,..

PHARMACY

Phamlacists arc a vital part of a complctc hcalth earc systcm. Thc incrcasing numbcrs ofmiddle-aged and elderly people. who usc more prescription drugs than younger people.will continue to spur demand for pharmacists in all cmployment settings and thepharmacist workforce will continue to sec stability and expansion. In addition. newdevelopments in genome research and medication distribution systems will increase thenumberS of drug products available. As a result. thc evcr increasingly sophisticatedhealth care consumer wi II attempt to seck out more and more resources for druginlormation. to determine the best prescription drug coverage plans lor them, andinvestigate the new Medicare dnlg coverage program. All of this will contribute to thegrowth and stability within the phamlaey profession.

Pharmacy Colleges

There arc 104 Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the U.S. The American Associationof Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) website, W\\"W.aacp.org . lists l) I Schools of Pharmacythat arc AACP Regular Institutional Members,S Associate Institutional Members. and XAffiliate Institutional Mcmbers. U.S. collegcs of phannacy arc accredited by theAmerican Council on Phannaceutical Education (ACPE), wIVw.acpe.orl! . The AmericanPharmaceutical Association (APhA), wIVIV.aphanet.org . and the American Society ofHealth-System Pharmacists (ASHP). wWIV.ashp.orl! . arc two of several nationalprofessional societies of pharmacists.

The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree is generally obtained aner completing a fouryear professional pharmacy program. Thcre arc six eollcges of pharmacy located withinTexas: Texas A & M University-Kingsville, Texas Southern University in Houston,Texas Tech at Amarillo. University of Houston. University of Incarnate Word in SanAntonio, and University of Texas at Austin.

A student is usually in a pre-phamlaey or pre-hcalth program prior to applying topharmacy school and should be advised that a strong background in sciencc andmathematics is essential. However. a student can be any major as long as all pre-pharmacy requircmcnts arc met. Most students take an average of 2112-3 ycars tocomplete the course requirements lor pharmacy college. A prior degree is not required ..Ihough the applicant pools reveal that over half of the applicants have a degree in somefield of study.

The PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) is required by all Texas pharmacyschools. In 2005. the PCA T lormat changed. In addition to the chemistry. biology.quantitative analysis. verbal ability and reading comprehension areas. a writingcomponent has been added. The student should be advised to take the PCAT the summeror fall prior to the year they plan to apply.

IIllliB CIREERSIPIlARM,ICI'

All Texas colleges admit students only in the f,,11 semester and arc not a part ofPharmCAS, a centralized application service. The student desiring to apply to other statesshould visit the website, \\'w\\'.phanneas.org , and determine which colleges require thecentralized process.

What does a strong applicant look like'?

The successful applicant has a strong GPA of 3.4 or above. has scientific aptitude and hasexhibited a strong bent toward helping others. Scores of 70% in all sections of the PCATarc considered competitive scores !<)f most colleges. A student may take the PCA T exammore than oncc,

Pharnlaey experience is helpfill and encouraged. The community service and pharmacyexperience should be evident in the interview process revealing the student's passion andsensitivity toward others and the profession. The pharmacy technician certification is nota requirement for admission.

Essential traits and skills that must be observed include a conscientious mindset, strongverbal and written communication skills, an ability to pay attention to detail and sounddecision making ability.

What ahout licensure after ~raduation'?

The graduating Phann.D. student must pass a state licensing examination in order toengage in professional practice. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination(NAPLEX) is required in all U.S. jurisdictions. The NAPLEX. which is developed by theNational Association of Boards of Pharnmey (NABP), is a computer-adaptive test thatassesses the candidate's ability to apply knowledge gained in pharmacy school to practicesituations. Most states require a drug law examination as a condition of licensure. TheMultistate Pharmacy Jurispmdenee Examination (MPJE) is tailored to assess thepharmacy jurispmdenee of individual states.

What is the future outlook of the profession'?

The future outlook of the profession of pharmacy is strong. In 2004. the U.S. Departmentof Labor reported that pharmacists held about 230.000 jobs, with approximately 61 'x.working in the community sector and approximately 24'Yc, working in the hospital setting.The work environment for pharmacy continues to transform with the increasing needswithin health care. Phannaey settings arc diverse: chain stores, independent, consulting,government agencies such as National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dmg EnforcementAgency (DEA), Food and Dmg Administration (FDA), academia. industry, hospitals,nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, home care settings, research centers, poisoncontrol centers. mail order, drug wholesalers, and pharmacy governing bodies.

One national compensation survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consultingreported the average salary of a stafT pharnmeist at 592,000.

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What does a pharmacist do?

Phamlaeists arc responsible for all facets of patient care. One might find a pham13eist:• Verifying orders for accuracy and protocol compliance• Counseling patients on anticipated side cfTeets• Performing supportive care consults• Reviewing all new investigational protocols• Ensuring appropriate pharmaceutical preparation and administration fiJr

medications• Working elosely with physicians, fellows, nurses, and various medical personnel• Scrccning for dmg alternativc thcrapy intcraetions with chcmothcrapy and

investigational regimens• Recommending spccific mcdieations for paticnts• Providing wellncss and prcvcntivc screcnings, such as blood prcssurc, diabctcs,

and ostcoporosis• Analyzing trcnds and patterns in mcdication usc in managcd care organizations• Analyzing the cost and bcncfit of ditlercnt dmg thcrapics• Dcveloping and practicing rcscareh and discasc managcmcnt• Markcting for pharmaccutical manutacturing Iinns• Exploring ncw arcas of pharmacy informatics, biogcneries, and biomcdieal

tcchnologics to improvc paticnt carc and outcomes

02/08 CAREERSIPHARM,lCY J

Summary Information and Pre-I'rofessional Requirements'

Texas Colleges of TSU TT UH UlW UT A&MPharmacyApplication Deadline Feb.15 March I Feb.15 March 1 Feb. 15PCAT Required Required- Required Required Required RequiredRccommendations 3 3 2 2 3Communitv Service Yes Ycs Yes'Course WorkBiologv 10 8 8 8 6 8Vertebrate/Comp. Anal. 4 0 0" 8' 0 0Microbiologv witb lab 0 4 4 4 4 4Genetics 0 0 0 0 3 0General Chem.w/lab 8 8 8 8 8 8Orl.'anic Chem. w/lab 8 8-10 8-10 8 8 8Freshman Elll'lish 6 6 6 6 3 6Enl.'lish Literature 3 3 0 3 3 3Calculus I J 3-5 3 3 3 3Statistics 3 3 3 3 3 3Colleee Algebra 3 0 0 0 0 0Pre-Calculus 3 0 0 3 0 0Phvsics w/ lab 4 4 3(no lall) 4 4 4Economics 0 3 0 0 0 3U.S. Historv 6 0 6 3 6 0U.S/Texas Government 6 0 6 0 6 6Speech/Public Sneakin!' 3 3 3 0 0 3Fine Arts/Uumanities 3 7" 6' 3 3 6Sucial/Behavioral Sci. 3 8' 6 3 3 9h,9Ph\'sical Education 0 0 0 I 0 0

I The pre-professional student Illay have additional prerequisites to complete before cnrolling in 11pharmacy program. Students arc advised (0 stay abreast of changes or additional n..'lluirCIllCl1ts which can befound on Ihe phaml<lcy college wcbsitcs. As admission is highly competitive. students arc advised to applyto morc than one college. The SluliCI1Ican tint! course equivalency infonllation and .ldJitional informationat each college website.~ Janu<lry PCA T acceptable for regular admissions March I deadline.1 XO hours ofpharm3cy shadowing experience is required for entry inlO the professional program.4 Anatomy and Physiology is strongly rccommcnded but not required.~ Human AnalOmy and Physiology with labs is 3cccpted for credit.I> A combined ({ltal of 15 hours social scil'nces and humanities is required.7 Check website w\\w.uh.cduhh:adcmic .•,l'OrCClllTlOlllllll for applicable courses." A combined total of 15 hours fine arts. humanities. and socialJbchavioral science dectivcs is rcquircd.<J Check website h(lnJ'phanna(;y.l:.tlllh~c.cdu for applicable courses.

112/IIS CIREERS/PIfARMACY

for rurther inrormation on pharmacy programs in Texas contact:

Irma Lerma Rangel College or PharmacyTexas A&M Health Science CenterMSC 1311010 West Avenue BKingsville, TX 78363-8202361-593-4271pa1!onzaIcz(ii pha rmacy. ta mhsc. cuuhtIII:!!pharmacy .Iamhsc .celu

College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesTexas Southern University3 100 Cleburne StreetHouston, Texas 77004713-313-4345W\\'w. tSlI.cdul pharmacy

Texas Tech University Health Scicnces CenterSehoolofPhannaey1300 S. Coulter StAmarillo, TX 79106806-354-5463www.pharamcy.ama.ttuhsc.cdu

University of HoustonCollege of Pharmacy141 Science & Research 11Bldg4800 CalhounHouston, Texas 77204713-743-1300www.uh.edu!pharmacy!indcx2.html

University of the Incarnate WordFeik School of PharmacyOffice of Student Atfairs430 I Broadway, CPO #99San Antonio, TX 78209210.805-3024rxaumissiolls(,{ uiwtx.tdu\vwW.lI i\\'.cdu/p hannal..:Y

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College of PharmacyThe University of Texas at AustinI University Station, A 1900Austin, Texas 7S712-0120512-471-1737pharma..:y(iJ" ww\\, .1Itc:xas.cuu\\'W W.lI t c.'\as. cd u/pha fmac y

Professional Associations

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacyw\\'w.aacr.org

American Society of Hcaltheare - System Pharmacistsw\vw.ashp.llrg

National Association of Chain Drug Storeswww.nacus.org

Revised 02/08 by:Barbara TatumUniversity of HoustonCollege of Pharmacy

02108CAREERSIP/lAR,\JACI' 6