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Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
Degree
Scott Knutson
The Pharm.D. curriculum
is designed to produce a scientifically and technically competent
pharmacist who can apply this education in such a manner as to
provide maximum health care services to patients. Students are
provided with the opportunity to gain greater experience in patient
close cooperative relationships with health practitioners. It is the
goal of all pharmacy schools to prepare pharmacists who can assume
expanded responsibilities in the care of patients and assure the
provision of rational drug therapy.
If you examine several
pharmacy college catalogs, you will notice that courses are similar
but NOT identical. There are no rigid rules on curricula enforced on
colleges, but a common core of subjects is found in every college of
pharmacy curriculum. You will find that certain colleges emphasize
certain subjects, and thus place less emphasis on others. Since you
will likely examine catalogs of colleges that interest you, this
summary will touch largely on the core of subjects common to most
colleges of pharmacy.
Length of Study
The Doctor of
Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program requires at least 2-years of
specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by
4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study.
Pharmacy colleges and schools may accept students directly from high
school for both the pre-pharmacy and pharmacy curriculum, or after
completion of the college course prerequisites. The majority of
students enter a pharmacy program with 3 or more years of college
experience. College graduates who enroll in a pharmacy program must
complete the full 4-academic years (or 3-calendar) years of
professional study to earn the Pharm.D. degree. The AACP does not
track the availability of accelerated programs of study for
individuals with a baccalaureate degree in a related health career
or science field.
Goals of Degree Program
The professional
pharmacy curriculum is designed to produce pharmacists who have the
abilities and skills that are necessary to achieve outcomes related
to:
Providing pharmaceutical care to patients
Developing and managing medication distribution
and control systems
Managing the
pharmacy
Promoting public health
Providing drug information and education
Major Areas of Instruction
Major
Areas of Instruction
In order to provide
students with the opportunity to develop a
strong foundation on which to build these
skills, the curriculum emphasizes six major
areas of instruction.
Pharmaceutical
chemistry emphasizes the application of
chemical sciences to pharmacy. Some of the
courses deal with chemicals used as
medicines-their use, nature, preparation and
preservation. In other courses, attention is
given to the processes and tests used to
determine the purity and strength of a chemical
or its pharmaceutical form. The pharmacy student
learns, for example, how to find out if aspirin
is pure, or how to determine how much vitamin C
is contained in a particular solution or tablet.
Pharmacognosy deals with the nature and
sources of "natural drugs"-those obtained from
plants or animals, either directly or
indirectly. For example, with a drug such as
quinine, this study involves the source, the
commercial production, the marketing, the chief
pure chemicals contained in the drug, and the
uses made of the drug and its derivatives.
Pharmacology is concerned with understanding
the action of drugs in the body. Attention is
given to the effects of various doses of each
medicinal substance and to the different ways in
which medicine can be introduced into the body.
The effects of poisons and the means to overcome
them are studied in toxicology. Generally,
animal tests are required to learn the strength
of drugs. Physicians know a great deal about
pharmacology and toxicology; yet, as the expert
about drugs, the pharmacist must maintain this
knowledge to an even greater extent.
Business management is important for
graduates who plan to enter community pharmacy
and some institutional practices. This area is
commonly designated pharmacy administration.
Instruction frequently includes principles of
basic economics, accounting, management,
computer applications, marketing, merchandising,
and legal phases of the profession of pharmacy.
Courses in pharmacy administration are
especially helpful to pharmacists who become
executives in pharmacies, hospitals, service
wholesale houses, or manufacturing.
Pharmacy practice is offered in a variety of
courses by colleges of pharmacy. These courses
are designed to give an appreciation of the
background and nature of the profession, to
familiarize students with the many skilled
processes used in pharmacy, to introduce the
various forms of medicines, and to teach them
how to dispense medication accurately and
skillfully. Instruction in pharmacy practice
again emphasizes the fact that pharmacy blends
science and technology, and that throughout the
professional services of the pharmacist there is
a continuous responsibility both to the patient
and the physician. Instruction in the
pharmaceutical sciences and in the professional
areas (except for most of the administration
courses) includes some laboratory work. This
laboratory work is both traditional and
clinical. Laboratory instruction explores
various scientific phenomena, as well as studies
the clinical application of the principles of
pharmaceutical sciences. Pharmacy practice is
that area within the pharmacy curriculum which
deals with patient care, placing an emphasis on
drug therapy. Pharmacy practice seeks to develop
a patient-oriented attitude in the student. The
education of pharmacists who are able to meet
the needs of society can be attained only
through a careful blending of theoretical course
work and clinical experiences.
The
clinical component of the pharmacy
curriculum varies from school to school,
however, the basic objectives are the same. Some
of these objectives are: 1) To develop students'
communication skills for effective interaction
with patients and with practitioners of other
health professions. 2) To help students develop
a patient awareness in the practice of pharmacy.
3) To enable students to integrate the knowledge
acquired in course work prior to clinical
exposure and to apply it to the solution of real
problems. 4) To develop students' awareness of
their responsibility for monitoring the drugs
taken by patients. 5) To help students become
more aware of the general methods of diagnosis
and patient care specifically related to drug
therapy.
Fields of Study in Pharmacy
Education and Profession
The profession of
pharmacy blends science, technical art, and
human relationships in a unique fashion. Basic
to the science in pharmacy are contributions
from four broad fields-mathematics, physics,
chemistry, and biology so courses in these basic
sciences are required in pharmacy curricula.
Mathematics is an important tool in most
scientific courses, so two or more semesters of
college mathematics are usually required. In
addition, a pharmacist uses math a great deal in
dispensing prescriptions, in determining proper
drug dosage levels, in preparing formulas of
many types, in management procedures, and in
certain chemical calculations. Hence, additional
instruction is given in the various kinds of
weights and measures used in pharmacy, in
calculating doses of drugs given to persons of
different ages and weights, in calculating the
amount of material to use for a solution, and in
many other operations.
Physics and
Chemistry - Instruction in physics is
usually given because the principles are basic
to many pharmaceutical practices. In addition,
physics has a close relationship to chemistry;
both sciences are needed in order to understand
the behavior and properties of matter. The
fineness of powdered drugs, the transfer of
heat, the behavior of gases, the formation and
decay of radioactive isotope - these and other
phenomena of pharmacy can be well understood
only through knowledge of the principles of
physics. The active ingredients of most
medications are pure chemicals; so it is easy
see why a thorough knowledge of chemistry is
important. From simple table salt to substances
so complex that their formulas are not
completely known, pharmacists are continually
dealing with chemicals. They must know how to
handle and store them, as some are dangerous;
how to analyze them to determine their purity;
and how to dissolve them, combine them, package
them, and preserve them-as well as how chemical
substances behave in the body. Small wonder then
that pharmacy students study the principles of
the common divisions of chemistry and finish off
this study with several courses in
pharmaceutical chemistry, where the principles
of basic chemistry are applied in the study of
medicinal products. Many drugs come from plants
and animals.
Biology - Moreover,
the practical use of nearly all medicinal
substances is within, or upon, the bodies of
humans or animals. Hence, the study of
biological sciences, including anatomy,
physiology, zoology and biochemistry, is
important for building a strong foundation of
knowledge of natural drugs and their actions
within the body.
Courses in English,
psychology, and sociology are usually given
in the pre-professional years, but some may be
scheduled throughout the curriculum.
These social sciences provide the students with
a better ability to understand and communicate
with people, thereby enabling them to practice
more effectively within society.
Post-Professional (Post-PharmD) Graduate Study
Residency - After graduating from pharmacy
school, an increasing number of students are
seeking residency training in pharmacy practice.
Over 400 pharmacy residency programs are offered
in hospitals, community pharmacies, and some
specialized facilities. These residency programs
may be taken in general pharmacy practice,
clinical pharmacy practice, or other specialty
areas depending upon personal interests and
specific career requirements. Completion of a
pharmacy residency is sometimes a requirement
for employment in hospital pharmacy practice or
as clinical faculties at pharmacy schools.
Graduate Study - Students also have the
opportunity to complete advanced study. Graduate
study in one of the pharmaceutical sciences may
qualify the student for a Master of Science
(M.S.), or doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
These advanced degree programs require an
undergraduate degree at least at the bachelor's
level prior to enrollment; however, the
undergraduate degree need not be in pharmacy.
The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are research degrees
and do not qualify the student to be a licensed
pharmacy practitioner, unless the student has
also earned a B.S. in Pharmacy (program no
longer offered) or Pharm.D. degree.
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