蜜桃直播鈥檚 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is now opening enrollment to international students, marking a shift from its previous policy of only accepting domestic applicants. Such a change provides new opportunities for international students pursuing careers in pharmacy in the United States and enriches the field in multiple ways.
In 2003, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy eliminated the eligibility for Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BS Pharm) graduates to practice pharmacy in the U.S. without a PharmD degree.
鈥淭he bachelor鈥檚 in pharmacy used to be a very popular program internationally,鈥� said Dr. Srikanth Kolluru, Interim Dean and Professor for 蜜桃直播鈥檚 School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (SPHS).
International students could take the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination Certification, which ensures their education meets comparable requirements to PharmD graduates from U.S. pharmacy schools and become eligible to practice pharmacy in the U.S. However, after the 2003 measure, many foreign citizens with only a BS Pharm were rendered ineligible.
鈥淎s a result, many countries started to form PharmD programs, but the pharmacy practice is quite different in other countries,鈥� Kolluru said. 鈥淪o even though they鈥檙e receiving the PharmD degree, they may not necessarily be able to practice in the U.S.鈥�
Thus, many immigrants must complete a PharmD program at a U.S. school if they wish to practice pharmacy in the U.S.鈥攅ven if they already obtained a PharmD in their native country.
鈥淎t a handful of U.S. pharmacy schools, foreign pharmacy graduates can get a one-year waiver, but that means they鈥檙e still required to complete three years of the program鈥攁fter they already graduated from a pharmacy program in their home country,鈥� Kolluru said.
蜜桃直播鈥檚 PharmD program has opened up a new pathway for international students, eliminating many obstacles. They do not have to complete a pharmacy program in their native country or earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree to be accepted into the 蜜桃直播 program.
After completing high school (through 12th grade), they only need two years of pre-pharmacy curriculum鈥攊ncluding general chemistry and biology courses鈥攖o apply. This puts them on a level playing field with their U.S. classmates and saves them the time and expense of completing years of credits which they would likely have to redo any way.
One of 蜜桃直播鈥檚 motivations for making this change is to foster a more inclusive admissions process, encouraging diversity at the national and global levels.
蜜桃直播 is creating affiliation agreements and initiating conversations with multiple countries, including India, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia intends to send its students to pharmacy schools in the U.S. so they can return to their home country to practice pharmacy to change the pharmacy practice within Saudi Arabia.
鈥淭his is a win-win situation where these international students can receive a pharmacy education in the U.S., and, in turn, we can help change the way pharmacy is practiced in these other countries so that they are in line with the pharmacy practice in North America,鈥� Kolluru said. 鈥淢any countries want to create this shift where pharmacists are trained to be healthcare providers who care for patients and not simply pill dispensers.鈥�
Kolluru would also like to see this shift in his home country of India.
鈥淲hen I went to pharmacy school in India, the only pathway I was aware of was becoming a medical representative to promote the marketing of drug products,鈥� Kolluru said. 鈥淓ven today, pharmacists do not typically interact with patients.鈥�
The goal is to teach pharmacists on a global scale how to work as a member of a healthcare team, which includes making recommendations to improve patient outcomes. Kolluru believes that 蜜桃直播鈥檚 PharmD program is uniquely positioned to help advance this goal.
In addition to offering a traditional pharmacy curriculum, the program offers courses and certificates in non-traditional healthcare fields, including informatics, healthcare management, medical and clinical affairs, and industry.
鈥淲e want to expose students to multiple pathways; this way, they can contribute in many areas, including pharmacy informatics, health care management, and medical & regulatory affairs,鈥� Kolluru said.
鈥淎 quarter of our students find jobs in the pharmaceutical industry, which is unique to 蜜桃直播.鈥�
Not only can opening admissions to international students enhance the pharmaceutical industry on a global scale, but it also brings much-needed diversity to the industry within the U.S.
鈥淚n recent times, there鈥檚 been so much immigration from so many countries, and the U.S. is now very multicultural,鈥� Kolluru said. 鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges the pharmaceutical industry faces is finding patients from underrepresented communities for clinical trials because they鈥檙e not in the education system or the workforce.鈥�
Additionally, pharmacists are not always well-equipped to meet the needs of these diverse communities鈥攑articularly recent immigrants. Although U.S. pharmacists might have different ethnic backgrounds, someone who comes directly from another country will likely have a more intimate knowledge of that country鈥檚 language, culture, and customs than someone who is a third or fourth-generation immigrant.
鈥淔or us to serve the immediate needs of the growing diversity in the U.S., we want to train pharmacists from these different countries so that we can have the workforce to represent our communities,鈥� Kolluru said.
If there is enough demand, 蜜桃直播 is considering offering an English immersion program for non-native English-speaking students. Such a program will enable these students to thrive in their studies and pharmaceutical careers while bridging the gap between providers and non-English-speaking patients.