The American Pharm.D. Parkour

[1. Creation of the Pharm.D.] In 1989, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) issued a "declaration of intent" for the doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) to be the sole degree for entry into pharmacy practice by the year 2000. Prior to 2000, a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in pharmacy was sufficient to become a pharmacist. The ACPE stated that the expanding definition of pharmaceutical care required greater responsibility from the pharmacist. As the profession of pharmacy in the United States has evolved, so too has the education. [2. Pharm.D. Education] The minimum requirement for entry into a Pharm.D. program is the completion of the pre-requisite course work (for example; biology and chemistry). Many students will complete this coursework in two years and then apply to 4 year pharmacy degree programs. Some schools do give preference to applicants who have completed a bachelor's degree. Another option is what is referred to as a "0-6" program. The "0-6" program is a hybrid educational model where the pre-requisite coursework and pharmacy degree are combined. For practicing pharmacists who have a B.S. degree obtained prior to the switch to the Pharm.D., a small number of part-time, distance learning programs exist which are referred to as "non-traditional".