The two schools of pharmacy in South Carolina, University of South Carolina - Columbia and the Medical University of South Carolina have merged. Go to http://www.sccp.sc.edu/ to get information on campuses, admission, etc.
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) web site is at
The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is pleased to announce the launch of the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) web site at www.pharmcas.org. The purpose of PharmCAS is to benefit pharmacy institutions and applicants in terms of facilitation of the admissions process, student recruitment, and data collection. PharmCAS will allow applicants to use a single application and one set of materials to apply to multiple Pharm.D. degree programs.
There has never been a better time for students to consider a rewarding career in pharmacy. The demand for trained pharmacy professionals has increased dramatically in recent years due the rapid growth of the health care and pharmaceutical industries, especially for the growing elderly population. The number of pharmacists in health care services is also increasing as pharmacists become more actively involved in drug therapy decision-making for patients of all ages. The Pharm.D. degree program requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional coursework followed by 4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study.
DEMAND FOR PHARMACISTS OUTPACING SUPPLY
In a recent report titled "The Pharmacy Workforce: A Study of the Supply and Demand for Pharmacists," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found demand for pharmacy services outpacing the current supply of pharmacists. In the 1990s, America's pharmacy schools turned out more than 74,000 graduates, 10,000 more than the previous decade, said Susan Meyer, senior vice-president of the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. "But in the last few years of the 1990s, there was a drop-off," she said. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also sees demand for pharmacists growing in the years ahead, resulting largely from greater prescription drug use by an aging population.
Beginning with the incoming class of fall 2002, the doctor of pharmacy degree, a four-year professional degree that students complete after a minimum of two years of post-secondary study, will be the only degree option open to aspiring pharmacists, Meyer said. According to the BLS, pharmacists earned median annual incomes of $66,220 in 1998; the highest-paid 10 percent earning more than $88,670 yearly. For more information, see http://www.hrsa.gov/newsroom/releases/2000Releases/pharmacistshortage.htm or contact the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy at (703) 739-2330.
Information: Jeffrey Steele, "Demand for pharmacists outpaces supply," The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 14, 2001.