degree in biology, chemistry, or a similar field enhances their chances of admission. Pre-requisite and application requirements vary by individual schools/colleges of pharmacy; therefore, it is prudent to be aware of requirements for prospective schools throughout undergraduate education. The application requirement and processes for pharmacy school admission varies (see Pharmacy Education). A full list of ACPE-accredited programs is available at the ACPE website. Additionally, a
PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) score is required at most colleges and schools of pharmacy. Additional requirements for entry may include essays, references, an interview or participation in other activities.
PharmCAS is a Pharmacy College Application Service that enables students to apply to multiple pharmacy colleges/schools with a single online application. Some pharmacy colleges/schools do not utilize PharmCAS and still require direct applications either alone or in combination with PharmCAS. Completion of an application on PharmCAS includes submission of an application fee, an online application, official transcripts, letters of reference, and test scores (including the PCAT). Not all pharmacy colleges/schools require applicants to submit scores for the PCAT5, and for international (non-US) applicants or students for whom English is a second language, the TOEFL (
Test of English as a Foreign Language), is required. Pharmacy colleges or schools may offer students acceptance into the professional program through an early assurance program. Students accepted with early assurance matriculate into the professional degree program upon successful completion of entrance requirements and application procedures. This program is referred to as “0-6,” as students are accepted into the professional pharmacy program, contingent upon the aforementioned requirements, during the undergraduate college application process. Similarly, programs may be “2-4”. The “2” describes the first 2 years of study necessary to complete the pharmacy prerequisite coursework. Students completing a “2-4” program must apply for admission into the professional pharmacy program. The application process usually begins after completion of the third semester of study for entry into the professional program the following fall. These degrees are accredited by regional and national accrediting bodies.
Professional coursework After admission, a student will typically complete a four-year pharmacy program, although some schools offer accelerated three-year programs. The curriculum typically begins with courses in physiology and pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology and toxicology. Once a student is proficient in these core pharmaceutical sciences, instruction in evidence based therapeutic application of pharmacologic agents begins. Aside from usage of agents, students are taught to recognize and assess risk factors for disease, interpret clinical data and recognize interactions of drugs and disease states. While most schools teach the core science courses separately, some schools take a systems-based approach, teaching all of the material from physiology to therapeutics for a particular body system before moving on to another. Augmenting the pharmaceutical sciences, courses in ethics, management, pharmacy law, communications, public health and advocacy are taught throughout the professional program. In addition to didactic work, pharmacy education includes practice experiences. These experiences are generally directed by the school, conducted under the supervision of a preceptor and are intended to complement work done in the classroom. Introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPE) courses must comprise 5% of the curriculum and may take many forms, and introduce students to the practice of pharmacy. The final year of the curriculum generally consists entirely of the advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE). These experiences must account for 25% of the curriculum and allow the student the opportunity to practice in multiple environments under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Development of curricula for schools of pharmacy is guided by the standards set forth by ACPE. Most states also have their own policies that supplement the national standards. Successful completion of the practice experience objectives may yield academic credit and satisfy state pharmacy board requirements for internship. Upon completion of all professional curriculum and practice experiences, the student will graduate and be awarded the Doctor of Pharmacy degree and typically seek licensure by examination. There are also multiple colleges/schools offering Dual-Degree Programs such as Pharm.D./MBA, Pharm.D./J.D., Pharm.D./M.D., Pharm.D./M.P.H., Pharm.D./P.A. and other advanced degrees like the M.S. in Pharmacy Administration. Pharmacists with baccalaureate training can also obtain a Pharm.D. degree through a nontraditional Pharm.D. program. Upon completion of all professional curriculum and practice experiences, the student will graduate and be awarded the
Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree and typically seek licensure by examination.
Licensure Pharmacists must be licensed by the state pharmacy board of the state in which they wish to practice, with one exception: A pharmacist with an active license may practice in a federal facility regardless of the state which issued the license. In order to obtain an initial license, or license by examination, a candidate must have graduated from an AACP accredited school or college of pharmacy, satisfy requirements for internship, write and pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (
NAPLEX), in some states write and pass the Multi-state Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (
MPJE), and sometimes an additional state exam. Upon licensure, one may then be designated "Pharmacist" or "Registered Pharmacist" ("R.Ph."), as usage of these titles are generally regulated by state governments. According to the ACPE, accreditation can be granted for the baccalaureate in pharmacy degree and the doctor of pharmacy degree. The doctor of pharmacy degree is designed to produce graduates who are “educationally prepared for practice and should satisfy educational requirements for licensure.” Students who receive a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences are not eligible for licensure as a pharmacist. After obtaining a license, it must be periodically renewed by completing continuing education and other requirements as prescribed by the state of licensure.
Pharmacy School Accreditation The
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) was founded in 1932 as the accrediting body for schools of pharmacy in the United States. The mission of ACPE is “To assure excellence in education for the profession of pharmacy.” It is recognized for the accreditation of professional degree programs by the
United States Department of Education (USDE) and the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Since 1975, ACPE has also been the accrediting body for continuing pharmacy education. The ACPE board of directors are appointed by the
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the
American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) (three appointments each), and the
American Council on Education (one appointment). In order to obtain licensure in the United States, applicants for the
NAPLEX must have graduated from an ACPE accredited school of pharmacy. ACPE publishes standards that schools of pharmacy must comply with in order to gain accreditation. There are currently 25 standards organized within six major categories of 1) mission, planning, and evaluation, 2) organization and administration, 3) curriculum, 4) students, 5) faculty and staff, 6) facilities and resources. A pharmacy school pursuing accreditation must first apply and be granted Pre-candidate status. These schools have met all the requirements for accreditation, but have not yet enrolled any students. This status indicates that the school of pharmacy has developed its program in accordance with the ACPE standards and guidelines. Once a school has enrolled students, but has not yet had a graduating class, they may be granted Candidate status. The expectations of a Candidate program are that they will continue to mature in accordance with stated plans. The graduates of a Candidate program are the same as those of fully accredited programs. Full accreditation is granted to a program once they have demonstrated they comply with the standards set forth by ACPE. The customary review cycle for established accredited programs is six years, whereas for programs achieving their initial accreditation this cycle is two years. These are comprehensive on-site evaluations of the programs. Additional evaluations may be conducted at the discretion of ACPE in the interim between comprehensive evaluationsA pharmacist in good standing may reciprocate an active licensure by examination to another state. Typically the requirements for licensure by reciprocity are less intensive and may require as little as passing an additional law exam.
Post-graduate work A new pharmacy graduate may choose to complete an optional post-graduate residency (one to three years) rather than entering directly into pharmacy practice. A
pharmacy residency consists of one to two years of general residency and one to two years of specialized residency. Residencies allow graduates to further hone their clinical skills in a structured environment. The first year of residency training is a general practice year and is referred to as post-graduate year one or "PGY-1." The second year of residency training, which is referred to as post-graduate year two or "PGY-2," is typically geared toward specialization in a specific therapeutic area, such as cardiology, pediatrics, infectious disease, etc. Residency programs may be accredited by the
American Society of Health-system Pharmacists (ASHP). A list of accredited programs can be accessed via ASHP's website as well as ACCP's website. ==Zambia==