Pharm. D. - Doctorate in Pharmacy

The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) is a professional doctoral program in pharmacy. The educational program is designed to produce clinical pharmacists with advanced knowledge and skills in patient care. Six years long Pharm. D. - Doctorate in Pharmacy course duration prepares students with comprehensive and extensive knowledge of pharmaco therapeutics, clinical practice, and healthcare systems. These exposures help their steady growth and enable them to be an integral part of any healthcare team. The role of Pharm. D. graduates is phenomenal in managing patient medication therapy and improving therapeutic outcomes, particularly in typical hospital, clinical and community healthcare settings.

Pharm. D. students go through rigorous training in both theoretical and practical aspects of pharmacy. The educational program also includes a strong emphasis on relevant topics like pharmaco vigilance, pharmaco therapeutics clinical pharmacy and patient counseling. The professional doctoral program in pharmacy ends with a year-long internship program, which in other words tantamount to residency in hospitals. This mandatory internship equips students with hands-on experience as they get the chance of working directly with patients along with other healthcare professionals.

Eligibility for Admission to Pharm. D. - Doctorate in Pharmacy 

The admission eligibility for the Pharm. D. or Doctorate in Pharmacy educational program include the following –

Educational qualification – Candidates must have cleared the 10+2 standard with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or Biology. Alternatively, they may also have a D. Pharm. or Diploma in Pharmacy from any recognized educational institution.

Qualifying the Entrance examination – Admission to the Doctorate program requires qualifying a national or state level entrance examination, like NEET or CET for example. Alternatively one can also qualify an entrance test that is specific to a university.

Age Bar

At the time of seeking admission to the Pharm. D. Doctorate Program a candidate must be of 17 years of age at the least.

Norms and curriculum

The Pharm. D. educational program is strictly outlined by the norms of the Pharmacy Council of India or PCI. The curriculum covers a list of relevant subjects including clinical pharmacy, pharmaco therapeutics, pharmacology, bio pharmaceutics, and hospital pharmacy to name a few. The program includes clinical rotations during the internship year.

Click on the links below for quick access to the following:

Career growth and Employment opportunities

The Pharm. D. or Doctorate in Pharmacy program is carefully designed to help students prepare their careers in clinical pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, drug safety, and pharma covigilance. The ultimate focus in this program is given on patient care. These professionals play a critical role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications in varieties of settings related to healthcare. The qualification opens up doors to a number of career options including the ones given below. But in order to make all these great career opportunities knock on you, do not miss out on the last date of admission to the Pharm. D. or Doctorate in Pharmacy.

Hospital and Clinical Pharmacist

After achieving the Pharm. D. – Doctorate in Pharmacy qualification one can work in the position of clinical pharmacists in hospitals. In this role one assists doctors and healthcare teams in choosing the right medication therapies and monitoring the response of a patient to the treatment. In this role one also ensures medication safety for patients.

Community Pharmacist

In the role of community pharmacist one also finds employment in healthcare centers and pharmacies where they are directly engaged in providing patient care. In this role these qualified professionals also provide medication counseling, vaccination services health screenings and other relevant responsibilities.

Pharmaco vigilance and Drug Safety Officer

Qualified Pharm. D. professionals are highly valued in various pharmaco vigilance roles. In these roles one has to monitor drug safety and report adverse drug reactions, if any. Above everything else these professionals also have to ensure compliance with global health regulations.

Clinical Research

After successful completion of the Pharm. D. – Doctorate in Pharmacy program, these professionals can work in clinical research organizations or CROs, where they have to conduct clinical trials. Moreover they also have to ensure any new drug that comes out is not only safe but also effective for public use.

Academics and Education

By virtue of their profound knowledge, after completing the Pharm. D. – Doctorate in Pharmacy course the graduates can also pursue careers in academics. They can work as lecturers or professors at various colleges and universities that teach pharmacy. They can also take up roles in clinical research and contribute to the further evolution of pharmaceutical care and drug therapies.

Career opportunities overseas 

The Pharm. D. degree that we offer is recognized all over the world. After completing the course our graduates are free to pursue career opportunities abroad; particularly the countries like the United States, Canada, Australia and European nations have a steady demand of medical professionals who are trained and qualified in clinical pharmacy. The overseas career opportunities of these qualified professionals include shouldering job responsibilities as clinical pharmacists, pharmacy consultants and even in regulatory affairs.

FAQs:

How is a Pharm. D. not same as a B. Pharm. or an M. Pharm. degree?

There are distinct differences between a Pharm. D and a B. Pharm. or an M. Pharm. degree. The B. Pharm. degree mostly revolves around pharmaceutical sciences whereas an M. Pharm. offers specialized knowledge in various fields of pharmacy. Both these degrees enable candidates to typically work in the pharmaceutical industry, research labs as well as in regulatory roles.

In contrast to that a Pharm. D sets its focus mainly on clinical pharmacy and patient care. Students armed with a Pharm. D are trained to work in clinical settings, while ensuring medication safety and efficacy.

Is Pharm. D. internationally recognized program?

Yes, the Pharm. D. degree is recognized all over the world; it is particularly well-recognized across the countries where healthcare is more strongly guided by clinical pharmacy. Students qualified with the accredited Pharm. D. program find placements all over the world working in their capacity as healthcare consultants, clinical pharmacists and drug safety officers, etc.

Is it possible for Pharm. D. graduates prescribe medications?

Clinical pharmacists having a Pharm. D. degree are allowed to prescribe medicines in certain countries, like Australia, Canada and the United States. But as far as India is concerned, Pharm. D. graduates are not licensed to prescribe any drug or medication although they contribute immensely on medication therapy.

How good are the job opportunities for young people armed with a Pharm. D. degree?

After completing 6 years course duration in Pharm. D. degree, students pass out to join as clinical analysts in hospitals. There they help doctors in treating patients in various ways – like Pharm. D. graduates help them design effective drug therapies, ensure medication safety, monitor interactions of drugs inpatient bodies and others. Handling patients suffering from chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes or blood sugar, hypertension and others is more difficult for doctors without the active support from Pharm. D. graduates. These medical experts also contribute to improving patient outcomes.

Are Pharm. D. graduates in heavy demand across the pharmaceutical industry?

Yes, the demand for Pharm. D. graduates is phenomenal across the pharmaceutical industry in general and more particularly in areas like drug safety, clinical trials and pharmaco vigilance. These professionals possess in depth expertise in drug safety and patient care which make them valuable resource in ensuring any new drug is both safe and effective before it reaches the market.

How extensive is the scope of Pharm. D. when clinical research is concerned?

Pharm. D. graduates can easily find placements in clinical research organizations or CROs, where they can play a key role in conducting clinical trials. The educational program equips them in the proper way so that they can ensure sticking to protocols and monitoring patient responses. When developing new drug therapies are concerned, their profound knowledge in pharmaco therapeutics and clinical practice makes them an invaluable asset to make the projects successful.

After completion of the Pharm. D. program how is it possible to pursue further studies? 

After completion of the 6 years-long Pharm. D. program (5 years course + 1 year internship) students can pursue advanced studies like the following –

Postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacotherapy, clinical pharmacy or other related fields

Ph. D. in pharmaceutical sciences

These advanced qualifications are helpful opening up more responsible opportunities in fields of research, advanced clinical practice, academics and much more.

How does the year-long internship, included in the Pharm. D. program, contribute to my career?

The internship, which lasts a year, is mandatory and a crucial component of the Pharm. D. program. It provides hands-on experience to students in real-time hospital settings where they work directly with patients along with healthcare teams and physicians. During the internship program the students apply their knowledge in real-world clinical scenarios. This prepares them for their upcoming professional roles in the days ahead.

When patient safety and effective drug therapy management are concerned what is the role or importance of the Pharm. D. program?

Pharm. D. educational curriculum is innovatively designed to provide students with practical knowledge along with theoretical concepts. The students are trained on various aspects including medication safety and effective drug therapy management, etc. As a result medical industry, as a whole, relies on Pharm. D. graduates when it comes to preventing adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and medication errors. These professionals play a crucial role to improve therapeutic outcome in form of monitoring the health of patients and optimizing drug therapy.

What are the opportunities for Pharm. D. graduates to work in the public health sector?

Armed with the Pharm. D. qualification enables and equips any individual to shoulder responsibilities in public health. There one can take part in roles like vaccination drives, and medication management program, etc. In addition to that one can also contribute to building strategies on prevention of diseases. Pharm. D. professionals are also found suitable for bigger roles in various healthcare agencies under the government and even international health organizations. Wherever these professionals may work, they keep making consistent effort making access to safe and effective medications easier. However, all these opportunities only become possible when you do not miss out on the last date of admission to the Pharm. D. or Doctorate in Pharmacy.