23,May 2023
Things to Know before Choosing Pharmacy as a Career
Immediately after completing class 12th, we are confused as to what career will be right for us. We grow up with generally two options in mind, either to take up Engineering or Medicine. But we must know that there are several other career options to choose from besides the ones mentioned above. It all depends on your interest. If you have a quench for analysis, research, like playing with drug molecules, patient care; then Pharmacy is the best option for you. Since inception, Pharmacy has played a role in health care services and especially in today's time, when the world is suffering because of this COVID 19 outbreak, a pharmacist has played a major role as a drug information expert and has proved to be an asset to health care providers and patients.
So to ensure that your decision is right and what are the careers options once you complete pharmacy, below are a list of various things you should know:
- Firstly, a student who is interested in pharmacy must be 12th pass with 1st division.
- The various pharmacy courses that a student can opt after class 12th are D. Pharm (2 years), B. Pharm (4 years), PharmD (6 years).
- D. Pharm is a Diploma in Pharmacy. It is a full-time 2-year course. Candidates after completion can opt to work as pharmacists in Government and Private hospitals, community pharmacies and can open their medical stores.
- B. Pharm is Bachelor in Pharmacy. It is a full-time 4-year course. There are various career options after completing B. Pharm. One can opt for a career in production, quality assurance, quality control in a pharmaceutical company, or choose for marketing and can even try for a drug inspector.
- A diploma student can pursue B. Pharm directly by taking admission in B. Pharm 2nd year.
- After completing B. Pharm one can go for higher studies and do post-graduation in M. Pharm. M. Pharm is a two year full-time course in which the first year emphasizes research-oriented analytical techniques and the second year is based on a research project followed by thesis submission. The research project is based on the pharmaceutical discipline chosen.
- But for taking admission in M. Pharm one must be GPAT (Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test) qualified with a good percentile. M. Pharm. can be done in several specializations such as Pharmaceutics, Industrial Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance, Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacology, and Pharmacognosy.
- M. Pharm opens avenues in academics, research, and CROs (Clinical Research Organizations).
- PharmD or Doctor in pharmacy is a 6-year full-time course in which 5 years are based on learning and 1 year is based on an internship for practical training. PharmD can also be pursued by B. Pharm graduates by seeking admissions to lateral entry course i.e. Pharm D (Post Baccalaureate).
- All pharmacy courses should be AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) and PCI (Pharmacy Council of India) approved.
Career options after completing Pharma
courses:
The Pharmaceutical
companies
in India offer lucrative job opportunities
in Production, Marketing, Research and
Development,
Quality Assurance, and Quality control. A
few of them include Aurobindo Pharma Ltd.,
Cadila
Healthcare Ltd (Zydus), Cipla Ltd., Dr.
Reddys Laboratories Ltd., Glenmark
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd. and many more with attractive salary
packages.
A pharmacist can also opt for a career in Clinical Research. India at present is the most preferred hub for clinical trials. This job involves testing the effectiveness and adverse effects of a drug which may take years before it makes it to the market.
A pharmacist can also apply for government jobs as a pharmacist in a dispensary or Hospital. He can work as a drug inspector whose major role is to ensure that the drugs manufactured and sold, meet the required standards.
Pharmacy is not only compounding and dispensing of medicines but is also associated with patient care, providing drug information, and to study the safety, efficacy, and risks involved in a drug.
It is rightly said, “I’m not a Doctor, but I serve humankind to make sure they are relieved from pain. I’m a Pharmacist”
Author
Dr. Shilpa Pahwa
(Professor & H.O.D.)