Pharmacist

Pharmacists make a difference to the lives of their patients through an expert knowledge of medicines and health.

You will use your expert knowledge of medicines and health to make a positive difference to people’s lives and wellbeing. Helping people live longer and healthier lives depends on the safe use of medicines and excellent healthcare advice. Pharmacists' unique expertise and knowledge makes them essential members of the healthcare team. You will also have a role in preventing people from getting sick by helping them live healthier lifestyles and making sure they get the most from their medicines.

Many pharmacists are independent prescribers, which means they can prescribe medication like doctors. They work with a multidisciplinary team to manage patients’ long term and acute medical conditions. This is very common in GP practices, hospital wards and clinics. There are also independent pharmacist prescribers in community pharmacies which you can find on the high street.

Pharmacist is also known as Chemist.

Role Characteristics

Check prescriptions for errors, ensuring they're appropriate and safe for the individual patient
Do annual medication reviews for patients in GP practices
Provide education to patients and other healthcare professionals on medicines management
Provide advice on the dosage of medicines and the most appropriate form of medication, which could be by tablet, injection, cream or inhaler
Liaise with doctors about prescriptions and medication choice
Being at the cutting edge of novel research into medicine and healthcare

Skills

Active listening
Advice giving
Attention to detail
Using data
Using technology
Customer service

Day in the life

Watch this video to learn about the role of a Pharmacist.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Postgraduate degree

How to become

To become a Pharmacist you will normally need 5 GCSES followed by 3 A Levels.

You will need to do a 4 year undergraduate masters degree accredited by the GPhC (MPharm), followed by a 1 year Foundation Training Year in practice

After your Foundation Training Year, you will sit a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) examination to become registered as a pharmacist.

The entry requirements for a GPhC-accredited MPharm degree vary between universities. However, as a guide, you might be expected to have A-B grade A-levels in chemistry and two further A-levels in either biology, mathematics, or physics. If you have A-levels in chemistry and biology, you may also be considered with an alternative third subject.

If you would like to pursue a career as a pharmacist, but do not have the required A-level grades or subjects, you might consider undertaking a GPhC-accredited foundation degree as an alternative route to enter an MPharm degree.

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in healthcare.

In clinical pharmacy you can progress to being an Advanced Clinical Pharmacist working in primary care (GP surgeries) or secondary care (NHS hospitals) where can you specialise in a clinical area. This can lead to further development in to becoming a Consultant Pharmacist, where you would be an expert in your field, leading on clinical practice, research, management, and education.

In community pharmacy, there may be opportunities to progress to branch and then district manager roles. At the most senior level you could be working as a Pharmacy Superintendent, influencing the running of the business, and contributing to overall strategy, with responsibility for many Pharmacists. There are also opportunities to move into management roles in areas such as business or professional development.

You can also work in academia, the pharmaceutical industry or become a policy maker for national bodies and influence national decision making for the government and the NHS.