Scope of Pharmacy

From ancient times, Pharmacy is known as a branch associated with healthcare services. The word Pharmacy has been derived from the Greek word “pharmacos”, meaning drug. It is involved in all the stages related to a drug, from its discovery, development, action, safety, formulation, use, quality control, packaging, storage, marketing, etc. Thus, today’s pharmacy professional is a ”drug expert” in the real sense. The profession of pharmacy has transformed into a hub for the ”Global Healthcare” and evolved as a multi disciplinary, multifaceted curriculum.

Today, the discipline of Pharmacy has made enormous progress and has matured as a distinctly independent branch as pharmaceutical sciences, mainly through the acquisition of the wealth of knowledge, research and a vast array of drugs & therapeutic remedies. Unlike the other curricula Pharmacy is a product, as well as, service related discipline, increasing its scope two-fold.

The drugs & pharma industry is a multibillion-dollar business. In the rapidly changing global scenario and the implementation of GATT & TRIPS in India, now a matter of only a couple of years, the pharmaceutical industry and professionals will play a vital role in shaping up our national economy. This new decade is thus, bound to have an ever growing demand of pharmacy professionals not only in the country, but even worldwide. Anticipating this demand the government has taken special steps to boost this unique discipline having a blend of both technology and health-sciences.

An education in Pharmacy is the study of medicinal substances and their application for therapeutic uses. Pharmacists may be involved in any and all aspects of drug and medicine use, whether the first discovery, the drug’s development, or its supply to patients. Pharmacy school provides students with an in-depth knowledge of how drug molecules are formulated into medicine. This knowledge can be used to develop new ways of delivering drugs safely and effectively. Pharmacy school typically focuses on physics, biology, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry.

There is extensive research going on within the field of Pharmacy and which students may have the opportunity to be involved. This Pharmaceutical research could be testing various drugs, including their actions and delivery on both humans and animals; analyzing the clinical and sociological aspects of pharmacy; and developing the design and synthesis of drugs.

The work of a Pharmacist is primarily filling doctors’ prescriptions for patients. Pharmacists also advise the patient on how to take the medication and what problems to avoid. A wide variety of career opportunities are available for students who finish Pharmacy school. Positions may be available in community practices, hospital pharmacies or in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, pharmacists often work within government agencies, research or defense services.

Golden opportunities galore for qualified Pharmacy professionals in various courtiers including the U.S.A., Canada, European Countries like U.K., France, Germany, African Countries like S. Africa, Nigeria, Yemen, Gulf Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, South East Asian Countries like Singapore, Korea, Japan, etc. and the Australian Continent including New Zealand, Africa.

There are plenty of higher education and research opportunities in the developed western countries along with excellent job openings. The pharmaceutical career is one of the highest rewarding careers in these countries. The monetary job benefits abroad are highly exciting, job profiles in African Countries like, and Nigeria, Yemen & Gulf Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait mainly as pharmacists in drug stores and hospitals.