Pharmaceutical/ Medical/Pharmacy

Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than the average in the coming years, due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of a growing elderly population and increased use of medications.

The investment in research and development is envisaged to expand the sphere of business activity, both in the country and in abroad. Multinational joint venture partnerships have given a thrust to this growth, which has targeted business of almost 40,000 crores, approximately 3.8% of the market share by the turn of the century.

Good employment opportunities are expected for Indian pharmacists over the 2005-12 period because the number of degrees granted in pharmacy is expected to be less than the number of job openings in the International market.

Career Opportunities
Research and development have dramatically changed the role of pharmacy in patient treatment over the past fifty years. Pharmacists can be employed in a variety of settings. The various Career options available includes :

Community Pharmacy
This practice setting includes a range of options from independent ownership of a pharmacy to employment in, or management of, local and national chains.

Institutional (Hospital) Pharmacy
Hospital pharmacists monitor drug therapy, prepare intravenous (IV) admixtures, make purchasing decisions, and oversee drug administration. They play an important role in nutritional support, pain management and deals with therapeutics, infection-control, risk-management, and educational programs.

Managed Care Pharmacy
Managed care pharmacists establish guidelines, develop protocols, and conduct drug utilization reviews while serving on interdisciplinary teams responsible for disease management programs.

Pharmaceutical Industry
Companies that discover, develop, formulate, manufacture, and distribute pharmaceuticals offer many career opportunities including manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, pharmaceutical research & medical writing.

Academics
University faculty in pharmacy-related disciplines has many opportunities to participate in these challenging developments as educators, basic scientists, and clinical practitioners.

Consultant Pharmacy
Pharmacy consultants are skilled clinicians, educators, and managers serving in home care agencies, hospices, adult day-care centers, and other long-term care facilities. They identify drug-related problems and help resolve them on the basis of their clinical expertise.

Related Career Options
Pharmacy technicians and pharmacy aides also work in pharmacies. Persons in other professions who may work with pharmaceutical compounds include biological scientists, medical scientists, and chemists and materials scientists.

In order to be a successful pharmacist, one must have :

•  A liking for science particularly life sciences and  medicine.
  
•  An ability to put hard work, strong logical thinking &  patience.
  
•  A sense of responsibility & patient counseling skills.
  
•  Strong analytical abilities and strong academic  foundations.
  

Eligibility
A license to practice pharmacy is required in all almost all the countries. To obtain a license, one must have done Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) and Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm). International recruiters prefer professionals holding higher degrees in the field, such as, Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm) or Ph.D.