Introduction to the pharmacy
profession and the future of the
pharmacist
Nadia Saffoon
Lecturer
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
North South University, Bangladesh
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Why choose Pharmacy?
Why choose Pharmacy?
• I want a dynamic, people-oriented career in
health care.
• I want diverse employment opportunities.
• I want a flexible work environment.
• I want a comfortable income.
• I want to be part of a respected profession.
Overview of the course of Pharmacy
Overview of the course of Pharmacy
• Pharmacy - derived from Greek word “Pharmakon”
Means medicine or drug.
• Pharmacy: Is the art and science of preparing,
dispensing and proper utilization of medications and
the provision of drug-related information to the public.
• Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing
and dispensing drugs. It is a health profession that
links health sciences with chemical sciences and aims to
ensure the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical
Pharmacist
also known as druggists or chemists, are healthcare professionals who
practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and
effective medication use.
What is Drug?
• A drug is any substance that acts on the living
body to alter the physiological process and are
used for the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of diseases.
According to the FDA (Food and Drug
Administration), Drug is:
a substance intended for use in the diagnosis,
cure, modification, treatment, or prevention of
disease.
What is Medicine?
• A medicine is any drug which has a definite
form & dose and are therapeutically used for the
treatment of diseases of living subjects
WELCOME TO PHARMA WORLD
PHARMA WORLD
Occupational Professional
WELCOME TO PHARMA WORLD
• Pharmacy is not only an occupation; it is now
a well recognized profession in most of the
countries.
• The words occupation and profession are
interchangeable.
• Profession and occupation are almost the
same, with only minor differences between
them.
Definition
• Profession is an activity that requires
specialized training, knowledge, qualification
and skills. e.g. pharmacist, Medicine, Nursing,
Law, Military, Engineering, PHARMACY etc.
• Occupation is an activity undertaken by the
person to earn his livelihood. It can be
production officer in pharmaceutical industry.
Differences between occupation and profession
BASIS FOR
OCCUPATION PROFESSION
COMPARISON
Meaning Occupation refers to the regular A profession is an occupation or
activity performed by a person to vocation which requires a high
earn his bread and butter. degree of knowledge and
expertise in the specific field.
Code of conduct No Yes
Training Not necessary Compulsory
Regulated by law No Yes
Basis of pay Produce Skill and Knowledge
Higher education No Yes
Degree of There is no independence. A professional is completely
independence independent.
Responsibilities No Yes
Respect and Status Low Very high
Duration of study 4 yrs (Bangladesh) 5 yrs (Bangladesh)
Pharmacists are expert in drugs
• Pharmacists are members of pharmacy
profession dealing with all aspects of drugs.
• Preparation • Combination
• Identification • Analysis • Counseling
• Selection
• Standardization
• Action
• Use
• Preservation • Information
• Sales
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
1. Pharmaceutical industry
• Production
• Quality control (QC)
• Quality assurance (QA)
• Research & development (R&D)
• Warehouse
• Marketing ( local, global )
• Product management
• Pharmaceutical sales representative ( PSR )
• Regulatory affairs
Production
Quality control (QC)
Warehouse
Continued…………………………..
2. Hospitals and clinics
• Hospital pharmacists
• Clinical pharmacists
• Veterinary pharmacy
• Nuclear pharmacy
3. Community pharmacy
• retail pharmacy
• Internet pharmacy
4. Wholesale pharmacy
5. Pharmacy education
• Teaching & research
6. Government services
• Regulatory affairs
• Drug testing laboratories
• Drug purchasing & distribution
• Military services
7. Other Areas
• Backward linkage industries
• API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) industries
• Pharmaceutical business (indenting, marketing,
export-import )
• Pharmaceutical consultancy
• Pharmaceutical journalism
Pharmacy Profession
Patient services Drug Services
Innovating new Drugs
Direct Activities Indirect activities Screening for effect and safety
Analysis
Formulation
- Hospital Pharmacy - Drug promotion In process quality control
- Clinical Pharmacy - Family planning program Production
- Community Pharmacy - Dehydration treatment program Final quality control
- National Screening Distribution
- Bio chemical analysis - Preventive Measures
- For epidemic diseases
- Microbiological analysis
Ensure drug quality: Good manufacture practice GMP validation and quality assurance.
- Immunolgical analysis
The production: of all human dosage forms, cosmetics, vaccines, blood
products, blood replacements, certain pesticides and veterinary drugs.
How Will I Get There?
• Basic science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics)
• Clinical studies.
• Technical Skills
• Drug information and scientific knowledge
• Economic knowledge
• Psychological and sociological understanding
Pharmacy
Take care
Thank you
