How to Become a Pharmacologist

Video Transcript

"A Pharmacologist is one who studies Pharmacology; that is, how drugs work in the human body. A Pharmacologist is not necessarily a Pharmacist, and will not necessarily have the same clinical privileges that a Pharmacist would to dispense medications and participate as part of the clinical care team. A Pharmacologist would typically be an academic career investigating perhaps new drugs, or just better understanding how drugs and pharmaceuticals interact with the human body and human physiology. To become a Pharmacologist you need to start with a bachelor's degree. Typically, this would be in a science discipline, such as chemistry. Upon completing your four year degree you would need to apply to graduate school, and this is a competitive process. You want to focus during your your bachelor's career on maintaining a high GPA, and then completing a four year graduate program, and upon completing your graduate program, will receive the degree of PhD. Now, a Pharmacist, which is a PharmD, can be a Pharmacologist. There is some overlap. But keep in mind that the Pharmacologist does not necessarily have the clinical privileges that a Pharmacist would. A Pharmacologist can work in a hospital, or an academic medical center; investigating new drugs, doing basic science, research, or can work for a pharmaceutical company in investigating new therapeutic agents."