Career Options after Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm)

Pharmacy is a branch of science that deals with research and development of the medicines and drugs for the benefit of mankind. Although there are many job roles available for B.Pharm students in the pharmacy field, there are some important roles that play a crucial part in the industry.

Let’s discuss some of those important roles for B.Pharm students that are very crucial in the pharmacy industry.

1. Research Scientist (medical)

Job role of Research Scientist

As a research scientist one is required to plan and conduct experiments to increase the body of scientific knowledge on topics related to medicines. As a research scientist he/she is required to improve existing drugs treatments and other medically-related products for the benefit of mankind.

Responsibilities of a Research Scientist

As a responsible researcher one is required to do the following:

• Plan and conduct experiments and analyse or interpret results
• Keep accurate records of work undertaken
• Use specialist computer software to analyse data and to produce diagrammatic representation of results
• Write and submit applications and progress reports to funding bodies, that support medical research
• Collaborate with industry, research institutes hospitals and academia
• Carry out presentations or discussions at team meetings with colleagues
• Prepare presentations and deliver them at national and international scientific conferences
• Write original papers for publication in peer-reviews medical or scientific journals
• Read relevant scientific literature and journals to stay updated

What is expected from a Research Scientist?

As a research scientist one is expected to do the following:

• Work is mainly laboratory-based with some time spent in the office planning and writing up experiments, sometimes may require field work
• With career progression the work becomes more office-based with a focus on writing grant applications, collaborating with other scientists, supervising staff, planning experiments, writing papers for publication and reviewing papers
• Care and attention to detail is required as work involves contact with potentially toxic or radioactive materials
• Working with animals or animal derived products such as embryonic stem cells, may form part of research. They should be capable to handle such ethical dilemmas that arise during their research

2. Clinical research Associate

Role of a Clinical Research Associate

As a clinical research associate, one is required to run clinical trials to test drugs for their effectiveness, risks and benefits. They are also responsible to ensure that they are safe and ready for mass production and are allowed to market. As a Clinical research associate, one is required to work on new and existing drugs and will usually work in pharmaceutical companies.

Responsibilities of a Clinical Research Associate

As a Clinical research associate, one is needed to:

• Develop and write trial protocols for clinical trials
• Present trial protocols to a steering committee
• Design data collection forms, known as case report forms
• Coordinate with the ethics committee which safeguards the rights, safety and well-being of all trial subjects
• Manage regulatory authority applications and approvals that oversee the research and marketing of new and existing drugs
• Identify and assess the suitability of facilities to use as the clinical trial site
• Coordinate with doctors. Consultants or investigators on conducting the trials a trial site
• Setup trial sites and ensure that all the trial materials are available
• Prepare the reports about the trials conducted and send it to authorities

What is expected from a Clinical Research Associate?

As a Clinical Research Associate, one is expected to:

• Coordinate with the local authorities’ doctors for conducting medical trails in the area
• Ensure that the trials are conducted safely
• As a clinical research associate, one is expected to travel a lot to identify trial sites for conducting trials
• As a clinical research associate, one is required to take all the necessary precautions for conducting drug trials in pandemic situations like Covid 19.

3. Medicinal Pharma Chemist

Job Role of a Medicinal Pharma Chemist

As a Medicinal Pharma Chemist, one will play a vital role in the process of drug discovery, helping to create new and more effective medicines. Using a range of pharmaceutical techniques, one will be required to create new pharmaceutically active molecules to combat a particular disease or condition.

Responsibilities of Medicinal Pharma Chemist

As a Medicinal Pharma Chemist, one is needed to:

• Plan and conduct scientific experiments in the lab to create and refine target molecules
• Follow health and safety guidelines and safe working practices
• Undertake data analysis to assess the results of experiments and the characteristics of the molecules produced
• Ensure the structure and purity of the products are accurate
• Write up experiments correctly
• Work closely with other scientific colleagues across different molecules
• Explore how it may be possible to scale up production of useful compounds that are created
• Generate reports and deliver presentations about your work for colleagues, partners and clients
• Attend and contribute to internal and external project meetings
• Keep up to date with scientific literature

What to expect from a Medicinal Pharma Chemist?

As a Medicinal Pharma Chemist, one is expected to:

• Work in laboratories for longer hours and sometimes are required to involve in office works
• As research is a slow-processes one is expected to be patient and resilient until the required results are obtained
• Work in a collaborative environment, usually within a small multi-disciplinary project team
• Follow extremely high safety standards while working with toxic and radioactive materials during the research process

4. Science Writer

Role of a Science Writer

As a science writer one is required to research, write and edit scientific news articles and features, for business, trade, professional publications, specialist scientific and technical journals and the public. They need to understand the complex scientific information theories and practices.

Responsibilities of a Science Writer

As a responsible science writer, one is needed to:

• Produce articles for publications in print and online according to agreed style and keeping to strict deadlines
• Conducting interviews with scientists, doctors and academics and establishing a network of in industry experts
• Attending academic and press conferences
• Visiting research establishments
• Reading and researching specialist media and literature
• Attending meetings or taking part in conference calls with clients, scientists or other writers
• Conducting reference searches
• Reviewing and amending work in response to editor feedback

What is expected from a Scientific Writer?

As a scientific writer one is expected to:

• Work in office-based setups
• Meet the SMEs and industrial experts and come out with articles that are fit to be published in international journals
• Understand the complete procedures involved in research and try to interpret the same in their science writings
• Attend national and international conferences for getting updated knowledge of the latest technology and medical advancements
• Brainstorm with the research scientists and create scientific literature that is related to pharmaceutical researches and techniques used in development of new drugs

Final Sentences

As it is already mentioned that the pharmaceuticals field is the most emerging field in recent years. The demand for pharmacists has increased in the last ten years and is predicted that it continues to grow for next several years. The advancements in science and technology has created a lot of room for growth in the pharmaceutical field. The pharmaceutical industry is facing a huge skill gap; this has created a huge demand for budding skilled professionals and pharmacists.

The students from B.Pharma are readily hired in many pharmaceutical companies especially in research and development, quality assurance and many other departments. The students who are passionate about chemicals and drugs can join the B.Pharma courses and expect excellent career growth in the field of pharmacy.