In addition to obtaining the PharmD degree the pharmacist will need to pass two tests that are administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. An applicant will also be required to complete a certain number of clinical hours before being eligible to receive their certification. Students will need to find pharmacist degree programs that provide clinical hours in settings such as community pharmacies, hospitals and other types of medical facilities so they’ll be more informed about potential employment opportunities upon graduation.

Degree Program Options for Pharmacology and Residencies

The bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences is an undergraduate program that is interdisciplinary in natures which includes courses in medicine, chemistry, pharmaceuticals and pharmacology.  Students will work in a classroom setting as well as the schools labs and will also be participating in internships with research labs or pharmaceutical companies. To qualify for the bachelor’s program the student will need to have their high school diploma, high SAT scores, and passing admission scores.

Coursework for this undergraduate program will include extensive studies of basic science, general chemistry, microbiology, organic chemistry, pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry and biochemistry.

After completion of the bachelor’s degree program, students that are interested in becoming a pharmacist will need to enroll in the four year doctor of pharmacy program after they have obtained a minimum of two years in an undergraduate degree program.

Some of the foundational courses in pharmacology practices will include medical dosages, pharmacotherapy, health management, dosage forms and pharmacology law. The clinical experience program is a major part of the pharmacology student’s education. During the first two years of school a student will take the course introductory pharmacology practice experiences, where a student will develop the essential skills needed for consulting patients, performing screenings and administering immunizations. During the last two years of the program the student will take the advanced pharmacology experiences course, which places the student in different types of patient care settings under the supervision of the lead pharmacist. These clinical experiences will allow students to work in different areas of the pharmacy which can include in-patient, electives and ambulatory operations.

Working Residencies after a Program

Pharmacists that are interested in working in different types of clinical settings will need to consider completing a fellowship or residency program prior to applying for a clinical position. The fellowships and residencies are programs that will train a pharmacist for work in a specialty field or for administrative work. Specialties in pharmacology will include informatics, community care, nuclear pharmacology and medical drug interaction research. These programs can last one to two years and will include research on drug therapy or other pharmacology related topics.

How to Find the Right Pharmacy Program Based on Specialty

The education program for the pharmacist will consist of four years after the student has completed a two year undergraduate studies program. After graduating from the program, the student will be required to take the pharmacist certification exam in order for the pharmacist to legally find employment in this field.

In pharmacology school many students will choose to have a specialty in a subdivision of pharmacology, such as healthcare administration, pharmaceutical administration, pharmaceutics or medicinal chemistry. Not every school will include all specializations so the student will need to ensure the school of their choice will include programs in their career path of interest.

An in-depth look at Pharmacology Programs: Courses and Internships

During the four year pharmacology program the student will be participating in several residencies during their final year of education.  This can require the student to travel in order to find a suitable place to work their residency. A student who does not wish to commute will need to find a school that has affiliations with local private or public hospitals, medical centers or retail pharmacies. The type of residency the student will participate in will also depend on their area of specialty and can include working in cardiology departments and infectious disease and critical care units.

The programs pharmacology courses will examine the effects prescribed medications will have on different systems in the body. A student will learn about the effects on the endocrine, central nervous and cardiovascular systems in addition to how medications are used to treat diseases such as cancer.

The pharmacist ethics course will teach students about ethics and laws that govern the profession. Students can expect to learn about the different drug agencies such as the drug enforcement administration, the federal drug administration and state pharmacy boards. Students will also learn how they can comply with the standards that are set forth by these different agencies.

The pharmacist and healthcare course will allow students to explore the roles of pharmacists in the health care industry. The class will also cover the relationships between patients and the pharmacist as they relate to insurance

During the pharmacist internship course students will be allowed to gain hands on experience through summer internships, or full year internships, depending on each individual school.

The biological statistics course teaches students the difference between dangerous and effective doses of medication and how to understand statistics and their relation to medications.  The course will also cover mathematical computations that are needed in order to serve patients appropriately and advanced techniques used such as hypothesis testing, regression testing and variance analysis.