Education and credentialing

See also: Bachelor of Pharmacy, Master of Pharmacy, and Doctor of Pharmacy

The role of pharmacy education, pharmacist licensing, and continuing education vary from country to country and between regions/localities within countries. In most countries, pharmacists must obtain a university degree at a pharmacy school or related institution, and/or satisfy other national/local credentialing requirements. In many contexts, students are required to first complete pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by about four years of professional academic studies in order to obtain a degree in pharmacy (e.g. PharmD). Pharmacists are educated in pharmacology, pharmacognosy, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, microbiology, pharmacy practice (including drug interactions, medicine monitoring, medication management), pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, physiology, anatomy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug delivery, pharmaceutical care, nephrology, hepatology, and compounding of medications. Additional curriculum may cover diagnosis with emphasis on laboratory tests, disease state management, therapeutics and prescribing (selecting the most appropriate medication for a given patient).

Upon graduation, pharmacists are licensed either nationally or by region to dispense medication of various types in the settings for which they have been trained. Some may undergo further specialized training, such as in cardiology or oncology.

Practice specialization

Specialties include:

Academic Pharmacist Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Community Pharmacist Compounding Pharmacist Consultant Pharmacist Drug Information Pharmacist Home Health Pharmacist

Hospital Pharmacist Industrial Pharmacist Informatics Pharmacist Locum Pharmacist Managed Care Pharmacist Military Pharmacist Nuclear Pharmacist

Oncology Pharmacist Pharmacist prescriber Regulatory-Affairs Pharmacist Veterinary Pharmacist Pharmacist Clinical Pathologist Pharmacist Clinical Toxicologist

Training and practice by country

See also: Doctor of Pharmacy

Australia

See also: Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council

The Australian Pharmacy Council is the independent accreditation agency for Australian pharmacists.^[8] It conducts examinations on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia towards eligibility for registration. The Australian College of Pharmacy provides continuing education programs for pharmacists.

Wages for pharmacists in Australia appear to have stagnated.^{[citation needed]} The award wages for a pharmacist is $812 a week.^[9] Pharmacist graduates are the lowest paid university graduates most years. Most pharmacists do earn above the award wage; the average male pharmacist earns $65,000, a female pharmacist averages $56,500.^{[citation needed]} Over recent years, wages have stagnated, and even gone backwards. There are more graduates expected in the next few years making it even harder to get a job. Job security and increase in wages with regards to CPI could be unlikely.^{[citation needed]} This is due to the large numbers of pharmacy graduates in recent years, and government desire to lower PBS costs. Contract and casual work is becoming more common. A contract pharmacist is self-employed and often called a locum; these pharmacists may be hired for one shift or for a longer period of time. There are accounts of underemployment and unemployment emerging recently.^{[citation needed]}

Canada

The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the national professional organization for pharmacists in Canada.^[5] Specific requirements for practice vary across provinces, but generally include a Bachelor's of Science in Pharmacy from a recognized university, successful completion of a national board examination through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, and practical experience through an apprenticeship/internship program.

The vast majority (80%) of Canada’s licensed pharmacists work in community pharmacies, another 15 percent in hospital or institutional pharmacies, and the remainder work in situations that may not legally require licensed pharmacists such as associations, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms.^[1] The wages for pharmacists, at about CAD $95,000, have been said to be slightly better than Australia but not as good as in the USA.^{[citation needed]} This likely depends on what parts of Canada and or the USA are compared. Wages being significantly higher in Canada than the prospect for most developing countries, recruitment of pharmacists from South Africa and other countries with acute health workforce shortages to work in private franchise chains is subject to controversy.^[10]

British Columbia

A Pharmacist must be registered with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia in order to practice in this province. A Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences is the minimum requirement to practice as a pharmacist in BC. The University of British Columbia is the only institution in the province that trains pharmacists.

BC Professional association/college

• College of Pharmacists of British Columbia

• British Columbia Pharmacy Association