Pharm D or Doctor of Pharmacy is a six-year course for doctorate-level students. Admission to this course is done based on an entrance. During the course duration, students have five years of academic study and one year of compulsory internship training. This course was launched in 20208 and is formulated by the Pharmacy Council of India. This subject is a combination bif science and the art of dispensing medicines.
After the completion of this course, students got various opportunities and are acknowledged as practical in clinical pharmacy, and medical Pharmacy. So here, we will explain the present scope of Pharm D in India in both sectors government and the private sector.
Overview of the Course Pharm D
| Course Type | Doctorate |
| Duration | 6 years |
| Examination | Semester wise |
| Eligibility | +2 with minimum 50% marks with science stream |
| Admission Process | Entrance exam |
Pharm D: What is it about?
Pharm D is an important course that deals with the study of Pharmaceuticals, medicine, and drug-related practice.
- It is a six-year pre-PhD postgraduate program.
- Pharm.D course duration is 5 years of academic studies and one year of internship training for students of doctorate level.
- Many job opportunities are available in various fields such as government hospitals, private hospitals, sports authorities, CRPF, academic institutes, etc.
- After completing the Pharm.D course, students can work in various roles such as Drug Advisor, Clinical Pharmacist, Retail Pharmacist, Nutritionist, Lecturer, etc.
Application Process of Pharm D
While applying for the Pharma D students have to follow some basic steps for admission to this course in various colleges. Here are some basic things that need to be considered:
- First, you can visit the website of the concerned institution
- After that click on the link application form and fill out the form with the necessary details.
- Then students need to attach the required documents and signature in the given format.
- Then pay the required registration fee for the entrance exam
- After that, you can submit the form carefully
- Then print out the application form or save it for your further reference.
- When it is available, just click and download the admit card before the examination.
Scope of Pharma D
The scope of the Pharma D course after completing graduation broadens the career opportunities in various pharmaceutical and medical organizations. Pharma D stands for ‘Doctor of Pharmacy ‘ and is the highest qualification for pharmacy students. There are a plethora of opportunities in the academic field as well as job opportunities. You can explore your path according to your liking. For further studies, you can pursue a bachelor’s in pharmacy or 2nd year in B.Pharma if you have completed Pharma D. and you can get work in healthcare sectors, NGOs, etc.
Here are some different types of Pharma D Jobs that you can find:
Clinical Pharmacist
National Average Salary
₹353,584
The primary role of a clinical pharmacist is to assist patients and work directly with physicians or other health professionals, and ensure that the medications prescribed for patients contribute to the best possible outcomes.
- They work with the hospitals and clinics to assist in the direct care of patients.
- They practice in health care settings where they have regular interactions with physicians and other health professionals, contributing to better coordination of care.
- They are well educated and trained in many patient care environments, like in medical centers, health clinics, and a variety of other health care settings.
- They also maintain records of medications for patients and manage pharmacy care plans.
- Also, they refer the patient to his or her physician or other health professionals to address any specific health issues that arise.
Pharmacy Director
National Average Salary
₹659293
The primary duty of the Pharmacy Director is overseeing the operations of a pharmacy. Assisting the senior staff and coordinating with external vendors. If the pharmacy is attached to the hospitals then, they coordinate with the doctors and other medical staff to maintain an adequate supply of Medicines.
- They conduct performance evaluations that are timely and constructive at all levels.
- They can handle discipline and termination of employees by hospital policy.
- They maintain an adequate drug supply.
- They serve on the pharmacy and therapeutic committees.
- Sometimes, they may also need to attend to customers and patients.
- They also create budgets for their pharmacy, sets goals and objectives for their team, and develop pharmacy policies.
Staff Pharmacist
National Average Salary
₹278,146
The main role of the Staff Pharmacist is to help the patients by handing them medications and injections according to their prescriptions. They guide the patients on the dosage of medications as recommended in the prescription by their doctors.
- They address patient queries and concerns professionally.
- They easily monitor inventory status and accordingly order and stock medications in the pharmacy before stock ends.
- They can maintain clear and complete patient medication profiles in the database.
- They provide direction to Junior Pharmacists and evaluate their performances.
- They ensure to provide accurate, timely, friendly, and good services to patients for their good health.
Medical Writer
National Average Salary
₹455686
The primary role of the Medical writer is first to choose between scientific and non-scientific writing. Scientific medical writers work closely with clinical teams to gather data and understand the research work and create first-hand reports easily.They work alongside the doctors, scientists, and other relevant health professionals to develop their content information based on educational materials which include slides and posters.
- They deal with other activities, special projects and assignments may be given as required.
- They easily analyze, interpret, and distill data and other information to create documents.
- They are responsible for planning and leading the writing group for the assigned program.
- They provide a senior review of documents and training to others.
- They have to complete documents within a period that supports project needs and deadlines.
Retail Pharmacist
National Average Salary
₹330000
The main role of a retail Pharmacist is a customer-facing role where they are responsible for dispensing prescribed medication to patients. They are responsible for providing the proper dosages and medicine to patients according to their prescriptions that are prescribed by the doctors.
- They easily review and manage the medication regimens of long-term care facilities and assist living facility patients.
- They can improve the process of documenting pharmacokinetic monitoring and pharmacist-initiate interventions for the patients.
- They efficiently organize the pharmacy to make the identification of products easier and faster for the patients.
- They easily maintain full control over delivering, stocking, and labeling medicine and other products.
- They assist with other medical services such as injections, blood pressure or temperature measurements, etc.
Pharmaceutical Consultant
National Average Salary
₹663K
The major role of a Pharmaceutical Consultant is to associate with the consultant firms. They can easily test how the different ingredients in medicine react to each other. They will work closely with the importation, supply, and production team to increase market demands and profitability for the given area.
- They can develop full-scale project plans and associated communications documents, and review high-level deliverables.
- They can easily analyze and evaluate pharmaceutical supply chain management.
- They develop and maximize social marketing strategies based on M&E findings.
- They can detect inadequacies and recommend corrective actions.
- They also consult the marketing department to identify and reach targeted audiences.
- They ensure the quality of production is maintained in keeping with costs and schedules.
Pharmaceutical Scientist
National Average Salary
₹777K
The major role of Pharmaceutical Scientists is responsible for the creation of drugs to treat various types of illnesses.It also focuses on the design and synthesis of potential drugs, as well as their evaluation in biological systems.
- They often work for pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies with a focus on the therapeutic invention.
- They are analytically-minded individuals and are naturally drawn to this field given the inquisitive nature of the work.
- They have monitored the effects of new drugs during clinical trials to ensure they are safe and effective.
- They can test new drugs for safety, effectiveness, and possible side effects
- They can conduct experiments to test the effects of new chemical compounds on living organisms.
Drug Inspector
National Average Salary
₹9,94,844 year
The main role of the Drug Inspector is to check the quality safety and effectiveness of a medicine or medical device from its manufacturing to its sale at the retail store.
They collect samples of products for bacterial and chemical tests and check the implementation of hygiene standards and identify fake products.
- They inspect all business establishments that are engaged in the production and other items.
- They are also involved in monitoring and inspecting hygienic conditions at the premises of all such units.
- They have to prepare reports on samples and actions taken and report them to senior officials.
- They have to discuss the progress of the research with other departments to timely apprise them of the milestones and requirements of the research.
- They have to monitor the profitability of the project and check the profit/loss position of the storage items.
Analytical Chemist
National Average Salary
₹390489
The main role of the Analytical Chemist is to investigate the physical and chemical compounds used in a drug. They can easily check the behavior of those compounds in different settings. They can also develop methods for analyzing chemical compounds and create new processes or procedures that can be used in the industry during the whole process.
- They conduct experiments and research to improve the quality of products or processes.
- They are analyzing the results of experiments to determine if they met their objectives.
- They communicate findings to scientists and other specialists on teams who are working on the same project.
- They developing new methods for chemical analysis using new technologies as they become available.
- They are maintaining laboratories and equipment to ensure they are in good working order.
Pharmacy Technician
National Average Salary
₹3487645
The primary role of the Pharmacy Technician is to assist the staff Pharmacist or retail Pharmacist in dispensing medications based on patient prescriptions. They have to deal with billing calculations and maintain patient records. They are also responsible for keeping the Pharmacy clean and following health and safety regulations.
- They can read and interpret physicians’ medication orders.
- They can prepare and package chemotherapy medications and other medications for handling following safety measures.
- They help and maintain the drug inventory through inventory control practices
- They provide customer service by answering phone calls in a prompt and courteous manner
- They start checking for expiration dates on medications regularly.
Conclusion
Hence, In India, the role of pharmacists is confined not only to pharmacies or hospitals with the such specific job profile. But with The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) recognizing Pharm.D (A Doctor of Pharmacy) course in India, there has been an increase in the scope of pharmacy which includes teaching, writing, and much more as you check above in the article. To meet the ever-growing needs of the healthcare industry there are non-traditional job opportunities for PharmD graduates in India in various areas too. It is overall based on the interests of the students. To get know more information check the website.