subject: Becoming A Pharmacist- What You Should Know. [print this page] The job of a pharmacist is essential in the future of healthcare across the Great Britain. Pharmacists have lots of expertise in medicines, more than any other health care professional in fact. To become qualified pharmacist you are required to work through a particular path in order to achieve set qualifications.
The main job role of pharmacists is to prescribe and dispense drugs and medications to patients and to also provide information about medicines in order to help patients understand their prescriptions or why a particular medicine has been prescribed. Pharmacists also provide general health advice and answer questions from patients on a range of routine health problems.
Whether you are still a student sitting A Levels or GCSE's or at the stage of choosing which university to attend it is important to understand what is required of you in order to become a pharmacist. There is a specific path into becoming qualified.
To qualify as a pharmacist you must ensure that you achieve the following qualifications; Three A Level passes at grade B or above. It is essential that one of these A Levels is in chemistry. The other two A Levels must be in two of the following; maths, biology or physics.
When you have passed your A Levels you will be required to enrol on a masters degree course which will usually be four years in length. Currently the UK has 21 universities which run the course you will need to take.
Students who are training to become pharmacists should be aware that there are many career paths available to them.
Adnan Khan a pharmacist and PhD student has suggested that there is not enough done to promote jobs in fields such as industrial or public health pharmacy.
Adnan Khan discusses that pharmacists possess a wide skill set that could work well for organisations like the Ministry of Defence as a biotechnologist or even for the World Health Organisation.
Khan also added that the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry should make sure that opportunities are available for pharmacists to follow a career in industry. Lots more pharmacists will be required in the coming years so pharmacy is a great sector to be working in.
