Colleges persuade students to pursue pharmacy as career remains unscathed even during economic downturns

August 25, 2023

Pharmacy colleges in the country are now looking to position pharmacy course as a recession-proof career. Qualified pharmacists employed across academia, industry, research institutions and healthcare centres are seen to have stable jobs compared to some other industries during economic downturns.

Prof R Raveendra, head, department of pharmaceutical chemistry, Cauvery College, Mysuru pointed out that opting for pharmacy as a promising career catapults one to tapping global exposure and growth. The avenues are plenty for a qualified and registered pharmacist. There is a perpetual demand for pharmacy professionals across trade outlets, primary care, hospitals, government and industry, besides research and other medical avenues like dentistry, mental health, to name a few.

It is now evident that how pharmaceutical industry responded to the pandemic and Covid disease outbreak by bulk production of vaccines and other life-saving medications. With growing population and environmental pollution which are the major factor for the increase in disease outbreaks, the pharmacists as a member of health care team has to be equipped to face these challenges, he added.

Pharmacists play a significant role in the research and development of new drugs as medicinal chemists, and as compounding and dispensing chemists by ensuring the safe handling of medications. It is the responsibility of the pharmacist to provide the pharmaceutical care and educate the people with the usage of drugs. Let’s look at how young people can start a rewarding career in pharmacy. The important role of pharmacy in the healthcare sector is preparation and distribution of medications used to treat patients. The aspirants after taking a pharmacy study, not only be able to operate in chemist shops, medical stores, or pharmacies, there is more to the profession. A pharmacy degree from PCI approved college will help you pursue a variety of other career opportunities, noted Prof. Raveendra.

A usual strategy used by educational institutions to attract students to their pharmacy programmes is to convince them that healthcare industry, including pharmacy, tends to remain relatively stable even during economic downturns. A career in pharmacy is recession-proof since medicine is used to cure diseases and increase the quality of life. As a result, those who choose community pharmacy as a career path will never face a labor shortage or slowdown. A registered and qualified pharmacist would undoubtedly become a top-notch expert in the drug store business, which requires a segment of drug specialists, said Prof. Raveendra.

Since a pharmacist is a key link between doctors, medical personnel, and patients, in a hospital or a medical store, they may serve as best network drug specialists. Also medical care is dependent on sound research for novel medicines, treatment procedure enhancement, toxicological investigations, and the development of clinical trials which create a demand for pharmacists.

Work-life harmony is now a must-have for anyone in every occupation. Since drug specialists are in demand 24 hours a day, they will find jobs that suit their lifestyle and work-shift needs. Moreover, pharmacists play a pivotal role in regulatory agencies which implement the standards for the pharmaceutical industry.

Additionally, specializations like pharmaceutics, industrial pharmacy, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacognosy pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutical biotechnology, regulatory affairs and quality assurance pave the way to foray across global facilities to be able to select variety of job opportunities other than drug dispensing. Even the area of pharmacovigilance is a viable choice, said Dr Raveendra.

PHARMABIZ.com