Types Of Pharmacy Degrees
Discover the Types Of Pharmacy Degrees. Pharmacists play a very important role in the health system. If you looking to go to the career path that will make you become a pharmacist, there are different types of pharmacy degrees available for you to choose from. A lot of people think the only role of a pharmacy is to stay behind a counter and fill prescriptions at drug stores. In actual sense, there are other duties of the pharmacist apart from the drug filling role. While the role of doctors is to give prescriptions after diagnosing our illnesses, pharmacists are particularly trained in the dispensation of those medications and their effects on patients. They can work in care facilities, in health care offices and in hospitals.
They render advice to health practitioners and patients on the different features and effects of different medications. They are equally involved in the development and production of new medications.
They are always updated on the different types of medications available for different patients and often render expert knowledge on the effects of those medications on patients. They provide information on which kinds of drugs to avoid in certain health conditions and what style of health life to maintain while taken certain medications.
There are two major types of pharmacy degrees: the undergraduate degree and the post graduate degree.
The most common of all types of pharmacy degrees at the undergraduate level is the Pharm. D degrees which is available in several institutions in the US and most other countries.
Before enrolling in this types of degree, you may be required to complete a bachelor’s or associate degree in science (chemistry or biology). Some other institutions will require students to complete specified professional study for a period of two years. This coursework will include natural sciences and mathematics.
After the completion of any of the types of pharmacy degrees, graduates are also required to pass licensure standards before they are allowed to practice their profession.
Graduates have several options for practicing their professions. They can work in hospitals, regulatory agencies, psychiatric hospitals, extended care facilities, clinics, or community pharmacies. There are equality specializations for the different types of pharmacy degrees. Pharmacists can choose to specialize in different areas such as pediatrics, critical care, drug information, nutrition support, ambulatory care, infectious diseases, and oncology/hematology.
There are postgraduate degrees in pharmacy but a PhD is the most advanced of all types of pharmacy degrees leading to professorship. It usually takes between 5 to 8 years to complete which requires coursework, extensive research, and exams. If you want to specialize in teaching pharmacy related courses in a university, you will probably fare better if you enroll for a PhD. You may equally need a PhD to be highly placed as a researcher and developer in pharmaceutical companies and top government labs.
