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Practice Venues
Graduates of the College of Pharmacy take a national licensing
examination and may practice pharmacy in a variety of settings
throughout the nation. The majority of graduates provide care to
patients in a community setting, either in a chain drug store or
managed care facility. Others find employment in hospitals,
pharmaceutical sales, teaching or in research.
What’s Hot
The concept of pharmaceutical care is transforming the role of the
pharmacist from a distributor of drugs to a manager of the
patient’s drug therapy. The pharmacist is being reimbursed for
achieving positive outcomes in drug therapy to improve the quality
of life. This new role requires new training for the pharmacist.
Education
The education of a pharmacist is rigorous. Students wishing to
become pharmacists today must complete six years of study (two
years pre-professional/four years professional education) to earn
a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
Pharm.D. Program Structure
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Pre-Professional |
Year 1 |
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Year 2 |
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Professional |
Year 3 (P1) |
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Year 4 (P2) |
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Year 5 (P3) |
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Year 6 (P4) |
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Our
program is a 0-6 program so students entering the program as
freshman are guaranteed a seat in the professional program
provided they have a 2.5 QPA in pre-requisite science and math
courses after three semesters with no grade < C-. |
Competition is very keen because
seating in colleges of pharmacy is limited due to the high cost of
training. Those who are admitted as freshmen have high grades in
science and math, are strong communicators, do very well on SAT’s
and often have advanced placement in high school courses. Students
transferring after two years of study must have A’s and B’s in the
pre-requisite science and math courses.
The 6-year
curriculum stresses critical
thinking, active learning and clinical experience to prepare the
students for practice in a variety of professional settings.
Students are able to develop some degree of specialization via the
tracking program (12 credits of professional electives and a 7
credit specialty rotation).
At URI, students build a solid foundation in pharmacy and the
basic sciences. The clinical portion of the program provides a
with hands on experience at hospitals, nursing homes, community
pharmacies, government institutions, home healthcare settings,
pharmacy benefits management companies, and other industries.
Job
Opportunities
At this time the job market is very positive, in virtually every
state there is a manpower shortage. This need is expected to
escalate as the millennium approaches and fewer students are
graduated. Salaries are excellent as a whole and reflect the
responsibility that the pharmacist has in the therapeutic
management of the patient. Individual salaries will vary depending
upon the area of practice and the location
Graduates of URI’s pharmacy program
have enjoyed success as businesspeople, pharmacy professionals,
researchers, and academicians. Two URI alumni, Joseph Mollica 62 ,
former chairman of Dupont Merck Pharmaceutical Co., and Ernest
Mario 66, cochairman and CEO of Alza Corporation and former
cochairman and CEO of Glaxo Ltd., were the only pharmacy graduates
in the country to head up Fortune 500 companies.
Click
here for more information on the opportunities in pharmacy.
Oath of a
Pharmacist
The Oath of a Pharmacist is based on the "Oath and Prayer of
Maimionides" with input from the
American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) and the
American Association of Colleges of
Pharmacy (AACP). The Board of Directors of AACP approved the
Oath of a Pharmacist in 1983 and has made it available to every
college and school of pharmacy.
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Oath of a Pharmacist
At this time, I vow to
devote my professional life to the service of all humankind
through the profession of pharmacy.
I will consider the welfare
of humanity and relief of human suffering my primary concerns.
I will apply my knowledge,
experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure
optimal drug therapy outcomes for the patient I serve.
I will keep abreast of
developments and maintain professional competency in my
profession of pharmacy.
I will maintain the highest
principles of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.
I will embrace and advocate
change in the profession of pharmacy that improves patient
care.
I take these vows
voluntarily with the full realization of the responsibility
with which I am entrusted by the public.
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4th Year Pharmacy
Student
4th Year Pharmacy
Student
2002 Pharm D Graduate
2002 Pharmacy Graduate
