Non Traditional PharmD Info??? Present RPh

[nuoutlook]

Does anyone know of the best method or school to fast track a PharmD for a current pharmacist? I do not plan on working and need to get to the end ASAP.

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[DownonthePharm]

What incentive do already practicing pharmacists have to go back to school and get the PharmD? Are there pay raises or more job openings? Or are you doing this for personal benefit?

 

[kwizard]

Does anyone know of the best method or school to fast track a PharmD for a current pharmacist? I do not plan on working and need to get to the end ASAP.

Most schools still have non-traditional programs. The best way to find out about the programs would be to check out the various websites for any school of pharmacy. Creighton's program has been out there for a while as has the programs at Shenandoah and UF. I'd just double check to see that they are still available. The common complaints that I hear about from colleagues are the availbability of online courses (i.e. all online vs having to go to campus once a semester or test taking at the local Sylvan learning center). Other concerns would be whether the school helps at all w/ setting up rotations and preceptors. I think some schools leave it all up to the student. In addition to that presentation style has changed a little over the years (depending on when you came out and experiences since graduating) as power point presentations are common nowadays, but certainly weren't 10yrs ago so you may also look into support services/office hours of faculty if you go the online route. Also I remember Temple used to have a 12month program many yrs back. So I guess the best way to find out what is available is to check out the various school of pharmacy websites and try to find as many people you know who have went back to find out which programs best suit your needs. You are already at a great advantage by being able to take off from work. Good Luck!!

 

[kwizard]

What incentive do already practicing pharmacists have to go back to school and get the PharmD? Are there pay raises or more job openings? Or are you doing this for personal benefit?

One's rationale for getting the PharmD may vary for lots of reasons (personal, pay, career flexibility, job role/satsifaction, etc). The reality is that w/o the PharmD you run the risk of eventually being perceived as outdated a few yrs down the road (depending on your age) in most of the career sectors. Salary b/w PharmD and BS differs a little bit (but not by much) depending on where you live, but the PharmD has more options (regardless of clinical vs staffing job). Unless of course you just want to do retail and the demand outweighs supply so much that they will take anybody w/ a license (the same could be said for some hospital staffing positions). However, eventually a lot of this tends to get old as most of the people w/ lots of experience and a BS in pharmacy have already made their move up to a position where the degree doesn't matter (i.e. management). Therefore, if you have a BS now and are still trying to move up or around to something different than the likelihood is that you will be competing against someone else w/ a PharmD (and possibly the same amount of experience) so you are just decreasing your likelihood for obtaining whatever position you are trying to obtain.

There are a fair amount of pharmacists out there w/ the BS and are still in there mid to late 30s so they still have at least 20-30 more yrs of practicing prior to retirement. That is a long way to go when you consider that in 10 yrs the BS in pharmacy will be almost 15yrs removed from being offered as a degree to practice pharmacy in the US. By that time almost every job (staffing/administrative/clinical) will probably desire a PharmD over BS just b/c the PharmD would in theory be the only recognized degree. A little bit too heavy on fortune telling, but I hope this makes some sense.

 

[sdn1977]

One's rationale for getting the PharmD may vary for lots of reasons (personal, pay, career flexibility, job role/satsifaction, etc). The reality is that w/o the PharmD you run the risk of eventually being perceived as outdated a few yrs down the road (depending on your age) in most of the career sectors. Salary b/w PharmD and BS differs a little bit (but not by much) depending on where you live, but the PharmD has more options (regardless of clinical vs staffing job). Unless of course you just want to do retail and the demand outweighs supply so much that they will take anybody w/ a license (the same could be said for some hospital staffing positions). However, eventually a lot of this tends to get old as most of the people w/ lots of experience and a BS in pharmacy have already made their move up to a position where the degree doesn't matter (i.e. management). Therefore, if you have a BS now and are still trying to move up or around to something different than the likelihood is that you will be competing against someone else w/ a PharmD (and possibly the same amount of experience) so you are just decreasing your likelihood for obtaining whatever position you are trying to obtain.

There are a fair amount of pharmacists out there w/ the BS and are still in there mid to late 30s so they still have at least 20-30 more yrs of practicing prior to retirement. That is a long way to go when you consider that in 10 yrs the BS in pharmacy will be almost 15yrs removed from being offered as a degree to practice pharmacy in the US. By that time almost every job (staffing/administrative/clinical) will probably desire a PharmD over BS just b/c the PharmD would in theory be the only recognized degree. A little bit too heavy on fortune telling, but I hope this makes some sense.

I agree with this in the context of a practicing pharmacist who wants to increase flexibility. But - the OP said he/she didn't want to work. In that case, why not go back to a university to get the most out of the experience (yeah - it costs a lot - that would be a disincentive in itself). An interesting situation - can you tell us more about your motives? With that said...go online. For what its worth - I don't think there is anywhere in CA where you can accomplish this.

On an interesting note....I spoke with a pharmacist in NC last week. She is a preceptor for Duke - said they are actually forcing BS pharmacists to get a PharmD or lose their jobs. This is short sighted, IMO.

I'm a PharmD, but I've worked with BS pharmacists who could hold their own with me both in acute & ambulatory pharmacy. Too bad....it seems the more we try to be cohesive, the more we become divisive!

 

[Rxbound]

On that note, out of the seven pharmacists we have at my hospital, there is one who just has a BS. He's the boss 🙂