Would it be hard to be a pharmacist?

Is becoming a pharmacist hard?

• So I'm thinking about going to school for it. Is it a really hard career? How hard is it to get a degree in this field? What are some good personal strengths you think I would ...show more

• Answer:

  Yes becoming a pharmacist is hard. You need to be really good in math and science. A ditzy mistake from a pharmacist could result in death so you need to be extremely detail oriented. Pharmacists graduating from college today are required to have a PharmD, or doctorate of Pharmacy degree. College students can start a four-year pharmacy program after successfully completing two years of undergraduate coursework and earning a passing score on the PCAT (Pharmacy college admission test). Coursework in pharmacy and pre-pharmacy includes chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy, and physiology. Additionally, PharmD students must complete a series of rotations in a variety of clinical and pharmaceutical settings. The length and quantity of rotations varies, but the average PharmD program requires 7-10 rotaions, each of which is 4-6 weeks in length. If a student knows early in his or her college career that they would like to become a pharmacist, one could graduate with a PharmD in about 6 years. Many college students do not decide until later in college or after college to become a pharmacist; therefore, many pharmacists have completed eight years of college.