Pharmacy (from the Greek 'pharmakon' = drug) is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences, and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of medication.
Scope of Pharmacy
The scope of pharmacy practice includes more
traditional roles such as compounding and dispensing medications, and it also
includes more modern services related to patient care, including clinical
services, reviewing medications for safety and efficacy, and providing drug
information.
Types of Pharmacy Practice Areas
Pharmacists practice in a variety of areas including
retail, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, drug industry, and regulatory
agencies. Pharmacists can specialize in various areas of practice including
hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, nutrition support, drug information,
critical care, pediatrics, etc.
Wholesale Pharmacy
It offers opportunities to a limited number of
pharmacists to run wholesale businesses of drugs and medicines. The wholesalers
serve as an intermediary between the manufacturer and the retailer.
Industrial Pharmacy
The pharmaceutical industry offers opportunities to
pharmacists of all educational levels. It
provides jobs to a pharmacist in the following fields:
I. Production
II. Analytical and Quality Control
III. Research and Development and New drug
discovery
IV. Medico-marketing and sales clinical trials
V. Clinical Trials.
I. Production:
In production, the pharmacist works as a manufacturing chemist. He has to
supervise the production of various types of pharmaceutical formulations,
packaging, labeling, and storage.
Pharmacists with bachelor's degrees in pharmacy are absorbed as manufacturing
chemists.
II. Analytical and Quality Control:
A manufacturing unit needs the service of analytical chemists in its analytical
laboratory to do testing of raw materials and finished goods manufactured by
it. Pharmacists with bachelor's degrees in pharmacy get jobs as analytical
chemists.
III. Research and Development and New drug
discovery: Mostly Pharmaceutical
Industries have their own separate Research and Development unit. A
pharmacist with having Doctorate or
master's degree in pharmacy is ideally suited for Research and Development
department in pharmaceutical industries.
Research and development unit engage in the following fields:-
(a) Synthesis of new compounds to be used as drugs,
cosmetics, excipients, industrial chemicals, etc.
(b) Isolation and purification of active principles of
plant and animal tissues, determination
of their chemical composition, and its synthesis.
(c) Preparation of drugs in suitable dosage forms and their
testing to find the bioavailability of drugs.
(d) The physical, chemical, and biological
standardization of drugs.
(e) Research on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics,
and toxicology of new drugs.
(f) The stability of dosage form during its storage
and finding its expiry date.
IV. Medico-marketing and sales:
Pharmaceutical marketing means the performance of pharmaceutical business
activities that direct the flow of pharmaceutical formulations and services
from producer to consumer. Sale team consists of medical representatives, sales
representatives, field officers, area managers, regional managers, and sales
managers. A pharmacist with a bachelor's
degree in pharmacy, having an aptitude for sales, is best fitted in this field,
because there is a lot of scope for promotion.
V. Clinical Trials: Now
a day there are enough openings in clinical trials. India has been recognized
as the best place in the world to carry out clinical trials before the launch
of a new drug molecule in the market.
Pharmacy Education (Academics)
Due to the rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry
and the expansion of health services in the country, there is a steep increase
in the number of pharmacy teaching institutions in the country. To fulfill the
demand, there is a need for qualified and experienced faculty members. So there
is more scope for fresh pharmacy graduates to be absorbed as faculty members in
these teaching institutions.
Community Pharmacy
A pharmacy or drug store is the place where most
pharmacists practice the profession of pharmacy. A community pharmacy is a
healthcare facility that can provide pharmacy services to people in a local
area or community. A community pharmacy dispenses medicine and typically
involves a registered pharmacist with the education, skills, and competence to
deliver professional services to the community.
Hospital Pharmacy
Hospital pharmacists work in a hospital pharmacy
service, primarily within the public sector. They are experts in the field of
medicine and are not only responsible for the dispensing of prescriptions but
also the purchase, manufacture, and quality testing of all medicines used in a
hospital. Many hospital pharmacists are qualified to prescribe in their own
right.
Hospital pharmacists are medical experts and their tasks
may include:-
• Checking prescriptions to ensure that there are no
errors and that they are appropriate and safe for the individual patient.
• Providing advice on the dosage of medicines and the
most appropriate form of medication, for example, tablet, injection, ointment,
or inhaler.
• Participating in ward rounds, and discussing
treatments with patient's relatives.
• Ensuring medicines are stored appropriately and
securely.
Clinical Pharmacy
Clinical pharmacists provide a direct patient care service that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention. Clinical pharmacists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside hospitals and clinics. Clinical pharmacists often collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to improve pharmaceutical care.
Veterinary Pharmacy
Veterinary pharmacies, sometimes called animal
pharmacies may fall into the category of hospital pharmacy, or retail pharmacy.
Veterinary pharmacies stock different varieties and different strengths of
medications to fulfill the pharmaceutical needs of animals.