A Comprehensive Guide to Your Future Career as a Pharmacist

Choosing a PharmD Program

A Doctorate of Pharmacy degree is highly versatile.  After completing a PharmD program, your doctorate of pharmacy degree can open many traditional and non-traditional doors.  

Unlike many other advanced medical degrees, the advantage of the pharmacy degree over many other advanced health science degrees is that it can lead to career fluidity.  

Consider an endocrinologist, a medical doctor specializing in diagnosing and treating health conditions related to body hormone problems. This endocrinologist may have dedicated thirteen years of their life to training, starting from 4 years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, three years of medical residency, and two years of fellowship.  In contrast, a pharmacist can specialize in endocrinology in as little as half the time after 6-8 years of education and 1-2 years of pharmacy residency, offering a more efficient path to a rewarding career.  

The pharmacist can then leverage that clinical experience to pivot to a completely different disease state, such as rheumatology (a field dedicated to managing diseases affecting inflammation of the bones, muscles, joints, and other internal organs). This fluidity reduces burnout, which is unfortunately all too common in the medical community today.  

If you are considering the pharmacy school decision, we suggest beginning with these articles:

• Deciphering Pharmacy School Rankings to Find Value

• How to Evaluate and Find the Best Accredited Pharmacy School For You

• The Rise of Remote Pharmacy Schools - What to Consider in an Online PharmD

• Understanding Accelerated PharmD Programs

Applying to Pharmacy School

Even though pharmacy school has gotten easier to get into in the last several years, choosing a program that matches your specific goals and needs has never been more critical.  Programs vary significantly in requirements and focus.  Some programs highly encourage you to pursue residency, some encourage you to pursue industry, and some prepare you for a career as a retail pharmacist. 

It’s imperative that your career goals align with the program’s focus. We will help you understand the variability in the program requirements and best position you for success in your future career.

To get you started, we suggest beginning with these articles:

• An Introduction to the PCAT

• Tips for Getting Into Pharmacy School

• Understanding How Much Pharmacy School Will Cost You

• Common Interview Questions for Pharmacy School

• How to Navigate the Complicated Terrain of Pharmacy School Loans

• An Introduction to Scholarships for PharmD Students

Pharmacy Career Exploration

A pharmacy program prepares you for success in a variety of workplaces. Choosing a particular program may prepare you for one setting over another. The pharmacy field is quickly growing, with career opportunities and specializations more abundant than ever.  You may want to pursue a traditional pharmacist role as a retail pharmacist in a chain retail pharmacy, or you may want to pursue developing a novel gene therapy to cure a previously fatal disease.  The possibilities are truly limitless.  It has never been a more exciting time to pursue a career in pharmacy.   

Personalized medicine has expanded far beyond cancer treatments. Gene therapy is opening up the possibility of curing—rather than treating—many conditions, syndromes, and diseases.  The pharmacist is often the most accessible healthcare team member to the general public, and the pharmacist usually has the greatest opportunity to promote a healthy lifestyle and enhance patient care. Pursuing a career in the field can make a difference in the lives of others.

As you consider the pharmacy career path, we suggest beginning with these articles:

• What a Pharmacist Does and What You Can Expect in the Profession

• An Honest Breakdown of How Long It Takes to Become a Pharmacist

• What You Can Do with Your PharmD Degree After Graduation

• An Introduction to Pharmacy Residency Programs

• How Much You Can Expect to Earn as a Pharmacist in the U.S.

• Frequently Asked Questions About Remote Pharmacist Jobs

• The Most Common (and a Few Rare) Pharmacist Interview Questions

• Bridging the Gap Between Education and Practice with Pharmacy Internships

• Alternative Career Paths for Pharmacists and PharmD Graduates

Are you interested in a particular pharmacist role? Jump to these articles:

• Hospital Pharmacist

• Community Pharmacist

• Clinical Pharmacist

• Psychiatric Pharmacist

• Oncology Pharmacist

• Ambulatory Care Pharmacist

• Pediatric Pharmacist

• Board Certified Pharmacist

• Geriatric Pharmacist

• Research Pharmacist

The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) is the final step for you to begin practicing as a pharmacist in the United States. Administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the NAPLEX assesses your knowledge and skills in pharmacy practice. The exam focuses on ensuring you can perform tasks essential to the pharmacy profession, such as verifying prescriptions, managing medication therapies, and providing patient care.

Upon earning your PharmD degree from an accredited pharmacy school, following graduation, you must apply to take the NAPLEX through the NABP, which includes registering and paying the exam fee. In addition to passing the NAPLEX, most states will require you to pass a pharmacy law exam, the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE), and complete a defined number of clinical hours.

Once you meet these requirements, you can apply for licensure through your state board of pharmacy, officially becoming licensed pharmacists ready to embark on your professional careers.

If you have or are preparing to graduate from your PharmD program, we encourage you to review our articles on the NAPLEX.

• An Introduction to the NAPLEX Exam

• Understanding the NAPLEX Pass Rates

• Tips from Licensed Pharmacists on How to Study for the NAPLEX