A prospective student should be interested in becoming part of the health care team. The program to become a pharmacist generally requires two years of pre-professional study in the arts and sciences, followed by four years of professional study, leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Some schools require that students attend all six years at their institution, while others allow students to transfer into the program. Transfer students are usually not accepted beyond the third year of the six-year pharmacy program. Pharmacy programs are heavily science based and strive to incorporate critical thinking and problem solving skills in the courses.
Course work encourages students to expand their written and verbal communication skills.
In addition to introductory experiences in various pharmacy practice settings, most programs lead to full year of training in actual health care settings. The training includes exposure to community and hospital based practice as well as the opportunity to participate in elective rotations in specialty areas. A pharmacy school graduate must pass a national licensure examination and a state law examination to become a registered pharmacist. Also, accumulation of intern hours and experience is required by most states. Further training can be obtained by completing a post-graduate residency or fellowship programs vary in length from one to two years and allow graduates to gain additional clinical and administrative training and many provide specialized training in areas such as ambulatory care, infectious disease, pediatrics, cardiology, or managed care.