Pharmacists are essentially problem-solvers. Most of the time, pharmacists are just checking the work of technicians; at least that is the case right now. A person comes in with a prescription and, usually, a tech will receive the prescription. The tech asks for and types in the person's information (address, phone #, age, health insurance #, allergies, etc...), if the person has never been to the pharmacy before, and the prescription information (name of drug, strength, dosage form, quantity, how to take, name of prescriber), and then prints out the prescription label and receipt. The tech then fills the Rx. The pharmacist checks the completed product (i.e. the filled bottle of medication, the prescription label and receipt, and the prescription itself), looking to make sure it is the correct drug, that there were no insurance issues, that the dose is correct, and checks over any 'red flags' that software may have picked up (e.g. if the person has an allergic reaction to a food dye that is found in the drug or if the person is allergic to penicillins and is prescribed amoxicillin). Most of the time, it is simple because the techs do a good job and the fill is usually a refill on a drug that a person has been taking for awhile without any issue. If everything is good, the pharmacist will give the person his or her prescription if it's a new Rx and also educate the patient on how to take the drug, what to expect from it (both good and bad), and other such info. If it's a refill, a tech will hand out the drug and ask if the person has any questions.

I'd say that the job is just half checking, half answering questions (from patients, techs, prescribers, and even other pharmacists). Just as important as knowing all about the drug, you have to know about insurance coverage. For example, a 10mg strength of a drug might be covered, but the 20mg version may not be. If a person comes in with an Rx for the 20mg strength, then the pharmacist will spot this when checking over the Rx, and can "adapt" the Rx so that the person is given twice as many of the 10mg strength of drug and takes the drug accordingly. Or something like that... there's lots of little tricks involved with insurance coverage.

If the tech doesn't understand the Rx, then you have to make sense of it.
If the software or one of the dispensing machines isn't working according to plan, then you have to fix it.
If there's a complicated prescription for a compound (e.g. a custom skin cream for a person with psoriasis), then you have to figure out how to make it.
If a person comes in with a question, then you tell them the answer; if you don't know the answer, then you have to figure it out using the appropriate resources.
If a doctor wants a person off drugs containing lactose (a common non-medicinal ingredient in drugs), then you have to figure out if there are different manufacturers or different strengths of the drug that don't contain lactose or possibly even suggest a similar drug that doesn't contain lactose.
If a doctor doesn't know how to dose for a person with renal failure, then you have to figure out the dose.

I can think of a lot of weird scenarios like that. Pharmacists are always dealing with weird scenarios/questions/issues.

Aside from getting licensed after completing your BScPharm, there's generally no further step. In the near future, there may be an increase in the number of people going back to school to get their PharmDs, as the PharmD will soon be what is required for practice. While current BScPharm pharmacists will likely not be required to upgrade, some may feel the need to go back to get a PharmD to remain competitive (especially those BScPharm pharmacists who work in hospitals).

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13

congrats 100 average@@
could you tell me more about the details? like how you got there, your highschool avg, do i need SAT score... things like that?

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UW- biomed (regular)/ biochem (coop)
UWO- biomed
UOttawa- biomed
McGill- biomed/nursing

top 6 avg: somewhere b/w 94~97

Yes.

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13

The PCAT is NOT necessary for acceptance to Waterloo.

U of A arguably has the best pharmacy program across Canada. At least, our graduates consistently score highest on the national licensing exams.

I like that our courses are modular and that we have lots of experiential learning. Modular in that we don't take a course in physiology, a course in anatomy, a course in pharmacology, a course in toxicology, etc... We have a course in one specific area (e.g. this year it was in Dermatology/Eye/Ear/Nose/Throat), in which we learn about the physiology, anatomy, and pathology of those systems and the pharmacology and toxicology of drugs used to treat conditions of those systems. In my experience taking courses in each subject separately, I found it was difficult to integrate knowledge from the courses (especially because you often don't take all the courses at one time... e.g. I learned about the physiology of the cardiovascular system in first semester of third year, but I didn't learn about the pathology of the CV system until second semester of fourth year - by that time, I had forgotten all about the physiology, so the pathology didn't make as much sense).

I believe U of A is also the only school in Canada that requires its students to do a first-year practicum. I just spent the entire month of April in a pharmacy as a pharmacy student. I learned a lot there and was able to practice a lot of the skills and use a lot of the knowledge I had learned in first year. It definitely helped.

Also, U of A, along with U of T, will be introducing an undergraduate PharmD program pretty soon. I don't know where the other pharmacy schools stand, but I'm pretty sure U of A and U of T will be the first to unroll undergraduate PharmD programs in Canada. It's fairly important for me, and anyone else in my year, that my school allow me the option of doing an undergraduate PharmD because I may be able to transfer into it before I graduate. It's less important to anyone who is currently in high school.

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13

They'd co-exist. The current PharmD would still be around for people with BScPharm degrees wanting to upgrade.

The undergraduate PharmD program would, I believe, be a five-year degree. What I understand is that it won't really be much different than the current BScPharm degree, but there will be an extra semester of courses in fourth year (in place of the current semester-long fourth-year practicum that is required at all pharmacy schools in Canada) and the fifth year will be a year-long practicum.

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13

Hey Matt,
I should be in good shape to get into U of T pharmacy next year but I'm concerned about the profession. With government is trying to cut back deficits by making cuts in pharmacies and and not reinvesting back into it, I'm wondering what options I have after I graduate if I can't find a job. With independent consultants projecting half the pharmacies in Ontario to close with others working at reduced hours, job prospect seems pretty dismal. I believe that licensing exam for pharmacy is national so I guess I can always move to other province. Is it difficult to write the American licensing exam graduating from a Canadian university? What other options are available?

Do you think it is possible that you get accepted to Dental/Med School
after completing the BScPharm and took all the required courses for the dental or med school
(eg. BioChem, Organic Chem..etc.)

That's true, but independent pharmacies (once again, at least the ones that focus on clinical services) also have the most to gain from it. Right now, more and more independent pharmacies are closing because they're being outcompeted by the major chains. The successful ones are generally the ones that have found a niche, most often that would be by offering clinical services that the major chains, which focus on pumping out prescriptions, don't. If the government begins reimbursing pharmacies for providing these clinical services and there is less money to be made in simply doling out prescriptions, then it will be those independent pharmacies already focused on clinical services that will benefit most. Less competition, more money.

This, of course, all depends on exactly how much the Ontario government will actually take from the pharmacy industry. Taking 650 million is crippling to everyone.

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13

wow, thanks for giving a good picture of what pharmacists actually do. I think when most people think of pharmacists they think of pharmacy technicians, and most people really don't know a lot about what pharmacists do.

Right now I'm just finishing high school and I'm still kinda considering if I want to go into pharmacy or try for med school. I think I'm willing to work hard and long enough to become a doctor, but there is still uncertainty about getting into med school. On top of that, I kinda fear having no life outside of my job, which I think often comes with being a doctor. So I think being a pharmacist rather than a doctor would be the better choice for me.

Still not totally sure, but I'm definitely open to suggestions.

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UBC '14

Being a doctor is a lot more stressful. There's a lot to know, and you're expected to know it all. If you F up, you could easily harm a patient. Plus you have to go through like a hundred years of pretty intense schooling. Not for me, and I think doctors absolutely deserve what they get paid.

Just keep an open mind. Getting into medicine is absolutely not a guarantee; pharmacy is a little more realistic. But there are a lot of other career paths to take too...

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BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy University of Alberta '13