As a student in Pennsylvania completing their bachelor degree in Pharmacy, picking a good pharmacy school can be a tough choice. Although there quite a lot of good pharmacy schools, a few of them stand out. And we will look at some of the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania to help you make a smarter choice. According to NCBI, first-time mean passing rates for NAPLEX have seen a downward trend since 2014, with the most significant drop occurring between 2015 and 2016 (92.64% vs 85.86%). There was wide variability within the 2016 institution scores. While approximately 36% of schools had over 90% passing scores, first-time pass rates dropped as low as 59% for two programs. This drop in the pass rate of the exam can be attributed to many factors, especially the quality of education students receive at their respective pharmacy schools. While this article basically focuses on the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania, it will also highlight key areas in the practice of pharmacy in Pennsylvania and the U.S at large.
Why Attend a Pharmacy School in Pennsylvania?
For a long time, taking the wrong medications have increased the risk of illnesses. More so, the lack of professional counsel on health issues can be pointed as one of the factors responsible for this damage. In Pennsylvania and some other states in the U.S, there is a strong demand for quality patient services in different health centres. Also, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores posited: the number of prescriptions filled increased from 1.9 million in 1992 to 3.9 billion prescriptions in 2013, and in 2015, 4.1 billion prescriptions were filled (projected to be 4.7 billion). As much as a lot of states have good pharmacy schools, the schools in Pennsylvania have a strong distinguishing factor – they have one of the highest NAPLEX pass rates in the country. Essentially, we can agree that to consistently perform at this level, you have to be good. When you consider these projections, you will see that if you’re a pharmacist in Pennsylvania, you’re in a good position to serve your community and earn a lot of money at the same time.
What is the Cost of Studying in a Pharmacy School at Pennsylvania?
Before you choose a pharmacy school wherein you can pursue a pharmacy degree, you have to consider certain factors. As much as the quality of the school is important, the tuition fee carries a similar level of relevance especially when you’re not on a pharmacy scholarship. Generally, the tuition fee for pharmacy school is about $35,284 (in-state) and $39,908 (out-of-state) students. When you add accommodation and living expenses, the price will increase greatly. So, we can generally agree that it costs about $70,000 to complete pharmacy school in Pennsylvania.
What are the Requirements to Enrol into a Pharmacy School?
Before you can gain admission into a pharmacy school, you must fulfil a set of requirements. Although these requirements differ depending on the school, some of them apply to every school. Hence, the general requirements include: In summary, Pharmcas offers you a deep insight into different university requirements for pharmacy school.
Best Pharmacy Schools in Pennsylvania | 2022
There are great pharmacy schools in the country, especially in Pennsylvania. However, before we can list these schools in order, we used certain ranking factors to place them. After using our ranking factors, we have listed the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania which are: Accreditation: All the schools listed in this content have been accredited by reputable bodies. Hence, it means they have passed the stated standard of a pharmacy school NAPLEX Pass Rate: NAPLEX is an exam generally accepted as the qualification yardstick for a pharmacist. The exam success rate of all the pharmacy schools was put into consideration. Quality of Program: To be a top pharmacy school in Pennsylvania, your program must be exceptional. Of course, requirements such as lab facilities and a lot of others will make it so.
#7. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine(LECOM) is a distinguished institution focused on training students to become achievers and pioneers of positive change in society. This school remains committed to a system that equally pushes a nurturing and supportive environment, collaborative practices, community service, and core dedication to the profession of pharmacy. At LECOM School of Pharmacy, you can get your PharmD degree using the three years accelerated pathway, four year Florida pathway or four-year distance education pathway. This School has created the Center for Drug Information and Research (CDIR). It’s an agency which seeks to provide quality healthcare professionals with independent research and core analysis. For their in-depth commitment to progress and growth, they remain one of the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania.
#6. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Founded in 1821, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy also known as the University of Sciences remained a top college pharmacy as they some of the big pharmaceutical company leaders are members of their alumni. Apart from the PharmD degree, they also offer undergraduate degrees in pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology and toxicology, and pharmaceutical & healthcare business. Their state-of-the-art research facilities coupled with their quality trainers make them a top pharmacy school in the country.
#5. Duquesne University
The Duquesne University School of Pharmacy continues to improve on its reputation as a top pharmacy school in the U.S. Their exceptional leadership, great drive for research and hands-on training makes them a top university. This university boasts that 99% of its pharmacy graduate students gain immediate employment after university. Additionally, most of them earn salaries above $110,000. To Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, integrity and honour remain as important as skill. Hence, they train their students to be kind, honourable and respectful to people. Having being ranked among Catholic schools of pharmacy by the U.S. News and World Report, you can see why they’re one of the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania.
#4. Wilkes University
Wilkes University’s pharmacy school is known as the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. They have a mission to “develop pharmacists who will provide high-quality health care and to make meaningful contributions to the science and practice of pharmacy”. A quarter of their graduate students pursue post-graduate training. Well, we can attribute it to the very high pass rates they have experienced in the NAPLEX exam. Their researchers are gradually tackling the Opioid crisis which has rocked the world. Their collaboration and partnership have generally helped them build skills that work towards expanding knowledge.
#3. Temple University
The Pharm. D. program offers a vital curriculum preparing students for practice in clinical, academic, industrial and government settings. Every student has a lot of opportunities to transform their professional degree with elective offerings. To ensure they produce the best students, this university has a range of course requirements every student must fulfil. For example, you need to complete your credit hours in biology, chemistry and anatomy. Temple University School of Pharmacy believes that every student must demonstrate strong observation, social and intellectual abilities in order to thrive in the profession.
#2. University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy continues to produce innovations and discoveries that solve complex medication-based problems of today and tomorrow. To be precise, they keep developing new drug delivery systems, developing new drug entities in addition to identifying more effective ways to deliver patient care. Their desire to help students find their niche in the health care environment keeps them focused. Furthermore, their desire to innovate, lead and improve healthcare causes them to personalize learning. As one of the top pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania, they continue to serve local communities by attending to their healthcare needs.
#1. Thomas Jefferson University
The U.S. News Best Graduate Schools Rankings has ranked a number of schools in Jefferson as top schools in different professions. In this university, students have opportunities to fully participate in innovative clinical, educational and research experiences in order to become leaders in occupational therapy and health care. For many years, JCP continues to prepare students to tackle challenges in drug discovery and development, disparities in health care access and quality and other complex societal issues including the opioid crisis. The core values of the program are deeply rooted in developing pharmacists with a sense of social, personal and professional responsibility. Indeed, they remain one of the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania for students.
Are there Online Pharmacy Schools in Pennsylvania?
Due to the global pandemic, a lot of programs went online. Considering the complexity of pharmacy, it was difficult to make it an online program. However, a good number of schools made it possible. A school like Duquesne University has a four year online pharmacy program. Additionally, students in the program enjoy amazing access to the same faculty and research centres. Before you join the online pharmacy program, you must meet the requirements for the program which is similar to the ones for the campus students. For example, you must have a bachelor degree from an accredited college in the U.S. Studying pharmacy online might not be as thrilling and fun, but you can expect that the quality of the program will not change. There are seven pharmacy schools in PA. Yes. Pharmacy is a great career choice because of the job stability and high pay. To become a pharmacist in PA, you must complete a bachelor’s degree and graduate from a quality pharmacy school. Nuclear pharmacy pays the most amongst other pharmaceutical fields.
Conclusion
Pharmacy will always remain a relevant field in the health industry. In fact, the job outlook projects a 5% increase in the pharmacy positions in the next five years. So, you can easily enroll in any of the best pharmacy schools in Pennsylvania to start a pharmacy program. You’ll be glad you took the right decision.
