What Training Do Canadian Pharmacists Have to Go through?

If you want to work at a Canadian pharmacy, you will obviously need some training to work in the field. In Canada, there is a lot of education needed for someone to become a certified pharmacist. This is a good thing overall because it ensures that customers are getting the best care possible. Sure the training takes time, but it at least provides a good foundation for you to help people with. Below we will give an overview of what will be required for you to become a pharmacist, and it will also help you gain a better appreciation for what the pharmacists you encounter had to go through to get to where they are.

The first thing that pharmacists have to do to work at a Canadian pharmacy is get a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from a certified university. There are only ten of these in the entire nation, so you may have to do some traveling to get there. The program lasts for four years and will focus heavily on the sciences. You will need to know a lot about chemistry, and you may look at taking elective courses in math or business to comply with your degree.

Once you have a degree, you will still need to go through hands-on training with a Canadian pharmacy before you get your license. You will be required to complete an apprenticeship program for a certain number of hours before you can go any further. The number of hours required varies from place to place. In Newfoundland, you will complete 32 weeks of internship at 35 hours a week. In Manitoba, the requirement is only 9-15 weeks, but you have to complete 360 hours of training in that time. You need to look at the specifics of your university or country and comply accordingly.

After the apprenticeship is over, you have to take a license exam to officially work in a Canadian pharmacy. This exam will be a culmination of all of your training, but it will require intensive studying that should never be procrastinated. The exam is administered in two parts. The first will be taken over a two day period, where you go through multiple choice questions to demonstrate your technical knowledge. The second part will be given a couple days later, and it involves hands on demonstrations in seven minute increments. If you showcase yourself well enough during both of these, you can eventually seek employment in a pharmacy.