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Jennie Slawinski

Hi! Glad to see you may be interested in Pharmacy as a career!
Many Pharmacy schools have different pre-req courses, you will have to check their websites to get specific information. But most Pharmacy schools require a heavy load of science and math courses. There will also be some general education requires and perhaps some business courses required.

Depending on the pharmacy school you attend, the debt can vary by 100,000s of dollars. If you go to a publicly funded school your debt after graduation (4 years) may be around 60,000-100,000. If you attend a private school, debt after graduation could be upwards of 200,000. Scholarships are available, but grant money is not typically given to students in professional programs. So to finance school, you would do it through scholarships, loans, or out of pocket.

Residencies are not yet required for pharmacists. This may be a requirement in the future, but not any time soon. Doing a residency is all dependent on the student. If you wanted to go into a specialty then it is recommended to apply for a residency. However residencies are available for community pharmacy (Walgreens, CVS, etc), as well. Applying for residencies is like applying for pharmacy school all over again. You must have a competitive application.

Starting pay varies greatly between cities, states, and job title as a pharmacist. Start by looking in your area at Pharmacist's salaries, or wherever it is you would like to work! Pharmacists can make upwards of 100,000 a year. However, some make less and some make more!

Answered 3 years ago

Jennie Slawinski