I have chosen to study biology and chemistry in Class XII. I am thinking about taking up pharmacy after the Class XII board examinations. What are the career prospects for a graduate in pharmacy (BPharm)?
A bachelor’s in pharmacy or BPharm is a four-year degree after Class XII. In this course you will be required to study the process of making drugs, the impact of medicine on the human body and so on. If you are academically strong in both chemistry and biology, BPharm is a good professional degree.
In the subjects you study in the BPharm course are mainly pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacognosy and other similar topics. If, however, your understanding of chemistry is not strong, you could consider opting for a bachelor’s degree in subjects such as biomedicine, life sciences, zoology or microbiology.
The jobs available in the pharmacy sector are mainly in the sales and marketing of medicines, the most common job profiles are for what we call medical representatives. Pharmacy graduates can also consider becoming an entrepreneur by opening their own medicine shop after getting appropriate licences. With an ageing population, medicine shops will only do better and better in our country.
If you would like to work in a laboratory, you can join the research and development wings of pharmaceutical companies. Drug discovery and new drug development are areas where substantial growth is still happening. If you want to make research your life’s work, however, you will need to get a master’s degree, either a MPharm or MSc, followed by a doctoral degree in the relevant field.
The soft skills that are necessary for a pharmacist are interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a team and, most important, communication skills.
Shivani Manchanda has master’s degrees in career counselling and child development. She has been counselling about opportunities in India and abroad since 1991. Mail your queries to telegraphyou@gmail.com with Ask Shivani in the subject line
