Pharmacy Education and Regulations in Iran
The graduates of mentioned profession receive Doctorate
Degree who are entitled with the title of “Doctor”. They can legally use the
title of “Dr. “and write it before their names.
The accredited degree for mentioned graduates is Doctor of
Pharmacy (PharmD). The professional doctorate degree in pharmacy is awarded by
Iranian universities of medical sciences. The training curriculum of medicine,
pharmacy, and dentistry devised uniformly for all universities of medical
sciences by Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
Admission to universities of medical sciences in Iran is
competitive and restrictive and the main admission requirements are high school
diploma and acceptance in nationwide official university entrance exam which is
given once yearly by National Organization for Education Evaluation. The exam is
a comprehensive, four and half hours multiple-choice exam that covers all
subjects taught in Iranian high schools—from math and science to literature and
foreign language. The Students can apply for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy
academic program after achieving acceptable scores in the nationwide university
entrance exam. Public universities, which are the only free educational institutes
for higher education in the country, are at the top of Iran’s higher-education
hierarchy. The students who score at the top of the nationwide university
entrance exam can be accepted to public universities. Admission to the Islamic
Azad University (a private university) and international branches of public universities
is quite easier and the enrollees are subject to pay the tuition fees.
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD):
Undergraduate training in pharmacy in Iran takes five and
half years. Upon completion of pharmaceutical school and successfully
submitting dissertation, Doctor of a Pharmacy is awarded. After being
registered within Iranian Medical Council and completion of Compulsory
Government Service which is maximum 2 years for PharmD graduates, pharmacists
can work in pharmacies nationwide
After registration with IRIMC, doctors receive their own
Membership Card. IRIMC registered members pay annual membership fees (as the
retention fee) to remain as active members. IRIMC checks every doctor’s
identity and qualifications before they are able to join the register and keeps
track of changes to doctors’ records.
IRIMC active registered members must update their IRIMC
profiles including their photos and contact details in a regular basis and
renew their membership cards every five years.
IRIMC has the powers to issue a warning to a doctor,
suspend or place conditions on their registration or remove a doctor from the
register.
Iranian Medical Council issues the Certificate of Good
Standing (CGS) or Certificate of Professional Conduct in a signed and sealed
envelope for its active registered members upon their request for being sent to
a licensing/regulatory authority. The certificate is issued based on assessment
of disciplinary records of the applicants.