Career in Pharmacy

Industry/Area
 Health Care

About
“It is easy to get a thousand prescriptions, but hard to get one single remedy.” – A Chinese
Proverb
A pharmacist is a person trained in pharmacy. Pharmacy is the profession of preparing, preserving,
compounding, and dispensing medical drugs.
One of the main tasks of a pharmacist is to prescribe medications to patients. Pharmacists must use
their extensive knowledge of drug dosage, regulations, allergens and chemical reactions for each and
every individual who comes to them with a prescription. It also includes other services including
providing drug information, supervising the medicines supply chain, supervising the production. They
also manufacture medicines and assess the quality of medicines before they are supplied to patients
from pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Courses
 Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm.)

Duration 2 years
Eligibility 10+2 (PCM/PCB) with 40% to 50% marks
Entrance Exam Some Universities/Colleges conduct their own written test
plus interview. Other colleges’ admission criteria are based
on 12th class percentage. Some of them are:
 Joint Entrance Examination Council of UP
 Delhi Polytechnic entrance exam
 Delhi University Entrance Exam
 Telangana State Polytechnic Common Entrance Test
 Hamdard University Entrance Test
Average Course Fee INR 80,000 to INR 2,50,000
Mode Regular/Distance Learning
Career Goal Pharmacist, Medical Representative, Working at Drug
Stores, Higher Studies

 Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm.)

Duration 4 years
Eligibility  10+2 (PCM/PCB) with 40% to 50% marks
 D.Pharm. (for lateral entry)
 Entrance Exam Some Universities/Colleges conduct their own written test
plus interview. Other colleges’ admission criteria are based
on 12th class percentage. Some of them are:
 BITS Pilani B.Pharmacy Admission
 Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical
Entrance Test
 Telangana State Engineering Common Entrance Test
 MHT CET Pharmacy examination
 Assam Polytechnic (PAT)
 Uttarakhand State Entrance Exam (UKSEE)
 Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam (UPSEE)
 Joint Entrance Examination Council of UP
 Commissioner of Entrance Examination (CEE), Kerala-
KEAM Exam
 Delhi Polytechnic entrance exam
 Delhi University Entrance Exam
 GAT, GITAM (Gandhi Institute of Technology and
Management)
Average Course Fee INR 2,00,000 to INR 6,00,000
Mode Regular/Distance Learning
Career Goal Pharmacist, Medical Representative, Teacher, Own Venture,
Quality Control Officer, Marketing Professional, Higher
Studies

 Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm.)

Duration 2 years
Eligibility B.Pharm. with 50% to 55% marks from a PCI (Pharmacy
Council of India) approved institute/university
Entrance Exam  GPAT (Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test)- National
Level Exam
 Some Universities/Colleges conduct their own written
test plus interview. Other colleges’ admission criteria
are based on 12th class percentage. Some of them are:
o National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education &
Research (NIPER JEE)
o Birla Institute of Technology & Science Admission
Test (BITSAT)- M.Pharm. Admission
o Joint Entrance Examination Council of UP
o Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam (UPSEE)
o Andhra Pradesh Post-Graduate Engineering
 Common Entrance Test (AP PGECET)
o All India PG Super Specialty Common Entrance
Test (AIPSSCET)

Specializations  Pharmaceutics
 Industrial Pharmacy
 Pharmaceutical Technology
 Pharmaceutical Chemistry
 Pharmacology
 Pharmacognosy
Average Course Fee INR 1,50,000 to INR 6,50,000
Mode Regular/Distance Learning
Career Goal Lecturer, Researcher, Analytical Chemist, Drug Inspector,
Medical Transcriptionist, Regulatory Manager, Production
Manager/Quality Control Officer in Pharmaceutical
Companies, Doctoral Degree

 Other Courses
o Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) – 6 years
o Pharm.D. (Post Baccalaureate)– 3 years
o Ph.D. (Pharmacy) – 3 to 6 years
o Certificate Course in Pharmacovigilance – 6 months-1year
o Diploma in Pharmacology – 1-2 years
o B.Pharm. + MBA – 5 years

Colleges
 National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)- Mohali, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, Ahmadabad
 Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani
 College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vishakhapatnam
 University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh
 Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
 JSS College of Pharmacy, Nilgiris
 LM College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad
 Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune
 Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
 Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
 Goa College of Pharmacy, Panaji
 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
 Madras Medical College (MMC), Chennai
 Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
  Government College of Pharmacy, Bangalore
 Government College of Pharmacy, Maharashtra
 Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi
 Integral University, Lucknow
 Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, New Delhi
 Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
 Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi
 Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune

Licensing Procedure
State Pharmacy Council issues licenses to the qualified pharmacist in the state. One of the major
functions of State Pharmacy Council is registration and renewal of licenses for the qualified pharmacist.

Internship/Training
Internship in pharmacy is as important a part of the curriculum as theory papers. It is the best way to
prepare your career as a pharmacist.

This experience can be gained at different hospitals, R&D labs, pharmaceutical companies, community
pharmacies, drug control administration etc. Whether the internship is paid or not will depend upon the
place from where one is doing internship.

Scholarships
 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare offers scholarship for M.Pharm.
 BITS Pilani awards different scholarships to bright students fulfilling the criteria
 The Indian Pharmaceutical Association - Shri Ramanbhai B. Patel Foundation (IRF) Post
Graduate Scholarship for M.Pharm. final year student.
 GPAT also provide AICTE scholarship to the pharmacy students
 NANDINI FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP is awarded by BELCO PHARMA
 JSS University Mysore also offers scholarship for M.Pharm.
 Different institutions/colleges award merit based scholarships to deserving students. The
scholarship criteria vary from one institute to another.

Key Skills
 Compassionate and empathetic
 Patience
 A sense of responsibility and critical thinking
 Excellent communication skills and a flair for convincing people
 Scientific bent of mind
 Good numeracy skills
 Strong framework of ethics
 Zeal and interest to serve the mankind
 Ability to work independently with little supervision
 Eye for detail
  Organization skills and ability to prioritize work
 Marketing Skills
 Flexibility

Scope
 Government Hospitals
 Private Hospitals
 Retail Pharmacies
 Pharmaceutical Firms
 Medical Dispensing Stores
 Research & Development Labs
 Own Venture
 Educational Institutes
 State wise Drugs and Pharmaceutical Boards
 Chemist Shops
 Drug Control Administration
 Food and Drug Administration
 Community/Ayurveda/Yoga/Naturopathy/Unani/Homoeopathy Dispensaries
 Central Drug Research Institute
 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
 Manufacturing firms

Career Prospects
 Pharmacist
 Medical Representative
 Clinical Pharmacist
 Drug Inspector
 Analytical Chemist
 Research Officer
 Health Inspector
 Regulatory Manager
 Entrepreneur
 Custom Officer
 Chemical/Drug Technician
 Production Manager
 Quality Control Officer
 Teacher/Lecturer
 Hospital Drug Coordinator
 Medical Transcriptionist
Pay Package
Like in any other field the remuneration in this field depends on qualification, experience and area in
which one works. One could get an initial pay of INR 10,000 to INR 15,000 per month.

Role Models
 Vinita Gupta- CEO, Lupin Pharmaceuticals
 Kiran Mazumdar Shaw- Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited
 Dilip Shanghvi- Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceuticals
 Dr. Habil Khorakiwala- Founder Chairman & Group CEO, Wockhardt Limited
 Yusuf Hamied- Chairman, Cipla

Further Readings
http://gpatindia.com/
http://www.ipapharma.org/
http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/
http://www.niper.ac.in/