The Main Differences Between B Pharm And PharmD Degree In Pharmacy

Pharm. D. Vs B. Pharm.
There is only one school in Nigeria that run the Pharm. D (Doctor of Pharmacy) program. That is the University Of Benin (U.N.I.B.E.N). Many pharmacy students are curious to know the difference between B. Pharm and Pharm. D. in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Some even ask which is better. If you are one of those, you are at the right place.
Both B Pharm and Pharm D programme are job oriented medical courses available in many parts of the world including Nigeria relating to the field of pharmacy.

Degree

Pharm. D. is a doctor of pharmacy equivalent to a Post Graduate Doctorate Degree program while B. Pharm. is just a bachelor of pharmacy. It is an undergraduate degree.

Job Title

Pharm. D. holders can use the title Dr. in addition to their name. However, it is not so with a B. Pharm holder.

Course Duration

Pharm. D is a six years course while B. Pharm is five years. However, B. Pharm students who wish to acquire the Pharm. D degree can apply to study (post Baccalaureate) which will take them three years on a part time basis or two years full time in University of Benin (U.N.I.B.E.N) or in foreign country where it is acceptable.

Curriculum

B. Pharm. curriculum is more on industry and research. Pharm. D. has the added advantage of having courses on the concept of pharmacy, clinical health care studies, pharmacy practice, and pharmaceutical care.


Pharm. D. program have a clerkship program that is usually longer than that of B. Pharm. Some rumours have it that those schools such as Delta State University (D.E.L.S.U) who are already doing Pharm. D. curriculum under B. Pharm. curriculum will spend one-year less to get Pharm. D.

This curriculum is very important in hospital practice where patient care is high. Other opportunities are in the clinical research organisation.

Job Profile

B. Pharm. can work in a variety of settings like in the hospital, owning a pharmaceutical shop, pharmaceutical industry etc. Pharm. D. have an added advantage of being a health care professional, consultant, research profession, and clinical scientist.

Many developed country minimum practice requirement is a Pharm. D degree.

Academic Pursuit

Pharm. D. holders can go for their Ph.D, unlike B. Pharm. that must first get their M. Pharm. in a related field before going for PhD.

M. Pharm is master of pharmacy, which can be obtained within a space of 2 years after getting a B. Pharm degree.

Note: Pharm. D. must never be confused with D. Pharm. D. Pharm. is a diploma degree in pharmacy that is obtained from some polytechnic or other accredited institutions in a period of three years which we will discuss at a later date.

Salary

The salary structure of Pharm B. and D. Pharm is same in most establishments in Nigeria. This maybe because the new D. Pharm degree is not yet well recognized in this country. With time, this is going to change. However, there are some establishments that do offer a level higher pay for D. Pharm than B. Pharm.

Duties

B. Pharm. holders can operate as a general pharmacist. D. Pharm. students do drug dispensing, patient counsel, compounding, patient history and record keeping, maintain records of medicines and its effects, advice on safe use of drugs and administer drugs.


Pharm. D. holders are trained to counsel patients and inform them about the medicine/drug dose, the best time, and method to use. The course focuses on the mechanism of drug actions/side effects/adverse effects (drug reaction). Others include cases for the appearance of diseases and possible complications if left untreated. Not all diseases can be treated with drugs. That is where lifestyle modification comes in. To sum it all, it is clinical oriented (patient centered). However, they also learn what is taught in B. Pharm. There are so many diseases a Pharm. D. holder can diagnose and treat, including appropriate selection and therapeutic usage of drugs, monitoring patients.

M. Pharm. and B. Pharm. on the other hand are research and industry based oriented. They deal with drug formulation, drug sources, molecular structure, and method to synthesize and manufacture drugs including the pharmacological action of the drugs.

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Comments

  1. Nice write-up. I am a B. Pharm holder from Madonna University. I can't help but comment that the B. Pharm you described is alien to me. I am speaking only for my alma mata and not any other school of pharmacy (great they all are but). My last days in school were filled with statements like "abeg, you get complete T.B?"; "who has complete migraine? I need to update mine". Other students look at us--Pharmacy students in awe but these are completely understood has different BULKY handouts in our cycle. Pharm. D is of course a higher qualification (and I hope to further), but I tell you, no Pharmacy graduate from Madonna University, Elele fits into your description of B. Pharm. A nice attempt anyway. Kudos. -Orogbo Uthman B.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Many schools offering B. Pharm have adjusted their curriculum to look like the D. Pharm curriculum. That is why it is like that. I understand. At Delsu, it is almost similar to the UNIBEN cirriculum. However, I wanted to explain the differences years ago when B. Pharm curriculum was complete. I tell you that most of the courses you did were from D. Pharm curriculum

    ReplyDelete
  3. I for all time emailed this web site post page to all
    my contacts, as if like to read it after that my friends will too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm a pharmacy student of Unilag, can you enlighten on how to apply for a d.pharm in uniben after getting my b.pharm in unilag

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why not apply for m.pharm and then go for PHD if you still want to further

      Delete
  5. I know this site offers quality depending posts and additional
    material, is there any other web site which presents these kinds of information in quality?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I experienced that still many of us used D. Pharm(diploma in pharmacy) instead of Pharm. D(doctor of pharmacy), we should have this in mind.
    I'm a Nigerian and student of pharm. D in India, choosing pharm. D as a course is the best option and I really appreciate it.
    - Abubakar Mustapha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hw did u do it ... Applied through sat

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    2. It's scholarship actually

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    3. Plz how do I apply
      And the necessary requirements

      Delete
  7. Well, last month January 2020,the Premier university, University of Ibadan has approved pharm. D. Its now one of the 3(or 4)schools offering it in the country

    ReplyDelete
  8. I believe in some years to come schools like delsu will also start offering pharm ,D in Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  9. Please my sister wants to do pharm. D, can she study online? If yes which one

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Depends on the nature of the programme. Not all will be accepted in Nigeria

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  10. Is it true ui has approved pharm D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not aware of that. Here are the list of approved Universities in Nigeria with Pharm D
      https://drugxpert.blogspot.com/2020/02/pharmacy-schools-with-pharm-d.html?m=1
      However, there can be recent introduction

      Delete
  11. Please what are the current requirements for Pharm D program in Uniben for a B.Pharm holder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read the requirements here
      https://drugxpert.blogspot.com/2021/04/pharm-d-conversion-programme-requirement.html?m=1

      Delete
  12. Anonymous14 July, 2021

    Will someone with B.Sc Biochemistry get direct entry to study Pharm.D in Nigeria, and can the Pharm.D degree holder qualify to be a superintendent pharmacist, register or own a pharmacy premise, recognised as registered pharmacist by PCN in Nigeria?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A good grade in b.sc of biochemistry can get you into any Pharmacy school in Nigeria. Any graduate of pharmacy can register and be a superintendent of any pharmacy business in Nigeria including pharmacy premises

      Delete
  13. It's at Wikipedia that UI is running PHARM.D already. But from their website, the last update there was in 2016/2017. UNN is now running D as well

    Guys, I am looking for where I can Run Pharm D program apart from UNIBEN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://drugxpert.blogspot.com/2020/02/pharmacy-schools-with-pharm-d.html

      Delete
  14. Pls my wife has a diploma in pharmacy Tech with a distinction ,please can she get direct entry admission to the Uniben Pharm.D 200 level programme?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For now, no. But hopefully in the near future

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  15. Please can someone with lower credit in microbiology (HND) get direct entry into pharm D. In any of the institutions offering it

    ReplyDelete
  16. Pleases can someone with lower credit in biochemistry ( HND).apply for any of the pharmaceutical courses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not very sure. You can search for jamb requirements from each school. It changes every year. Do sure you have the latest edition

      Delete
  17. Am a fresher of pharmacology student after my Bsc how can I go further in studying CPT( clinical pharmacology and therapeutic)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Will I be able to also go into drugs/medicines manucfaturing/ industry production and reserch with a pharm. D? As in, will I be thought everything that a B. Pharm knows and is taught in addition?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can go into any field with your pharmD degree. pharmD has bigger curriculum than Bpharm and covers more than Bpharm

      Delete

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