2. What comes to mind when
you think of a pharmacist?
What does their job involve?
3. What do Pharmacists do?
• Pharmacists are experts in medicines and as one of the fastest
growing areas of healthcare play a key role in improving the health of
the nation, and ensuring patient safety.
• They work in a number of different settings:
– develop new medicines;
– supply medicines;
– provide advice about medicines;
– offer health services.
• Pharmacists also work in other roles where there may be less direct
contact with patients, for example in universities, regulation,
government organisations, research, publishing and the
pharmaceutical industry.
4. What are the pros and cons?
Cons
Competitive
Long hours in certain sectors and
evening/weekend shifts
Physically demanding in certain sectors
Pros
Job security
Flexible working
Excellent rewards
Transferable skills
Variety
Opportunities in new roles/settings
Opportunities to specialise
5. Where can I work?
Community Pharmacy
Hospital Pharmacy
Industrial Pharmacy
Primary Care Pharmacy
Academic Pharmacy
• Veterinary Pharmacy
• Military Pharmacists
• Regulatory Affairs
• Care Homes
• Prisons
• Portfolio Careers
6. What qualifications do I need?
• You need basic literacy and numeracy skills
• GCSEs in English language, mathematics and science.
• A/S and A-levels (Highers in Scotland) in chemistry and two of biology /
mathematics / physics
• You may also be considered with chemistry and one of biology /
mathematics / physics (and one other subject).
• Approximately one third of students admitted to Schools of Pharmacy
have other qualifications.
7. What training do I need to complete?
• You must take a four-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree course followed by the successful completion of a
year of preregistration training
• At the end of preregistration training, you must pass the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration exam
after which you will be able to register and practise as a pharmacist.
– Pharmacists must renew their registration on an annual basis in order to be able to continue to work as a
pharmacists.
• UK School of Pharmacy can be found at:
8. 1) Choose the right subjects
2) Speak to your careers advisor or careers teacher at
your school or college
3) Look at the websites of the Schools of Pharmacy
4) Get some work experience
5) Get more advice from pharmacists
6) Visit the NHS Careers website
7) Find out what student life is like
What next?
Introduce yourself, your background, and why you chose to become a pharmacist
Points to cover:
Your name
Sector of work
What do you think…..?
The aim of this slide is to interact with the audience and stimulate some discussion. The idea is to find out what their preconceptions may be first e.g ‘shopkeeper’ ‘white coat’ ‘pill counter.’ And perhaps where they have had contact with a pharmacist. Hopefully by the end of the presentation they will have changed their minds!
WHAT DO PHARMACISTS DO?
Pharmacists are experts in medicines and their use. They have a unique set of skills and knowledge, they train as scientists and clinicians. They use this scientific knowledge to advise patients how to take their medicines and make recommendations on the best medicine for particular conditions and diseases.
Pharmacists are the third largest healthcare profession in Great Britain. They work in a number of different settings, developing new medicines, supplying medicines, providing advice about medicines, and offering health services. Some pharmacists are also prescribers, and like doctors can prescribe medicines on prescriptions. They also work within the wider healthcare team, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care. Pharmacists also work in other roles where there may be less direct contact with patients, for example in universities, regulation, government organisations, research, publishing and the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharmacists must have very good communication skills, as they are required to translate technical medical information to patients. They often work in busy environments and must be organised, logical, be able to manage multiple tasks, and remain calm under pressure. They should also have a good eye for detail and be thorough and accurate in what they do. Pharmacists work in teams and are often involved in education and training others, so good people skills are also essential.
Each pharmacist will have a different viewpoint of pharmacy – there are lots of pros.
Job security
Flexible working
Excellent rewards (refer to information about salaries below)
Transferable skills – many of the experiences and skills you develop in practice can be transferred to other pharmacy environments and roles
Variety
Opportunities in new roles/settings – I’ll provide more details about the various roles in my next slide
Opportunities to specialise - there are many opportunities to undertake further education and training if you wish to do so, once you have qualified as a pharmacist. This will support you if you want to progress into senior roles or specialise in certain areas of practice.
The main cons are:
Competitive – in the current financial climate, funding and placements are limited. You will need to prove your skills and be able to demonstrate your abilities to universities and prospective employers
Long hours in certain sectors and evening/weekend shifts – this is true for community and hospital pharmacy, as patients need access to healthcare at night and on the weekends
Physically demanding in certain sectors – you may have to stand on your feet for long hours
Hopefully the pros outweigh the cons.
Explain what aspects of your role you particularly enjoy
WHAT’S THE PAY LIKE?
Although we cannot advise on exact salary figures, a quick survey shows that as a qualified pharmacist you could probably expect a starting salary equivalent to around £20,000 to £30,000 depending on the area of pharmacy and location you chose to work in. After 10 years you could expect to be earning the equivalent of anywhere between £35,000 and £60,000, and possibly more in some senior positions.
More information about salaries can be found on the following websites:
• Hospital pharmacy - NHS Careers (www.nhscareers.nhs.uk)
• Industrial pharmacy - Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) (www.abpi.org.uk)
• Community pharmacy – PJ Careers (jobs.pharmaceutical-journal.com)
The role of pharmacist is constantly evolving
Community Pharmacy
Community Pharmacists work at the front line of healthcare in cities, towns and villages across Great Britain. They work from their own pharmacies or out of local healthcare centres and doctor’s surgeries
Hospital Pharmacy
Hospital Pharmacists are a vital part of the healthcare team. Working in either the NHS or private hospitals, being a hospital pharmacist means you’re part of a team where the focus is firmly on patients.
Industrial Pharmacy
Industrial Pharmacists are involved in the research, design, development and testing of new medicines and treatments, ensuring their safety and quality.
Primary Care Pharmacy
Primary Care Pharmacists play a significant part in managing medicines. They have a strategic role to focus on maximising benefit and minimising risk associated with medicines as well as making the best use of resources allocated for medicines.
Academic Pharmacy
Whether it’s teaching, researching, practising or a mix of all three, Academic Pharmacists enjoy exciting careers in universities, research institutes and other organisations throughout the world.
Other Pharmacy Roles
Pharmacists In Gp Practices
Veterinary Pharmacy
Military Pharmacists
Pharmacists Working In Regulatory Affairs
Pharmacists Working In Care Homes
Pharmacists Working In Prisons
Portfolio Careers
Portfolio career is the term used for careers which straddle several sectors of the profession.
Further details of each sector can be found in the leaflet that you can pick up at the end of my talk
There are 24 schools of pharmacy in the UK which are part of universities. …(these are listed in the careers leaflet that I will hand out after my presentation)… but you can also find out more details about each of them from their websites.
To be accepted by one of these schools you will need GCSEs in maths, English language and science. Plus you will need A levels in chemistry, plus usually two of the following: biology, maths or physics.
ENGLAND, WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND
Although most courses are geared to those with A/S and A-levels (Highers in Scotland) in chemistry and two of biology/mathematics/physics, students may also be considered with chemistry and one of biology/mathematics/physics (and one other subject).
You need basic literacy and numeracy skills (e.g. GCSE in English language and mathematics).
SCOTLAND
In Scotland, students require Highers in chemistry and English plus two of either mathematics, physics or biology.
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
Approximately one third of students admitted to schools of pharmacy have other qualifications. These include:
The Irish School Leaving Certificate
National or Higher National Certificates or Diplomas
International Baccalaureate
Access qualifications
I would recommend that you always check the precise entry requirements of your chosen school of pharmacy, as they do vary and the criteria may change.
TO QUALIFY AS A PHARMACIST You must take a four-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree course followed by the successful completion of a year of preregistration training within a pharmacy workplace (for which you get paid).
At the end of preregistration training, you must pass the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration exam after which you will be able to register and practise as a pharmacist.
[For Northern Ireland: In Northern Ireland you must be registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Pharmacists must renew their registration with these organisations on an annual basis in order to be able to continue to work as a pharmacists.]
You can find details on UK School of Pharmacy at www.rpharms.com/careers. All UK MPharm degrees are accredited by the GPhC [please note that some are provisionally accredited because they are still new]. Please remember it is vital that you check the precise entry requirements of your chosen school of pharmacy.
It should be noted that there are no part time pharmacy courses.
This is the stage in your education when you need to start looking at all the options, so if you are thinking about a career in the pharmacy profession, I would advise that you have a think about these points :
1. Choose the right subjects. Although you should check precise entry requirements with individual universities you will normally need to have studied sciences (especially chemistry and biology) and mathematics.
2. Speak to the careers advisor or careers teacher at your school or college. They will be able to discuss your interest in pharmacy and will be able to tell you more about the application process.
3. Look at the websites of the schools of pharmacy (see rpharms.com/careers for a list) as they will give you a flavour of what entry requirements you will need to join a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) course and what it’s like to study at each of the different universities.
4. Work experience. Contact your local pharmacy, primary care organisation or hospital pharmacy to see if they will let you experience pharmacy in action. This could take the form of work shadowing, for example.
5. Get more advice. You could also try writing to the pharmaceutical companies for help and advice – get a list form the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (www.abpi.org.uk).
6. Visit the NHS Careers website (www.nhscareers.nhs.uk) contains many useful facts sheets about what it’s like to be a pharmacist. In Scotland, the NHS Scotland careers website (www.jobs.scot.nhs.uk).
7. See what student life is like. Take a look at the website of the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (www.bpsa.co.uk) as well as some of the university websites. Will student life suit you?
I hope that this presentation has given you a little bit more information about what a pharmacist does and how varied their role can be. It is just left for me to wish you good luck for the future and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.
Thank You.
