PHARMACYPrescription for a Rewarding Career©

www.aacp.org/pharmacycareers

www.pharmcas.org

Why Pharmacy?• A well-rounded career• A vital part of the health care

team• Outstanding career opportunities• Excellent earning potential• A trusted profession

Goals of Pharmaceutical Care

• Cure disease • Eliminate or reduce symptoms • Stop or slow a disease • Prevent disease• Change physiological processes to

improve the health of a patient with minimal risk

What Do Pharmacists Do?• Educate patients about prescription

and over-the-counter medications• Educate and advise other health care

professionals on drug decisions for patients

• Provide expertise about the composition of drugs, including chemical, biological and physical properties, as well as on use

• Ensure drug purity and strength• Ensure drugs do not interact in a

harmful way

PHARMACISTS are

Drug Information Experts

No one knows more about medications than

pharmacists

Pharmacy Career Options· Academic Pharmacy· Community Pharmacy· Government Agencies· Hospice & Home Care· Hospital &

Institutional Practice· Independent

Ownership· Long-term Care· Consulting Pharmacy· Managed Care

Pharmacy· Medical & Scientific

Publishing

· Pharmaceutical Industry

· Trade & Professional Associations

· Uniformed (Public Health) Service

Shortage of Pharmacists• Nationwide shortage of

pharmacists throughout U.S. various industries*

• Shortage expected to last into the foreseeable future

• Why?– Increase in number of new

prescription medicines– Growing elderly population– Greater demand for patient

care– Growth in community

pharmacy * According to the results of the National Pharmacist Workforce Survey (2006) and the HRSA BHPR National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (2000).

• Nationwide Shortage = Increased Demand

– * ECONOMIC IMPACT *

• Student pharmacists can expect job offers at graduation

• Salaried pharmacists in 2010 = $101,000 - $140,000 *According to DrugTopics.com

• Hourly pharmacists in 2010 = $107,000 - $127,000 *According to DrugTopics.com

• Regional mobility - Demand for pharmacists is widespread in U.S.

• Opportunities to work in wide variety of health care and industry settings

Job Outlook

DO YOU LIKE...• Chemistry, Biology, and Math?• To Help People?• To Solve Problems and Puzzles?

ARE YOU...• Dependable? Organized?• Detail-Oriented?• Able to Communicate Well with

Others?If you answered YES, you may want to consider pharmacy as a career!If you answered YES, you may want to consider pharmacy as a career!

Should YOU Be a Pharmacist?

Pharmacy Educationand

Admission Requirements

The PharmD Degree

2 years (min.) 3 years 1 year

Behavioral, Social, Admin & Clinical Sciences/

Apply & build on knowledge

Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences/Didactic

Pre-

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Dependent/directed learner Independent/self-directed lifelong learner

Knowledge + + + + + + + + Skills + + + + + + + Attitudes/Behavior

Programs with Accreditation Status (n = 124)

• Full Accreditation Status: 99– Programs that have graduated students

• Candidate Accreditation Status: 16– Programs with students enrolled but have not yet produced graduates or

have graduates and have not addressed all the accreditation standards

• Pre-Candidate Accreditation Status: 9– Programs that have not yet enrolled students or are in their first year of

classes

Accredited PharmD Programs*

* Inclusive of January 2011 Board Actions

Pharmacy School Graduation Trends

Source: AACP Fall 2010 Data and ACPE February 2011 Estimates

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

6,956

11,487

13,822

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Common College Course Prerequisites

• General Chemistry I & II• Organic Chemistry I & II• General Biology I & II• Physics• Microbiology• Calculus• Anatomy and Physiology• English I & II• Public Speaking

* These college courses are not required by all pharmacy degree programs and do not represent all of the course requirements for any pharmacy school. Admission prerequisites vary significantly by pharmacy institution.

* These college courses are not required by all pharmacy degree programs and do not represent all of the course requirements for any pharmacy school. Admission prerequisites vary significantly by pharmacy institution.

Pharmacy School Admission Requirements

The classes required for admission to a

pharmacy program vary

Contact AACP or schools for details

Three-fourths of all pharmacy admission offices require the

Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)

www.pcatweb.info

Profile of 2010 Entering Class*• GPAs

Science 3.29 Non-Science 3.59 Math 3.37 Cumulative 3.41

• 55.25 percentile = Composite PCAT • 59.5% = Female / 38.25% = Male / 2.25% declined

to state• 14.8% = Underrepresented Minorities (↑6.6%)• 89.4% = U.S. Citizens • 8.1 applications per seat

* Data for 86 PharmCAS Institutions Only. Data represents average for accepted PharmCAS applicants.

• 100+ Participating PharmCAS Schools

• Allows an applicants to use one application and one set of materials to apply to multiple Pharm.D. degree programs.

www.pharmcas.orgwww.pharmcas.org

Re-Applicants

• Submitted and paid to roll-over from 2009-2010

• Carry over: Applicant Information, Academic History, Additional Information, Transcripts, PCAT scores

• Will NOT carry over: Personal Essay, Payment, Letters of Recommendation, Designations

• Will be assigned new 2010-2011 ID

PharmCAS Application Fee

• $150 to apply to one (1) school• $50 fee for each additional• Payment options

– Credit Card Preferred: Visa / MasterCard / Discover

– Money Order• No refunds for withdrawn applications or

missed deadlines

Send to PharmCASSend to PharmCAS

PharmCAS Application Deadlines

November 1, 2011

December 1, 2011

January 5, 2012

February 1, 2012

March 1, 2012 • You cannot e-submit application after the deadline passes • Allow up to 4-5 weeks for PharmCAS processing

Date Applications

Must Be Received

Date Applications

Must Be Received

Early Decision• Early Decision Deadline: September 2• Applicant may apply to only one (1) ED

school• Denied ED applicant may apply to more

schools • Accepted ED applicant cannot apply to

other PharmCAS schools• October 21 – School decisions due to

PharmCAS

LOR Process

• Up to 4 references allowed• If evaluators choose paper (not

recommended) then student must print form from application to give to evaluator– This is the process for letter services

• eLOR preferred

eLOR Process• Students should alert evaluators to watch for

an automated email from PharmCAS with the subject “Student Reference PharmCAS: Student Name”

• Email will contain login instructions for evaluator

• Evaluator asked to fill out a rubric on the student and can upload documents to system– .txt– .rft– .pdf– .doc

eLOR Process

• Student receives copy of message sent to evaluator

• Student sees when evaluation received in applicant portal

• Student can edit evaluators until reference submission then no changes

• Committee letters count as 1• Schools enforce deadlines

What to Include• What are the applicant's primary

strengths and weaknesses?• How might these affect the

applicant's performance in a Pharm.D. degree program and future career in pharmacy?

• Any pieces of the rubric you feel need elaborating

Applicant Code of Conduct• Code provides an explicit statement of

applicant responsibilities and expected standards of performance and behavior

• Drawn from the ethical principles of the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists

• Misconduct in any of the principles defined in the code will not be tolerated

• Any applicant found to have violated the principles of conduct risks losing the privilege of applying to or entering the pharmacy profession

Centralized Criminal Background Check Program

• Check initiated after offer of admission by participating school

• Cost most likely included in PharmCAS fee• CBC searches:

– Search by Social Security number – Determination of areas of prior residence – Search, based on areas of prior residence, at the local

(county) level, as well as searches at the state, national, and federal levels

– Sex offender search – Search for dishonorable discharge from the Armed

Forces – Search of the OIG Exclusions List– SanctionsBase, a database of disciplinary actions taken

by regulatory and accrediting healthcare agencies, including Boards of Pharmacy

Drug Screenings & Plagiarism

• Centralized Drug Screenings for students offered admission – Random 10 panel drug screening

• Plagiarism software included in PharmCAS for personal essays

9:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.

Mon-Fri

617-612-2050

info@pharmcas.org

www.pharmcas.org

FAQ

Online Status

PharmCASCustomer Support

Don’t Delay…Find Out More Today!

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy1727 King Street

Alexandria, Virginia 22314703/739-2330, x1024

JAthay@aacp.org

www.aacp.org/pharmacycareers