Careers available after Pharm. D course

Doctor of Pharmacy or Pharm D is the doctorate programme that can be done by the D.Pharma students after the completion of their diploma course. The Pharm D course gives an in-depth understanding and knowledge of pharmaceuticals and their businesses.

There are excellent job opportunities available for the students after the completion of Pharm D course. In this article we try to explore more about some of the top performing roles that are available for Doctor of Pharmacy or Pharm D students.

Here is the list of top job roles available after Pharm D:

1. Research Scientist (Life science)

Role of Research Scientist

The Research Scientist (Life science) is responsible to plan and conduct experiments to increase the volume of scientific knowledge on various topics related to medicines. As a research scientist one is required to improve existing medical treatments and other medicinal products for the benefit of mankind.

Responsibilities of a Research Scientist (Life science)

As a responsible Research Scientist (Life science) one is needed to:

• Plan and carryout experiments and analyse or interpret results obtained
• Keep proper and correct records of work undertaken by the organisation
• Use specialist computer softwares to analyse data and create diagrammatic representation of results
• Write and submit applications and progress reports to various funding bodies, that support medical research
• Collaborate with industry, research institutes hospitals and academics about new discoveries and innovations
• Take care of presentations and discussions at different national and international conferences
• Prepare presentations and deliver them to internal teams and management
• Write original papers for publication in peer-reviews medical or scientific journals
• Be updated with latest developments in the field of pharmacy

2. Drug Research Associate

Role of a Drug Research Associate

The main job of a Drug Research Associate is to run clinical trials to test drugs for their effectiveness, risks and benefits on volunteers. They are also responsible to ensure that tested drugs in trials are safe and ready for markets. As a Drug Research Associate, one is responsible to work on new and existing drugs. They usually work in tandem with the research and development team of pharmaceutical companies.

Responsibilities of a Drug Research Associate

As a Drug Research Associate, one is responsible to:

• Develop and prepare drug trial protocols for newly developed drugs
• Present trial protocols to a steering committee and get approvals
• Design data collection forms for gathering results from clinical drug trials
• Coordinate with the ethics committee and ensure that they are safe for the well-being of all trial subjects
• Manage regulatory authority applications and approvals that oversee the research and marketing of new and existing drugs
• Identify and assess the suitability of facilities to use as the clinical trial location
• Coordinate with Doctors, Consultants or investigators on conducting the trials a trial location
• Setup trial sites and ensure that all the trial materials are available
• Prepare the reports about the trials conducted and send it to authorities

3. Clinical Pharmacist

The Clinical Pharmacists are responsible for the purchase and supply of medicines used in clinics and hospitals. As a clinical pharmacist one should have in-depth knowledge of medicines that are used in clinics and hospitals. Clinical Pharmacists are responsible to dispense prescriptions for patients. The Clinical Pharmacists are also involved in purchasing and quality testing of medicines and drugs. As a clinical pharmacist one is responsible to keep the well- stocked medicines every time and should be aware of all the medicines that are available.

Responsibilities of a Clinical Pharmacist

As a Clinical Pharmacist one is responsible to:

• Check prescriptions for errors and ensure that they are all appropriate and safe for the patient
• Provide advice and dosage of medicines and the most appropriate form of medication, that may be an injection, ointment, tablet or an inhaler to the patients
• Discuss treatments with patients, relatives, community pharmacists and general practitioners
• Make sure the medicines are stored securely
• Supervise the work of fellow and junior staff members
• Be well-versed with latest developments in the pharmacy industry that contributes to research and development
• Write guidelines for drug use within the clinics or hospital premises
• Provide information on sale and expenditure of medicines and drugs
• Prepare and quality check sterile medications of various intravenous medications

4. Pharmacologist

As a pharmacologist one is responsible to understand how medicines and other drugs work and how it is processed by the body. A Pharmacologist is responsible to develop the medicines according to the formulations and should always be aware of the effects caused by them (if any). Role As a pharmacologist one is required to investigate how the drugs interact with biological systems. He/she is responsible to carry out in-vitro research or in vivo research to predict the effects of certain drugs on humans.

Responsibilities of Pharmacologist

As a pharmacologist one is responsible to:

• Design, plan and conduct controlled experiments and clinical trials to improve understanding of drug’s activity
• Use computers, high technology measuring systems and other sophisticated equipment to collect, analyse and interpret data
• Apply and develop the results of research to work through a variety of pharmaceutical applications
• Prepare clinical plans and proposals for future drug developmental tests
• Organise and oversee tests of new drugs and medicines, ensure quality control and secure approval for their use from respective authorities
• Coordinate with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with local, national and international regulations
• Plan coordinate and supervise the duties of other technical staff and train mentor early- career pharmaceuticals

How much a Pharm D Student earns?

On an average a fresh Pharm D student will be earning about 8 to 10 lakhs per annum. The experienced Pharm D professionals will be earning more when compared to freshers due to their experience. The salaries also depend upon the recruiter and location.

Final Lines

The field of pharmacy offers highly potential careers for fresh and budding skilled pharmacists. The demand for the medicines has always been high and has never seen any loss till date. Every day the medical professionals are discovering new diseases and along with that the demand for new treatments and medicines is also increasing. The increased number of diseases in patients has forced the pharmaceutical industry to come up with new drugs and medicines to cure them. This is a continuous process and does not stop anywhere near the future. The eligible students who want to gain in-depth knowledge of pharmacy and medicines can pursue Pharm D course and land in well-paying jobs.