We invite you to join us as we continue our series on pharmacy school education and explore what’s involved in becoming a pharmacist.
Written by Katelin Rockey, Pharm.D. Candidate, University of Florida College of Pharmacy
Navigating the Fourth and Final Year
A student’s fourth year of pharmacy school is the final stretch in the marathon of becoming a PharmD. This year looks very different from previous years, as students do not spend time in the classroom at all but rather are working full time at varying rotation sites.
At the UF College of Pharmacy, students complete 8 6-week long rotations at varying pharmacy locations over the course of a year. These rotations may vary from the FDA to a local independent pharmacy. Students are able to preference their rotation sites, however there are some requirements they must fulfill to earn the necessary credits.
There are 4 required Advanced Rotations:
General medicine and Hospital practice: take place in a hospital institution.
Community Pharmacy Rotation: Students gain experience in community pharmacy settings.
Ambulatory Care Rotation: Focusing on outpatient care, this rotation complements the community experience.
Outside of these 4 required topics, students are able to choose the other sites based on what interests them or what they feel they need more experience in. Students are also often given the opportunities to work beside their preceptors on current improvement projects going on at the rotation sites, or creating presentations on quality improvement and varying other topics.
Once students finish their fourth year rotation, they are then celebrated with a doctoral graduation ceremony and begin preparing for their licensing exams.
This series has given a broad overview of what it takes to become a pharmacist, and I hope that knowing the process behind earning the title Doctor of Pharmacy has impacted others viewpoint of the profession.
Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers to our communities and they are extremely well educated. Don’t hesitate to pop in your local pharmacy with any questions you may have!
