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Pharmacy

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Position Description

Pharmacists are licensed health care professionals and provide information regarding medication to consumers and other health care professionals (www.aacp.org/). They are "medication experts" whose primary concern is the health and wellness of their patients.

Pharmacists monitor patients' response to medication, advise physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals on drug decisions, provide expertise about the composition of drugs, ensure the purity and strength of medications, and prevent harmful drug interactions.

According to a 2003 survey by Drug Topics magazine, the median annual earning of pharmacists (including overtime and bonuses) in 2002 was $82,607.

60% of Pharmacists work in retail pharmacies. Other areas include academic pharmacy, hospital and institutional settings, managed care pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and health care distributors, federal and state agencies, and the armed forces.

Education and Training

The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program requires a minimum of two (2) academic years of pre-pharmacy coursework followed by four (4) academic years of professional education. However, the “2-4” model is not the norm. Completing all necessary prerequisites and preparing properly for the PCAT exam generally requires three (3) or more years of undergraduate coursework. Individual schools have specific requirements for pre-professional study.

Application Timeline

  • Because students can begin Pharmacy school after a minimum of 60 hours at UIUC, the application timeline will vary. Students should apply to pharmacy school when they feel they are most prepared and will be most competitive as an applicant. The counselors at The Career Center can provide students with helpful information and advice regarding the application process.
  • Applicants can apply as early as the summer one year prior to when they plan to enter a program (i.e 12-14 months in advance), and must take the PCAT no later than October of the year prior to entry. Deadlines vary by school, with some as early as November.
  • Students who are considering a career in pharmacy should meet with their academic advisor and with a counselor at The Career Center to discuss the application timeline and requirements for admission, including extracurricular involvement, work/volunteer experience, GPA, and pre-pharmacy coursework.
Pharmacy College Application Service
  • Students can apply to several schools through PharmCAS, a new centralized application service. Currently, 50 of the 92 Colleges of Pharmacy participate in PharmCAS. Two of the three Illinois schools (UIC and Midwestern) participate.
  • Students will complete a web-based application including biographical information, schools attended, academic coursework, work/volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and a personal statement.
  • The fee for the PharmCAS information will be based on the number of schools to which the applicant applies.
  • For non-PharmCAS schools, students will need to contact the program directly for application information.
  • More information about PharmCAS is available at www.pharmcas.org including the prerequisites, application statistics, required application materials, and deadlines for all PharmCAS participating schools, and links to the websites for all non-participating programs.
 
 

Admissions Criteria

  • Admissions Test: PCAT (Apply online at www.pcatweb.info)
    • Required for MOST schools.
    • Five sections: Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, Biology, Chemistry, and Reading Comprehension.
    • Offered 3 times a year in June, October, and January.
  • Pre-Pharmacy Coursework: Generally 60+ hours of pre-pharmacy and general education coursework is required, 55% of first-year students have 3 or more years of college and 30% have a B.S. degree (AACP).
  • Prerequisite Coursework: Grades of C or better are required in all prerequisite courses.
  • Clinical Experience: Students should demonstrate experience in working with people through work, volunteer, extracurricular, and leadership activities. Experience working with patients in a health-related setting (hospital, pharmacy, nursing home, etc.) is extremely helpful.
  • GPA: minimum 2.5 for most schools. Averages for accepted students currently around 3.4-3.5.
  • Letters of Evaluation: Most programs require 2-3 Letters of Evaluation. At least one should be an academic performance letter, and one should be from a supervisor in a work/volunteer setting. Each program will provide forms for letters of evaluation. Do not use LEO for Pharmacy Programs!!
  • Interview: Most programs will invite qualified applicants for an on campus interview or visit.
  • Refer to the 2005-06 Pharmacy School Admissions Requirements, available in hard copy at The Career Center Library or online at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website in the "Students and Applicants" section

Prerequisite Coursework

Note: Students should contact individual schools for prerequisite information. These are suggested courses based on what some schools require and/or suggest.
  • 8 hours Biology with lab
  • 8 hours Chemistry with lab
  • 8 hours Organic Chemistry with lab
  • 8 hours Physics
  • 8 hours English (including rhetoric and speech)
  • 3-6 hours Calculus (integral and differential)
  • 4 hours Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Microbiology
  • Economics
  • 3+ hours Social Science
  • 3+ hours Humanities
Prerequisite Coursework Guides
The following schools provide Coursework Guides for UIUC students:
 

Professional Associations/Resources

Programs in Illinois

For more information about the profession of Pharmacy and how to prepare for a career in Pharmacy, visit the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

For more information about the application process to Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy, visit the Pharmacy College Application Services (PharmCAS).

We are a department in the Division of Student Affairs on campus. We are one of over twenty Career Services offices on campus.