There are many career opportunities available for Pharmacy students. Some of them are discussed below:
1.
Entrepreneur
a)
Pharmacy Practice: B. Pharm. graduates can start their own
Retail Pharmacy, Wholesale Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy or Community Pharmacy by
undergoing training during the B. Pharm. Course and then gain some experience
by working in similar facilities for a fixed period to understand the nitty-
gritty of the entrepreneurial avenue.
b)
Manufacturing Facility: Manufacture
of a medicine involves many stages from chemical synthesis of the drug
substance through production of the dosage form, quality control, packaging and
distribution.
c)
Consultancy: Pharmacists can start their own consultancy firm
and contribute to research, and their expertise in formulation development is
of particular relevance to the biological availability of active ingredients.
The Pharma-consultants can Provide Regulatory Services for Dossiers / DMF /
CTDs-ACTD / ANDA / Validations / cGMP / GLP / PSUR / BA-BE Studies.
Few themes for entrepreneurship:
- New drug molecule / Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
(API) / New Chemical Entity (NCE)
- Production of raw materials (excipients and other
ingredients)
- Manufacturing and Production of new formulations
- Preparation of Biologicals
- Sub-Contracting for Manufacturing
- Sub-contracting for R&D – similar to CRO concept
- E-commerce – few students should definitely try it in
the Pharmaceutical/Healthcare Industry as well (very few ventures in the
market so far).
2. In
Private and Government Hospitals as Pharmacist:
Hospital Pharmacists: They perform a range of functions – from
procuring medicines to medicine storage and management in hospitals to
disbursing them to customers. A Diploma in Pharmacy may lead you to this
job, but in the government sector and corporate hospitals, only pharmacy
graduates get hired. Career growth in this field is limited though.
3. In Pharmaceutical Industry
a)
In Production as
Production Chemist:
Production
is the basic activity of all industrial units. All other activities revolve
around this activity. A Production Executive oversees and directs production
operations for a manufacturing organization. They lead production operations,
coordinate production staff and equipment, and ensure the quality and
profitability of products.
b) In Quality Control Laboratories or Quality Assurance
or Regulatory Departments: Quality Control is one of the key
departments in any Pharma company. After R&D large number of people works
in the QC department. Quality assurance is a good practice in the
manufacture of pharmaceutical products, as it is the process of vouching for
integrity of products to meet the standard for the proposed use. It is an
obligation that ensures manufacturers meet the needs of end-user needs in terms
of safety, quality, efficacy, strength, reliability and durability. Regulatory affairs is a comparatively new profession which developed
from the desire of governments to protect public health by controlling the
safety and efficacy of products in areas including pharmaceuticals. A
regulatory professional is responsible for keeping track of the ever-changing
legislation in all the regions in which a company wishes to distribute its
products, advice on the legal and scientific restraints and requirements, and
collect, collate and evaluate scientific data.
Graduates who have an aptitude
for pharmaceutical analysis and handle sophisticated instruments may go for
this job. QC or QA chemists check and maintain the quality of medicines and
pharmaceutical products during and at the end of the manufacturing process, and
ensure that they comply with the standards specified in National or other
approved pharmacopoeias. Private and independent drug testing laboratories
employ QC chemists too.
c) In R &D: One of the most sought-after jobs in research
laboratories and manufacturing industry, research analysts are involved in drug
innovation. They are the ones to develop new drugs or improve existing drugs.
One needs at least an M. Pharma or higher degree to apply for this job.
4.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Intellectual property rights
(IPRs) is a prerequisite for pharma companies for identification, planning,
commercialization, and protection of invention. This is currently a growing
field that protects creations of the human mind. Pharma graduates who have completed IPR
courses are endowed with a wide range of employment opportunities as Patent
analysts, Patent Engineers or agents, Patent / IP consultants/ Advisor, Patent
Docketing Officer, Licensing & Valuation experts, Patent prosecutors,
portfolio managers etc.
a)
Patent Analyst: B. Pharm graduates can apply for job of
patent analyst. Job profile of a patent analyst is to read the patent
application of new invention being made by client, understand the invention and
search prior art references of particular invention. Starting salary is 5 to 6
lakhs per annum.
b)
Patent Docketing Officer: Multinational companies like
Pfizer, Sun pharma, Zydus cadila, Intas, Glaxo Smith Kline etc. outsource their
process of handling patent portfolio to legal process outsourcing (LPO)
companies like Law Scribe Inc, United Lex, Quis Lex, Mindcrest, Integreon, CPA
Global, Pangea 3, in India. So Docketing officer employed in India helps such
companies to complete the government compliance of United States Patent and
Trademark Office in filing patent application. They need to coordinate between
Patent Office and company staff so as to allow easy flow of appropriate
information.
c)
IP Attorney: Students with expertise in IPR can apply
in law firms and work in cases of copyright, trademark and patent infringement
cases. Due to cut throat competition, every new brands and new products are
entering into market. So there is increase demand of lawyers who can help get
brand registration and fight lawsuits against piracy.
d)
IP Proofreading: B Pharm graduates with expertise in IPR
can be employed as IPR Proofreader. Whose main work is to read published patent
applications and check for errors in patent application.
5. In Clinical Research
Clinical Research is a booming Industry for research in
worldwide. Few of the avenues are available in contract research associate,
Medical writer, Data management and Pharmacovigilance. Contract Research Associate
Clinical research associates (CRA) are responsible for
assisting in the clinical research process, providing advanced technical
expertise in steps such as handling supplies, ordering tests, and collecting
results, presenting specific research information to the public, and a variety
of administrative tasks.
6.
Sales and Marketing:
Students with pleasant
personality and good communication skills can opt for the job of Medical
Sales Representative. The companies prefer pharmacy graduates for this job,
as they have a good knowledge about the drug molecules, their therapeutic
effects and the drug – drug interactions. The number of jobs
available in the sales function is plenty.
Areas
·
Marketing Management
·
Product Management
·
Medical Representative
·
Area Manager
·
Regional Manager
7. Government Sector
Pharmacy
education can open up job avenues for students in the government sector. Drug
inspectors or government analysts are needed to make sure that drugs that are
manufactured and sold are of standard quality. Appointments are also made for
pharmacists who can maintain proper records of all the related activities, as
per the specifications.
a) Government Analyst: In government laboratories, pharmacy
graduates test samples from manufacturing units or retail drug stores as
analysts. For this, they need to undergo training on testing of drugs in
approved laboratories first.
b) Drug Inspector: Pharmaceutical graduates can become
drug inspectors by clearing the Public Service Commission test. As a drug
inspector, they monitor the safety, efficacy, and quality of medicines
everywhere – right from manufacturing units to the selling points. In the long
term, drug inspectors can aspire to become Drug Controller one day.
8.
Higher studies in abroad
Pharmacy graduates of
India may consider higher studies outside India to make their career even more
glorious. One can enroll for master as well as Ph.D. in desired field of
studies after obtaining Graduate Degree of Pharmacy in India. Detailed
Information regarding admission to pharmacy colleges in different countries are
easily available on their respective websites. At the time of admission in foreign
countries colleges look forward for qualifications in the following exams;
· Graduate
Record Exam (GRE)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language
• International English Language Testing
System
9. In Academic
M. Pharm graduates are
the ideal candidates to get Lecturer / Assistant professor roles. But, Pharm. D
candidates are also eligible for lecturer jobs. Clearing GPAT, NET, SLET will
be of great advantage. Almost every state in India has got decent number of
Pharmacy colleges. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala have got the
Pharmacy Colleges in the range of 60 – 200.
B. Pharm graduates can
also get Lecturer jobs in D. Pharm colleges. In the academia you will also have
the opportunity to be involved in research as well, though not all the colleges
will have the quality research scope.
The starting salary is
also handsome. Job could be quite relaxing with lot of benefits like housing
and/or numerous holidays. After experience, you can become Associate professor,
Professor / Principal of the college.
10. Opportunities for Pharm. D. students
i) In India
Community Pharmacy is one
of the core career opportunities, and will be most suited to PharmD graduates.
The role involves counselling patients, advising them on dosage and intake for
taking the medicines. This is a very critical role and demands considerable
knowledge and skills.
However, in India the
concept is very much unknown due to several reasons. The Government, PCI and
other authorities (like Indian Pharmaceutical Association) are taking steps.
However, it will take time.
The vacancies for
Pharmacist in Hospitals, Railways, Armed Forces are there, but they are too few
to accommodate even 10% (the figure could be even less than that) of Pharmacy
graduates that pass out annually.
ii) Abroad
Higher Studies Abroad:
You can go for Masters in Public Health or Masters in Health Management in
countries where the community pharmacy is in huge demand (USA, Canada,
Australia, UK etc.). In the US, the number of shortages of healthcare
professionals is supposed to be 250,000 by 2020. So, US will definitely be a
country to look up to.
Do refer to the Best
Universities for Public Health by Kristen Fescoe and S. News; and the Best
Universities for Healthcare Management – Top 20 Master’s Program and Best
Universities.
Scoring 298+ in GRE and
6.5 in IELTS (or 90 in TOEFL) can definitely give you good chances to take up
admission in good universities, if not at the Top 20. With a Master’s Degree in
Public Health, you can end up as Healthcare Consultant, Healthcare
Policy-Maker, Nutritionist, Food Safety Inspector, Medical Officer, Health
Educator, Clinical Researcher etc.
The salary would be in
the range of USD $40,000 and USD $120,000 annually after one year of
experience.
Registered or Licensed
Pharmacist (Pharmacy Jobs) Abroad: This is not that easy, but opportunities are
there. Countries like Canada, US, UK, Australia do allow international pharmacy
graduates to take up jobs as community pharmacists in their countries. Check
out the details for Canada, US, UK, Australia
