There are bachelor of science degrees in pharmaceutical sciences such as the one offered by Purdue University; however, it is largely designed to prepare students for careers in the pharmaceutical industry. Students interested in becoming a clinical pharmacist need at least two years of undergraduate study and preferably a four-year degree with a heavy emphasis on biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology along with biochemistry and other key subjects.
The doctor of pharmacy degree is now the standard degree for pharmacists and the school must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. At the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy, the D.Pharm program has a highly competitive admissions standard and a rigorous four-year curriculum. Students are trained for a variety of career opportunities, including work as a clinical pharmacist. The in-depth science curriculum emphasizes the interaction of pharmacology and the human body with the fourth year devoted to seven six-week rotations providing students with practical pharmacy experiences in five areas, among them hospital and institutional clinical practices.
Residency programs can run one or two years and are designed to provide new clinical pharmacists with skills necessary to work in a hospital or clinic environment. At the University of Colorado Denver the clinical pharmacy department offers residencies in such areas as oncology, critical care, pharmacy practices and ambulatory care. Similarly, the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy has pharmacy residencies in those areas as well as infectious diseases and psychiatric care. The residencies provide post-graduate students invaluable experience that help them find employment as clinical pharmacists.
Every state and the District of Columbia require that a pharmacist be licensed. After completing a D.Pharm program, the soon-to-be pharmacist must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX), required in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, 44 states and the District of Columbia use the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam to test future pharmacists' knowledge of pharmacy law. Both tests are conducted by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. All states also require that the pharmacist accumulate a set number of hours of experience before the license is issued and that the experiences gained during the D.Pharm program do not count toward that time.
Many states require pharmacists to take continuing education courses in order to stay abreast of the latest trends, techniques and legal issues in the pharmaceutical industry. Continuing education courses are available online or at conferences, hospitals and other organized training opportunities. For example, U.S. Pharmacist and Pharmacy Times, both trade publications, carry a list of available and inexpensive continuing education classes covering a wide variety of topics from new drugs to eradicating lice.