A pharmacists' knowledge, expertise and training make them an integral part of the healthcare system. A pharmacist is often a patient's first point of contact when they're unwell, need medical attention and advice.
In this article, we'll cover:
- What is a pharmacist?
- What do pharmacists do?
- Why become a pharmacist?
- How to become a pharmacist in the UK
- Pharmacy career paths
- Frequently asked questions about becoming a pharmacist
Key facts
- The average starting salary for a pharmacist is £35,000 according to the National Careers Service
- You may be expected to work some evenings, weekends and bank holidays
- To become a pharmacist you need to study an accredited Pharmacy, MPharm degree at university
- Pharmacists work in both public and private settings
What is a pharmacist?
A pharmacist is a healthcare professional who specialises in the preparation, dispensing, and management of medications. Pharmacists are also known as chemists in other European countries.
Pharmacists work daily alongside other healthcare professionals, such as nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and healthcare scientists. Pharmacists work across a range of settings, including:
- Academia
- Community pharmacies
- Hospitals
- General practice
- Mental health services
- Pharmaceutical industry
What do pharmacists do?
A pharmacist uses their expertise of medicines and health to advise and prescribe medicine to patients. Pharmacists provide care across a range of different settings and are often at the heart of local communities.
Your day-to-day responsibilities could include:
- Advising patients about prescriptions, drug dosages, risks, how to use and how to store medication
- Buying, testing and distributing medicines in a hospital
- Dispensing medicines in a hospital, pharmacy or GP practice
- Managing stock
- Supervising and training junior pharmacists
- Researching new medicines
- Running clinical trials
- Running screening programmes
How do you become a pharmacist in the UK?
You can study a master's of pharmacy (MPharm) degree at university to become a pharmacist. The degree must be approved by General Pharmaceutical Council and takes four years to complete.
You can study the following approved Master's of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree at the University of Central Lancashire:
Once you've finished your degree, you'll then need to complete the pharmacist foundation training scheme 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.
- Course
Pharmacy, MPharm (Hons)
Entry requirements
Depending on the institution, you’ll typically need:
-
Three A Levels, or equivalent
- Some institutions may want you to have studied particular subjects at A Level too, including chemistry and biology
Always check the entry requirements for the course and institution you’re applying to.
Pharmacy career paths
Once you've passed your pharmacy degree and completed your one year pharmacist foundation training scheme, there are lots of opportunities for you to work in different settings:
- You could progress through a practice to become team manager, regional or national manager or become a pharmacy consultant
- You could work in a GP practice, health centre or set up your own community pharmacy business
- You could work as a pharmacist in the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy or Army, travelling around the world
- You could move into teaching, scientific journalism or publishing
- Or you could do a postgraduate qualification in a subject like toxicology or pharmacology and move into research
Frequently asked questions about becoming a pharmacist
We hope this guide on how to become a pharmacist has helped and that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision on your future career.
Take your next steps
- Course
Pharmacy, MPharm (Hons)
- Subject
Pharmacy
