How To Become A Pharmacist In Nigeria

The process on how to become a pharmacist is similar around the world. It involve obtaining a degree in the profession. However, there are some slight variations from on country to another.

Pharmacy is a professional course that came out from medicine and surgery. It was among learned profession in the middle ages. It has a long and rich history within and outside Nigeria.

It is quite hard to get through it successfully around the world as it entails a lot of hard work and dedication. The process to become a pharmacist normally starts from secondary school where O' level result is obtained.
Pharmacy profession was not a very popular course in Nigeria as very few of us back them even thought of being one when we grow up. The top courses that dominated our young mind then were things like doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer and a host of others. This could be due to the fact that many pharmacists use to be shy about the course. This has changed over time as the present generations know what they have studied and how to carry themselves.

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The profession is saddled with the responsibility of drug discovery, design, and development of safe and efficacious medicine which is dispensed to humans and animals. In other to get this knowledge of drugs, one has to get through a school that offers the course. The school must be approved by both National Universities Commission (NUC) and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN). Without that, a graduate from non-accredited university is as good as a non graduate.        

Faculty Of Pharmacy, Where Pharmacists Are Trained

Due to the difficulty in fulfilling the criteria set by the accrediting bodies, so many universities in Nigeria have not been able to meet the criteria to offer the course. This has made the number of universities offering it to be on the low side. Right now, there are a little more than 20 universities that are running the B. Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy) undergraduate degree program with few university running Pharm. D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) program.

To obtain a B. Pharm certificate, one has to study the course for five years in an approved university of his/her choice. This is a little bit different from a Pharm. D. program which runs for 6 years of training. The difference is that Pharm. D. has an added advantage of learning more about clinical practice. This is important since the profession is getting more and more patient oriented.

Read Also: What Pharmacy Technicians Need To Know After Graduation In Nigeria

 Getting Started To Be A Pharmacist

The first step is to get an O' level result with at least five credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry in not more than 2 sitting. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) must be taken with a score approved by the institution of your choice. The subjects are Use of English, Chemistry, Physics and Biology. But due to the competitive nature of the course, the cut-off mark is usually very high as there are many students where there are few schools. 

Also, some schools accept the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) examination with admission into 200 level when student pass the cut off mark.
For direct entry students, there is a different requirement as the student will normally starts from 200 level if admitted. They are expected to obtain 3 credits passes in an A-level examination with Biology/Zoology, Chemistry and Physics/Mathematics plus UTME requirements.
Some schools have a pre-degree program where students are taught basic subjects for a period specified by them (usually about 6 months) and an examination is set for them after which the best among them is chosen.

Wow! congratulations! you have been given admission to study pharmacy.

The Under Graduate Program

The first year could be considered the easiest in the race to become a licensed pharmacist. Most of the courses at this stage are all science subjects from secondary school days with some additions from General Studies and other compulsory university courses. To pass these courses, one must beat the cut-off marks as stated by those departments and not by the faculty of pharmacy which is usually 45 %. The main hurdles start from year two.

Before I proceed, permit me to introduce pharmacy to you. Pharmacy is a faculty comprising of six departments each with different functions. They are:

1. Pharmacognosy and traditional medicine
2. Pharmaceutical chemistry and medicinal pharmacy
3. Pharmacology and therapeutics
4. Clinical pharmacy and administration
5. Pharmaceutical microbiology
6. Pharmaceutics and industrial pharmacy

They all have courses under them which every student must enrol, write and pass. The pass mark for most of them is usually 50 % with some few exceptions that require a score of 60 % and above although very few courses are in this category. Failure to pass them will either lead to a carryover or a receipt examination will be organised for you which is dependent on the school.

After final result, successful candidates will be inducted into the noble profession by PCN at a date specified by them. At this stage, the joy of studying the course set in but it is not the end.

Congratulations! you are now a graduate pharmacist.

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Internship Program

After the induction, which is, swearing in or oath taking, with their certificate, candidates are to look for an internship venue to do their internship. This is a compulsory program for all pharmacy students that also require grading. Although, there is no known record of failure in Nigeria, according to some sources, candidates have failed it in some countries. The programme must be run in a certified location by PCN. It covers a period of one year after which he/she is called a pharmacist. At the end of it, you will be given your final license to operate within the country. Some countries require some additional study when you visit their country. As for Nigeria, PCN has a programme for all foreign pharmacists known as Foreign Pharmacist Graduate Orientation Program (FPGOP) who wish to practice in Nigeria.

Hurrah! you are now a certified pharmacist

Well, for those that are eligible for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), they will spend another one years serving their fatherland. The venue for this is not determined by PCN but by NYSC which most at of the time is at the hospital. You will also apply to and write the professional examination organised by PCN known as PEP (pre examination for pharmacist). If you pass, your licence will be available in no time.

In just a post, you have just passed through a pharmacy school. But just to let you know that it is not as easy as that. For one to succeed, it requires hard wok, dedication and prayers from all who love you. If you or someone you know wants to or is already studying the course, feel free to comment.