Becoming a pharmacist is the most common career goal for students in the Health Sciences – Pre-Pharmacy track.
Pharmacists practice as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team to improve the lives of patients by optimizing medication-related outcomes. They receive extensive education in the therapeutic management of disease states using evidence-based guidelines for drug therapy. They counsel patients on the use of prescription and nonprescription medications and are core members of medical teams who provide direct patient care in hospitals, ambulatory clinics, long-term care facilities, and other health-care settings. system and advance scientific innovation.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although the job outlook for pharmacists is expected to decline in traditional retail pharmacies, opportunities in other areas such as health-systems, ambulatory clinics, and accountable care organizations reflect a shift and expansion in the scope of pharmacy practice and will remain strong. Pharmaceutical manufacturers also employ pharmacists as medical service representatives who provide drug, clinical, and other information to health professions. The current median pay for a pharmacist is $128,710 per year.
Pharmacists typically work in:
- Health-systems and Hospitals
- Community and Independently Owned Pharmacies
- Ambulatory Clinics
- Accountable Care Organizations
- Academia
- Specialty Pharmacies
- Pharmacogenomic Centers
Pharmacists can specialize and become Board Certified in a variety of areas such as:
- General Pharmacotherapy
- Ambulatory Care
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Geriatrics
- Compounding and Sterile Preparations
- Infectious Disease
- Nuclear Pharmacy
- Nutritional Support
- Psychiatry
- Solid Organ Transplantation
If you decide not to pursue a pharmacy degree, you will be prepared for a variety of other graduate programs, certifications, and employment opportunities:
- Medical school (MD)
- Osteopathic medical school (DO)
- Physician assistant school (PA-C)
- Chiropractic school (DC)
- Optometry school (OD)
- Dental school (DDS or DMD)
- Doctor of Physical therapy programs
- Athletic Training programs
- Occupational Therapy programs
- Orthotics and Prosthetics programs (CO or CP)
- Public Health programs (MA, MS, or PhD)
- Exercise Physiology or Biomechanics programs (MS or PhD)
- Nutrition programs and more.
If you choose not to pursue a graduate education, the following career opportunities are available to you:
- Biomedical researcher
- Medical or biomedical equipment representative/sales
- Exercise equipment representative/sales
- Pharmaceutical product representative/sales
Graduating students are also eligible to earn professional certification from a variety of organizations.
