Pharmacy as a Career in U.S And How to become a registered Pharmacist
The pharmacy profession is highly demanding and rewarding profession for many years in USA.In the US, opportunities abound in the profession of pharmacy. Currently, there are about 243,000 pharmacist jobs nationwide. Job opportunities are predicted to grow 22 per cent between 2006 and 2016 as the older generation of pharmacists retire, and the demand for pharmacy services grows to meet the needs of an ageing population.
Foreign pharmacy students have excellent opportunities to practice in the US, both before and after graduation. A career as a pharmacist in the US offers excellent pay, workplace flexibility and an enriching professional environment. However, getting started is not without its challenges. Understanding US pharmacy is the first step
How to register as a pharmacist (Foreign Graduates i.e out of USA graduates) :
- First Step for foreign pharmacy graduates, they must take the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and an English proficiency test (Test of English as a foreign language) like TOEFL only
* Know More About “FPGEE” – Click here
- After Passing FPGEE Student has to complete internship hours.Each state requires a different number of intern hours (between 500 and 1,500) to qualify for the NAPLEX. some states use a sliding scale based on FPGEE scores. Usually, pharmacy schools implement these requirements into the curriculum with clinical rotations or experiential learning requirements
- After obtaining the necessary internship hours, the student must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX)
* Know More About “NAPLEX” – Click here
- After passing NAPLEX Student may have to take Multistate Jurisprudence Examination (MJPE), a state-specific test of the laws governing pharmacy, insurance, and healthcare
* Know More About “MJPE” – Click here
The suffix “RPh”, which stands for registered pharmacist, can be used by anyone who has completed the licensure requirements and is currently registered to practice.
Career :
For last two decade, the Pharmacist demand is continually rising in all the developed countries.
The demand is continuously growing because of following reasons :
- More than 47% of currently working Pharmacist are above age of 45 years
- Old age population is dramatically increase in developed countries due to long life expectance
- Increasing the rate and onset of chronic disease at early age
- Local students are not preferring to study Pharmacy courses
- Continually, increasing the responsibilities of pharmacist thus new era of pharmacy profession has evolved as :
- Registered Pharmacist
- Clinical Pharmacist
- Hospital Pharmacist
- Consultant Pharmacist
- Disease management Pharmacist
- MMR Pharmacist
- Nuclear Pharmacist
- Geriatric Pharmacist
- Industrial Pharmacist
- Prescribing Pharmacist
Salaries vary greatly due to the large number of different job settings and employers. They may range from $1,00,000 to $2,40,000 or more per annum, but the higher paying jobs may require relocation, a busy work environment and long hours
FAQ’s :
Q : What is the important to get registration (License) as a Pharmacist in Abroad ?
A : There are numbers of positive reasons to become a registered pharmacist such as
- Excellent job opportunities
- (100:5) job ratio : meaning 100 position available as a Reg. Pharmacist and only 5 job available as a Non reg. pharmacist)
- Wide variety of career options such as Community pharmacist, Hospital Pharmacist, Consultant pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacist, prescribing Pharmacist, also can work In Research, Academic and Industrial sectors.
- In case of Non reg. Pharmacist considering as a General Graduate students so only option is Industries again market is very competitive nearly impossible to get entry.
- Earning wise excellent wages for Registered pharmacist ($1,00,000/year(reg) $ 35000/year(non reg), means ratio of $50/hr : $ 14/hr)
- Excellent permanent settlement (PR) chances
- Excellent business opportunities (Own Pharmacy)
Q : is our 4years B.Pharm valid in all the developed countries ?
A : Yes, our 4 years B.Pharm is valid in all the first world countries like Canada, Australia, NZ, UK except USA (USA need 5 years of course study for Degree,So Pharm.D Indian Graduates might Get Eligible) Reference Website : nabp
Q : is our 4years B.Pharm valid in all the developed countries ?
A : No, you cannot because you must have to complete all the 3 steps in order to get registration as a Pharmacist in U.S.
Editors note : There may be more aspects of the process apart from those mentioned above. So feel free to discuss about anything related to naplex in the comments section below.