Career as a Pharmacist

Updated On: 12-Feb-2023

Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health science, focusing on safe and effective medication use. A pharmacist is a member of the health care team directly involved with patient care.

The job of a Pharmacist:

A pharmacist's job depends on the field he/she choose to work in:

In a clinic or hospital, he/she assist the doctor and explaining the patients the prescriptions written by the doctor.
Educate the patients on correct usage of drugs and potential side effects.
Answer the questions of patients regarding the medications.
In the research field, they do experiment and find new medicine and explore the effects and side effects of new medicines in laboratories.
In the trading of medicine, they can open their own medicine shop after getting a license from the authority as retailer or can trade in whole sale also.

It is a highly responsible job as most of the patients communicate with the pharmacist, so a single mistake can be very harmful to the patients.

The minimum requirements to become a pharmacist are generally a Diploma of Pharmacy (D.Pharma.), a two-year program, and/or a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharma.).Path to a Pharmacist career:

First one should pass the 10+2 in science stream with Physics, Chemistry and Biology for D. Pharma. and B. Pharma.
Should appear for the entrance exam to get admission in D. Pharma or B. Pharma. Some colleges give direct admission also based on %.
After getting the Diploma or Degree, should go through the training program for the specified period.
After training start your career as a pharmacist in the chosen area.

You must have the following skills to be a Pharmacist:

Should have knowledge of all safety instructions, side effects of different kind of drugs
As most of the time they work with patients so they should be calm, patience, and understanding and compassionate
Analytical skills
Good Communication skills
Should stay updated with the information regarding the drugs they are dispensing
Positive and helpful attitude

The pharmacist gets a reasonable salary in government and private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic labs. The highest paying skills associated with this job are Pharmacy, hospital pharmacist, dispensing, etc. In the beginning, the average salary of a pharmacist can be between Rs. 10,000 to 15000.
The private hospitals and multinational pharmaceutical firms pay more compared to government and national pharmaceuticals. Those who work in research fields get more than those who work in hospitals and clinics.The scope of the pharmacist as a profession is increasing at a fast pace with the increase of awareness of health in people. There are many opportunities for Pharmacists. They can find employment with drug manufacturing companies, and research organizations in private as well as Govt. sectors, and in dispensaries and medical stores. Various government departments like Railways and Defense also recruit pharmacists in their departmental hospitals.