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A: FROM MENTOR KATHY JEAN
IN IL
I graduated from University of Illinois College of Pharmacy,
and I highly recommend this program. Its main curriculum is
focused on clinical practice (which means PharmD track), but
it also allows you to do some independent research to see
if industrial research may be for you. I completed my major
in clinical practice, but I minored in Medicinal Chemistry,
which means that I can design new compounds or new drugs.
They have a large, diverse group of faculty. It is located
at the medical campus in Chicago, and the college offers lots
of opportunities, funding and resources for undergraduate
and graduate students. Thereafter, I also went to dental school
after pharmacy school, and I think that because of my pharmacy
education, I was always able to get a job while I was in dental
school (about 15 years ago, I worked 15 hrs/week at $25 dollars/hr).
There is still a tremendous shortage of pharmacist across
the United States, and they are paying even more money to
recruit pharmacists. I currently teach dental pharmacology
to dentists and hygienists at the Dental School. So, overall,
I think that the pharmacy education at U of Illinois was worth
every dollar for me. The training was so good with their undergrad
pharmacy program, that I was able to pass both the Illinois
license exam and the California license exam. California is
known to have a very tough pharmacy licensure exam. Pharmacists
make a reasonably good salary today (some can make more than
60K). So, I recommend that you work in a pharmacy setting
as an apprentice or technician (retail or hospital) to see
if you might like to be a pharmacist eventually. It is an
honorable profession, but the schooling can be rather difficult,
and you will need to be motivated or enjoy it to make it worth
your time and money (tuition). Some programs can be anywhere
from 4 to 6 years to get your pharmacy degree (either Bachelors
or Pharm D). Please feel free to send more questions to GEM-SET@uic.edu
if you have other questions. Sincerely, Kathy H. Jean, R.Ph.,
D.D.S. (Professor at U of Illinois).
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