pharm D and B pharmacy difference
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHARM.D AND PHARM.B
Pharmacy is the clinical health science that links medicine with chemistry and it is charged with the discovery, production, disposal, safe and effective use and control of medications and drugs. A Pharmacist is a well trained health professional who is responsible for the management and distribution of medicines and ha the scientific knowledge to counsel patients on how to correctly use medicines and the potential side effects.
Pharm D or Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional degree in Pharmacy. It is a doctorate level degree earned by aspiring Pharmacists in Pharmacy School equivalent to an MD earned by physicians. They work in the area of Pharmacy where drugs like intravenous antibiotics, painkillers and dietary supplements are dispensed and where procedures such as Chemotherapy are carried out. They keep track of their patients’ progress and make adjustments to their medications as appropriate. The course duration is six years in total inclusive of five years learning and one year of internship for practical learning.
It is one of the doctorate degrees that can be pursued immediately after secondary school. Moreover, Pharm D can be pursued by Pharm B graduates by seeking admission to lateral entry which reduces the course duration to two years.
Pharm D is not to be confused with D Pharm however which is a diploma degree in Pharmacy that is obtained from some polytechnics or other accredited institutions in a period of three years.
DUTIES;
Pharm B holders mainly work as general pharmacists, Pharm D holders do drug dispensing, patients counsel, compounding, patient history and record keeping, maintaining records of medicines and its effects, advise on safe use of drugs and administer drugs.
DIFFERENCES;
Pharm B or Bachelor of Pharmacy is an undergraduate degree course in the field of Pharmacy education. It is sum by courses such as Pharmaceutics, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, and Pharmacy Practice. The B. Pharm degree is analogous to the MBBS degree earned by physicians. The course duration is five years in a university for UTME candidates and four years for Direct Entry, DE candidates. Pharm D is superior to Pharm B because Pharm D is a specialized doctoral programme while Pharm B is a Pharmacy undergraduate programme.
Pharm B is fixated on research and industry, they deal with drug formulation, drug sources, molecular structure, drug sciences, and methods to synthesize and manufacture drugs including the pharmaceutical action of the drugs while Pharm D is clinical oriented and has the added advantage of having courses in the concept of Pharmacy, Clinical healthcare studies, Pharmacy practice and Pharmaceutical care.
Pharm B can work in a variety of settings like hospitals, owning a Pharmacy shop or Pharmaceutical industry, etc while Pharm D has the added advantage of being a health care professional, Consultant, Research profession and Clinical scientist.
A graduate of Pharm D can go straight ahead to do his/her PhD while Pharm B has to become a Master of Pharmacy M.Pharm before going ahead to do a PhD.
SALARY;
The salary structure of Pharm B and D holders in Nigeria is almost the same in all establishments. This is most likely because the new Pharm D degree is not yet well recognized in the country. With time, this is going to change. However, there are some establishments that offer a higher pay to Pharm D holders than Pharm B holders.
The difference between Pharm D and B pharm is not recognised in Nigeria. It is still just a title and many pharmacy schools still dont award Pharm D….to avoid Pharm D and Pharm B dichotomy.
Olayinka Shyllon
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