Source: https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/a-new-doctor-of-pharmacy-pathway
“A New Doctor of Pharmacy Pathway,” by Quentin M. Srnka, BSPh, PharmD, FACA, published in Pharmacy Times on April 21, 2026, argues that many pharmacists who earned the older Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSPh) degree possess education, training, and professional experience functionally equivalent to pharmacists holding today’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. The article proposes that qualified BSPh pharmacists should therefore be eligible for recognition through a PharmD diploma or certificate of equivalency.
The article’s central argument rests on historical comparisons between pharmacy education curricula. Srnka explains that a Tennessee pharmacist licensed in 1968 typically completed two years of preprofessional coursework, three years of professional pharmacy education, and nine months of supervised internship—a total of approximately six academic years. Modern accelerated PharmD programs often require a similar overall duration, integrating clinical and experiential requirements into roughly the same time frame. According to Srnka, this similarity challenges assumptions that the PharmD necessarily reflects dramatically greater educational preparation.
Srnka also emphasizes that pharmacy curricula have continuously evolved rather than abruptly transformed. He cites commentary from earlier pharmacy education literature noting that experiential training and curricular modernization have always been part of pharmacy’s professional development. Consequently, the author argues that comparing BSPh and PharmD graduates across decades may be misleading because all pharmacists adapt to changing drug therapies, technologies, and professional expectations over time.
A major portion of the article focuses on legislative recognition of equivalency. Srnka highlights statutes enacted in Tennessee and Oklahoma declaring that “pharmacist,” “Doctor of Pharmacy,” and “DPh” are interchangeable terms under state law. He interprets these statutes as formal acknowledgment that licensed pharmacists, regardless of original accredited entry-level credential earned, perform equivalent professional functions and should receive equal recognition.
The article additionally critiques segments of the pharmacy profession that distinguished “clinical pharmacists” from traditional community and hospital pharmacists. Srnka argues that many pharmacists providing direct patient counseling, immunizations, medication reconciliation, and chronic disease screening were unfairly excluded from definitions of “direct patient care,” despite their important clinical contributions.
Finally, the article introduces a proposed recognition pathway through Saints Cosmas and Damian Health Sciences College, an institution in Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Basin. Through this model, BSPh graduates meeting specified education, licensure, and training standards could receive a PharmD diploma or certificate of equivalency. Srnka concludes that BSPh and PharmD pharmacists already work side-by-side under the same licensure and continuing education standards and therefore deserve equal professional respect and recognition. Aequalibus aequitas.