OBJECTIVE： To compare the licensed pharmacist system in China and the USA， and to provide reference for improving pharmaceutical care and promoting public safety of drug use in China. METHODS： The relevant literatures in recent 10 years were retrieved from CJFD and Wanfang database. The differences of legal status， access qualification， legal obligations and responsibilities of licensed pharmacists in the USA and China were compared， and suggestions on improving the licensed pharmacists system in China were put forward. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS： At present， the problems of licensed pharmacist system in China are mainly that the legal status is not high， the access threshold is low， the legal obligations and responsibilities are not clear. However， the licensed pharmacist system in the USA has been developed for a century and formed a relatively strict legal system. Model State Pharmacy Act promulgated by National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in USA has clearly defined the access qualifications， legal obligations and responsibilities of licensed pharmacists. The pharmacy acts of the states were enacted on its blueprint. In view of current problems in China， it is necessary to learn from the above experience of the USA to improve the legal status， access qualification， legal obligations and responsibilities of licensed pharmacists and the quality of pharmaceutical care.