Becoming A Pharmacist

The idea of choosing a career to do for the rest of your life is scary, but I still found a career that I would love to go in to, pharmacy. I understand that achieving the degrees and the license is easier said than done, but I know I can accomplish anything if I give it my all. There are many factors that stand out to me about being a pharmacist. Helping and working directly with people, job mobility, stability, and flexibility, and being a part of the health community are all reasons that contribute to why I would like to be a pharmacist. UNC-Chapel Hill is the college that I have chosen to help me get to this profession because it has everything I'm looking for and more.

What is a pharmacist? What do they do? A pharmacist is a licensed

I have always had somewhat of an interest in the medical field, but I never wanted to become a physician or pediatrician. A pharmacist is the perfect in between of being in the medical field but not being an actual doctor. Also, dealing with drugs and medicine has always seemed interesting to me for as long as I could remember. As I previously mentioned, pharmacists have job mobility, stability, and flexibility. Pharmacists are employed everywhere in the country, so it’s very likely that I get a job anywhere. Also, everybody gets sick, and people are going to continue to get sick, so my job will always be stable and secure. After talking with my aunt, who is a pharmacist, I found out that a pharmacist only has to complete a certain amount of hours a week. So I could work 3 days and finish all my hours and have rest of the week off, or I could spread my hours throughout the week. Those aren’t the only reasons I want to go into this profession, I really want to help people get well and feel better. A physician isn’t the only role that helps patients feel better. A pharmacist also has a key role. Pharmacists are healthcare providers that have to communicate with there patients to make sure they can take the medication properly according to their lifestyle, diet, and transportation. The best reason of all is that I get to work directly with patients. Pharmacists are able to see patients anytime during the week, morning, evening, and

I would need a 1480 and above on my SAT to have the best chance of getting in, but 1385-1480 still has a pretty good chance as well. The ACT score must be a 33 and above to have my best chance. If I get a score that’s around 30-33, I would still have a pretty good chance. My GPA would have to be a 3.75 or above. Anyone with a GPA lower than that doesn’t have much of a chance at getting in. To become a pharmacist, I need to enter in a Pharm.D. program which lasts four years. I can only enter in the program after at least two years of undergraduate study at UNC, which brings my total years that is takes to become a pharmacist to 6 years. Every program has essentially the same courses: Pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology. Pharmaceutical chemistry is the use of chemistry to design and evaluate drugs. Pharmacognosy is the study of drugs derived from plants and animals. Pharmacology is the study of the effect of drugs on the human body. All three courses are the basis of pharmacy, and that’s why it is necessary to take them all. The other courses may include Oncology, immunizations, organic chemistry, and principles of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. The last few courses I listed all depend on what program and college you decide to take part