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Pharmacy Degree Overview

Many colleges and universities today offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in both pharmacy and in nursing. Students interested in pharmacy can start at the associates level and work all the way to a doctoral degree. The programs will provide students with professional knowledge and skills to perform at a high level of competence in providing pharmaceutical care and drug therapy in community and institutional settings. The curriculum typically includes courses in biomedical sciences, pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry and clinical administrative pharmacy sciences.

The pharmaceutical industry continues to employ a large number of pharmacy school graduates offering a high earning potential beginning at the entry level. You can earn this degree by completing a number of the required courses in an online format. However, it is important to know that some of your course offerings, particularly the labs, will require campus-based attendance. This ensures that students are performing the necessary clinical tasks and have a hands-on feel for the industry. Once a student has the proper education, a student can expect to find employment with hospitals or retail drug stores.

Career in Pharmacy

Pharmacy graduates may choose from a number of practice and research options where they can establish a career. Among these is site-based practice such as: 1) ambulatory care, including chain community or independent community practice, primary care, or home care, and 2) institutional care, including hospital, hospice, and nursing home care. Career opportunities also exist in specialty practice areas such as oncology pharmacy practice, nuclear pharmacy practice, psychiatric pharmacy practice, nutrition support pharmacy, and pharmacotherapy.

A boom in both the pharmaceutical research and development fields complements the rapid change in the pharmacy field.
Pursing a pharmacy degree will provide a dynamic, challenging and comprehensive curriculum, focused on the future that will serve as the foundation for life-long learning and practice. Graduates will be able to provide quality patient care in a wide range of health care systems or in the research and development field, and will be potential leaders in the profession.

Work Environment

One of the chief strengths for working in the pharmacy industry is the ability to work in several types of work environments. One of the most popular is in the community setting where you serve patients and the community by providing information and advice on health, providing medications and associated services, and by referring patients to other sources of help and care, such as physicians, when necessary. If a community setting is not desired, you can consider hospitals or other institutional settings. As society's health care needs have changed and expanded, there has been an increased emphasis on provision of care through organized health care settings. Another alternative is managed care pharmacy. Managed care is a system designed to optimize patient care and outcomes and foster quality through greater coordination of medical services. The diversity in the pharmacy industry is endless, but it all starts with your desire to go after it.