Pharmacy Degrees for Working in Healthcare
Pharmacists play a crucial role in the healthcare system, delivering medications and prescriptions of the utmost importance for millions of patients throughout the world. Pharmacists get to work directly with patients and other healthcare professionals to provide the best possible conveyance dosage of medications. Pharmacists provide essential healthcare delivery and advice directly to patients in many different environments.
Doctors of Pharmacy have job mobility, security, and flexibility, and give the industry pivotal research and findings on certain drugs, diseases, allergies, and more, supplying healthcare environments with the very best cures available in modern medicine. Interested applicants can find even more enlightening information on the benefits of a Pharmacy degree from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, Pharmacists earn around $128,710 per year.
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Recommended Online Pharmacy Schools
Top 3 Online Schools for Doctor of Pharmacy
METHODOLOGY: This ranking was researched and compiled according to the following components:
- Student’s satisfaction according to retention rates no lower than 50%,
- Reviews listed on accredited resources listing college and university statistics,
- Prestige and notability as an online school according to reputable academic and journalistic resources,
- Ease of Transfer Course Credits,
- Financial Aid options through Grants, Scholarships and Military Discounts,
- Online Support Systems,
- 100% online availability, offering flexibility and convenience,
- Accreditation, Course and Program options, as well as, Degree outcomes.
In developing this list, OnlineSchoolsCenter.com chose not to list the schools in an ordered way but instead highlighted three of the very best online Doctor of Pharmacy degree programs, all of which have their own unique strengths.
Creighton University
PharmD DISTANCE PATHWAY
Program Standouts:
Creighton University’s Doctor of Pharmacy distance education program has been showered with recognition as the first and finest PharmD program made available to online students. Pharmacists gain monumentally beneficial experience within the field in clinical internships, and students have opportunities to focus their program in directions that interest them the most.
Campus Location: Omaha, NE
Accreditation: North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
Tuition and Fees:
- $800 per credit hour—tuition
Types of Aid: Federal, state, and institutional grants; federal and alternative loans; institutional and outside scholarships; federal work-study programs; and various payment plans.
Acceptance Rate: 72%
Admission Requirements:
Applicants to this program must submit a completed online application, official transcripts from all undergraduate institution visited, two letters of recommendation, and official Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores.
Sampling of Coursework:
- Patient Assessment
- Chemical Basis of Drug Action
- Pharmacotherapeutics
Degree Outcomes:
Creighton University provides peerless service for its students within the classroom and upon graduation. “Graduates enter practice with strong basic knowledge, communication skills, critical thinking abilities, and an empathic attitude toward their patients;” graduates exhibit finely tuned skills in patient assessment, medication therapy management, dispensing medications, and more.
LEARN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY’S PHARMD DISTANCE PATHWAY
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University of Colorado Denver
PREMIUM PHARMD distance learning degree PROGRAM
Program Standouts:
The University of Colorado Denver Skaggs School of Pharmacy offers distance education students a thorough online program through which to obtain their doctorate. This refined program is designed to “improve clinical care and medication therapy management skills, leading to increased career options.”
Campus Location: Aurora, CO
Accreditation: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
Tuition and Fees:
- $800 per credit hour—tuition
Types of Aid: Federal and alternative loans; federal work-study; federal, state, and institutional grants; institutional and alternative scholarships.
Acceptance Rate: 65.2%
Admission Requirements:
Applicants must submit a completed application along with the application fee, official transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate institutions, recommendation letters, and GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores.
Sampling of Coursework:
- Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making
- Immunology
- US Based Patient-Centered Self-Care
Degree Outcomes:
Students graduate from UC Denver’s iPharmD program having undergone “experiential training requirements” that refine their skills as professional pharmacists. Upon exiting the program, these doctors’ expertise will open many doors upon their career paths.
LEARN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-DENVER’S ONLINE PREMIUM PHARMD PROGRAM
Recommended Online Pharmacy Schools
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
online PHARMACY 4-YEAR PATHWAY PROGRAM
Program Standouts:
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty and administration keep this curriculum constantly up-to-date to reflect the most relevant information and engage in active and interactive learning styles. Coursework provides “endless opportunities” for students to enter into any number of pharmacy-based disciplines.
Campus Location: Erie, PA
Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education; Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
Tuition and Fees:
- $25,030 per academic year—tuition
Types of Aid: Federal and private loans; institutional and outside scholarship opportunities.
Acceptance Rate: Unavailable
Admission Requirements:
Applicants must submit a completed online application, the nonrefundable application fee, and official transcripts from an accredited graduate institution representing a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher. Some additional documentation may be required from some applicants. TOEFL scores from students who use English as a second language.
Sampling of Coursework:
- Effective Communications
- Drug Information
- Research Methods and Pharmacoepidemiology
Degree Outcomes:
Graduates from LECOM have gone on to work as generalists and specialists in community pharmacies, government agencies, hospice and home health care, hospital and institutional settings, independent ownership, consulting, and more! Salaries for these alumni generally exceed national averages!
LEARN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAKE ERIE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE’S PHARMACY 4 YEAR DISTANCE EDUCATION PATHWAY PROGRAM
Doctor of Pharmacy FAQ’s
Do you want to become a Pharmacist?
As a pharmacist, your responsibilities are tremendous. You must ensure your patients that they can trust you for their prescription needs. It stands to reason that extensive and intense training is required. You must begin with an online Bachelor of Science degree offering two years of pre-pharmacy-related coursework.
Your next step should be to obtain your online doctoral degree in pharmacy (PharmD); however, you will need to pass three tests such as your Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) first. Your PharmD program will take you approximately four years to complete. Also, clinical training will be necessary, and then, of course, you must obtain state licensure by passing the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, if required by your state.
Are you sure which type of Pharmacy degree you need?
There is a difference in the PharmD degree and the Ph.D. degree in the pharmaceutical field. The PharmD degree is earned primarily to establish yourself in the role of a pharmacist, whether in your corner pharmacy or a large healthcare organization. Coursework will include pathology, drug interactions, pharmacy law, and management, among many others.
If you would like to focus on research or teaching at the university level, you will need to earn an online Ph.D. in pharmacy. Coursework in infectious disease and human pharmacology will help you in doing groundbreaking research in hopes of saving lives!
What are your potential earnings with a Pharmacy degree?
For the full-time retail pharmacist, you will reap the awards of your hard work and dedication, as you should. The average salary of a pharmacist was between $124,045 – $156,773 annually, depending on your experience.
Are you interested in a particular concentration of study within the pharmacy field? Other types of pharmacists may include the managed care pharmacist, infusion pharmacist, nuclear pharmacist, oncology pharmacist, or a long-term care pharmacist, who works in rehab or nursing home facilities. Salaries comparable to the retail pharmacist apply in these specialties as well.