Career Suggestion

Pharmacist

Pharmacists give advice on the use and supply of medicines and medical appliances.

Average salary (a year)

£40000.0 to £65000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

38.0 to 42.0

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on a rota

You can get into this job through a university course.

University

To become a pharmacist, you'll need to complete a master's of pharmacy (MPharm) degree, approved by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) which takes 4 years.

You'll then need to complete the pharmacist foundation training programme which takes 1 year.

If you do not have the qualifications to get onto a master's of pharmacy degree, you could do a pharmacy foundation degree which takes 2 years.

You could then take a job as a pharmacy assistant or pharmacy technician and apply to join the master's degree in its second year.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree

  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including chemistry

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

More Information

Registrations

you'll need to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Further Information

You can find out more about becoming a pharmacist from Health Careers and the Royal College of Pharmacy .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of chemistry including the safe use and disposal of chemicals
  • maths knowledge
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to read English
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

Day-to-day tasks

As a pharmacist, you could:

  • dispense medicines in a pharmacy, hospital or GP practice
  • give advice about prescriptions, drug dosages, risks and how to use and store medication
  • run screening programmes and buy, test and distribute medicines in a hospital
  • manage stock and supervise and train staff like junior pharmacists
  • do research into new medicines or run clinical trials

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a GP practice, at a university, at a store or at a research facility.

With experience you could:

  • take a GPhC accredited pharmacist Independent Prescribing (IP) course to become an independent prescriber
  • progress to team manager, regional or national manager or become a pharmacy consultant
  • work in a GP practice, health centre or set up your own community pharmacy business
  • work as a pharmacist in the Royal Air Force , Royal Navy or Army
  • move into teaching, scientific journalism or publishing
  • do a postgraduate qualification in a subject like toxicology or pharmacology and move into research

You can find more information about developing your career in pharmacy from the Royal College of Pharmacy.

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