Pharmacy Career Guidance – When we talk about pharmacists we tend to think about men behind the counter at the medical stores. What people do not know is that pharmacists are highly educated and qualified professionals. They are at the crux of diagnosis and cure, as they are the ones who provide the correct medicines to patients. A pharmacist is of utmost importance in the medical field since a well-educated pharmacist tends to know more about medicinal drugs—their composition, side effects, doses, reactions, and adverse effects, than any doctor, would. BPharm is an extensive field that has endless possibilities: it provides the fundamental basics of subjects like Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. This gives the chance to indulge in diverse fields after graduation. Apart from jobs in the medical field, pharmacists are also recruited in government sectors.

Also Read: Best Dental Colleges in India

Here’s a list of the Top 10 Pharmacy career options after graduation:

1. Regulatory Affairs: Research and Development (R&D) is a career path that is required in almost all professions in the world—specifically in the sciences. Moreover, pharmaceutical is an ever-evolving field since, with novel diseases come novel medications. A Regulatory Affairs professional is in charge of ensuring that safe and effective medical drugs are being made available to the public, moreover, he is in charge of checking the quality of these drugs. He also attains approval from health agencies like CDSCO and has medicines registered.
2. Pharmacovigilance: Another important career in the R&D and Formulation Development (F&D) field is of a PhV. They are generally focused on Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR); this means that they are involved in identifying hazards and minimizing risks related to using pharmaceutical drugs. They are also interested in understanding the effects of misuse and overdose of drugs. R&D as well as F&D careers are core-related and advanced therefore they tend to require a master’s degree or a PhD.
3. Medical Writing: For those who prefer desk jobs with a disciplined routine—Medical Writing may be your calling. Of course, this is an extremely crucial and delicate job since Medical Writers are highly trained professionals who know their field. Pharmaceutical or Medical Writers are in charge of producing documents that provide information about sales literature, data presentations, medical journals. These things are of importance for not only the consumer and Pharmaceutical students, but also for healthcare professionals.
4. Clinical Researcher: Clinical Researchers work in laboratories where human trials are conducted for medicines, vaccinations and other medical devices. Clinical Researchers are in charge of handling the documentation and screening of patients. They write drug methodologies, design trial materials and ensure that there are no cases of clinical malpractice.
5. Drug Inspector: Once a drug enters the market, it becomes even more necessary to monitor and study. While clinical trials are of utmost importance, when a drug practically enters the market it becomes a different ball game altogether. The job profile of a Drug Inspector includes taking responsibility for drug efficiency, packaging and efficiency.
6. Community Pharmacist: This is a fairly new concept in India, but one that is being promoted by the Government: it is expected that Community Pharmacists will be highly in demand in the next few years. Their job profile includes advising patients about the correct dosage of medicines. These pharmacists are required in all fields including hospitals, railways and even the armed forces.
7. Medical Representative: The role of an MR shifts from core Pharmacy to a blend of sciences and sales. MRs are recruited in Pharmaceutical agencies and then sent off to the field: their main job is to promote their company’s drugs and convince doctors as well as hospitals to invest in those. They must have sufficient knowledge about market trends and the doses and side effects of particular medicines. Medical Representatives with a BPharm degree tend to have a good chance at growth as they can quickly get promoted to senior positions like Area Managers and Product Managers.
8. Pharmaceutical Lecturer: Academia is another field that will remain no matter how much the country advances. It is also an imperative field as it builds the future generation and gives them the knowledge that will help them in contributing to their profession, their country and to the people. Pharmacy students can choose to pursue a career in education.
9. Food Safety Inspector/Nutritionist: While the job of a Food Safety Inspector or Nutritionist deviates from core Pharmacy, it is an alternative option that can be pursued by students with a degree in BPharm. Food Safety Inspectors are often recruited by the government through exams like CSS to carry out inspections in food processing environments. Nutritionists, on the other hand, guide people to follow diets that will be beneficial to their individual self. Students may also specialize in these fields after completing BPharm, but there are several opportunities available even after an undergraduate program in Pharmacy.
10. Healthcare Consultant: Public Health is an extremely sought after degree after the completion of BPharm. It is also an excellent option to consider as the choices for students broaden by a large margin. Health Consultants are generally analysts that are employed by healthcare industries in order to understand the efficiency and profits of an organization. There is also scope of getting into Policymaking after a Masters in Pharmacy or related fields.

Also Read: Top Medical Colleges in India

Apart from these career options, students also look forward to MBA and Entrepreneurship after the completion of BPharm. The latter is a fairly unexplored profession but one that has a lot of scope.
Read: Top Universities in India
Read: Top Engineering Colleges in India: Rankings
Read: Top MBA Colleges in India:Rankings