Katia
What is the difference between pharmacology and a pharmacist's degree?
I'm thinking about joining the pharmaceutical field, but I'm not sure about which specific job I should pursue. #pharmacy #pharmacists #pharmaceuticals #pharmacist #pharmaceutical-industry #clinical-pharmacy
3 answers
rohit kumar
rohit’s Answer
Pharmacy is a professional field and area of study, while pharmacology is a more specific science that is studied either in its own right or as a part of pharmacy or other fields like medicine.
Essentially, pharmacology is the science pertaining to the effects of drugs on the body. In studying it, you learn about such things as receptors and how drugs interact with them, the biochemical functioning of various bodily systems in both normal and disease states and how drugs can affect them, etc.
On the other hand, pharmacy is basically the field that pertains to being a pharmacist. It typically involves the study of sciences like pharmacology, pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, as well as more profession-based elements like counseling patients, how to treat minor ailments, checking and filling prescriptions, the manufacturing process of drugs, etc.
Thank you so much for your answer! That definitely helped clear things up for me.
Katia
Lori Pennington
Lori’s Answer
Pharmacology is the branch of biology that studies drugs or medications and their effect on the human body.
Pharmacists are health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use
You can have a degree in Pharmacology and not be a Pharmacist. If you are a Pharmacist, you are certified in Pharmacology usually. After graduating from a Pharmacology program, a person has to take a board exam, pass a background test, pass a drug test, apply for and be accepted and certified by the board of Pharmacists to get a license.
So they are both related
Bryan Killam
Bryan’s Answer
To answer the question about a specific job in pharmacy, there are many jobs. Pharmacy school should expose you to many areas of pharmacy you had not thought of before. My school sends students out during their first year to shadow pharmacists in many different areas. Your last year of pharmacy school usually involves rotations, where you get to experience areas of your choice and apply your knowledge from the previous years.