Pharmacy
Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who prepare and dispense prescription medications and advise patients and medical doctors on their safe, effective use. Pharmacists are medication experts and are knowledgeable about medications’ chemical structures, biological mechanisms, manufacturing processes, dosages, interactions, side effects, storage requirements, and more. 药剂师也可能履行诸如接种疫苗等职责, 向病人提供一般健康建议, 确保他们的药房遵守法律, 测试药物的质量和功效.
Job Settings
药剂师在许多不同的环境中工作, 包括零售药店(如沃尔格林和CVS), hospitals, outpatient clinics, the pharmaceutical industry, academia, the government, and more. 大约70%的药剂师在零售药店或医院工作.1 大多数人每周工作40个小时，晚上和/或周末工作. Pharmacists often work 8 or 12 hour shifts, and most of that time is spent on their feet.
Daily Responsibilities
The daily responsibilities of a pharmacist depend on the setting in which they work. For example, a pharmacist who works in a hospital may go on clinical rounds with other healthcare professionals, 审查和监测患者用药方案的疗效, 就患者的药物治疗提供咨询, 建议医生哪种药物对病人最好, 给病人开处方. A pharmacist who works in a retail pharmacy may answer patients’ questions about their medications, 建议患者使用非处方药物, 核对由药学技术人员配发的处方, manage inventory, administer flu shots, 并帮助患者监测和控制高血压等慢性疾病, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
在医院工作的药剂师往往与医生更密切地合作, nurses, and other medical professionals and dispense more specialized medications such as those needed for very sick patients. Pharmacists who work in retail pharmacies tend to work more closely with patients and pharmacy technicians and dispense more commonly used medications.
Important Skills
药剂师必须有很强的阅读能力, writing, verbal communication, mathematical, organizational, 批判性思维能力. 他们必须能够在很长一段时间内保持专注和精确, 因为不正确地配药会导致严重的伤害甚至死亡. 药剂师经常处理成瘾性和受控药物, 所以他们必须是值得信赖和诚实的. 对生物和化学有浓厚的兴趣是必要的, 以及对所有病人的同理心.
Salary
美国药剂师的平均年薪是125美元,460, and half make between $112,690 and $147,690. Salary varies by location, 平均工资为141美元,洛杉矶330美元，123美元,120 in the Boston area. 医疗保健行业的工资往往最高，零售行业的工资最低.2
Job Outlook
Demand for pharmacists is expected to decrease by 3 percent between 2019 and 2029, 换算成大约是10,到2029年，药剂师就业人数将减少500人. This projected decrease is motivated by the growing role of pharmacy technicians and the growth of online and mail order prescription sales and subsequent decrease in retail pharmacies’ employment of pharmacists. However, employment of pharmacists by hospitals and clinics is expected to increase as the American population ages.3
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- High salary: Pharmacists are the second-highest paid healthcare professionals, behind only physicians
- Rewarding许多药剂师喜欢用他们的专业知识来改善病人的生活
- Variety of settings药剂师可以根据他们的兴趣在许多不同的环境中工作
Cons:
- Postgraduate education: the required 3-4 years of postgraduate education may be time-consuming and expensive
- Decreasing demand药剂师的就业预计在未来几十年将会减少
- Customer service: Some pharmacists, particularly those in retail, may not enjoy working in a customer service role
Career Path
Aspiring pharmacists must complete a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from a graduate program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). 一些项目为高中毕业生提供6年的药学博士学位选择, but most require applicants to have taken at least 2 years of prerequisite undergraduate classes and prefer those with a bachelor’s degree. 药学博士课程通常是全日制的，为期4年, although part-time, online, 也有速成课程. 它们通常包括学术课程, 专业发展课程, 以及药房环境中的体验式学习.
一旦他们的药学博士学位完成, all aspiring pharmacists must become licensed in the state they wish to practice in. Licensure requires passing 2 exams: the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and an exam on jurisprudence. Most states, 除了加州, Arkansas, and Idaho, 使用多州药理学考试(MPJE). In addition to the 2 exams, 每个州还设置了附加要求, 比如满足最低数量的有监督的临床时间. Once they have become licensed, some PharmD graduates begin independently practicing as a pharmacist.
However, many PharmD graduates choose to attend a pharmacy residency program to gain additional experience. Pharmacy residency programs typically last 1-2 years and use hands-on learning and mentoring to further develop a pharmacist’s skills. 住院医师可以专注于某一专业, allowing pharmacists to more quickly be eligible to gain specialty certifications from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) such as in cardiology, geriatrics, or oncology. 其他药学博士毕业生选择进入奖学金，以便从事研究工作, industry, or academia.
准备攻读药学博士学位
药学博士研究生课程的要求不同, but most require applicants to complete an extensive list of prerequisite undergraduate courses. 一般的先决条件包括两个学期的生物和实验, 两个学期的普通化学和实验室, 两个学期的有机化学实验, 两个学期的解剖学和生理学实验, biochemistry, microbiology, physics, calculus, statistics, economics, psychology, English, and public speaking. 不需要STEM学士学位, 但选修STEM专业的前提课程可能更容易完成, 尤其是一个生物学专业的学生.
除了必要的课程, 大多数药学博士课程都要求有较高的本科GPA, 3 evaluations, a resume, a personal statement, and supplemental essay(s). Evaluations include a letter of recommendation and a ratings section in which evaluators rate an applicant on specific criteria. Evaluations by pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are highly valuable. Most programs recommend or require that applicants take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and submit their scores. Admission is competitive, so prospective applicants should gain experience volunteering or doing paid work that shows knowledge of and interest in pharmacy. Many PharmD programs highly recommend that applicants shadow pharmacists and work with patients in a pharmacy, hospital, or clinic setting.
Most PharmD programs use the Pharmacy College Admission Service (PharmCAS) to allow applicants to submit all of their application materials in one place. Those interested in applying to PharmD programs should carefully research the programs that they are interested in attending and take note of their prerequisites, 他们录取学生的PCAT分数, 其应用材料的建议和要求, 他们的申请截止日期. Most programs have a priority application deadline many months before their final application deadline. Applying by the priority deadline increases an applicant’s likelihood of admission and may offer other benefits, depending on the program.
Application Timeline
A general application timeline for programs that use PharmCAS and begin in the fall is shown below, but applicants should carefully check the deadlines for their application year and the programs they wish to apply to. The timeline is wide-ranging in order to cover most programs and give prospective applicants a general idea of the PharmD application process. Deadlines vary widely, so prospective applicants should take note of their programs’ deadlines in the summer before they intend to apply. Application materials should be submitted as soon as possible in order to maximize the odds of admission.Programs begin
| Pre-Application | Maintain high GPA, 完成必修课程, 获得志愿者或工作经验, take the PCAT, 研究感兴趣的药学博士项目, request 3 evaluations, prepare resume, write personal statement, 考虑补充文章问题的答案 |
| 入学前的七月中旬 | PharmCAS开放和申请材料可以上传 |
| October to March | 所有材料提交给药品管理局的优先截止日期 |
| March to June | 提交给PharmCAS的所有材料的最后期限 |
| October through June | 项目邀请选定的申请人进行面试 |
| April through June | 录取决定公布 |
| Late August to September | Programs Begin |
Financing Your Education
The total cost of a PharmD degree can range anywhere from under $50,000 to over $200,000. 许多大学提供奖学金, financial aid, work study opportunities, 或者其他可以减轻学生经济负担的方法. However, it is very common for pharmacists to graduate with $100,000 or more in student loan debt. This amount of debt, 虽然它可能看起来势不可挡, 由于药剂师的高工资，通常可以在几年内还清吗.
Additional Resources
- 美国劳工统计局职业展望手册: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm
- 美国药学院协会给学生的信息: http://pharmacyforme.org/
- 药剂师的一天: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4D5jJAZJ8
- 药剂师咨询病人的视频例子:
- 各州认可的药学博士项目名单: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/accredited-programs-by-state/
- PharmCAS: http://www.pharmcas.org/