TOPIC 3 - CURRENT AND EMERGING FIELDS IN
PHARMACY
Pharmacy is considered a multifaceted profession. It offers a lot of opportunities
for B.S. Pharmacy graduate who is legally qualified to practice depending on her
interest and likes. The different fields in pharmacy practice are as follows:
1. Community Pharmacy – Pharmacists in more than 10,000 community
pharmacies across the Philippines are the primary providers of pharmaceuticals and
pharmaceutical- care services to patients. Community pharmacies are found in
variety of locations, including department stores, shopping centers, freestanding
buildings, medical office building, and markets in different barangays, towns, cities
and provinces. The broad array of sites and pharmacy formats makes community
pharmacists the most accessible health-care professionals in the Philippines. They
provide safe, quality, effective and affordable medicines to the patient and the
consumer.
Pharmacists in these sites provide several important functions such as: A.
Procure and maintain good inventory of medicines from legitimate drug
suppliers; B. Dispense manufactured drug product prescribe by the doctors and/or
chosen
by the patient; C. Prepare compounded pharmaceuticals; D.
Provide drug information; E. Advise patient on proper
medication usage and storage; and F. Provide pharmaceutical
care services and counselling.
Pharmacists in community pharmacy practice can work as a supervising
pharmacist in an existing drugstore or staff pharmacist, supervising pharmacist or
branch pharmacist of the chain drugstores or be the owner of her own drugstore.
2. Hospital Pharmacy – hospital pharmacists are found in the hospital pharmacy
department within the hospital and are responsible for providing medications for the
inpatient and outpatient to some extend. Specifically, they perform the following task
such as: A. Procurement of medicines from legitimate drug suppliers; B. Prepare the
medication order for each inpatient; C. Administration and management of the
hospital pharmacy department; D. Participate in the drug selection for inclusion in
the hospital formulary through
the pharmacy and therapeutics committee; E.
Provide drug information and counselling.
Pharmacist in hospital pharmacy practice can work as staff pharmacist,
supervising pharmacist or chief pharmacist of the department.
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3. Pharmacists in Industry – pharmacists are required by law in different
establishments such as pharmaceutical manufacturer, trader and distributor
(exporter or importer). Numerous laws and administrative orders govern the
production, distribution and marketing of drugs which require the pharmacist
expertise in the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharmacists in industry hold positions in the following: A. Sales – the sales area
generally is regarded as one of the ways for the
pharmacists to get into the industry as sales
representatives.
They are also known as professional service representative, professional sales
representatives, medical service representative or detail men.
They provide the various professional audiences with enough comprehensive
information on a product to encourage the product’s use, prescription or
recommendation by the appropriate health-care specialist.
Company prefer the candidates for sales position with a science background,
with personal traits and attitudes such as congenial personality, effective oral and
written communication skills and a strong interest in selling.
B. Marketing – the marketing department is responsible for developing and
implementing marketing plans to promote the company’s product to the
appropriate target consumer/audiences. A degree in pharmacy is helpful but
generally not a requirement for marketing position.
Experience in the industry, usually gained in the sales department, plus an
understanding of the healthcare delivery system, general business principle, and a
basic knowledge of research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance and
distribution are helpful in obtaining a position in the marketing department of a
pharmaceutical company.
C. Research and Development – this area of the industry is stimulating and
challenging and is suited especially to pharmacists with strong scientific
backgrounds. Pharmacists who work as clinical researchers are engaged in R&D
of new drugs or new dosage forms or new therapeutic classification of existing
products. D. Production – pharmacists working in production often serve is
managerial positions. They are responsible for anticipating the company’s needs
and planning for the plant facilities, equipment and personnel who will be needed
to meet the company’s production goals. They are also responsible for
establishing and administering manufacturing procedures and controls to ensure
the production of high-quality products that will meet rigid company and FDA
standards. E. Quality Control – the quality assurance (QA) department
establishes sampling and testing procedures to make certain that each lot of a
product meets both company and FDA specifications. The system also ensures
the potency, purity
and dose-to-dose uniformity of the product, in addition to the chemical, physical
and biological data; stability of the finished trades package; and appropriate
expiration dates. The QA department also checks not only for the quality and
quantity of the active ingredients, but also for the uniformity and predictability of
the nonactive ingredients. F. Administration and Management – managers and
administrators help make sure that each department of a company functions
smoothly. Some pharmacists in management positions also serve in staff
functions, providing legal advice, representing the firm among its various
audiences or providing internal consultation on pharmacy affairs to other
managers who may not be pharmacists. Qualities of discipline, hard work, and
dedication go a long way in helping a pharmacist advance into a management
position. G. Product Registration – the different products of the company is
registered individually by the regulatory pharmacist in the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The regulatory pharmacist prepares all the documents and
submits it to FDA who in turn will evaluate and approve the product for
registration. The pharmacist must be familiar with all the laws and administrative
orders pertaining to drugs, cosmetics, food and devices registration.
4. Pharmacist in Government – Government services offers opportunities to
pharmacists in various capacities. Among the various government agencies where
pharmacist can work are: A. Department of Health B. Food and Drug Administration
C. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency D. National Bureau of Investigation E.
Veterans and Army Hospital F. Government-funded research institutions like DOST,
PCHRD G. Central Bank H. Government Hospitals I. Bureau of Customs
5. Pharmacists in Academe – Pharmaceutical education offers excellent
opportunities for pharmacists with advanced degrees in any of the professional
specialties. Expanding enrolment in college to meet the manpower needs of the
future offers opportunities for careers in college teaching.
6. Pharmaceutical Journalism – offers rewarding experiences to a limited number
of pharmacists with writing and editing
talents.
7. Clinical Pharmacy – it is a patient-oriented pharmacy practice in patient care unit
setting in the hospital. The clinical pharmacist is responsible not only for safe and
appropriate use of drugs on patients but also for the rational selection, monitoring,
dosing, and control of patients’ overall drug therapy program. The clinical
pharmacist is a member of the healthcare team that visits the patient during the
rounds. The clinical pharmacist also conducts drug utilization review, adverse
drug reaction monitoring and reporting and therapeutic planning.
The basic meaning of a pharmacist is a person who apportions physician
recommended medications to patients. In any case, inside that definition, there are
numerous fields in which you can work, and the activity duties in each field can shift
significantly relying upon the setting. This fast growing field when combined with
numbers and with the plenty of drug store fields to work in, settle on this a promising
profession decision.
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