Pharm.D in INDIA

 The Union Ministry of Health and Pharmacy council of India (PCI) have introduced a SIX-Year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) course. 4 1/2 years will be academic session, and 6 months clinical oriented project and clerkship. Final year is completely bound to Internship in hospital posted at different departments like 2 months in Pediatrics, 2 months Gyn & Obs, 2 months (OPTION in selection of Clinicals interested) and 6 months in General Medicine department. This provides intensive training in pharmacy practice & clinical pharmacy services. Students can enroll for this course after 10+2, or Post Baccalaureate, in which cases the duration of course would be reduced to 3 years. Only institutes running B.Pharmacy programs, approved under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act will be running Pharm.D programs. Pharm.D is the official course of PCI and AICTE had no role to play in Pharm.D. 

Eligibility: Students who had passed Intermediate with Bi.P.C/M.P.C or D.Pharm are eligible for admission to the Pharm.D course.

ENTRANCE: State wide examination. In A.P: EAMCET for 6 years Pharm.D and PGCET for the 3 years Pharm.D Post Baccalaureate. 

Role of Pharm.D

Pharm.D is a 360 degree of Pharmacy and mainly hospital oriented, as evident from the fact that it's a compulsion that colleges offering the course must have an adjoined hospital of minimum 300 bedded. 

Curriculum Plan:

Pharm.D: The duration of the course shall be six academic years (five years of study and one year of Internship or Residency and full time with each academia year spread over a period of not less than two hundred working days. The period of six years duration divided into two phases.

Phase I: Consisting of First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth academic year.

Phase II:  Consisting of Internship or residency training during sixth year involving posting in specialty units  It is a phase of training wherein a student is exposed to actual clinical pharmacy or pharmacy practice services.

and acquires skill under supervision of doctors and pharmacy practice professionals. So that they can become capable of functioning independently. 

Colleges offering Pharm.D in India: 

For the complete list of college offering Pharm.D in each state please visit:

 Pharm.D Colleges in India.

Eligibility of promotion to next year: All students who appear for all the subjects and passed the first year annual examination are eligible for promotion to the second year. This pattern will be followed in every year. However, Failure in more than TWO subjects shall debar from promotion to the next year classes. 

Internship: Internship is a phase of training wherein a student is expected to conduct actual practice of pharmacy and health care and acquires skills under the supervision so that the intern may become capable of functioning independently.

Career opportunities:

The role of pharmacist had changed drastically over the years with the constant expansion of healthcare  programmes and increasing need of quality of pharmaceutical care known as "ERA OF MODERN PHARMACIST".

The growth of this sectors has thrown up diverse career options that can include Community Pharmacy, Geriatric Pharmacy, Home care Pharmacy, Government agencies, Managed care, Pharmacoeconomics, Pharmacoepidemiology, Nuclear Pharmacy, Evidence based Pharmacy,Pharmacovigilance, Clinical trials, Regulatory affairs, Brand Management, Specialty Pharmacists, Drug development process and Pharmacy education apart from the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Source: CJournal

Thanking you 

B.Akshaya Srikanth 

Pharm.D Internee

Kadapa, A.P