The Importance Of Becoming A Pharmacist

What do you want to do with your life? It is a question that almost everyone asks high school and college students, but for many, it is a dreaded question that is difficult to answer. For me, that wasn’t the case, as ever since my sophomore year of high school, my answer has been to become a pharmacist. My passion for pharmacy stemmed out of the opportunity to shadow a pharmacist who showed me a wide variety of career possibilities within pharmacy. I was intrigued by all the options that began on the foundation of learning science, understanding medications, and caring for patients.

Pharmacy is a prolific field of study that is taking a prime position in the world of academia. It is quite demanding and needs completeness and vigilance. Thus, by going through pre-pharmacy, it will help me reshape my educational and career aspirations by bringing into reality what pharmacy entails through prerequisite coursework. I will also be able to come to terms with what the profession has at the end of the tunnel and asses with it marches my career goals. The profession is loaded with numerous employment and personal advancement opportunities, and I am motivated to study pre-pharmacy since it will spark of my innovativeness and optimistic that my future days would be worth the trouble.

About two thirds of all students enrolled in pharmacy technician programs are also enrolled in Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) programs. This program usually takes four years to complete. Students will need at least two years in college before they can be accepted into a pharmacy program, but most students have three. The first two to three years of the program includes courses in anatomy, biology, chemistry, math, physics, and physiology. The next portion of the program must be taken at a pharmacy college, where the student will study natural drugs (pharmacognosy), synthetic drugs (medicinal chemistry), pharmacology, and pharmaceutics. They will also learn about the administrative, social, psychological, and professional characteristics of being a pharmacy technician.

Before being eligible to enter pharmacy school it is require to attend college for at least two year, however, it is common for some people to receive an undergraduate degree and then enter into pharmacy school (Pharmacist). Before entering into pharmacy school I, plan to take undergraduate coursework in physics, chemistry, biology, and calculus. And then after two years of college I, plan on entering pharmacy school. After entering in the pharmacy school it takes four years to obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharmacy). A Doctor of Pharmacy means that after passing the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) that you can demonstrate the necessary skills to safely distribute medicine (Pharmacy). Even after receiving a Doctor of Pharmacy many people choose to further the understanding of pharmacy through additional residencies and fellowships for an extra one to two years of education. Already in high school I have taken higher level math and sciences to prepare me for college. My math classes have included algebra one, geometry, algebra two, pre-calculus, and dual- credit calculus. My science classes have included earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. After going through the necessary education to pursue a career in pharmacy I plan to jump right into the work force. A lot of hard work and dedication is required for me to obtain my goals but I am up to the

“Becoming a pharmacist requires years of education and training to obtain the necessary knowledge, skills and certifications. Aspiring pharmacists can spend anywhere between six years to thirteen years completing pre-requisites”(Learn how to become.org) “Pharmacists must have a doctor of pharmacy (pharm. D.) a 4-year professional degree. They must also be licensed.” To be licensed you are required to pass two exams. (bls.gov) Which one is called NAPLEX. “The NAPLEX measures a candidate's knowledge of the practice of pharmacy.” The NAPLEX exams determine whether a potential pharmacist can identify practice standards for safe and effective pharmacotherapy and optimize therapeutic outcomes in patients. This also determines whether a certain person can identify and determine safe and accurate methods to prepare and dispense medications. They must also be able to provide and imply health care information to promote optimal health

Studying at the West-Mec Pharmacy Technician program will eventually help me reach my long term goal of becoming a hospital pharmacist. This program will give me the benefit of hands-on training and will teach me the necessary skills that are required for a pharmacy technician. I want to have a career as a pharmacist in the future and I understand that becoming a pharmacy technician is not required, but it is a huge benefit. Pharmacists dispense medication and other remedies. They need to understand the importance of doses, allergens and other chemical reactions that may cause harm to the patients. Because of this, pharmacists are important to the medical field. I chose a pharmacist as my career because I want to ensure that my patients

As the first generation in my family to go to college I learned the importance of education. I graduated from Benedictine University with a Bachelors in Science and an Environment Certificate. I became intregted by pharmacy when I started to spent countless hours at a hospital watching my grandfather go in and out of surgeries and treatments for cancer. Seeing the different medication being handed to him inspired me to understand biological and chemical processes that happened. A Pharmacists, role is to aim to help patients treat illness by introducing new developed treatment of medicines with a range of patients. I began to take special interest in memorizing all my grandfather’s medications and how practical and clinical aspect pharmacy worked.

A pharmacist’s education can consist up to eight years of high level education. To start pharmacists must earn a degree at a pharmacy school. Pharmacy hopefuls must already have at least two years of college education, to even have a chance of acceptance into a pharmacy school. Another requirement to get into a

Most pharmacy schools take it as a very serious matter when students re-take courses and become very selective by choosing students who have not sought the need to re-take a course. Pharmacy schools in the D.C. area have a minimum requirement of a 2.00 GPA, anything lower will have the student dropped out of the college. Majority of students are able to maintain at least a 3.6 GPA. When students successfully finish pharmacy school, many get stuck with no other option but to pick up a job in a retail or hospital pharmacy.

There are pharmacists that work in totally different fields and their tasks require them to be specialized in different areas of pharmacy. Some of the different types of pharmacists are, Pharmaceutical technicians and Pharmaceutical scientists. Both share a general relation with each other, but they both have major differences according to what they do on a daily basis. Pharmaceutical scientists usually specialize in one aspect of the drug development process. They design new drug remedies using natural or man made ingredients, they study how disease affects the body and what causes some people to develop certain types of disease, study how the human body responds to medications so scientists can develop more efficient, safer drugs,they uncover new ways to use existing drugs to treat different types of disease, they Test drugs on animals and humans to ensure safety and efficiency, determine the most effective formulation and dosage for a specific drug, and advise corporations or government agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, on issues related to pharmaceutical development.(Explore) To become a pharmaceutical scientist, you must have a strong interest in mathematics, biology, and chemistry. In college, you can major in the pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy, chemistry, biology, engineering, medicine or a related field.(Explore) Pharmacy Technicians work the same hours as pharmacists. This may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Because some hospital and retail pharmacies are open 24 hours a day, technicians may work varying shifts. As their experience increases, pharmacy technicians often have increased control over the hours they work. There are many opportunities for part-time work in both retail and hospital environments.

There is an extensive amount of training one must go through in order to become a pharmacist. One or two years of pre-pharmacy with credits in math, chemistry, biology, physics, humanities, and social sciences are required. A minimum of five years is required to graduate from a program qualified by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. If pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree it could take six or seven years. After graduating most pharmacists go on to do residencies or fellowships. Residencies are an organized, post graduation-training program. Fellowships are directed, individualized programs, which help prepare participants for lab work. Some students go on to advance in the field and be an intern or pharmacy assistant, pharmacy manager, or possibly the owner of a pharmacy.

education, they must complete postsecondary courses such as anatomy, chemistry, and biology. For most programs, applicants also must take the Pharmacy College Admissions Test, PCAT. The Pharm.D. program usually takes four years to complete. This program includes courses in medical ethics and pharmacology. Students will also have the opportunity to have hands-on supervised experiences. After the completion of the program, students must pass two exams. Some jobs may even require further education and training. Pharmacists who want to run their own Pharmacy will benefit from getting a masters degree in business. They will spend more time on business activities such as inventory management when working in the field. Students wanting to hold advanced pharmacy positions such as a research job must complete a one to two year residency. The hard work definitely pays off when looking at a Pharmacists salary and job stability, but not so much when looking at their hours. Like most jobs, the income for Pharmacists varies depending on factors such as location. Since most Pharmacies are open all hours some pharmacists are forced to work nights and weekends.

The career that I am interested in pursuing is a Pharmacists. The number one reason I have decided to become a pharmacist is because I want to help and assist others. The satisfaction of me helping a patient get better quickly is the motivation that drives me. The second reason is the act of working with other health care professionals. Pharmacist have to communicate with other professionals as a team to avoid errors. Communication and connection is a major key in today’s society, in which I like with a passion. The big career dream began when my older cousin sister became the first in the family to graduate from college with a college degree. Her getting a well-paying job and taking care of my aunt and uncle led me to work hard and achieve pharmacy just like her. HCC will help me pursue my goals by helping me get high grades and achieve a high GPA. By me getting an Associates in Science I would then transfer to a big university like University of Houston to continue for higher education.

Today in the 21st century the roles of pharmacist have expanded tremendously. Before pharmacist had the role of solely dispensing drugs. Pharmacists were limited to only being regulatory or clinical pharmacist. Back then they were called medical purveyors who were much like today’s regulatory pharmacist and hospital pharmacist who are similar to hospital pharmacist. Now pharmacists carry many roles in healthcare. Pharmacist can play roles in public health, community, health systems, state, and federal government.

The characteristics to become a pharmacist cannot be learned in college, it must be emphasized throughout the adolescent years. Some important features one needs to focus on are memorization, organization, being meticulous, and have a strong understanding of math and science. In the article “Top Skills You Need to be a Pharmacist”, the author states, “Before the pharmacist fills the prescription, they need to remember everything they learned […]. Pharmacists must know about hundreds of drugs — from their generic and brand names to their side effects and possible drug interactions” (Hart). Memorization is essential in order to be successful in this industry and is difficult to do. The organization skills of a future pharmacist must be top-notch because this field is based on it; medications need to be categorized by name, dosage amount, and amount of pills. Paying close attention to details is necessary as well because if there is