Students who have passed the D. Pharma course have to cross one more hurdle to practice as a Registered Pharmacist in Private Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Stores and Government Hospitals. Now, the degree holders will have to prove their worth by clearing the Diploma in Pharmacy Exit Examination (DPEE). The Government of India has issued a gazette notification and passed Diploma In Pharmacy Exit Examination Regulations 2022 wherein diploma holders have to mandatorily clear the exit exam before applying for registration to practice as Registered Pharmacists.
As per a circular released by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), “Diploma in Pharmacy Exit Examination (DPEE) has made it compulsory and easy to ensure that an aspirant applying for registration as a Pharmacist acquired key competencies in various areas of pharmacy practice like dispensing of medicines etc. The exit exam will also reinforce the integrity, discipline, skills, judgment, quest and knowledge for learning so that after qualifying the examination candidates are able to become registered pharmacists.”
After successfully completing a Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm) from any of the PCI approved colleges, aspirants will have to take DPEE. They can go for registration soon after clearing the exam.
The procedure of conducting DPEE is in accordance with the scheme declared by the PCI in this regard. The candidates may appear for the DPEE as frequently as required in the schedule released by the prescribed authority. The exit exam centre, as well as the date, will be allotted to the candidates by the prescribed authority. The official circular informing about DPEE states “It is mandatory to pass the D.Pharma degree in order to be registered as a DPEE candidate. The course must be pursued from a college/ institute/ university approved by the PCI under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948. The notification elaborated,” After finishing the DPEE exam, an aspirant shall be entitled to registration as a pharmacist subject to fulfilment of the conditions enumerated in section 32 (2) of the Pharmacy Act, 1948,”.
DPEE shall have 3 papers of MCQs in topics like Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, Hospital & Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Store Management. The language of DPEE shall be English and the test duration for each paper shall be of 3 hours. The detailed syllabus & scheme of the exit exam shall be declared by the PCI in near future.”
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