Post-B.S. Pharmacy Programs
Pharm.D. Degree Programs for Practitioners
Pharmacists who previously earned a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in pharmacy can choose to pursue a Pharm.D. degree.
The future of pharmacists' success lies in their abilities to manage their patients' drug therapies. They must have the knowledge and skills to do so. Colleges and schools of pharmacy have developed programs to assist practitioners in acquiring these skills. These educational offerings are similar to those offered to full-time student pharmacists: they are rigorous, educationally sound, based on achieving predefined practice competencies, and associated with assessments of learning. Because these programs are offered to practitioner students outside the traditional pharmaceutical education locale, they are called non-traditional educational programs. Generally, these programs provide education through distance learning techniques, such as videotaped lectures, interactive computer or satellite television.
AACP and pharmacy school faculty are exploring ways to make non-traditional education even more non-traditional. For example, educational experiences in which practitioners learn in their own practices, from their own patients are being used by several schools. Other schools are trying computerized, educational linkages between practitioner students and pharmacy school faculty.
To learn more, the Post-BS Pharm.D. Programs page provides information on colleges and schools of pharmacy currently offering non-traditional Pharm.D. programs. Contact schools directly for more information on these post-B.S. pharmacy programs.