Most
of us think of pharmacists as the persons who are behind the counter when we go
to a drug store with a prescription. While retail pharmacy is a common career
choice for pharmacists, there are many other options available to those who
have completed their Pharm.D degree and the necessary licensure requirements.
Although there are a variety of practice settings, compensation remains
relatively consisitent across all of these employment options with minor
variations according to hours of work and call.
Here
are the some career options in this field:
The
primary role of a hospital pharmacist is to provide medication and medication
management services to patients who are hospitalised or are visiting
hospital-based clinics, and to provide medication services to health
professionals who care for patients in the hospital set up.
Here
are the some career options in this field:
Retail Pharmacy/ Chemists
A
pharmacist in medical retail store prepares and dispenses drugs on prescription
to the general consumer. With the growing availability of pre-packaged doses,
the pharmacists now monitor the drug sale on the basis of prescriptions and
dosage and give over-the-counter advice on how to use the prescribed drugs.
In
the retail sector pharmacists run chemist's shops. As medical representatives,
they inform and educate medical practitioners about the potential uses of the
drug or health product and its administration along with the side effects or
precautions for its use. The job entails regular visits to medical
practitioners, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, health centres. There is usually
a lot of touring to be done in this case.
Hospital Pharmacy
The
primary role of a hospital pharmacist is to provide medication and medication
management services to patients who are hospitalised or are visiting
hospital-based clinics, and to provide medication services to health
professionals who care for patients in the hospital set up.
Hospital
pharmacists have exposure to many complicated and unique therapy needs,
including intravenous medication therapy, nutrition, and the specific needs of
newborns and the elderly. Pharmacists in the practice find working with other
health professionals, work variety and focused clinical care opportunity
rewarding. This is the second most common practice area.
Industrial Pharmacy
While
most firms are involved in the production of pre-formulated preparations, a
growing number of firms are developing new formulations through autonomous
research work. Industrial pharmacists carry out clinical trials, where drugs
are tested for safety and effectiveness work in research and development to
develop new formulations the production job entails management and supervision
of the production process, packaging, storage and delivery work in marketing,
sales and quality control.
In
addition to the many opportunities for graduates in the many areas of pharmacy
practice there are increasing numbers of opportunities within the
pharmaceutical industry in advanced and specialised areas, as the depth and
breadth of education in pharmacy increases opportunities in industry. This
includes the promotion of pharmaceuticals to health professionals, marketing,
development of new drugs and dosage forms, clinical studies in patients,
monitoring pharmaceutical use on a population scale, and managing regulatory
and legal issues.
Government Services
Pharmacists
are hired within the central and state government departments - the Health
Protection Branch of the Department of Health and Welfare, the Pest Control
Division of Agriculture, the Department of National Defense, Provincial
Research Councils, and the Provincial Departments of Agriculture or
Environment. There are employment opportunities available also within the food
and cosmetic industries or within any other industry that requires an assurance
that new products are as safe and effective as possible. In government
departments, a pharmacist maintains proper records according to various Acts
governing the profession.
Pharmaceutical Education
Many
pharmacists work as faculty in colleges of pharmacy. These pharmacists enjoy
influencing the future of pharmacy by educating future pharmacists and may
participate in direct patient care and/or scientific research as well. Academic
pharmacist practice has its rewards in disseminating and discovering new ideas
that change medication use, pharmacist practices and healthcare policy. Career
as a teacher is satisfying as it allows interaction with people, especially
students, and provides them with the flexibility to pursue their own ideas in
the field.
Nuclear Pharmacy
Nuclear
pharmacists are responsible for measuring and delivering radioactive materials
which are used in digital imaging (MRI, CT, etc) and other procedures in
medical offices and hospitals. Due to the nature of the radioactive materials
and how they are handled, nuclear pharmacists are typically required to start
each work day very early, sometimes pre-dawn, as the radioactive materials must
be delivered within a few hours of their use, or they lose their effectiveness
Clinical Research
Recently,
Clinical research has also opened its door for B.Pharma graduates as medical
underwriter, CRO, data validation associate, clinical research associate etc. A
clinical research associate plays an important role in monitoring and
overseeing the conduct of clinical trials, which are conducted on healthy human
volunteers. They have to see that the trials meet the international guidelines
and the national regulatory requirements.
Community pharmacy
The
primary role of a community pharmacist is to provide medication and medication
related services to patients. In most settings, pharmacists provide
prescription drug services to their community of patients, working with the
patients and a broad spectrum of healthcare providers to achieve the best
possible healthcare outcome of medication.
Quality Control & analysis
A
pharmacy graduate can play a crucial role in controlling product quality as an
analytical chemist or a quality control manager. The Drug and the Cosmetics Act
(1945), Rules 71(1) and 76(1) says that the manufacturing activity should be
taken up under the supervision of a technical man whose qualification should be
B PharmA, B Sc, B Tech or medicine with Bio-Chemistry.
Research and Development
New
and expanding knowledge in healthcare and biomedical sciences provides
tremendous opportunities for the pursuit of research careers for pharmacists.
Graduates with Pharm.D degree can pursue a research career directly or go in
for additional education either in the form of residency and fellowship
training or in formal graduate programmes leading to the M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees.
With
a clinical focus one can be involved in the conduct and analysis of large-scale
human drug studies in academic, industrial, and governmental settings.
Pharmacists are also highly qualified to pursue additional training in
business, public health, or pharmaceutical socioeconomics in order to become
involved in research in drug utilisation, healthcare outcomes, and the
provision of pharmacy services.
Sales and Marketing
Ambitious
achievers with pleasant personality and good communication skills can opt for
the job of Medical Sales Representative. Companies prefer pharmacy graduates
for this job, as they have a good knowledge about the drug molecules, their
therapeutic effects and the drug -drug interactions.
