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The demand for pharmacists is increasing, says DR VIBHA GUPTA

Those who have knowledge about the uses, composition and effect of drugs occupy an important place in the health services and pharmaceutical industry. Known as Pharmacists, they deal with drugs and chemicals in the medical profession and research and develop everything from painkillers to cancer drugs.

The work

Broadly speaking, there are three types of pharmacists.
Retail Pharmacists sell and supervise the sale of prescription and non-prescription drugs, surgical supplies, and other merchandise. They manage the operation of the pharmacy, including ordering supplies, book-keeping, hiring and training staff. They may give advice about medical equipment and home health care supplies and also provide information on the proper use of prescription and non-prescription drugs. They are often known as chemists.
Hospital Pharmacists are responsible for the procurement, storage and dispensation of various medicines and other health-care products in a hospital. They also make sterile solutions for use in the hospital and in surgical procedures. They work closely with physicians and other health care professionals on the selection, dosages, and side effects of medications.
Industrial Pharmacists are engaged in research and development work, in production and quality control or in the administration or sales divisions of a manufacturing concern. Many pharmacists specialize in specific drug types, such as those for psychiatric disorders, infectious disease, or intravenous nutrition support.
Often, these pharmacists are involved in the development of drug information materials used to educate other pharmacists, physicians and patients. Many pharmacists specialize in specific drug types, such as those for nutrition support.

Getting in

After 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, students are eligible to join Diploma or degree course in pharmacy. Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm) is a 2-year course, while Bachelor in Pharmacy (B.Pharm) is of 4 years’ duration. Admission to B.Pharm is through entrance examinations often conducted along with engineering/medical entrance tests. There is no entrance examination for D.Pharm.
The course involves studies related to manufacturing of drugs right from its discovery, development, action, safety, formulation, use, quality control, packaging, storage, marketing, etc.
Those with a Diploma in Pharmacy can work in hospitals and medical stores as retail chemists, sales representatives and wholesale dealers. To set up their own pharmacy, pharmacists need a registration with the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).
Graduates in this field of work often work as manufacturing chemists, analytical chemists, drug inspectors, narcotics inspectors and probationary officers in banks etc. Even large hospitals prefer graduates for managing their pharmacies.
But to join pharmaceutical companies as executives, one needs a higher education. A 2-year Master’s in Pharmacy (M.Pharm) can be done after completing B.Pharm. Many specialisations like Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Animal Pharmacology are available. Teaching and research activities usually require a Ph.D.

Key skills

  • Good written and verbal communication skills (needed in order to present results).

  • Accurate decision making and high ethical standards.

  • Desire to keep up to date with new ideas and advances in the pharmaceutical sciences.

  • Ability to work independently, make decisions and solve problems.

    • Admission process

    Admission to B.Pharm. is on the basis of performance in the entrance examination conducted by various colleges. The following are the types of tests conducted:
  • All India Level Entrance Examination conducted by individual institutes like Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune.
  • IIT-JEE for the admission to B.Pharm. in IT BHU, Varanasi.
  • State-level Examination conducted by various states. The Directorate of Technical Education, Mumbai conducts MHT-CET for admission to many institutes in Maharashtra (http://dte.org.in/).

    Some institutes

  • Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune (http://pharmacy.bharatividyapeeth.edu/)

  • Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (www.udct.org)

  • Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (http://itbhu.ac.in/)

  • Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Tech. & Sciences, Pilani (http://discovery.bits-pilani.ac.in/)

  • Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi (www.jamiahamdard.edu)

  • University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Punjab University, Chandigarh (http://pharma.puchd.ac.in/)

  • University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kakatiya University, Warangal (www.kakatiya.ac.in/)

  • Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi (www.bitmesra.edu)

  • Bombay College of Pharmacy, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai (www.bcpindia.org/)

  • College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (www.manipal.edu/pharmacyhome.html)

  • Padmashri Dr D.Y.Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research, Pimpri, Pune (www.dyppharmacy.com/)

  • Indian Institute of Pharmaceutical Marketing, Lucknow (www.iipmindia.com)

  • National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Mohali (www.niper.nic.in)

  • Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 395, Sarojini Naidu Road, Coimbatore

  • University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Punjab University, Chandigarh (http://puchd.vsnl.net.in/)

  • University Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar 608 002

    • Remuneration

    In this field, the pay packet depends on the level of education you have and the organisation you work for. In a good pharmaceutical company, a qualified pharmacist starts from Rs 14,000 and Rs 15,000 a month. Those with foreign collaborations pay even higher. A sincere and capable person can reach upto the highest level.

    Hot locations

    Pharmacists are employed by large pharmaceutical manufacturers, chemical industry, food and drug control organisations and hospitals.



    Going Abroad?

    For those aspiring to make careers abroad, a B. Pharm degree
    is an accepted graduate degree for admission to post-graduate
    programs such as an M.S. or Ph.D. in the United States or
    United Kingdom. Students need to appear for GRE (Graduate
    Record Examination) and TOEFL (Test of English as a
    Foreign Language). To be eligible to register as a practising
    pharmacist in the USA, one needs to pass the Pharm D. examination.

    Career prospects

    The demand for pharmacists is increasing. Growth will result from the increased pharmaceutical needs of a larger elderly population and the greater use of medication. Also the export market offers Indian drug manufacturers their best prospects for rapid expansion.
    In addition to population growth, potential technological innovations in pharmaceutical products will likely provide new and more effective drugs in treating illness, which may not have been curable before. This will increase employment opportunities for pharmacists in the private pharmaceutical industry.
    Dr Vibha Gupta is the author of Careers: A Pathfinder
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