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| Pharmacy is a field with a high demand and excellent placement and salaries. The number of prescriptions dispensed is increasing rapidly while many of the pharmacists of the baby boomer generation are nearing retirement, so the outlook for employment is unusually good in this field. Median salaries are between $65,000 to $75,000. Around 75% of pharmacists work in retail, but pharmacists may also be employed by hospitals, care centers, pharmaceutical companies, or government agencies. There are also excellent opportunities for part time work, which have attracted many women with families to the field.
For more information, see this link to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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| Although the job availability and salaries are very appealing, pharmacy is also a very demanding field, requiring rigorous preparation in math, biology, chemistry, and physics prior to entrance into pharmacy school. In addition to science and math skills, the following are important traits for pharmacy workers:
- interested in helping people
- friendly, good at working with people of all ages, races, temperaments, etc (everybody gets sick, and sick people aren’t always courteous)
- willing to strictly enforce the law with regards to controlled substances
- meticulous, accurate, and precise (small errors can be deadly)
- willing to continue to learn (new medications are constantly being developed, and pharmacists must keep up to remain certified)
- willing to work nights and weekends (pharmacies are often open 24/7)
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| There are two very different levels of pharmacy credentials – pharmacy technician and pharmacist.
- Pharmacy technicians are not required to have any prior education, but most pharmacies prefer to have employees with formal training and certification. Dixie State College does not currently have a pharmacy tech program, but a number of technical schools around the state do offer it. Please see the following website for more information: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos252.htm
- Pharmacists are required to have a PharmD degree. There are around 40 pharmacy schools in the US, but the ones DSC students most often apply to are shown below, with links to their websites.
University of Utah, College of Pharmacy
Idaho State University, College of Pharmacy
Nevada College of Pharmacy
University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy
University of New Mexico, College of Pharmacy
University of Colorado, School of Pharmacy
Oregon State University, College of Pharmacy
University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy
University of Wyoming, School of Pharmacy
Requirements for application to these schools vary somewhat, but in general they all require an associates degree plus specific prerequisites in science, math, and English, which you can obtain at DSC. A typical student requires 2 1/2 to 3 years to obtain all of these prerequisites. A list of common prerequisite courses offered at DSC is given below. Please check with the schools that you intend to apply to in order to see if their requirements are any different.
Many pharmacy schools also require you to take the PCAT, or Pharmacy College Admission Test, which covers the kinds of material you should have learned in the prerequisite courses. There are many ways to prepare, including Kaplan courses and booklets which review material and provide practice tests. For all of this information and more, see the PCAT website.
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| Chemistry courses must be taken sequentially; lab courses must be taken concurrently with the lecture course.
Chem 1210 General Chemistry I
Chem 1215 General Chemistry I Lab
Chem 1220 General Chemistry II
Chem 1225 General Chemistry II Lab
Chem 2310 Organic Chemistry I
Chem 2315 Organic Chemistry I Lab
Chem 2320 Organic Chemistry II
Chem 2325 Organic Chemistry II Lab
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| After taking Biol 1610 and 1615, all other courses may be taken in any order; lab courses must be taken concurrently with the lecture course.
Biol 1610 Principles of Biology I
Biol 1615 Principles of Biology I Lab
Biol 2060 Microbiology
Biol 2065 Microbiology Lab
Biol 2320 Human Anatomy
Biol 2325 Human Anatomy Lab
Biol 2420 Physiology
Biol 2425 Physiology Lab
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| Placement scores determine which math class students should start with, and may require courses prior to math 1050.
Math 1050 College Algebra/Pre-Calculus
Math 1060 Trigonometry
Math 1210 Calculus I
Math 1220 Calculus II
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| Most schools accept either General (trig-based) or Engineering (calculus-based) Physics. General Physics requires completion of Math 1060; Engineering Physics requires completion or concurrent enrollment in Math 1210. Lab courses must be taken concurrently with the lecture course.
Phys 2010 General Physics I
Phys 2015 General Physics I Lab
Phys 2020 General Physics II
Phys 2025 General Physics II Lab
OR
Phys 2210 Engineering Physics I
Phys 2215 Engineering Physics I Lab
Phys 2220 Engineering Physics II
Phys 2225 Engineering Physics II Lab
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| The U of U requires Technical Writing, but it is not usually offered at Dixie and does not fill a AS degree requirement. Most other schools accept Engl 2010. Please check with your school and if you need Engl 2100 see the English department chair.
Engl 1010 Introduction to Writing
Engl 2010 Intermediate Writing
OR
Engl 2100 Technical Writing
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| For the remaining requirements please see the general education requirements.
Additions or corrections: If you are a pre-pharmacy student or pharmacy school and would like to correct or add information to this page, please contact the faculty advisor above!
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