Pharmacy Career
[one_half][ads1][/one_half]Pharmacy Career – Pharmacy or Pharmacology is one of the disciplines of Bio-medical science. Pharmacy is a part of health science. Pharmacy involves appropriate use of and dispensing of medication. The area of Pharmacy in India has 225 programs affiliated to it, conducted by different universities in India.
The main courses of Pharmacy Career are
- Diploma of Pharmacy (duration – 2 years) i.e D.Pharma.
- Bachelor of Pharmacy (duration – 4 years) i.e B. P harm.
- Master of Pharmacy (duration- 2 years) i.e M. P harm.
- PhD programs.
The Pharmaceutical industry as a whole deals with the marketing
, manufacturing and preparation of drugs.
Since Pharmacy is a wide area, There are different types of Pharmacists, those are –
- Pharmaceutical industry pharmacists.
- Consultant Pharmacists.
- Clinical Pharmacists.
- Community Pharmacists.
Pharmacy Career Job Profile
The main job of a Pharmacist is to mix, prepare, compound, or dispense drugs or medicines, tablets, pills, powders, & injections on the prescription of a veterinary doctor or a dentist or a General physician or a specialist or a Surgeon.
They are involved in production of Pharmaceutical products, quality control and development of methods or process of production of medicines.
A Pharmacist’s work is also
- To explain the precautions and mode regarding the use of medicines dispensed in a Pharmacy store or a hospital.
- To assist the Physician in giving out necessary information about the various medicines and drugs, their contraindications, their incompatible nature, their dosage, significance etc.
- To, sometimes, prepare special formulations normally not available in the market.
- To give flu shots in most case and also vaccinations, in some cases.
- To do administrative tasks and also to keep records of their work.
- To inform a patient or even a physician, about the side effects which a patient may encounter while taking the medicine.
- To oversee and monitor the work of other Pharmacy technicians and interns.
Most of the Pharmacists go with the standard prescription and dosage given by the Pharmaceutical company which manufactured the medicine or drug.
In some cases, Pharmacists, making use of their knowledge, skill and expertise, create customized medications or drugs by mixing relevant and useful ingredients and making a specialized medication for a particular use, This method or process is known as ‘Compounding’.
Skills Required
- A Pharmacist must have analytical skills, to have knowledge of what medications are safe for whom, i.e safe usage of medications.
- Excellent Communication skills in order to communicate freely and effectively with the patients and doctors as well.
- Pharmacist’s are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of prescriptions they give out, Hence they must be detail oriented
- Pharmacists, in particular those who operate a store of their own, must have good managerial skills ,such as overseeing their staff properly, managing their store- inventory,etc.
- Pharmacist’s must possess strong Science & Math skills.
- Must be able to assess the Prescribed drugs and medications and should have sound knowledge about them too.
- A Pharmacist must be able to supervise others well.
- A Pharmacist must be able to work well within a team setup i.e Good team working ability must be present.
- A Pharmacist must be able to work well in a one-on-one interaction with patients, other pharmacists and physicians.
- Strong documentation skills are also necessary.
- Problem solving and creative skills are also essential.
- Good Organizational skills are also important for a Pharmacist.
Salary Package
- Salaries in Govt. hospitals may start from 5,000 INR a month, Medical representatives may earn anywhere between 5,000 INR – 10,000 INR a month,.
- An average salary of a Pharmacist ranges from 72,000 INR to 3,00,000 INR per annul.
Job Prospects
A Pharmacist in India may find work in
- Unani centers.
- AYUSH centers.
- Private Hospitals.
- Public Hospitals.
- Naturopathy centers.
- Retail Pharmacies.
- Pharmaceutical companies.
- Pharmacy stores.
- Siddha centers.
- Ayurvedic centers or clinics.
- Research Labs.
- Marketing & quality control centers for drugs & medicines.
Pharmacy is one of the fastest growing sectors in India, with a growth rate of 15% every year, it is next only to IT in terms of rate of growth in India.The Exports have crossed 12,000 crores INR so far.
We can have a general idea about the scope & opportunities for a Pharmacist in India.
A Pharmacist may find work in one of the following positions in India, they are
- Production Technician.
- Medical representative for Sales and marketing.
- R&D Scientist.
- Teacher.
- Hospital Pharmacist.
How Do I get there ?
- For Admission in a diploma in Pharmacy course, one needs to have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry & biology combination.
- For Admission in a bachelor’s course in Pharmacy (4 years duration), One needs to have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics, chemistry, Maths / Biology / Maths & biology combinations.
