Americans love our drugs.  Pharmaceutical companies are well aware of this love affair with drugs and have been able to market many of their new innovations on this fact.  Most pharmacy students, however, are not as accustomed to this association with their patients as customers, and are forced to learn this throughout their time in pharmacy school.  No state is more wrapped up in its pharmaceutical companies than California, a state that has many top-ranked pharmacy programs and produces thousands of pharmacy graduates a year. 

Ironically enough, over the past year, both prescription and pharmaceutical sales have risen to astronomical amounts – pharmaceutical sales reached over $250 billion while prescription costs nearly doubled for the average consumer.  Some could even make the argument that pharmaceutical companies have turned our population into a disease-obsessed country, one which assumes that every phobia needs to be treated with some type of prescription drug.  This is not too far from the truth – my doctor seems to always have a different prescription for each type of ailment, although I have understood for years that most illnesses clear up on their own. 

Where does pharmacy school fit into all these allegations?  Students are virtually unaware of this large monopoly pharmaceutical companies have over the whole of our existence.  Pharmacists themselves typically have little contact with the true meat behind pharmaceutical companies, and are instead worried about their various drug concoctions and their patients.  Most pharmacy students go to pharmacy schools to interact with their patients, not to become a member of a large pharmaceutical company.  A majority of our population is now aware of the truth behind most pharmaceutical companies thanks to the recent look into our health care bill as well as modern documentaries that have exposed the ways pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies work together.  It does not paint a pretty picture for pharmacy students of any state.

However, pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies also play an important role in our society.  Severe conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer cannot be combated without the use of prescription drugs, and thus far they have saved thousands of lives.  Most pharmacy students are attracted to their programs because of this opportunity to help hundreds of people every day through the prescription drugs they put together.  In the end, it is difficult to make the argument that we are too reliant on prescription drugs when we need them to ensure our population stays healthy; pharmaceutical companies are not always the evil entity political pundits make them out to be, but can instead be viewed as a beacon of hope for many people who suffer from chronic conditions every day. 
 

Pharmacy school involves a long time commitment both before and after school, although most pharmacy students look forward to the day they can have a different type of “work”.  With prescription drugs on the rise and new drugs concocted yearly, it is no wonder how we as a society have become so accustomed to pharmacists and pharmacies around the country.  Pharmacy schools now sprout out of nowhere, even through the internet.  However, most pharmacy students remain greatly interested in the subject, regardless of its use in the real world because of the science behind the drugs.

FDA studies are being released all the time, condemning this drug, praising that drug – it’s difficult for even pharmacists to keep track of this type of barrage of news, although patients now have the opportunity to check whether their prescription is considered legal by the FDA.  This lightens the load considerably on pharmacists who may not have been informed that a specific drug has been banned from production.  It’s difficult to always receive this type of information, even in such a highly specialized industry.  A recent article in The New York Times chronicles this new method of receiving information about drugs, allowing patients to log into the FDA’s website to check their drugs on an online database.   Pharmacists did not have to worry about problems like this only a few years ago!

While it is true that times are changing for every industry, few are as profound of changes as pharmacy.  Almost every year a new prescription drug hits the market that can help with cancer-treatment, help abate anxiety, or help even the common cold.  Pharmacists are constantly learning new formulas and adapting to new drug compounds, a perk in the career for many who enjoy learning.  If you do not enjoy this constant barrage of information, then pharmacy school and the inevitable career may not be for you.  However, many students of pharmacy love the prospect of learning new chemical compounds on a daily basis – a light at the end of the tunnel for many of them.  While a life in pharmacy may seem like a “dead-end” type of job (it’s been rated close to dentists on job lists), pharmacy is such a changing industry that it seems ridiculous that it would come close to be called “boring”.  

Pharmacists always have new hurdles to jump through, battles to pick with the FDA, and research to conduct on new chemical compounds.  It is hard to believe that any student of pharmacy would not enjoy their career in the industry after completing their degree program.  
 

Pharmacy schools have become as commonplace as medical schools, and as a result, students have become extremely confused as to what school is the best suited for their future.  With the advent of online education, choosing a pharmacy school has become even more of a hassle with the added influx of schools from around the world that are easily accessible through a modem.  How can a student be expected to sift through all the paraphernalia and pharmacy school websites on their own?

The first step is to sit down and organize your goals.  Pharmacy school may give you the same degree, but different schools can lead to widely different career paths.  If you want to choose a path that is more research-oriented, your initial research into pharmacy schools should look into schools that are accredited and highly reputable in the research industry.  Most pharmacy schools have superb research facilities, but there are several that produce many research graduates every year at a higher rate than typical pharmacy schools.  These research institutions additionally offer students the added advantage of interning and working at nearby pharmaceutical companies and hospitals where they can hone in on their research skills.

Location is another factor to take into consideration when applying for pharmacy schools.  While hospitals and clinics are not as essential to the program as they are in medical school, it is still important to have a hospital nearby where you can gain valuable residency hours.  If you choose to earn your pharmacy degree online from your hometown, this is an important factor to take into consideration.  Depending on what you are going to do with your pharmacy degree, it might be wise to enroll in a traditional university if you want to practice in a large city.  If you simply want to become a pharmacist in your hometown pharmacy, then online education is the perfect solution to your schooling needs.

Other pharmacy schools boast of their accreditation and their recognition within the pharmacy world.  There are countless lists and ranking systems throughout the education industry – enough to make your head spin!  While no one list is better than the others in the long run, it is important to browse through several lists to gain an understanding of what each pharmacy school has to offer, the cost of tuition, and the course listings.  You do not have to follow or even believe the ranking systems, but each one offers more insight than the other into potential pharmacy schools.  Accreditation is of course, the most important part of the research/application process.  Determining that your future school is accredited should be step one in the process.  Most pharmacy schools are accredited by reputable institutions, but online schools are still not entirely reputable, which makes it all the more important to research into the school’s background.

Pharmacy school is a big change in your life, no matter what school you enroll in, and taking the proper steps to finding the perfect school for you will make the process less confusing and more rewarding. 

Childhood obesity has become a major problem in the U.S. today. The land of the free moves at such a fast-pace that it has become quicker and easier to give our children unhealthy kids meals from fast food restaurants than to plan healthy meals. We have such little free time that we allow our children to veg out in front of the TV or computer playing video games so we can have a smidgen of peace and quiet at home. We send our kids to school, where unhealthy food is often being served in the lunchroom. However, as parents, if we want to stave off the health and social problems associated with a child that is obese, we have to begin to fight the rising tide of childhood obesity.

First, realize that making sure your child is living a healthy and active lifestyle is a counter-cultural idea these days. After all, the most popular gifts for teens and tweens are no longer bicycles like when we were kids. Instead, the most popular gifts are gaming systems, such as the Wii, Xbox 360, or Playstation 3, all of which are very sedentary forms of entertainment. While playing age-appropriate games is harmless fun, it can contribute to dangerous inactivity and childhood obesity if not balanced out with more active fun.

If your child has become inactive, it is a good idea to meet them where they’re at. Wii has introduced a great product called Wii Fit, a fun exercise program that is helping some children get active by allowing families to exercise in their homes together. You can customize the programs to be suitable for your child’s fitness level, and monitor their progress.

Another good idea is to prioritize outdoor exercise. Take your children on a brisk walk three to five times a week. Not only is this a great opportunity to hear about their day and spend time with them, but it also gets their blood moving and contributes to their weekly physical activity needs. Find out what kinds of sports your child is interested in and make a point to play with them over the weekend, whether it’s soccer, basketball, tennis, or something with less rules, like Frisbee. If you’re not up to the task, encourage your children to play sports with their friends instead of spending all their time indoors on their cell phones, computers and gaming systems.

Finally, talk with your child about healthy eating and keep healthy snacks around the house, like yogurt, string cheese or fresh fruit. Explain to them the consequences of drinking sodas and eating fast food. And most importantly, be the one to demonstrate a healthy lifestyle. After all, it’s hard to tell your kids the right thing to do if they see you sitting on the couch eating junk food too!

A relatively new field, online pharmacy schools have taken over the online education industry because of the large demand for pharmacists throughout the recession.  From California to Texas, online pharmacy schools have spread throughout the nation, stemming from the states where the pharmacy programs are already well known throughout the nation.  Due to the high amount of pharmacists that are emerging from these schools, the drug industry has also boomed thanks to the research that has developed simultaneously. 

One of the least known jobs of pharmacists involves the research they participate in, in developing new drugs and medications for patients of a variety of illnesses.  We mostly assume that pharmacists end up behind counters in Walgreens and CVS, but a large majority of them wind up in research institutions and other pharmaceutical industries.  Many students of online pharmacy schools are particularly adept at research and the processes involved because of the years they spend without direct instruction through online classes.  While some critics maintain that this produces students who are less likely to succeed and more reliant on instruction, many others maintain that online classes produce students who are more independent and therefore better able to excel at research on their own.

This has been a proven theory throughout online pharmacy schools because of the vast research many students perform during their clinical trials.  The drug industry has benefited greatly from this new influx of research students, especially compared to the past decades in which students have been pressured to join top pharmaceutical firms outside of the research sector.  Research is not a realm that most students are keen to jump into, although online education has fostered this new sense of working independently on projects and assignments, and as a whole has produced a new generation of researchers. 

While pharmacy schools may seem to be one of those entities that are ill-equipped to produce online classes, the schools themselves have attracted many students and have produced many adept pharmacists.  Most online pharmacy schools come from traditional schools that have sought to simply attract new students and therefore have a strong background in education and pharmacy studies in general.  As the next years unfold, they will undoubtedly reveal a newfound interest in drug companies and pharmaceutical industries and a slow move away from remaining behind the Walgreens counters. 

The decision to attend pharmacy school is not one which can be made overnight, but requires many months of research and deliberation before making an informed decision.  California has many of the oldest and most esteemed pharmacy schools in the nation, and most students start their research focused on this area of the country.  While there are many highly-ranked pharmacy schools around the nation, California continues to attract a large portion of students due to its research programs, top staff, and successful graduates.

University of California at San Francisco – School of Pharmacy
One of the oldest schools in the nation, the School of Pharmacy of the University of California in San Francisco was founded in 1872 as the California College of Pharmacy, the first pharmacy school in the West and only the 10th in the nation.  One of the primary reasons for the school’s success is its clinical program which became a requirement for its students in the 1960s.  The location of the school in the historical district of San Francisco is also a huge incentive for many students to enroll in its program.

University of Southern California – School of Pharmacy
USC was not far behind the University of California in creating its pharmacy school, opening its doors in 1905.  The school now boasts a large population of pharmacists in the area who graduated from the school and currently enrolls upwards of 750 students in its graduate program.  USC continues to be innovative throughout its educational programs and promotes dual degrees for pharmacy students in areas as diverse as law and public health.  The school remains a model for other pharmacy schools around the nation and is widely recognized for its stellar reputation within the pharmacy community.

California has also implemented many online pharmacy schools through the past several years which have attracted many students from around the country.  This allows students from small towns around the nation to earn their degree in pharmacy without the hassle of moving across the country or leaving their friends, family, and career.  Students in California also have the luxury of completing their clinical studies through top-rated hospitals in the area while still maintaining a manageable school schedule because of the ease of online classes.  Some of the more popular schools that offer online pharmacy programs in the area include Loma Linda University, Touro University, and the University of California in San Diego.  The small size of many of these online classes encourages students to enroll in the programs despite the distance.  The reputation of Californian schools alone attracts thousands of students every year to pharmacy schools within the state, whether they are online or traditional. 
 

Texas prides itself on being the largest state in the continental United States, but this fact does not help interested students who are looking for pharmacy schools.  In fact, it can serve to further confuse these students who are trying to decide on a school and have no idea where to begin in such a big state.  Students from the New England area are used to states that take less than 4 hours to get through, not states that take 15 hours to drive completely through.  It’s quite a big task.  However, we’ve narrowed this list down to the 5 pharmacy schools in Texas you should know about before applying to schools.

University of Texas at Austin – College of Pharmacy
The most well-known of the Texas universities is the state school University of Texas; it’s known for its sports, extensive degree programs, and its pharmacy school within the state.  Students from around the country flock to this highly-ranked school both because of its attractive location in the capital city and its high rankings within most pharmacy circles.  For students from different areas of Texas, the pharmacy school also has the option of transferring halfway through your college experience, essentially earning a doctor of pharmacy or a master’s in the process.

Texas Tech University – School of Pharmacy
Texas Tech is another highly-ranked Texas state school that continues to attract students from around the country as well.  While their pharmacy school is one to brag about, its location tends to turn many students off of enrolling in its program.   The university is located in a more remote area than most other large state schools, but the reputation of the pharmacy school itself is enough to encourage students to apply for the program.

University of Houston – College of Pharmacy
Yet another state school, the University of Houston is located within the nation’s third largest city and offers a wide array of cultural options students can experience throughout their course of study.  Because of its location in Houston, students are able to take full advantage of the many clinic and hospital options available for experience throughout their studies.  While the pharmacy program is not as popular as others within the school and the state system, the pharmacy school continues to produce top-ranked pharmacists and helps prepare students for a fruitful future in the pharmacy industry.

Texas A&M University – Kingsville Irma Rangel School of Pharmacy
For the student more content to remain in South Texas, Texas A&M in Kingsville offers the perfect choice for pharmacy school.  The school is small but attracts a large population of students from the southern area of Texas and has additionally ballooned into a university that has multitudes of degree programs.  The pharmacy school is relatively new to the university but offers students a new option within Texas.

Texas Southern University – College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Another Houston university, TSU is a historically black university that was originally designed with the goal of promoting urban education.  The pharmacy school merged with the department of health sciences in the 1980s and was renamed as a result, allowing students to dabble in both realms of the health industry.  Once again, because of its location in Houston, students are able to view first-hand what the pharmaceutical process leads to within large hospital systems.