Career in Pharmacy: What to study, where and work opportunities

Healthcare comes in many forms—you do not always need a degree in medicine to save a life. Thousands of people all over the globe are living a healthy life thanks to pharmacists who prepare and dispense medicine. But how to go for a career in Pharmacy?

What is Pharmacy

Pharmacy combines certain aspects of healthcare like direct patient contact, patient care, technology application, drug development and business management. Pharmacists are responsible for the discovery, production and disposal of medicine along with the safe and effective use of drugs.

Why study Pharmacy

A pharmacist understands chemical compounds as well as their nature and effect on the human body. Modern healthcare is dependent on this versatile branch of Clinical Science.

Here are some reasons it is one of the most sought-after subjects after Class XII:

• Pharmacy offers a wide range of career opportunities ranging from patient care to research and development.
• This field gives you the opportunity to know about and participate in the innovation of drugs.
• It provides ample opportunities in both academia and industry along with the chance to earn a stable income.
• It allows you to assist people in need.

How to study Pharmacy

You can opt for three courses to get a degree in Pharmacy. They are:

1. BPharm (Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy)
2. PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy)
3. DPharm (Diploma in Pharmacy)

You can opt for any of these courses after passing your Class XII board exams with at least 55% aggregate and with Physics, Biology and Chemistry as compulsory subjects in Class XI–XII.

You can also go for higher studies with a MPharm course after completing the BPharm course and choose a specialisation based on your career interests after graduation.

If you are pursuing a DPharm degree, you can enrol in a PharmD course after obtaining your diploma. After completion of a PharmD or MPharm course, you can opt for a PhD degree.

Pharmacy entrance exams

Undergraduate entrance exams:

WBJEE: The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEEB) is the state-level joint entrance test for Engineering and Pharmacy courses in Bengal. It is conducted by the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB).

GUJCET: The Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET) is a state-level entrance exam for admission to various pharmaceutical colleges in Gujarat. This exam is held by the Directorate of Technical Education.

UPSEE: The Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Examination is a test for gaining admission to colleges in Uttar Pradesh. It is conducted by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University.

Other states also conduct their own entrance exams for students willing to study Pharmacy in those states after their Class XII board exams.

Here are some such exams:

• Odisha Joint Entrance Examination – Pharmacy (OJEE-P)
• Maharashtra Common Entrance Test – Pharmacy (MHT CET)
• Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS-P)
• KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test)
• Goa Common Entrance Test (Goa CET)
• Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB)

Postgraduate entrance exams:

GPT: Graduate Pharmacy Test is a national-level exam conducted by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for students seeking admission to MPharm programmes.

NIPER JEE: It is a national-level entrance exam to various postgraduate courses in Pharmacy.

Leading Pharmacy institutes in Eastern India:

• Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• Bengal College of Pharmaceutical Science & Research, Durgapur
• Guru Nanak Institute Of Pharmaceutical Science And Technology (GNIPST), Kolkata
• BCDA college of Pharmacy & Technology, Kolkata
• Techno India University, Kolkata

Leading Pharmacy institutes in India:

• Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Delhi
• National Institute Of Pharmaceutical Education And Research (NIPER), Kolkata
• Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai
• University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh
• Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi
• Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University, Mysore
• The Oxford College of Pharmacy, Bangalore
• VELS University, Chennai
• PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore

What will you do with a Pharmacy degree

Other than working in hospitals and communities, pharmacists play different roles in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory bodies and academia.

Here are some of the roles for a pharmacist:

• Hospital pharmacist: Every hospital has a pharmacy and pharmacists are required to run that drug store smoothly.
• Community pharmacist: These professionals help community members to access the medicine they need.
• Clinical research associate: These pharmacists are part of drug discovery teams. They usually work in areas of formulation and process improvement and clinical trials.
• Pharmaceutical educator: They play an important role in academia by teaching students about different aspects of Pharmacy through theory and practical classes.
• Drug safety associate: They are in charge of overseeing the safety of pharmaceutical drugs. Their main job is to assess and prevent adverse reactions in patients.
• Formulation development associate: They are in charge of the development of new drugs, processes, systems and formulations. They offer technical assistance to the team.
• Pharmaceutical sales/marketing executive: All pharmaceutical companies require highly trained pharmacists for marketing and selling their products.
• Pharmaceutical expert: They work for regulatory bodies like CDScO and FDA as a drug inspector, assistant/deputy drug controller or state/central drug controller.