SCOPE OF PHARMACY AS A CAREER OPTION AFTER 12th SCIENCE

Pharmacy courses after 12th science – IS IT THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOU?

The candidate keen to pursue the pharmacy career should first evaluate himself if he has what it takes to embrace this profession with full zeal.Some of the common traits of successful candidates pursuing this path are:

An individual having a passion for science,healthcare,technology and is extremely research driven then the subject of Pharmacy is sure to fascinate you.There are some misconceptions that career of a pharmacist is limited to medical shops and dispensaries which is however not true.The responsibilities of a pharmacist in India are manifold with key duties involving If you’re someone who loves the combination of science, healthcare, technology, research, and computer technology, then you might find the field of pharmacy exciting. Pharmacy as a discipline is versatile and dynamic in nature. Generally, people believe that pharmacists can only work in chemist shops, dispensaries, and medical stores. However, this is not true.

The rules laid in Pharmacy Practice Regulation Chapter 3 Pharmaceutical care entrusts a registered Pharmacist to review each patient’s record and prescription presented for supply for the exclusive purpose of promoting therapeutic relevance.Duties that a Pharmacist is expected to execute are:

(i) Over utilization or under utilization
(ii) Therapeutic duplication
(iii) Drug-disease interactions
(iv) Drug-drug interactions
(v) Incorrect drug dosage or duration of drug treatment
(vi) Drug-allergy interactions
(vii) Correlation of availability of drugs (to avoid artificial shortage of drugs)
(viii) Clinical abuse/misuse

Note : upon recognizing any of the above, the Registered Pharmacist shall take appropriate steps to avoid or resolve the problem that shall, if necessary, include consultation with the Registered Medical Practitioner.

SCOPE OF PHARMACY AS CAREER

1.DPharm and BPharm
The career in Pharmacy is vast and the candidate is exposed to hoards of opportunities after graduation.In order to understand the opportunities available it is vital to study in detail the pharmaceutical course options available after the completion of 10+2.
Eligibility:The eligible candidate should be minimum 17 years of age and should have passed the HSC examination with subjects of Physics,Chemistry and Biology and Mathematics.The above criteria holds good for both DPharm as well as B Pharm.In some Universities the D Pharmacy candidates can fetch entry to the second year of the BPharm program.

2.MPharm
Masters in Pharmacy is a two years post graduate .The course requires the candidate to have a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy with 55% of marks over 4 years of the Pharm Course.The candidate opts to specialize in any of the following branches:
Pharmaceutics,Industrial Pharmacy,Pharmaceutical Technology,Pharmaceutical Chemistry,Pharmaceutical Analysis,Pharmacy Practice,Pharmacology,Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmacy; Phytomedicine

3.Pharm D
The course was introduced in India only in the year 2008 by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).The duration of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) course is 6 years which includes 5 years of study and one year of internship or residency .The Pharm D is a post graduate course and the students can directly be registered for Ph D and all the students after completion are eligible to use Dr before their name which would also reflect on the certificate issued to them by their PCI approved University.
The course requires the candidate to fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
Eligibility to join a Pharm.D course:
The candidate has to be 17 years old and pass any one of the following exam:

(1) 10+2 with physics, chemistry and mathematics/ biology
(2) Completed D.Pharm course from a PCI-approved institution
(3) Any other qualification approved by PCI that is equivalent to above two qualifications

CAREER OPTIONS AFTER PHARMACY

PHARMACY JOB VACANCY

Post graduation the pharmacy student jobs are abundant and the leading companies hoard the campuses for Pharmacist Recruitment.The companies advertise for the Pharmacy job opportunities in the leading Newspapers such as The Hindustan Times and The Hindu.

TYPES OF CAREER IN PHARMACY

A Pharmacist career is full of diverse opportunities and a pharmacy professional can venture into

1.Research & Development: The pharmacy industry is highly research oriented and it thrives on development of new drugs.The R&D requires specialized understanding for which degrees like M.Pharms and Ph.Ds are highly in demand for research of new drugs, process development, formulation, development, clinical trials and Toxicological Studies.
2.Analysis and Testing: Analysis and testing go hand in hand with this industry specially in order to maintain a proper Quality control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA). For the same highly skilled staff is required by companies to handle sensitive analytical dealings and sophisticated equipment.
3:Production and Manufacturing: the options of working in production and manufacturing are huge. One can start his/ her own venture or work for someone. Professionals for production and manufacturing are not only required by biotechnological products, surgical dressings, medical devices, equipment, ayurvedic/ homeopathic / unani medicines, veterinary medicine, etc are also the requirement for the production of cosmetics, soaps, toiletries and dental products.
4.Marketing: The Pharmaceuticals sales and marketing is considered to be a highly technical arena and hence one of the best when it comes to perks.
5.Hospitals: Although it might be a trend of the US or Canada, but it is one that seem to be setting in India as well. The pharmacists in the hospitals are the best informed individuals for prescribing a drug. Mostly in western countries, the diagnosis is made by the Doctors but the pharmacists decide the medicines and their dosage. Therefore, Pharmacy graduates have important role and can earn attractive remuneration and can occupy strategic positions.
6.Regulatory Bodies: There are bodies that control and regulate medicines. FDA is the regulatory body that deals with governing and implementing the rules and regulations for the Drug and Pharmaceutical industry. The post of Drug Inspector, Asst. Drug Controller, Deputy Drug Controller, Drug Controller of state and finally D.C. I. (Drug Controller of India) is an option one can aspire for.

DUTIES OF A PHARMACIST

1. Dispensing/Supply of Drugs:

2. Pharmacist role for promotion of rational drug use:

3. Pharmacist role in Patient counselling :

(a) Upon receipt of a prescription (prescription drug order) and following a review of the patient’s record, a Registered Pharmacist shall personally initiate discussion of matters that will enhance or optimize drug therapy with each patient or care given of such patient. Such discussion shall be in person, whenever practicable or by telephone and shall include appropriate elements of patient counseling. Such elements may include the following :

(b) The pharmacist shall maintain the records pertaining to drugs administered to the patients (drug card) that may be utilized for the evaluation of the drug therapy

(c) The pharmacist is authorized (as a Health care professional) to undertake process and outcome research, health promotion and education and provide health information. Also to undertake the Pharmaco-epidemiological studies.

LEADING PHARMACEUTICAL INSTITUTES FOR PHARMACY COURSES

1. Diploma in Pharmacy(DPharm)

Any individual desirous of having his own store or a drug pharmacy in the country should fulfil the following criteria:
– A Diploma in pharmacy which is a two-year duration course with a minimum requirement of 10+2 with science stream.
Also, students pursuing diploma can get lateral entry to 2nd year in Bachelor’s of Pharmacy on the basis of merit.

Leading Institutes for the Dpharmacy are:

Jamia Hamdard University (Delhi)
Bundelkhand University (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh)
MET Institute of Pharmacy (Mumbai)
Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research (Delhi)

Selection Criteria:

Admission to these elite universities is mostly done through Interview/ Entrance Test conducted by the respective universities.

2. Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm)

The leading Pharmaceutical Giants like the Sun Pharmaceutical, Lupin Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories etc require The course structure of bachelors’ degree includes academic and practical training in the pharmaceutical industry environment.

Some of the top institutes offering the B Pharmacy courses are:

Jamia Hamdard University (Delhi)
Bundelkhand University (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh)
Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research (Delhi)
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University (Uttar Pradesh)
MET Institute of Pharmacy (Mumbai)
Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Manipal)
University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Chandigarh)
Bombay College of Pharmacy (Mumbai)
Admissions to these universities happen through entrance exams such as All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), All India Manipal University Online Entrance Test (MU-OET), Panjab University Common Entrance Test (P.U. CET) etc.

3. Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D)

One can also pursue Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D) which is a six-year course after 10+2 which includes five years of clinical and community-based theoretical study, with ward rounds and a one-year internship in hospitals. Students who are pursuing Bachelors in Pharmacy can take lateral entry direct to the 4th year of Pharm.D on the merit basis.

Some of the top institutes providing Pharm.D are:

VELS University (Chennai)
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University (Mysore, Karnataka)
Smt. Sarojini Ramulamma College of Pharmacy (Andhra Pradesh)
Admission to these universities happens through the norms of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).