After studying so much the main questions in
the mind of everyone is what now what after I have completed my desired course
of study. Same is the case with us who are in the pharmaceutical field, after
completion of our degree or diploma we just keep on thinking which would be a
better or great career to choose and start to have a bright future ahead.
So in this post I will try to summarize the
relevant career paths available after degree/diploma/higher degree and hope it
will be enough to guide you through to achieve what you aim for in future. I will
be listing the careers whatever is relevant after degree or diploma in the
options mentioned in the lower courses can also be taken by the higher degree
professionals.
After
D.Pharma
· Business development executive - marketing representative, MR, executive, sales
personnel and many more names are available all are same and comprise of making
sales and increasing the market share of the pharmaceutical company. The job
comprises sales through one on one channels, direct or indirect sales, etc.
· Pharmacist – also
known as chemists (Commonwealth English) or druggists (North American and,
archaically, Commonwealth English), are healthcare professionals who practice
in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective
medication use. Retail pharmacists might work in small, independent
pharmacies or in the pharmacy departments within grocery stores or larger retail establishments, filling and dispensing
patients' medicines as prescribed by their doctors.
· Pharmacy assistant - Assistant
pharmacists work alongside licensed and pharmacist technicians to help process prescriptions.Assistants' duties are typically clerical and organizational
in nature and might include answering phones, filling out and filing paperwork,
running cash registers and stocking shelves.
· Pharmacy aide - Pharmacy Aides are
responsible for storing merchandise, maintaining inventory, and recording drugs
delivered to the pharmacy. The key difference between pharmacy aides and pharmacy technicians is that aides are not allowed to
dispense prescriptions. Instead, they spend most of their time operating cash
registers and accepting prescription orders from customers.
· In manufacturing
- In a manufacturing environment a pharmacist would initially supervise one
or more units (such as packaging or tablet manufacturing). The production
pharmacist will also be responsible for the safety and health at work of their
staff. He or she is expected to bring leadership to a group or department; this
would include those individuals reporting directly to them as well as other
groups.
·
Lab technician – many academic institutes require lab
assistants or technicians to get help in the research or lab work so it is also
a bright option.
So these are a few career options after diploma in
pharmacy (D.Pharma) or you can study further and take a bachelors degree (B.Pharma)
and explore more options.
AFTER B.Pharma
· In QA department - QA department is to maintain an oversight function over Production, Analytical laboratory, Warehouse, Utilities/Water supply and the environment (hygiene)to assure that good manufacturing practices, good laboratory practices and good storage practices are in place.
· In QC department - Quality control is an
essential operation of the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs must be marketed as
safe and therapeutically active formulations whose performance is consistent
and predictable. New and better medicinal agents are being produced at an
accelerated rate. At the same time more exacting and sophisticated analytical
methods are being developed for their evaluation.
· Academics – or you can also
start as a lecturer in any diploma institute of pharmacy and help build the
career of coming students.
·
In FDA - Pharmacists
at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) work in a variety of jobs at the Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research, including positions in the Office of Drug
Safety, the Office of Generic and Orphan Drug Products, the Division of Drug
Information, and the Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products.
·
In testing
laboratory – also there is a bright scope of pharmacist in testing
laboratories as trainees.
· IPR - Intellectual property rights (IPR) is prerequisite for better
identification, planning, commercialization, rendering, and thereby protection
of invention or creativity. Each industry should evolve its own IPR policies,
management style, strategies, and so on depending on its area of specialty.
·
Clinical pharmacist
- As
a clinical pharmacist, your opportunities to be a leader are greatly expanding.
All pharmacists are leaders in their everyday practices by successfully
influencing the behavior of physicians, nurses, pharmacy technicians, interns,
support staff, and others to enhance medication safety and optimize patient
outcomes.
·
Bulk drug
manufacturing and distribution - "Manufacturing"
means the production, preparation, propagation, conversion or processing of a
drug or device, either directly or indirectly, by large volume extraction from
substances of natural origin, or independently by means of chemical or biological
synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of a substance or labeling
or relabeling of its container, and the promotion and marketing of such drugs
and devices. "Manufacturing" also includes the preparation and
promotion of commercially available products from bulk compounds for resale by
pharmacists to anyone other than a patient via a prescription, practitioners,
or other persons. "Wholesaler" means a person with facilities in or
outside this state who obtains drugs for distribution or delivery to persons
other than consumers.
·
Pharmaceutical consultancy - A consultant pharmacist is a who works as a consultant providing expert advice on the use of medications or on the provision of pharmacy services to medical institutions, medical practices and individual patients.
After bachelors degree you have two options either to
take a master degree or opt for management studies.
After B.Pharma + MBA/MMS
· Management trainee in various departments of pharma industry.
· Product executive - same job role as a MR (discussed above under
D.Pharma)
· Product manager - sales job with a higher managerial post like –
area sales manager, district sales manager, regional sales manager, etc.
· Administrative manager – under this
category you can make a career in hospital management or management of other
administrative positions in pharmaceutical industries and institutions.
After M.Pharma
·
Academics – work as lecturer
in degree pharmacy institutes and with experience or PhD can be promoted to
assistant professor/associate professor/ professor.
·
In R&D – can work as JRF (junior
research fellow) and then can be promoted to SRF (senior research fellow)
within 2-3years of experience and then as scientist after completion of PhD.
· \In formulation and
manufacturing – senior positions of supervisors or head of the department
can be achieved with prior experience.
· In QA/QC – same as discussed
in B.Pharm but getting a good position and good salary can be expected if you
have some relevant experience.
· In marketing/sales
– yes after masters
you can go into sales and with relevant experience you can also go into product management (PMT).
· In regulatory
affairs - Regulatory Affairs is involved in the development of new
medicinal products from early on, by integrating regulatory principles and by
preparing and submitting the relevant regulatory dossiers to health
authorities. Regulatory Affairs is actively involved in every stage of
development of a new medicine and in the post-marketing activities with
authorised medicinal products.
Or after your masters you can move forward to PhD/doctoral/post doctoral studies and
research work. And opt for careers such as scientist, senior positions in
R&D and pharma industries.
So option are many and future is bright all you do is to
choose the right career and make a start.
Reference
study.com/.../Assistant_Pharmacist_Salary_Duties_and_Requirements.html
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › NCBI › Literature › PubMed Central
(PMC)
Besides counting out tablets and ringing up orders, pharmacy technicians also decode prescriptions, enter data into computers, create labels, make and receive phone calls, rotate stock as well as countless other duties. Pharmacy tech classes
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