How to become an animal pharmacist

Veterinary pharmacologist or animal pharmacist is the person who specializes in health care treatment of animals with the use of drug therapy. Their chief work is to make diagnoses of an ailment, choose the most appropriate and effective medication treatment plan, and decide on the appropriate dosage and the most suitable means for administration of the drug to their animal patient. Animal Pharmacists generally work in private animal medical hospitals and care facilities. They may also be involved in laboratory settings on research and development of new medicines. 

Being an animal pharmacist is one of the most prosperous career option. The way world is changing and the concern for animal welfare is growing, more the people are coming to veterinary doctors and pharmacists to ensure that their pets remain in great health. To qualify as an animal pharmacist, you will need to acquire a professional level degree in Veterinary medicine along with at least State license to practice. To work in this field you will need to develop diagnostic skills, great interpersonal and communication skills, manual agility and need to have compassion towards animals. So, if you wish to become an animal pharmacist, here is how to proceed from the very basic:

• The first step is your education. You need to complete your undergraduate education with pre-veterinary classes that will include subjects like science, physiology, zoology, biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and microbiology. English, mathematics and social sciences may also be required. Then you will have to earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to apply in any good veterinary school. 

• One of the important deciding factor for admission in veterinary medicine schools in the score on various standardized tests. It is recommended that you take some of the most popular and mandatory standardized testing, such as Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

• Once you have been admitted into an accredited veterinary school, you need to earn a degree in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. It is generally a 4 year program (3 years of classroom education, labs and clinical skills development plus 1 year of clinical rotations at veterinary facilities).

• After your Doctoral degree, you now need to acquire a license for practicing. Different states may vary in their qualification for licensing. However, the basic prerequisites include a degree from accredited veterinary school plus clearance of a licensing exam.

• You also need to complete your residency training as a potential pharmacist with a residency program in the specialty. Typically, a residency for an animal pharmacist is of 3 years. During the residency training, a potential animal pharmacists attends classes then gets clinical training. They also need to work on and complete a research project. They may also serve externships with drug companies, government agencies, animal welfare organizations, NGOs, etc.

• Lastly, you need to get certification in Veterinary Pharmacology. Applicants must carefully go through all the prerequisites for acquiring the certification from the state or national Board. A certification exam is conducted. The application process is quite simple and can be done either manually or online.  

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