Can you be a pharamcist with a BA in a Biology field

[tryinghard]

hey, i heard that some people practice pharmacy with a B.S. i think they were refereing to a b.s. in pharmacy (not pharm D).

is this true..do they get the same roles, and duties as a regular pharm D. also..what areas or stores allow these b.s. in pharm D guys practice.

what about a guy with a BA in a biology field??

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[Modnar]

The BS in pharmacy degree is being phased out right now. Pharmacy schools are supposed to graduate their last BS class by 2004 (correct me if I get the date wrong). People who have already earned a BS in pharmacy can still practice, but you cannot enroll in a pharmacy BS program anymore.

And no, I don't think any US state will allow you to practice pharmacy with a BS in biology.

 

[tryinghard]

are you sure..some guy in another post..said that b.s. pharm's do the same thing as pharm D.

 

[Modnar]

Yes, people with a BS in pharmacy do the same thing as a Pharm D. However, people with a BS in biology cannot. A biology BS is a lot more general than a pharmacy degree. With an undergraduate bio degree, you don't get nearly enough of the chemistry that you need to be a pharmacist. If you want to be a pharmacist in the US, you must have a PharmD.

 

[tryinghard]

does it depend on the store??

what about if you took chem 1,2, o.chem 1,2, pchem 1.

and then a whole bunch of physics. physics 1,2. upper levels:3,4



btw, which stores hire those b.s in phamacy people?? are you telling me that htese guys are prepared to be ready to work right off the bat? dont' they get trained...and as to this training period..anyoen could do the job, with the training program, right?

 

[tlh908]

To be eligble for a pharmacy license you need to complete an internship at a pharmacy, so this is a type of training.

To be a pharmacists you need to sit for the boards and only students who have graduated from approved programs are allowed to sit for the boards. So taking a bunch of chemistry and physics classes will not lead to a license.

Most people with a BS in pharmacy don't have trouble getting jobs, although they won't be able to get some of the teaching jobs and clinical jobs and such. If you want to work retail, a BS is enough. However the BS degree is disappearing.

 

[Samoa]

Every Board of Pharmacy that I know of requires, in addition to internship hours, a PharmD or BS in pharmacy from an accredited college of pharmacy. That's why it's a profession and not a trade.

So, no you would not be able to practice with a degree in any other subject.

 

[rxgremlin]

What Modnar is saying is that no state will allow a person that does not have at least B.S. in Pharmacy to become licensed as a pharmacist. They will not even let somebody without a degree in Pharmacy (either a B.S. or a Pharm.D.) take the exam. This has nothing to do with store policy, this comes from the state's board of pharmacy.

The B.S. degree is no longer being offered by ANY pharmacy school. It has decided by the schools and the American Assoc of Colleges of Pharmacy that the Pharm.D. degree will be the only degree that schools will now offer. You can't earn a B.S. in Pharmacy anymore because the only degree now offered is the Pharm.D.

 

[Modnar]

^ Thanks, rxgremlin, that's exactly what I was trying to say.

It boils down to this:
1. The BS in pharmacy is being phased out. ZERO pharmacy schools offer it anymore.
2. It is illegal to practice pharmacy with any other BS degree, period.
3. Therefore, if you want to be a pharmacist, you need a PharmD.

You can still work in a pharmacy if you're an RPh or a technician, but they don't get to do the same things that regular pharmacists do.

 

[tryinghard]

hmm..what were the requirements to complete a typical B.S. in pharmacy..

besides

chem 1,2
organic chem 1,2
phys 1,2


did you have to take physical chemsitry?
what about pychopharmacology
pharmacology?

 

[Modnar]

Probably all of those and then some.

 

[tryinghard]

can you be more specific?? i have no clue

 

[Modnar]

I don't either, I'm just guessing. What does it matter, anyway? You won't even be able to take the licensure exam w/o a PharmD.