Pharmacists are medical professionals who provide medications to patients and educate them on how to use them. If you enjoy working with people and want to help them maintain good health, this could be a rewarding career for you. Knowing what skills and qualifications are required to enter this profession, as well as how much you can earn as a pharmacist, can assist you in making an informed career choice. This article will go over how to become a pharmacist, what these professionals do, and how much they make.

First, we’ll understand

What Exactly Does a Pharmacist Do?

A pharmacist specializes in medicine and is in charge of filling and dispensing doctor’s prescriptions. They also assist patients in comprehending how to take their medications. These professionals are well-versed in the composition, uses, and side effects of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The following are some of the most common responsibilities of a pharmacist:

• Providing medications to patients
• Examining the prescription for precision
• Educating patients on when and how to take their medications
• discussing and elaborating on a medicine’s potential side effects
• Providing flu shots and other vaccinations at the request of the patient Determining whether the current medications will interact with other medications the patient is taking
• Supervising the drug supply chain and ensuring that out-of-stock medications are refilled
• Educating other members of staff and patients about various drug therapies
• Ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations

Now, let’s see

What Qualifications Does a Pharmacist Need?

Complete Your 10+2 Requirements

To enroll in an undergraduate pharmacy program, you must typically have completed your higher secondary or 10+2 in the science stream. To meet the application requirements of most undergraduate programs, you can select from a variety of science subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.

Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree

A diploma or a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy is required to become a pharmacist. More information about their eligibility criteria, admission process, course structure, and duration can be found below:

Pharmacy Diploma (D.Pharm)

DPharm is a two-year diploma program that requires a minimum of 10+2 in science. If you want to open your own pharmacy or drug store, you should have a diploma at the very least. In addition, students pursuing a diploma program can gain direct admission to the second year of a Bachelor of Pharmacy program based on merit. There are numerous universities that offer diploma programs, each with its own admissions process. Some may only require an interview, while others may require you to pass an entrance exam.

Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm)

A bachelor’s degree is required if you want to work for the top pharmaceutical companies. It is a four-year program with a minimum requirement of a 10+2 in science. To gain admission to colleges that offer the BPharm degree, you may need to take a variety of entrance exams, depending on the college or university to which you are applying. The course structure is frequently a combination of academic and practical training in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. of Pharmacy (Pharm D)

After finishing your 10+2, you can apply for a six-year Pharm.D program. The program consists of five years of clinical and community-based theoretical study, as well as one year of hospital internship. In addition, students pursuing the BPharm program may apply for lateral entry into the fourth year of the Pharm.D program based on merit. The Pharmacy Council of India’s guidelines is usually followed during the admission process (PCI). A candidate must be between the ages of 17 and 23 to enroll in a Pharm.D program.

Complete a Post-Graduate Degree Program

Following graduation, you may enroll in one of the two post-graduate courses listed below:

Pharmacy Master’s Degree (M. Pharm)

Those who complete a BPharm degree are eligible to pursue an MPharm. A master’s degree will help you break into the field of research and development. Furthermore, this degree requires you to specialize in one area of pharmacy. Pharmaceutics, pharmacology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacy practice, industrial pharmacy, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical chemistry, and quality assurance are some of the specializations available.

The specialization you select aids in the development of your career. In addition, the MPharm program is a two-year program. Admission to this program is usually accomplished through the Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT).

Dr. of Pharmacy (Post-Baccalaureate)

Candidates with a BPharm degree from a PCI-accredited institution are eligible for this course. Completing the post-baccalaureate course will allow you to advance your professional skills and enter clinical practice and research. It is a three-year program that includes two years of academic instruction and one year of internship. To gain admission to a college of your choice, you must pass several entrance exams.

Obtain a Ph.D. in Pharmacy

While pursuing a Ph.D. is an optional step, it is a good choice for those who have an interest in research. A master’s degree in pharmacy is the minimum requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program. The majority of doctoral programs use an integrated learning approach and last three years. You can gain admission bypassing the entrance exams administered by individual colleges.

Get a State License

In addition to the qualifications listed above, a pharmacist must obtain a state license before working. To become a registered pharmacist, you must first apply for a license from your state’s pharmacy council. The eligibility requirements and procedures differ from one state to the next. Most states, for example, require candidates to have a certain number of hours of practical experience before applying for a license. You can, however, only apply for one state license at a time. To learn more about the procedure, documentation, and fees required for obtaining a pharmacist license, go to the website of your state’s pharmacy council.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Job as a Pharmacist?

The length of time it takes to become a pharmacist is determined by the education you receive. However, after completing a two-year diploma course in pharmacy after 10+2, you can become an entry-level pharmacist and begin your pharmacy career.

What Are the Skills That Are Required for a Pharmacist?

Ability to multitask: From entering data into a computer database to accurately dispensing medications to discussing the use of a specific medicine, such professionals may be required to perform a variety of tasks. As a result, employers prefer candidates who can multitask while maintaining high standards of excellence.

Integrity: If a pharmacist suspects that a prescribed medication may cause drug interactions, he or she should consult with the doctor to ensure that the medication is safe for the patient.

Computer skills: These professionals must have basic computer skills in order to retrieve information from a medication database and update patient records.

Communication skills: They must be able to communicate effectively in order to instruct patients on medication dosages and to request additional information from a doctor.

Detail-orientedness: pharmacists must strictly adhere to a doctor’s prescription in order to provide patients with safe and effective medications. Attrition to detail is required.

Understanding of clinical pharmaceutical: In order to excel in the pharmaceutical industry, a professional must have a thorough understanding of the most recent medications and clinical theories. It is also preferable to have a thorough understanding of how medicines are made.

What Are the Other Special Skills to Be Successful as a Pharmacist?

To be a successful pharmacist, you must be enthusiastic about providing medical solutions that enable patients to live better lives. Because you won’t be interacting with patients directly, you’ll need to be even more passionate about the benefits that pharmaceutical drugs can provide to patients in need.

Focus on disciplines such as biology, chemistry, human anatomy, calculus, and statistics as you pursue your undergraduate degree. These abilities will translate directly into long-term success as a pharmacist. You will need to be knowledgeable in three different pharmaceutical sub-disciplines:

Pharmacology

The study of how drugs affect the human body is known as pharmacology. As a pharmacist, you’ll need to understand how popular pharmaceutical drugs interact with the various finely tuned systems that influence human biology and psychology.

Pharmacognosy

While many aspects of pharmacology are concerned with synthetic drugs, pharmacognosy is concerned with natural drugs derived from plant or animal sources.

The Chemistry of Pharmaceuticals

To be a successful pharmacist, you must be well-versed in chemistry. Pharmaceutical chemistry is the use of chemistry to create new drugs and assess how they interact with the human body.

What Are the Different Pharmacy Careers?

To serve its customers, a pharmacy requires a large number of professionals. While these job titles all sound the same, they require different levels of education and training, and each role has its own set of responsibilities.

Pharmacy Technician

In most cases, pharmacy assistants only need a high school diploma and on-the-job training. They have fewer responsibilities than other pharmacy professionals because they have less education and experience.

Technician in a Pharmacy

Pharmacy technicians are medical professionals who have received specialized training in order to assist pharmacists. Many states and employers require pharmacy technicians to obtain the Certified Pharmacy Technician credential (CPhT). Furthermore, many pharmacy technicians complete a formal education program leading to a certificate or associate’s degree. In most cases, pharmacy technicians must also pass background checks and drug screenings.

Pharmacist

Pharmacists are advanced professionals who hold the ultimate authority in a pharmacy. Most states require them to double-check overall prescriptions filled by pharmacy technicians to ensure accuracy. They are also in charge of patient safety and education.

Are Any Certifications or Licenses Required?

To work as a pharmacist in the United States, you must be licensed. To do so, you must provide proof of graduation from an accredited Pharm.D. program as well as pass both the Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) and the North American Pharmacist Licensing Exam (NAPLEX). Once licensed, you will be able to work as a pharmacist anywhere in the United States.

How Much Money Can You Expect to Make as a Pharmacist?

Pharmacists earned an average of $126,120 in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The lowest ten percent of pharmacists earned an average of $87,420, while the highest ten percent earned an average of $159,410. While earning a Pharm.D. requires a significant amount of schooling, you will be set up with a career path that could be highly lucrative at the end of your education.

Is It Easier to Become a Pharmacist After Working as a Pharmacy Technician?

While there is no formal path to becoming a pharmacist from a pharmacy tech, it can be a beneficial step. In addition to giving you an advantage when applying to PharmD programs, your work as a pharmacy technician can better prepare you for the classes you’ll take because you’ll already have a basic understanding of many of the concepts you’ll study.

If you have a certificate or associate’s degree in pharmacy technology and have taken certification exams, your advantage may be even greater. Formal training as a pharmacy technician will provide you with a solid foundation for your PharmD classes.

What Are Your Career Options as a Pharmacist?

According to the BLS, there were 312,500 pharmacist jobs in the United States in 2016. This number of jobs is expected to grow by 6% between 2016 and 2026, implying that the availability of pharmacist jobs is growing at a slower rate than the average availability of other jobs, which is expected to grow by 7% during the same time period. The BLS anticipates that 17,400 new pharmacist jobs will be created during this time period.

Keep in mind that there is a lot of competition for high-paying positions among new pharmacists. You may have difficulty competing for the best pharmacist jobs on the market with your fellow Pharm.D. graduates. While you may be forced to begin your career as a pharmacist at a national pharmacy chain, you may also strike gold and land a lucrative position in the pharmaceutical industry immediately after graduation.

Conclusion

So, these are all the requirements to step into the field of Pharmacy. Now, you can choose your Career wisely and build a successful career in Pharmacy.