Are there any dopers here who are pharmacists? How did you become one and was this your first career choice? I’m in California and I have an Associate’s degree and I’m applying to schools to start my bachelor’s of Psychology. I’m also a registered Pharmacy Technician by the state of California and CphT registered as well. I think you need 4 years after a Bachelor’s degree to become a pharmacist in an accredited pharmacy school or am I wrong? What are good pharmacy schools in California?
According to the California Board of Pharmacy, to be licensed as a pharmacist in California, you must:
• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have obtained a B.S. in Phamracy or a Pharm.D. degree from a ACPE accredited college of pharmacy program.
• Have completed 1,500 intern experience hours or verified licensure as a pharmacist in another state for at least one year.
• Have taken and passed the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the California Pharmacist Jurisprudence Examination (CPJE) after December 31, 2003, or have passed a written and practical examination given by the board before January 1, 2004.
Two years (usually) of prerequisites are required for entry to a PharmD program. A bachelors degree might make you more competitive, but it’s not necessary. Each school has different prereqs, so a bit of planning can be useful in deciding what to take and where to apply. Be sure to take a full year of chemistry and a full year of organic chemistry no matter what you do. If you don’t like OChem, or don’t do well in it, then Pharmacy school might not be the best choice for you. The PharmCAS website is a good resource (pharmcas.org, i think). School websites are also good resources.
As far as good schools in Cali, UCSF is, as I recall, the most competitive school in the nation. It has a pretty good reputation. However, it is almost a must that you get a 4 year degree (and like a 3.9 gpa) to have a shot.