Pharmacy Industry News
Top iPhone Apps for Pharmacists
Mar 13th
Pharmacists are supposed to be walking drug dictionaries, but we all need a reference once in a while, especially for us pharmacy interns. These applications provide up-to-date and accurate drug information on your iPhone. Some of these applications also work with blackberries and other smartphones.
Some of these apps are free, so check with the each respective website to learn more about features and pricing.
list from http://blog.onlinecollegeguru.com/health-care/best-iphone-apps-for-pharmacists/
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Pharmacy Reaches Accreditation Status
Aug 8th
With the first class of students graduating this past May, SIUE has received more good luck as it has now become fully accredited, and thereby the only downstate pharmacy school in Illinois. Upon graduation, the school reached its final step in gaining accreditation, which Dean Philip Medon credits to the role of teamwork between students, faculty, staff, and administration. Gaining accreditation is a big step for many pharmacy schools, especially schools that are just starting out. Determining what the best method of learning is for students is part of growing as an institution and learning how to best attract incoming students to the school.
The influx of new pharmacy schools is due to a new demand for pharmacists around the country. Opening new schools allows students to stay within their hometown area without moving to a big city simply to receive their pharmacy degree. This has allowed many more students to enroll than was possible within the past years. Most administrators do not recognize the need for many students to stay at home for school in order to save money and not incur larger debts than they already have to for school. Therefore, the new availability of schools in places such as SIUE has allowed less of a commute for many as well as a new education opportunity. This newest addition to the pharmacy network has already boasted top marks from the national organization and has been told that it’s a model program. Achieving accreditation status for most pharmacy schools is a sign that they are thus able to draw higher-quality students and improve their standing even more.
Most pharmacy schools practice continuing-education programs like SIUE, in which students are provided more training to practicing pharmacists in the area so that they will constantly improve their education. In the case of SIUE, the national organization renewed this status for the next two years, after which it will only need to be renewed every six years. Getting accreditation status is a big step for any pharmacy school, and in the case of SIUE this will only mean increased amounts of applicants which will allow the school to grow out within the state. Many schools are still waiting to gain accreditation status around the country which will lead to a better education group of pharmacists entering the world after school.
This post was contributed by Jill Gordon, who writes about the lpn nursing schools. She welcomes your feedback at Jill.Gordon25@ yahoo.com
New Pharmacy Schools and their Accreditation Statuses
Jul 21st
New Pharmacy schools are opening up at an alarming rate in the United States. Personally, I would not attend a pre-candidate pharmacy school as it is not a smart move fiscally as the loans you will receive as a student at these schools would not be subsidized (you pay interest from day 1, which makes a huge difference on how much you pay back over the life of the loan VS. at an accredited pharmacy school a large portion of loans does not accrue interest until after you graduate). In addition, there is no guarantee that the school receives accreditation; Hawaii College of Pharmacy (HICP) comes to mind. HICP ended up closing their doors leaving their students without a degree and down thousands of dollars. This does not mean that the new schools will all fail, but it is something to be aware of. Do your research before committing to one of these programs.
Here are the recently opened pharmacy schools:
Belmont TN ——————————-Pre-Candidate**
Calilfornia Northstate CA ——————-Pre-Candidate**
Charleston WV—————————- Candidate**
Chicago State IL ————————–Pre-Candidate**
East Tennessee State TN ——————Candidate**
Findlay OH ——————————–Candidate**
Harding, University of AR ——————-Pre-Candidate**
Hawaii at Hilo HI —————————Candidate**
Incarnate Word TX ————————Candidate**
Lipscomb TN ——————————Pre-Candidate**
NEOUCOP OH ——————————Candidate**
Pacific U. (OR) OR —Just received full accreditation, thanks for the update rxgirly2012
Southern Illinois Edwardsville IL ————-Candidate**
Sullivan *** KY —————————-PreCandidate
Texas A&M – Kingsville TX ——————-Candidate**
Thomas Jefferson *** PA——————- Pre-Candidate**
Touro (CA) CA —————————–Candidate**
Touro (NY) NY —————————–Pre-Candidate**
Union TN ———————————-Pre-Candidate**
According to a research done by a member of studentdoctor, these are other pharmacy schools that may be opening in the near future:
possible schools for 2011
Central California SOP- private stand-alone no university affiliation
Samual Merrit (#10 in CA)
St. Joseph College, CT
Roosevelt University, Chicago
Univerity of NC Greensboro
possible schools opening 2010
The University of Maryland Eastern Shores
Drexel
Farleigh Dickinson
D’ Youville College
Concordia-Wisconsin-projects a class size of 300.
Presbyterian College-NC
University of South Florida
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
schools opening 2009
Husson University
New England, University of ME
Notre Dame of Maryland
Regis University
ACPE lists the detailed accreditation status of all American Pharmacy Schools.
Top 200 Branded/Generic Drugs by Retail Dollars and Total Prescriptions
May 10th
These links are from Drug Topics – News Magazine for Pharmacists. These charts display the top 200 branded or generic drugs and their popularity based on money earned or by total prescriptions filled for 2008. Each listing also shows the percent change from the previous year. It’s not a bad idea to get familiar with some of our nation’s most popular drugs.
2008 Top 200 branded drugs by retail dollars
2008 Top 200 branded drugs by total prescriptions
2008 Top 200 generic drugs by retail dollars
2008 Top 200 generic drugs by total prescriptions
PTCB’s New On-Demand Testing
May 9th
Starting April 1st, 2009, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) switched from offering their testing services only 4 times a year to an on-demand system, which allows applicants to take their Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) year round. 6800 people have already signed up to take the exam since then. I think that the PTCB made the logical decision here to make it more convenient for one to obtain licensing to become pharmacy technician.
If you plan on applying for pharmacy schools, you may want to consider obtaining your pharmacy tech license. In addition to the title of CPhT (Certified Pharmacy Technician), you will have the basic knowledge to succeed in a pharmacy setting. Although obtaining a pharmacy tech license is not mandatory prerequisite for pharmacy school, it will show the admission committees that your dedication to pursuing pharmacy as a career. Some pharmacies may hire you as a pharmacy clerk without any license, but many pharmacies will not hire anyone who has not obtained their pharmacy technician license. Licensing procedures may differ state to state, so it is wise to also check your state’s pharmacy board website before getting started.
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