Filipino
pharmacists are not like nurses that, if they passed the board exam
here in the Philippines they can automatically apply for an exam that
let them work abroad without pursuing another years for post graduate
degree. Why is it like that? Why Filipino pharmacists after passing
the exam cannot take other countries' board exam? What might be the
reason that it happens?
As quoted from (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) NABP, "As a candidate for the FPGEC Certification Program, you must have graduated from a recognized or accredited school of pharmacy of a foreign country or jurisdiction. The FPGEC requires that if you graduated prior to January 1, 2003, you must have completed at least a four-year pharmacy curriculum at the time of graduation to be considered for FPGEC Certification. However, if you graduated on or after January 1, 2003, you must have completed at least a five-year pharmacy curriculum at the time of graduation. Coursework and internships completed after graduation will not be considered in determining the minimum required curriculum length. Post- baccalaureate degrees will not be considered except under limited circumstances where the degree obtained and coursework completed to obtain the degree satisfactorily show that the candidate obtained experience in patient care in a clinical pharmacy practice setting. Consideration of post-baccalaureate degrees and whether they may be applicable to determine the minimum required curriculum length will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the FPGEC. The change from a four-year to a five-year educational curriculum requirement has enabled the FPGEC Certification Program to be consistent with the revised standards of US pharmacy school curriculum."
See the FPGEC Application Bulletin for more information.
As quoted from (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) NABP, "As a candidate for the FPGEC Certification Program, you must have graduated from a recognized or accredited school of pharmacy of a foreign country or jurisdiction. The FPGEC requires that if you graduated prior to January 1, 2003, you must have completed at least a four-year pharmacy curriculum at the time of graduation to be considered for FPGEC Certification. However, if you graduated on or after January 1, 2003, you must have completed at least a five-year pharmacy curriculum at the time of graduation. Coursework and internships completed after graduation will not be considered in determining the minimum required curriculum length. Post- baccalaureate degrees will not be considered except under limited circumstances where the degree obtained and coursework completed to obtain the degree satisfactorily show that the candidate obtained experience in patient care in a clinical pharmacy practice setting. Consideration of post-baccalaureate degrees and whether they may be applicable to determine the minimum required curriculum length will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the FPGEC. The change from a four-year to a five-year educational curriculum requirement has enabled the FPGEC Certification Program to be consistent with the revised standards of US pharmacy school curriculum."
See the FPGEC Application Bulletin for more information.
Luckily
if you are batch 2003 and below you are guaranteed to apply USA exams
easily without entering another years in post graduate education.
Because this was the year that education and practice in USA,
Philippines and other countries were still the same. Therefore, batch
2004 pharmacists until now have no privilege to take US exams with
ease. The pharmacy practice, competitiveness and education of other
countries were already advanced and leveled up, compared to our
educational system and pharmaceutical practice which are very
obsolete and unchanged. In the Philippines, pharmacists are known to
be drug vendors only without being given the chance to be updated in
the drug advancement, latest updates in pharmaceutical world and not
participated in evolution of pharmacy practice in the world. Only
those in academe, administrative and liaison works are able to
continue their studies in pharmacy. The laws and regulations have no
loopholes for pharmacists to continuous education and no chance to
help them to uplift their profession from traditional to modern
pharmacy. Philippine pharmacy setting is very far behind from other
countries' pharmacy setting, especially in community and hospital
practice.
Pharmacists
in other countries are highly respected by doctors and patients, and
acknowledged them as drug experts, drug counselors, intercessory in
drug therapy and drug informants, which are very far from our
setting. In the Philippines pharmacists are known to be salesclerks,
have no power to speak about drugs, hired to be able to start a
pharmacy business, doctors dispense drugs thus competing with
pharmacists' tasks, no chance to have continuous education when
working.
I
hope the government and the laws be considerate about the pharmacy
profession. I hope that the pharmacy practice here and abroad will be
congruent someday, so that the the usage of drugs will be effective,
and drug therapy for the Filipino people will be optimized.
