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Pharmacists provide expert advice on the use and supply of medicines and medical appliances.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota
Your tasks will depend on which area of pharmacy you work in. In this role you could:
In education or industry, you could:
You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a GP practice, at a university, at a store or at a research facility.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need to complete:
If you do not have the qualifications to get onto a MPharm degree, you could do a 2-year pharmacy foundation degree. You would then take a job as a pharmacy assistant or technician and apply to enter the MPharm degree in its second year.
You'll usually need:
You'll need to:
You'll find more on pharmacy careers and training from Health Careers and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
There's a formal career structure in the NHS, so with experience you could progress to team manager or pharmacy consultant. You could also work in GPs' surgeries or health centres.
Promotion opportunities can be good if you're working for one of the larger pharmacy chains where you can apply for regional or national management positions. With experience, you could set up your own community pharmacy business. Salaries in the private sector are similar to the NHS but can be higher.
There are opportunities to work as a pharmacist in the military. You can find out more from: Defence Medical Services.
After further training, you could go on to teach pharmacy students at university.
Another option is to move into related areas like scientific journalism or publishing.
To do research, you'll need a further postgraduate qualification in a subject like toxicology or pharmacology.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society offers continuous professional development support.
You'll find more on pharmacy careers and training from Health Careers and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.