Career Opportunities for Pharmacy

Career Opportunities for Pharmacy Student

 It is an incredibly exciting time to pursue a career in pharmacy and students graduating from the Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy have a wide-range of career opportunities available to them.  To learn more about these opportunities, please see below.  

The majority of pharmacy graduates become pharmacists but there are also options within academia, regulatory bodies and the pharmaceutical industry

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Community pharmacist
• Hospital pharmacist
• Research scientist (medical)

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Clinical research associate
• Higher education lecturer
• Medical sales representative
• Pharmacologist
• Product/process development scientist
• Regulatory affairs officer
• Research scientist (life sciences)
• Science writer
• Toxicologist

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

·        Hospital pharmacy

Hospital pharmacists advise health care providers and patients on the safe and effective use of medications and are responsible for choosing, preparing, storing, compounding, and dispensing medications. Other responsibilities include monitoring medication use, implementing hospital regulations related to medication, and other administrative tasks. Individuals interested in hospital pharmacy typically complete a pharmacy residency program and should consider joining the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists.   

·        Retail pharmacy

The majority of pharmacists work in retail pharmacy.  Retail pharmacists dispense and verify medications, counsel patients on medication use and general health topics, and recommend over-the-counter products. Additionally, depending on the pharmacy, retail pharmacists may vaccinate patients or offer medication therapy management to patients with chronic disorders (e.g., diabetes) or both.  Retail pharmacists manage pharmacy technicians and may choose to pursue a management track.   

·        Independent pharmacy

In addition to the responsibilities described under retail pharmacy, pharmacists working at an independent pharmacy may compound medications and, depending on the size of the pharmacy they own, they may manage finances, order and take inventory of items sold at the pharmacy, manage personnel, make payroll, etc.  Individuals interested in owning a pharmacy should consider the Pharm.D./MBA dual degree program offered by the Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy and joining the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). 

• Research scientist (medical)

Research scientists can be found in many professional fields, including biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, medicine, physics, anthropology, history, political science and sociology. They make hypotheses, collect data, and interpret results in order to answer questions about humans and the natural world. Research scientists work at colleges and universities, for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and private research and development companies. These workers contribute to knowledge in the fields of the natural sciences, medical science, computer science, environmental science and the social sciences.

Education	Master's or doctoral degree in professional field
Job Skills	Naturally curious, analytical, detail-oriented, ability to communicate well orally and in writing
Median Annual Salary (2015)*	$67,640 for environmental scientists; $82,240 for medical scientists
Job Outlook (2014-2024)*	11% growth for environmental scientists; 8% for medical scientists

* Required Education

Research scientists have typically earned master's or doctorate degrees in their specific fields of study, like physics, biology or chemistry. Most research scientists have completed postgraduate degrees in their field. Research scientist positions at colleges and universities generally require Ph.D.s, while master's degrees are sometimes acceptable for jobs in the public and private sectors.

* Skills Required

Research scientists are naturally inquisitive. Their work requires analytical skills and attention to detail in order to design repeatable procedures and record results accurately. Research scientists report their findings in publications and oral presentations, requiring excellent communication and writing skills.

* Career and Economic Outlook

Research scientists earn diverse salaries, based on their areas of specialty and level of experience. In 2015, environmental scientists and specialists earned median annual wages of $67,640, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). During that same time, medical scientists earned median annual wages of $82,240.

ü        * Career outlooks

also vary according to the specific fields of research science. According to the BLS, environmental scientists are predicted to have better-than-average job growth of 11% from 2014-2024, and medical scientists are also expected to see average growth during that time at 8%.

·        Clinical  research

QuintilesIMS (NYSE:Q) is a leading integrated information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider worldwide, dedicated to helping its clients improve their clinical, scientific and commercial results. Formed through the merger of Quintiles and IMS Health, QuintilesIMS’s approximately 50,000 employees conduct operations in more than 100 countries. Companies seeking to improve real-world patient outcomes and enhanced clinical trial outsourcing through treatment innovations, care provision and access can leverage QuintilesIMS’s broad range of healthcare information, technology and service solutions to drive new insights and approaches. QuintilesIMS provides solutions that span clinical to commercial bringing clients a unique opportunity to realize the full potential of innovations and advance healthcare outcomes.

Whether you’re beginning or continuing your career as a CRA, this role is an ideal stepping-stone. You’ll have training and development to plan and progress your career in the direction you choose. And you won’t do it alone – you will have dedicated mentoring and receive structured quarterly reviews on performance, promotion and bonus awards.

Award winning and innovative, we’ll give you access to cutting-edge in-house technology, allowing you to work on global projects but with a regional / home state travel remit, so no need for national travel in certain countries. You’ll be building a smart and flexible career with no limits.

While projects vary, your typical responsibilities might include:
Performing site selection, initiation, monitoring and close-out visits, plus maintaining appropriate documentation Supporting the development of a subject recruitment plan  Establishing regular lines of communication plus administering protocol and related study training to assigned sites  Evaluating the quality and integrity of site practices – escalating quality issues as appropriate Managing progress by tracking regulatory submissions, recruitment, case report form (CRF) completion, and data query resolution  You will need to be comfortable collaborating and communicating with a variety of colleagues and customers. Ideally, you will also have a good basic knowledge of applicable clinical research regulatory requirements.

You should have:

A Bachelor's degree in a health care or other scientific discipline or educational equivalent Successful completion of a CRA Trainee Program or at least three months of on-site monitoring experience Alternatively, you should have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience  If you want to make an impact in the global research market, where we are working to make a real difference in patient health, we ask you to apply now and join our team. 

·        Managed care

Managed care pharmacists work directly with other health care professionals to provide medication therapy management, while considering the pharmacoeconomic impact on patients. They provide a broad range of clinical services including monitoring patient safety and outcomes, managing formularies, and patient education. Managed care pharmacists typically work for health plans and pharmacy benefit management companies. Residency opportunities are available to individuals interested in managed care and interested individuals should consider joining the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

·        Industry

There are a broad range of opportunities available to pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry.  They can participate in research and development, quality assurance, drug information, sales, marketing, regulatory affairs or clinical trials. Individuals interested in working in the pharmaceutical industry typically participate in postgraduate fellowship programs available at many pharmaceutical companies.

Opportunities in Industry department

·        Q/A

·        Q/C

·        Production

·        Material handling

·        Packaging department

·        Consultant pharmacy

Pharmacy consultants typically work with long-term care facilities and review drug regimens, offer pharmacokinetic dosing services, patient counseling, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Long-term care facilitates include nursing homes, mental institutions, home health agencies, hospice care, correctional institutions, rehabilitation centers, and adult day care centers.

·        Academia

Pharmacists interested in training the next generation can pursue a career as faculty member at a college or school of pharmacy. Pharmacy faculty teach, conduct research, participate in public service, precept students, and contribute to patient care. Individuals interested in a career in academia should consider residencies with significant teaching components.

·        Nuclear pharmacy

Nuclear pharmacists compound and dispense radiopharmaceutical for use in medical procedures. Individuals interested in nuclear pharmacy must complete a training program after earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and should consider residency programs that focus on nuclear pharmacy.  Students enrolled at the Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy may choose to enroll in an elective nuclear pharmacy rotation in the fourth year of the Pharm.D. program.   

·        Government agencies

The National Institutes of Health, FDA, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Veterans Administration, and Armed Forces all employ pharmacists. Pharmacists working with a governmental agency engage in a wide range of tasks, including patient care, biomedical and epidemiological research, reviewing new drug applications, and developing and administering health care policy.

Coming soon………