Why Pharmacy?

Careers in pharmacy offer many benefits and opportunities.

These include working in the community, a hospital, home health care, pharmaceutical research companies, nursing homes, government health agencies, and higher education. Pharmacists play a vital role in improving patient care through the medicine and information they provide. Pharmacy is a well-rounded career blending science, health care, direct patient contact, computer technology and business. In addition, pharmacy has excellent earning potential and is consistently ranked as one of the most highly trusted professions due to the care and service pharmacists provide.

A PharmD degree can be applied to diverse careers. Clinical pharmacists promote appropriate, effective and safe medication use for patients. By working as part of a health care team, pharmacists are able to closely monitor patient drug therapy and make recommendations on the selection of the best medication for a patient’s condition, the correct dose, and the duration of therapy.

Some community pharmacists provide specialized services to help patients manage conditions such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure. Community pharmacists are the most visible branch of practice advising patients on the proper use of their prescription and non-prescription medication use, and keeping records of their patient’s health, illnesses, and medications.

A hospital pharmacist advises other health professionals about the actions, interactions, and side effects of drugs, and counsels patients about medications. They advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications.

Graduates can work for the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Veterans Administration, the Public Health Service, the Armed Forces, the National Institutes of Health, and many other government agencies. Pharmacists in academia require a postgraduate degree and/or residency and are involved with teaching, research, public service, and patient care. Others serve as consultants for local, state, national, and international organizations.

Our PharmD program emphasizes problem solving and critical thinking and qualifies the graduate for national and state licensing exams. Maryland students learn to practice as patient-oriented healthcare professionals who will work as part of an interdisciplinary team. PharmD students can choose from many electives that allow them to explore their specific areas of interest and seize opportunities to work closely with members of our large and excellent faculty. To round out their education, students elect practice rotations from among hundreds of preceptors working in every imaginable setting in which pharmacy is the focus.