Introduction:
The Union Ministry of Health and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) have introduced a six-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharma D) course. 5 years will be academic session and final year is completely bound to internship in hospital. It provides intensive training in pharmacy practice & clinical pharmacy services. Students can enrol for this course after 10 + 2, or Post – Baccalaureate, in which case the duration of the course would be reduced to 3 years. Only institutions running B. Pharm programs, approved under Section 12 of the Pharmacy Act will be running Pharm. D. programs.

Eligibility: Students who have passed Intermediate with Bipc/MPC or D. Pharma are eligible for admission to the new course.

Entrance Exam: EAMCET

ROLE OF PHARM D
Pharm D is mainly hospital oriented, as evident from the fact that it's a compulsion that the colleges offering the course must have an adjoined hospital

Duration of the course:

• Pharm.D: The duration of the course shall be six academic years (five years of study and one year of internship or residency) full time with each academic year spread over a period of not less than two hundred working days. The period of six years duration is 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 speciality units. It is a phase of training wherein a student is exposed to actual pharmacy practice or clinical pharmacy services and acquires skill under supervision so that he or she may become capable of functioning independently.
  
• Pharm.D. (Post Baccalaureate): The duration of the course shall be for three academic years (two years of study and one year internship or residency) full time with each academic year spread over a period of not less than two hundred working days. The period of three years duration is divided into two phases –
  
  Phase I – consisting of First and Second academic year.
  Phase II – consisting of Internship or residency training during third year involving posting in speciality units. It is a phase of training wherein a student is exposed to actual pharmacy practice or clinical pharmacy services, and acquires skill under supervision so that he or she may become capable of functioning independently.
  
  Subjects in each year:
  
  First year Pharm. D:
  
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Pharmaceutics
  • Medicinal Biochemistry
  • Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry
  • Pharmaceutical Inorganic Chemistry
  • Remedial Mathematics/ Biology.
  
  Second Year Pharm. D:
  
• Pathophysiology
• Pharmaceutical Microbiology
• Pharmacognosy & Phytopharmaceuticals
• Pharmacology-I
• Community Pharmacy
• Pharmacotherapeutics-I.

Third Year Pharm. D:

• Pharmacology-II
• Pharmaceutical Analysis
• Pharmacotherapeutics-II
• Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Formulations.

Fourth Year Pharm. D:

Pharmacotherapeutics-III

Hospital Pharmacy

Clinical Pharmacy

Biostatistics & Research Methodology

Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics

Clinical Toxicology

Fifth Year Pharm. D:

• Clinical Research
• Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics
• Clinical Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacotherapeutic Drug Monitoring
• Clerkship
• Project work (Six Months).

Sixth Year Pharm. D:
Internship or residency training including postings in speciality units. Student should independently provide the clinical pharmacy services to the allotted wards.

1. Six months in General Medicine department,
2. Two months each in three other speciality departments

In Andhra Pradesh 15 colleges are offering Pharm D courses

• Smt. Sarojini Ramulamma College of Pharmacy, Seshadrinagar, Mahabubnagar
• Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (RIPER), KR Palli Cross, Cheyyedu, Anantapur
• Deccan School of Pharmacy, Zafargarh, P.O. Kanchanbagh,Hyderabad
• Talla Padmavathi College of Pharmacy, Orus-Kareemabad, Warangal
• Bharat Institute of Technology, Mangalpalli Village Ibrahimpatnam (Mandal), Distt.RANGA REDDY
• St. Peter’s Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, # 2-4-1211, Vidyanagar,HANAMKONDA
• Sri Venkateshwara College of Pharmacy, 86, Hitech City Road, Madhapur,Hyderabad
• GIET School of Pharmacy NH-5, Chaitanya Nagar, Rajahmundry
• Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy, Maisammaguda, Dhullapally (Post Via Hakimpet), Secunderabad
• Shri Vishnu College of Pharmacy Vishnupur, Bhimavaram, West Godavari
• Vaagdevi College of Pharmacy, H.No. 2-2-457/3, Ramnagar, Hanmakonda,Warangal
• P. Rami Reddy Memorial College of Pharmacy, 1-35, Prakruthi Nagar, Utukur, Kadapa
• Chalapathi Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Chalapathi Nagar, Lam, Guntur
• Annamacharya College of Pharmacy, New Boyanpalli, Rajampet
• KVSR Siddhartha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siddhartha Nagar,Vijayawada.
• MESCO College of Pharmay, Mustaidpura, Karwan Road, Hyderabad

For list of colleges in other states please visit: www.pci.nic.in

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Eligibility for promotion to next year:? All students who have appeared for all the subjects and passed the first year annual examination are eligible for promotion to the second year and, so on. However, failure in more than two subjects shall debar him or her 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 he or she may become capable of functioning independently.

Objectives of Pharm D Program:

1. To Provide patient care in cooperation with patients, prescribers, and other members of an interprofessional health care team based upon sound therapeutic principles and evidence-based data, taking into account relevant legal, ethical, social cultural, economic, and professional issues, emerging technologies, and evolving biomedical, pharmaceutical, social or behavioral or administrative, and clinical sciences that may impact therapeutic outcomes.
2. To manage and use resources of the health care system, in cooperation with patients, prescribers, other health care providers, and administrative and supportive personnel, to promote health; to provide, assess, and coordinate safe, accurate, and time-sensitive medication distribution; and to improve therapeutic outcomes of medication use.
3. To promote health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention in co-operation with patients, communities, at-risk population, and other members of an interprofessional team of health care providers.
4. To demonstrate skills in monitoring of the National Health Programmes and schemes, oriented to provide preventive and promotive health care services to the community.
5. To develop leadership qualities to function effectively as a member of the health care team organised to deliver the health and family welfare services in existing socio-economic, political and cultural environment.
6. To communicate effectively with patients and the community.
   
   
   CAREER OPPURTUNITIES
   The role of a pharmacist has changed drastically over the years with the constant expansion of health care programmes and the increasing need for quality pharmaceutical care. The growth of this sectors has thrown up diverse career options that include Community Pharmacy, Geriatric Pharmacy, Home Health Care, Hospital Pharmacy, Governmental agencies, Managed care, Pharmacoeconomics, Pharmacy education apart from Pharmaceutical industry.
   
   The following are some of the numerous and diverse career options available to Pharm.D. graduates:
   
   • Community Pharmacy
   • Geriatric Pharmacy
   • Governmental Agencies
   • Home Health Care
   • Hospital Pharmacy
   • Managed Care
   • Pharmaceutical Industry
   • Pharmacoeconomics
   • Pharmacy Education
   • Specialized Area Opportunities
   
   Certificate of passing examination:Every student who has passed the examinations for the Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) or Pharm.D. (Post Baccalaureate) (Doctor of Pharmacy) as the case may be, shall be granted a certificate by the examining authority.