Careers in pharmaceuticals

As the healthcare industry grows globally, it has opened several career opportunities for thousands of students pursuing pharmaceutical science.

The growth rate of the pharmaceutical sector is directly proportional to the growth of the healthcare sector. The demand for doctors, nurses and pharmacists has increased drastically since the virus outbreak.

The pandemic established that rapid digitisation is a necessity. In the recent past, pharmacists read prescriptions physically, while now they are going digital with QR codes and online prescriptions. Looking at the increased acceptance of digital-based services, it is safe to say that this trend is here to stay.

Our traditional pharmacies are primarily allopathic, and Ayurveda, UNANI or AYUSH medicines have been subdued. Over the past few years, a significant change in approach is visible. Pharmacies are looking at holistic services and moving ahead by providing wellness services to their customers.

Community pharmacists are supposed to play the role of counsellor and provide information on the medicines and prescriptions. With newer versions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Metaverse technologies, human interaction will decrease. In addition, the accuracy in reading prescriptions and providing the perfect medications to the customers will be the latest trend. So knowledge of coding and decoding is an important skill set that aspiring pharmacists need to know.

Additionally, there will be a need for pharma-nutritionals (nutritional agents) rather than traditional pharmacists. Who are these agents? They are professionals possessing the knowledge of nutraceuticals and herbceuticals, which are beneficial for customer health.

There will also be an improved understanding of pharmacies and nutrition as personalised or customised medicines will be in demand. At a micronutrient level, pharmacists will be expected to provide detailed information like nutritional value provided by a particular nutraceutical product versus a portion of food that cannot be consumed daily but is a must.

For example, Omega-3 and Omega-6 are important for human consumption. Many people do not prefer fish oils or flax seeds daily, which are rich sources of fatty acids. For such consumers, tablets of the same nutritional value will help meet the required nourishment.

Pharmacists in India are regulated by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) under Education Regulations on Pharmacy. These regulations define specific requirements for pharmacy colleges, institutions, and universities across India. They even include the various grants approved to the universities and colleges for running different programmes in the domain of Pharmacy.

The PCI has well-defined standards, norms, and guidelines to be followed by the entities seeking approval from the regulatory council.

A degree in Bachelor of Pharmacy can be pursued by candidates interested in subjects like Pharmaceutics, Computer Applications in Pharmacy, Environmental Science, communication skills, and biochemistry, among others.

This degree will lead to career avenues like hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists, drug control administrators, drug technicians, drug therapists, customs officers, pharmaceutical analysts, trainers, assistant professors, food and drug administrators, and hospital drug administrators.

There are plenty of choices, so make sure you choose your career carefully.

(The author is the founder & director of a retail pharmaceutical company)