When I was a senior in high school, I only applied to six-year pharmacy programs. I was determined to become a pharmacist because it was a highly respected profession that seemed to offer stability and purpose. The decision to pursue pharmacy wasn’t something I was pushed into, however, I was deeply influenced by family members who were pharmacists. I was both fascinated and, honestly, intimidated by their incredible wealth of knowledge. I was in awe watching my dad take what looked like scribbles on a tiny paper and deliver life-changing medications to his patients.
Back in the early 2000s, pharmacy was evolving quickly. The transition to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree was in full swing, granting pharmacists more authority than ever before. PharmD was the new standard and sparked a surge of interest in the profession, making pharmacy programs fiercely competitive. Most top-tier programs had acceptance rates between 5-8 %. I still remember a friend at the time who applied to a competitive state university’s pharmacy program “just to see if he could get in.” He had no intention to pursue pharmacy, but with a 1590 SAT score and a salutatorian title, of course, he was accepted—and yes, I was a bit annoyed.
Getting into pharmacy school might have seemed easy for some, but staying in was a different story. The first two years, filled with general science courses, were manageable. From the third year onward, when a few new students also filled the spots of those who didn’t make it, pharmacy students had to navigate demanding courses like medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and biochemistry—not to mention an unexpected amount of math. The six-year programs were brutal, and over 40% of students who started didn’t make it to graduation; some had to repeat a year, while others left the program entirely. I watched a few friends struggle to stay afloat, and it was tough to see how unforgiving the program could be. Graduation rates were less than other top-tier colleges, largely because of how demanding the curriculum was.
Over time, the pharmacy profession seems to have lost some of its shine. According to 2021 data from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), there were only 40,520 applications to pharmacy schools, compared to 106,815 in 2011. As fewer students applied, acceptance rates increased, and the intense competition that once characterized pharmacy school admissions diminished.*
Reflecting on my journey now, I can’t help but wonder about the future of the profession. Unlike nursing or medicine, pharmacy seems to be in a constant state of flux, adapting to new roles and challenges. With the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, there’s growing uncertainty about whether pharmacists will continue to play as vital a role in healthcare as they once did. While the profession faces uncertainty, I’m proud of the foundation pharmacy has given me to explore what comes next.
*Source: AACP 2021 Pharmacy School Application Data.