How To Become A Pharmacist In India?
Who Is A Pharmacist?
A pharmacist is a healthcare professional who is involved in all aspects of medicine delivery to patients. They prepare and package medication that a doctor has prescribed and also sell them. They have expertise in the composition of medicines, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties, their manufacture, and their use.
A pharmacist will have a degree and knowledge in Pharmacy, which helps them in the understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of drugs, drug uses, therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions, and monitoring parameters.
What Does A Pharmacist Do?
The pharmacist advises patients and other health professionals on how to use or take medication, the correct dose of a drug, and potential side effects. Many other pharmacy graduates are employed by pharmaceutical companies and food and drink companies to work in areas such as research and development and quality assurance.
Pharmacist duties and responsibilities include:
- Maintaining the quality of medicines supplied to patients.
- Making sure that the supply of drugs is within the law.
- Giving the right advice for medicine prescribed to patients is suitable.
- Consulting patients about intake of medicine, what reactions may occur, and answering patients’ questions.
- Supervising the medicines supply chain and ensure pharmacy premises and systems are fit for the purpose.
How To Become Pharmacist – Step By Step
Want to start your career as a pharmacist? In this article, we have mentioned the details about this career. As a pharmacist, you have to prepare, research, and distribute medical drugs with the help of science and techniques.
Here are the steps to become a pharmacist in India:
Step 1 – Take The Science Stream In Your 10+2
For taking admission to pharmaceutical professional courses, you need to pass 10+2 examinations with anyone combination of subjects- Physics Chemistry Biology (PCB), Physics Chemistry Mathematics (PCM), or Physics Chemistry Biology Mathematics (PCBM).
Step 2- Pursue Undergraduate Education In Pharmacy
After completion of 10+2, there is a range of courses in which you can take admission after clearing intermediate. All of these courses differ in terms of their duration, curriculum, opportunities, and degree.
| Course Name | Duration |
| Diploma in Pharmacy
|
3 Years |
| Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm)
|
4 Years |
| Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D)
|
6 Years |
1. DIPLOMA IN PHARMACY
Do you wish to open up your drug store and practice pharmacy in India? For this, you should at least have a diploma in pharmacy, which is a two-year duration course with a minimum requirement of a 10+2 science stream. You can even get a lateral entry to 2nd year in Bachelors of Pharmacy based on merit while doing your diploma.
2. BACHELORS DEGREE IN PHARMACY (B.PHARM)
It is an undergraduate degree course in the field of Pharmacy education. Those who are interested in the medical field (except to become a doctor) can choose this course after completing their 10+12. The course duration is 04 years. In this course, the students study drugs and medicines, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Medicinal Chemistry, etc.
3. DOCTOR OF PHARMACY (PHARM.D)
Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional pre-Ph.D. postgraduate doctorate of six years introduced in the year 2008 by the Government of India and Pharmacy Council. The graduates in Pharm.D are entitled to prefix their name with Dr. as they already have spent a significant amount of time training in areas related to direct patient care and research.
Step 3- Pursue Postgraduate Education In Pharmacy
To pursue postgraduate education in Pharmacy the curriculum, research opportunities, and specializations change with each course. Here the complete list of courses and specializations.
| Course Name | Duration |
| Masters Degree in Pharmacy (M.Pharm) | 2 Years |
| PGDM/MBA in Pharmacy | 1 Year |
1. MASTERS DEGREE IN PHARMACY (M.PHARM)
Master of Pharmacy is a postgraduate degree in the field of pharmaceutical science and its related subjects, having many specializations. The M Pharm course duration is 02 years, spread over 04 semesters, whose syllabus includes subjects such as Drug Delivery System, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacognosy, Regulatory Affairs, etc.
2. PGDM/MBA IN PHARMACY
PG Diploma in Pharmaceutical Management is a 1- year post-graduate course. The eligibility for this program is a Bachelors’s degree in Pharmacy or any related domain with minimum aggregate marks as required by the institute. This program comprises advanced concepts and processes involved in healthcare, particularly a powerful and safe utilization of pharmaceutical medications.
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