Pharmacy: Is It For You?

Today medicines are becoming more complex as advances are made in protein therapy, genomics and drug delivery systems. Studying pharmacy holds the key to a vast array of career pathways as the medicines expert. It can lead to a career in hospital, a high street community pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, prison service and journalism, to name a few. And this is all from one specialist degree course!

Studying pharmacy in the UK means completing the four-year Master of Pharmacy degree. This is the only qualification that allows students, after a further year of paid pre-registration training and the registration exam, to register as a pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSBG). The degree course covers a wide range of sciences: medicinal chemistry (the chemical design and synthesis of drugs), pharmacognosy (drugs that occur naturally - legal and illegal), pharmacology (the actions and uses of medicines and their effects on the body), biochemistry (the chemical processes in the body), pharmaceutics (formulating a drug into a medicine such as a tablet or capsule) and pharmacy practice (which includes dispensing, patient care, hospital visits, pharmacy law and ethics).

"Why study one science when pharmacy allows you to study more,
right from the molecule to the patient."
Anabel Rodriguez, 3rd Year MPharm Student

The MPharm degree not only provides the necessary pharmaceutical and scientific knowledge, but also the skills to work as a professional member of the nation's health care team, whether it's discovering a new drug, going on ward rounds, liaising with other health care professionals to manage a patient's care, giving advice as part of a medicines information team or even marketing new medicines. The skills students develop over the four years - critical and rational thinking, problem solving, evaluation of research and teamwork - are of paramount importance in the workplace, where they are tested on a daily basis.

Hospital Pharmacy

Although the MPharm degree does not incorporate a clinical component in the same way medical and nursing degrees do, students do get exposure to areas of hospital pharmacy. They meet patients on the wards and are given the opportunity to interview them regarding their medicines. This gives a realistic insight into the pharmacist's role in the hospital setting.

"I find the opportunity to meet real-life people and discuss their medical-related problems and individual treatments a fascinating part of the MPharm degree."
Robert Flood, 2nd Year MPharm Student

As with all areas of pharmacy, hospital pharmacy is continually changing and progressing as the focus in the NHS becomes more patient-centred. The hospital pharmacist is very much a team member who works closely with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals all involved in patient care.

The first few years as a hospital pharmacist are a period of training that builds upon the foundations laid throughout the degree course. The basic-grade pharmacist rotates through all the areas of a hospital pharmacy - the dispensary, general and specialist wards, the manufacturing unit, medicines information - typically for one or two years. Promotion to higher grades follows quickly; this is when the pharmacist chooses an area of specialisation, such as working with adults or children, radiopharmacy, HIV, cancer, surgical, general medicine, education and training, etc. Hospital pharmacists who want to climb the NHS career ladder are expected to take on further training, such as postgraduate diploma courses or in-house management training programmes.

Community Pharmacy

Community pharmacy is by far the largest branch of the profession, where the professional work undertaken is the legal and ethical responsibility of the pharmacist on duty. The training for this begins at the very start of the MPharm degree, when students are introduced to law and ethics as part of everyday pharmacy.

"The great thing about community pharmacy is that it uniquely allows the pharmacist to apply the science we learn at uni to real people. In addition there are many opportunities to learn and use management skills."
Barry Shooter, Community Pharmacist, Barry Shooter Pharmacies.

The community pharmacist is one of the first ports of call for the public for medical advice or health care issues such as smoking cessation, family planning and weight loss. The pharmacist is also involved in providing medicines and advisory support to residential and nursing homes.

The duties of a community pharmacist are varied, to say the least. One of the main duties involves dispensing prescriptions written by a doctor. The pharmacist is required to ensure that the prescription is legal and the medicine requested by the doctor is appropriate for that patient (i.e. is the dosage correct, or could there be a drug interaction with a medicine the patient is already taking).

Another role involves screening for blood pressure or blood cholesterol measurements. Some pharmacies are involved in a "needle-exchange" scheme for drug addicts, who are able to exchange used injecting equipment for new ones, thus helping to protect drug addicts from various infections including HIV and Hepatitis B.

These are but a few of the roles undertaken by pharmacists who need to keep abreast of the latest medical and scientific developments in order to work to the highest possible standard.

Pharmaceutical Industry

The UK is home to a hugely successful pharmaceutical industry; GlaxoSmithKline is the second largest company on the London Stock Exchange, and Astra Zeneca in the top ten.

The pharmacist, with his/her broad-based education and training, can work in industry along with a team of other specialists - chemists, pharmacologists, biochemists, microbiologists and toxicologists - to discover new drugs and bring them to market. There are various routes into the pharmaceutical industry for pharmacists; the most typical is to complete a PhD and move into research and development (called R&D). The UK has a large number of small companies, often with just one or two products, offering immense opportunities for young research scientists.

Another area of opportunity is clinical trials, which is similar in nature to both community and hospital practice as the pharmacist works with both nursing and medical staff. Other areas include manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, marketing and medicines information.

Other Career Pathways

Pharmacists also work as pharmaceutical advisors within new Primary Care Groups. There they are concerned with the
co-ordination and management of pharmaceutical services and help doctors achieve the most cost-effective use of medicines.

There are opportunities for pharmacists to work in academia, teaching and researching either in schools of pharmacy or related university science departments. Other possibilities include working for the government or the RPSGB, either in medicines licensing, pharmaceutical services policy or journal editing. Pharmacists can also work in the agriculture and veterinary sectors, where the range of work is similar to that for human medicines.

No matter which sector the pharmacist chooses for a career, the skills and scientific knowledge gained in the MPharm degree are a foundation for a successful career. It is hard to imagine what exciting scientific developments the 21st century will bring, and pharmacists must be prepared for a profession that never stands still.

Jayna Patel
MRPharmS
Outreach Officer (Widening Participation)
The School of Pharmacy, University of London.

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