- Home
- Pharmacist
Who is a Pharmacist?
It is easy to get a thousand prescriptions, but hard to get one single remedy ~ Chinese Proverb
A career as a pharmacist is an important profession anywhere around the world. Often pharmacists are overshadowed by the other professions in the medical field as they are not doctors, but they play an important role in developing and handing medicines to the general public. The workplace of pharmacists includes a hospital setting, community setting, for example, a retail drug store and pharmacy. Pharmacists also advise physicians about medication therapy. A career as a pharmacist involves aligning with health facilities, private doctors, clinics, and every pharmaceutical organisation. They also review for safety levels of newly manufactured drugs, recommendations on drugs with proper diets, medication or no prescription medicines, and also advise the suitable type of medicines such as pills, vaccines, injections, ointments and syrups. In the pharmacy career in India, individuals also handle the manufacturing, promotion, and supply of medicines. Interested candidates have a number of pharmacy courses such as applied pharmacology, biopharmaceutics, clinical pharmacy, industrial pharmacy and pharmaceutics.

Pharmacist in a Nutshell
A pharmacy is more than just a drugstore. For some of those studying pharmacy, science and medicine development may also be preferred as a choice of career. A Pharmacy curriculum enlightens the student on the procedures involved in preparing and prescribing medications in the healthcare sector. Students can study various courses related to pharmacy, such as applied pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutics to become a pharmacist. Those who are interested in pursuing a pharmacy career in India can learn concerning drug formulations for synthesizing, processing, controlling, evaluating, and pharmaceutical analysis. In this entire article, we have discussed is pharmacy a good career in India, what does a pharmacist do, how to become a pharmacist, pharmacy as a career, types of pharmacy jobs and salaries.
Quick Facts for Pharmacist
-
Industry
Healthcare
-
Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
Career as pharmacist is not inherently sexual orientation-specific. Men, women, and anyone else can choose it as their own occupation. In addition, it would indicate that sexuality has no impact on employment. A career as a pharmacist is a male-dominated career. Women can also opt for this career as there is not any gender-based restriction in this career.
-
Any special needs
Yes
Career as pharmacist is suitable for candidates with specials needs, provided, that the disability does not affect the functioning of the professional. As long as the disability is not interfering with the daily tasks that need to be performed, individuals with special needs can become pharmacists.
Table of Contents for Pharmacist
What is the role of Pharmacist?
A medication must undergo checks and permissions before being approved by a doctor. It is tested in a laboratory, analysed for dosage and side effects, and only then instructions for prescription are formulated. The drugs then undergo clinical trials and only then they are launched into the market after researching all the potential effects of the drug. It is all involved in the pharmacy career in India. The role of the pharmacist in the treatment of a patient is as important as a doctor’s role. Pharmacists are also responsible for bringing new medication to different medical professionals. The pharmacist job does not really end here. By interacting with a medical practitioner and distributors for any adverse reactions, symptoms and allergies, they research and track all medications and commodities with consumer surveys. Pharmacy essentially covers everything from the food you eat to the cosmetics, lifestyle products, safety and chemical items you use that contribute to your well-being.
Regulation
A career as a pharmacist requires to regulate drugs by tracking medication therapies and by providing apt guidance of various treatments. Pharmacist can provide medicines in rural areas, as the doctors in rural areas are in low quantity.
Coordination
Pharmacists are also responsible for coordinating and directing the workflow of the technicians, they are required to check prescriptions as well as preparation, costs, audits, and branding.
Domain understanding
A career as a pharmacist requires pharmaceutical understanding of healthcare personnel through involvement in medical programmes. A pharmacist is responsible for training pharmacy staff, graduates, apprentices, externals, and medical professionals. Pharmacists are required to maintain databases of illegal substances and eliminate expired and defective medicines from the stock of pharmacies.
Supervision
They are required to comply with the federal and state drug laws in accordance with the state pharmacy board, drug enforcement administration, and food and drug administration by monitoring examination of nursing units.
Patient service
Serve patients by planning drugs, providing the multidisciplinary health care team with pharmaceutical information, and tracking drug therapies for patients; Prepare drugs by evaluating and analyzing directions from doctors and recognizing medical discrepancies.
Types of a Pharmacist
There are several sub-disciplines of a career as a pharmacist. Individuals can serve in the health and pharmaceutical industry with job roles mentioned below.
Bio Chemist: A biochemist is a research professional involved in the study of physical principles of living things and biological processes such as cell development, growth, heredity and diseases. He or she conducts experiments to alter the properties of DNA, RNA and cells to study various diseases and develop medicines to cure them.
Chemist: A chemist researches and designs processes that include oil refining, petrochemical processes that reduce the pollution and use of energy. He or she may specialise in various areas of chemistry such as analytical, physical and theoretical, macromolecular, medical, organic, medical and material chemistry.
Medical Sales Representative: Medical sales representatives are liable for marketing a company's products to consumers, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, including medications, prescription medication, and medical equipment.
Clinical Research Coordinator: Clinical research associates support providing plans and tracking clinical trials of experimental medications to determine their advantages and risks. A clinical research coordinator is also a related job role to a career as a pharmacist.
Drug Inspector: The drug inspector seems to be a professional in evaluating the effectiveness, reliability, and safety of medication from its manufacture until the sale. They audit pharmaceutical shops and collect samples to confirm if synthetic drugs actually exist. It is a senior-level role in the career as a pharmacist.
Regulatory Affairs Officer: Regulatory affairs officer functions for clinical, pharmaceutical, testing, and other manufacturers of medicines to guarantee that the products of their organisation follow legal requirements. It is one of the reputed job roles in the career as a pharmacist.
What is the workplace/work environment of Pharmacist like?
An individual with a degree in pharmacology specialisation is working on Drugs for Pharmacy Industry research and development. Pharmacist involves testing examining and modifying drugs established according to Pharmacy Regulations standards. Individuals who opt for a career as a pharmacist play a vital role in helping patients get the best outcomes from their drugs. They plan and dispense medications, ensure accurate drugs and doses, avoid adverse medication reactions, and educate patients about the safe and proper use of their drugs. Pharmacists are typically employed mainly in neighbourhood pharmacies like those in grocery stores and pharmacy stores.
Does Pharmacist require travelling?
Not Likely
A career as a pharmacist does not require travelling much, unless and until there is an emergency. They spend their working hours in pharmaceutical firms, hospitals, physician offices and speciality clinics.
Employment Shifts
Full Time, Part Time
Career as a pharmacist falls in a certain shift. He or she usually works full-time in laboratories or in pharmacies. The work hour begins in the early morning and ends in mid evenings. Individuals do not require to work in rotational shifts. They spend their time researching and creating new medicines or dispensing medicines to the patients. Several pharmacists are employed on a part-time basis in drug stores.
Employment Nature
Permanent, Contractual
As far as the nature of employment is concerned, it is usually permanent in nature. However, incase there is an inspection to be done or some survey, that can be taken up on a contractual basis. Therefore, we can say career as pharmacist provides both types of employment contractual as well as permanent.
Work Place
Laboratory, pharmaceutical, clinical lab, healthcare facility
Individuals who opt for a career as a pharmacist work in a safe, friendly climate. The pharmacist provides several workplaces such as pharmaceutical firms, laboratories, hospitals, physicians' offices and drug stores. They can be found working in nursing homes, poison control centres, intensive care units, cardiac care units and other healthcare facilities. He or she works on weekends and in the evening hours. Some pharmacists do part-time jobs as well. Most pharmacists work about forty hours a week, while self-employed pharmacists work about 50 hours a week.
Presence in Geographical Area
Rural, Semi-urban, Urban
Individuals who opt for a career as a pharmacist are professionals who develop medicines for various diseases and disorders. For any region of the world, whether it's an urban area or rural area, pharmacists are as important as hospitals and small clinics in any of the human-populated locations. Urban areas provide better opportunities for individuals in careers as pharmacists as compared to rural areas. New Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai provide flourishing career opportunities to pharmacists.
Time Pressure
Likely
Career as pharmacist involves working under time pressure and tight deadlines. Apart from performing their research and work, pharmacists are also required to supervise and verify the work done by their team members.
Overtime Details
Career as pharmacist involves working extended hours on several occasions. They work usually eight to nine hours a day. During emergencies, it can go up to working 10 to 12 hours a day. Individuals who opt for a career as a pharmacist also requires to work extended hours to meet deadlines for the development of drugs.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 45 Hours
Pharmacist requires a minimum of 45 working hours a week. This can increase if there is an emergency. Work hours often get extended depending on the deadline. Individuals who opt for a career as a pharmacist are often required to work on holidays and weekends. He or she gets weekly offs, but it is not necessary that his or her day off fall on Saturday or Sunday.
How to become a Pharmacist?
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Pharmacist?
You must be wondering how to become a pharmacist? So, in this section, we will be answering the most commonly asked question that how to become a pharmacist. In order to make a career as pharmacist one must possess some skills. Some skills required by a pharmacist are mentioned below:
Accuracy: As far as the pharmaceutical industry is concerned, an eye for detail is practically a matter of survival, so there is no scope for the mistake. Whereas human beings make errors naturally, the repercussions do not reside exclusively with the pharmacist, for example, the wrong form of insulin may be utterly devastating on a patient with diabetes. Whether reading the abysmal handwriting of the doctor, entering the information into the computer system, or correctly measuring ingredients, precision is important.
Communication Skills: These are some of the essential aspects of a career as a pharmacist. It requires strong communication skills to prescribe medicines to patients without any error, and afterwards check their knowledge of it. It might also be difficult to understand why a patient requires a particular medication and identify the adverse health effects.
Craft Knowledge: Considering the work's fast-paced nature, pharmacists could take the time to properly describe a patient's prescription to them and explain the larger impact it could have on their lives.
Multitasking: Pharmacists are busy conducting activities that may possibly have consequences of life or death, they are often responding to requests, communicating with other patients, and maintaining certain administrative protocols that are observed.
Analytical Skills: While they are experts on how drugs work with each other and with the body, it is difficult to learn completely. Pharmacists should pursue their work with an objective mind and, when possible, refer to the relevant references, and also take a rational and sensible approach to any choices they make about medication for a patient.
Mathematical Skills: Pharmacists require strong mathematical skills. It may sound strange, but sometimes people underestimate how much pharmacists depend on knowledge in science and mathematics. Numerical skills are important, starting with something as basic as measuring how many tablets a patient requires to figure out more complex variable dosages. The same holds true for scientific skills. Pharmacists need to have an in-depth knowledge of chemistry and biology; it is vital that new and complex information can be quickly assimilated as it is available.
Managerial Skills: A career as a pharmacist requires managing skills to multitasking. Depending on the position of employment and the system in place, pharmacists may be responsible for coordinating technicians and vending machines as well as handling expenditures, controlling stock levels, and ensuring accurate documentation.
Interpersonal Management: Pharmacists require figuring out how to manage between doctors who really don't like being challenged, and anxious patients who are concerned regarding sitting for their prescriptions; mastering communication skills requires dedication, patience, and a great personality. An important part of making the cycle work smoothly is being able to take care of the damaged egos and hurt feelings.
Supervisory Skills: Pharmacists would have to be able to educate the junior pharmacists and also pharmacy technicians and pass their expertise and experience on. It is a necessity in the United Kingdom since aspiring pharmacists must undergo fifty-two weeks of knowledge-based professional development until completing their certification test.
Popular Online Pharmacy Courses and Certifications
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Pharmacist?
We have mentioned below various certifications that Pharmacists can opt to upgrade their skills.
Internship Availability
One can start with internships to establish a successful career as pharmacist. A large number of internships are easily accessible in this pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. Various organisations, hospitals, pharmacies with adequate skills and abilities, employ interns. The online recruiting portals help one to discover internship opportunities. Through internships the participants get hands-on knowledge as well as experience. Moreover higher education institutions and private nursing homes and pharmacies offer internship opportunities.
What is the job outlook for Pharmacist?
In India, the pharmaceutical sector is rising at a faster rate, marked by a series of mergers and acquisitions and an increase in foreign direct investment. Indian pharmaceutical companies' production costs are up to sixty-five per cent lower than those of US firms and about half those of European companies. Indian pharmaceutical development has been at a faster rate. The factor behind this is related to the globalisation, democratisation and modernization of the Indian economy and partly due to an increasing rate of the ageing population and modern medical and diagnostic technologies. Chemical research may have been accomplished by identifying new medicines or by developing them. Pharmacy career in India has lots of scope in different parts of the country such as Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Noida, Gurgaon. India's pharmaceutical industry is the most mature and innovative among both the developed and developing countries.
Student Also Liked:
Frequently Asked Questions for Pharmacist
Que. Where does a pharmacist work?
Ans.Many pharmacists are working in the retail or hospital environment. Yet pharmacists may also operate in many other environments, including nursing homes, outpatient infusion facilities, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms or in healthcare policy.
Que. Is pharmacy a dying career?
Ans.In countries where the field of pharmacy is mismanaged, it is a dying occupation that restricts its obligations and transfers them to physicians. Patients with diseases see their pharmacists for diagnosis, as applicable to their physicians.
Que. What are the duties of a pharmacist?
Ans.Serve patients by planning drugs, providing the multidisciplinary health care team with pharmacological knowledge, and tracking drug therapies for patients; Prepare medications by studying and reading instructions from doctors and finding medical incompatibilities.
Que. What does a pharmacy assistant require to do?
Ans.A pharmacy assistant's job duties include running the cash register, managing money transfers, answering phone calls and performing pharmacy clerical work. Pharmacy assistants also support licensed pharmacists in marketing and delivering medicine to customers in drug stores at specialty pharmacies.
Que. What are the hot topics of hospital pharmacy?
Ans.Palliative care and drug information are the hot topics of hospital pharmacy.
Que. What are the top pharmacy colleges in India?
Ans.There are numerous colleges in India that offer a pharmacy specialised programme. We have mentioned below top pharmacy colleges.
Top Pharmacy Colleges of India
You might also be interested in
Select your reason of reporting