Jane Fern's Pharmacists Guide
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tips on Becoming a Pharmacist
By Tiffany Provost
Make no mistake, a pharmacist’s job description entails more than just counting out tablets and dispensing medicines. Being a pharmacist takes years and years of study in the health field. If you think you may want to become a pharmacist, these tips will guide you through the steps you need to take.
1. Early preparation. High school is the time to begin preparation for becoming a pharmacist. To get into college, your GPA needs to meet a minimum score of 3.5. If you can keep up good high school grades and an impressive SAT you should get accepted into the pharmaceutical course of your choice at college.
2. Complete the required courses. Every school differs on this, but you will need to complete at least two years of pre-course work, with good grades marks in each course. This will allow you to enroll for a pharmacy course.
3. Finish pharmaceutical school. Once your first two years of prerequisite course work, are done, you can apply to and complete the pharmacy program. There is a Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) to complete before you can actually apply to the school you wish to attend. Once you get in, really aim to make a success of the course by studying your subjects diligently. This step in the process will likely take three to four years, depending on what grades you obtain, how your course is loaded, and the particular program you select.
4. Residency. When you graduate from pharmaceutical school, you will have nearly completed everything you need to be a pharmacist. For a bit of valuable real-life work experience, you will now have the option of doing a 12 month residency working with a fully qualified pharmacist. This is optional choice, but could just give you the boost you need to start your pharmacy career.
5. Get certified. You will likely need to get your license to become a pharmacist – but it varies with each state. Every state has a mandatory exam to be completed by pharmacy graduates so they can legally become pharmacists. Most commonly, this certification needs to be done every two years.
6. Start applying for jobs! Once you have finished school and residency (which is optional), you are actually a pharmacist. Now just get the job! Search for jobs at job websites, the newspaper, and of course at pharmacies. Leave no stone unturned if you are having trouble securing a position. Walk into every local drug store to find out if there are any jobs going. Hand around your CV and your name to anyone who will listen. Let people know you want to become a pharmacist. Prove yourself and get some more experience by taking a lower paying position. It only has to be temporary and when you have done your stint as an assistant, you will be certain to improve your chances of getting your dream job as a pharmacist.
Tiffany Provost writes about Medical and other Career tips for HowToDoThings.com.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tiffany_Provost
Make no mistake, a pharmacist’s job description entails more than just counting out tablets and dispensing medicines. Being a pharmacist takes years and years of study in the health field. If you think you may want to become a pharmacist, these tips will guide you through the steps you need to take.
1. Early preparation. High school is the time to begin preparation for becoming a pharmacist. To get into college, your GPA needs to meet a minimum score of 3.5. If you can keep up good high school grades and an impressive SAT you should get accepted into the pharmaceutical course of your choice at college.
2. Complete the required courses. Every school differs on this, but you will need to complete at least two years of pre-course work, with good grades marks in each course. This will allow you to enroll for a pharmacy course.
3. Finish pharmaceutical school. Once your first two years of prerequisite course work, are done, you can apply to and complete the pharmacy program. There is a Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) to complete before you can actually apply to the school you wish to attend. Once you get in, really aim to make a success of the course by studying your subjects diligently. This step in the process will likely take three to four years, depending on what grades you obtain, how your course is loaded, and the particular program you select.
4. Residency. When you graduate from pharmaceutical school, you will have nearly completed everything you need to be a pharmacist. For a bit of valuable real-life work experience, you will now have the option of doing a 12 month residency working with a fully qualified pharmacist. This is optional choice, but could just give you the boost you need to start your pharmacy career.
5. Get certified. You will likely need to get your license to become a pharmacist – but it varies with each state. Every state has a mandatory exam to be completed by pharmacy graduates so they can legally become pharmacists. Most commonly, this certification needs to be done every two years.
6. Start applying for jobs! Once you have finished school and residency (which is optional), you are actually a pharmacist. Now just get the job! Search for jobs at job websites, the newspaper, and of course at pharmacies. Leave no stone unturned if you are having trouble securing a position. Walk into every local drug store to find out if there are any jobs going. Hand around your CV and your name to anyone who will listen. Let people know you want to become a pharmacist. Prove yourself and get some more experience by taking a lower paying position. It only has to be temporary and when you have done your stint as an assistant, you will be certain to improve your chances of getting your dream job as a pharmacist.
Tiffany Provost writes about Medical and other Career tips for HowToDoThings.com.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tiffany_Provost
Labels: pharmacist
posted by Jane Fern Miranda at 10:21 AM
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