Becoming a Pharmacist
This website is designed to help other students, like myself, who are considering pharmacy as a profession. I hope this is a source of useful information to help with such an important decision in someone's life.
When choosing a career, there are many options to weigh out. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (http:/www.aacp.org) offers numerous articles, statistics and links that all deal with the career of pharmacy.
Here is a list of the top ten reasons to become a Pharmacist according to the AACP.
As a pharmacist, or a potential future pharmacist, you must keep up to date with recent news in the medical field. Recently, the FDA has pulled the drug Vioxx off the market. This was a common perscription for patients who suffered from arthritis, acute pain, and even menstrual cramping. Here is a link to a USA Today article from November 29, 2004 about Vioxx. This article talks about David Graham, a scientist for the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Safety. Graham was part of the study on Vioxx and its apparent correlation to increased risk of heart attack.
According to an article in Fortune magazine, the real question is for the Vioxx maker, Merck. Merck is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., but right now this company is questioning if it will survive the devastaing blow from pulling Vioxx off the market. Along with the $27 billion lost in the stock market since Vioxx was pulled, Merck also has looming class action lawsuits that could potentially ruin the company. Ray Gilmartin, Merck's CEO, is surprisingly optimistic. Gilmartin said, " 'The thing to keep in perspective is how financially strong the company is,' he says. 'We're fortunate to have been managed conservatively, because this is the kind of event that you want to be able to protect yourself against.'" Wall Street experts say, "Merck can become a great company again--but only if it is willing to move beyond its glorious past."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.s. Department of Labor, publishes yearly statistics for all countless occupations. This site gives a detailed description of pharmacy as a career, including information on average yearly earnings, nature of the work, working conditions, training and other qualifications, and related occupations. This site is a great source of information for someone who is considering a pharmacuetical profession.
Their website is http://bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm
The pharmaceutical industry has made recent developments with truly innovative ways to fight diseases. These diseases, such as cancer and HIV, do not respond well to traditional drug treatments. One of these such treatments hinders HIV from entering white blood cells, which can keep patients from reaching full-blown AIDS for years of their lives. Treatments such as this one improve the quality of life for patients, and it is for that reason that I want to become a pharmacist.
Other useful Links:
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists: http://www.ashp.org
National Association of Chain Drug Stores:
http://www.nacds.org
Ntional Association of Boards of Pharmacy:
http://www.nabp.net
All of these websites have really great information on pharmacy as a career, and each of these has other links to many other websites regarding pharmacy.
Click Here to see the sources I used for my web site!
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