I am not sure how many of us do research about different types of career opportunities after B.Pharma. And this is not only true for pharmacy students, but also for the majority of students irrespective of what field of study they may be from. Even when I got into engineering, I had no idea what I would do after I graduate. I never asked myself or anyone – what all an electronics engineering graduate can do? Anyways, I ended up becoming a content writer.
But let me tell you what different kinds of career options you will have in Australia, if you decide to become a pharmacist there. Well, in developed countries things are very much organized and well defined and most importantly they are followed. In developing countries also things are pretty much defined, but they are not followed strictly- for example, all the government hospitals are supposed to have pharmacists, but it will be difficult for you to find an actual pharmacist practicing in a government hospital in developing countries.
Now let’s see what different types of pharmacy jobs in Australia are –
Community Pharmacists –
Community pharmacist is the most preferred career choice among pharmacy graduates. Community pharmacist works in a retail pharmacy store and the primary responsibilities involve checking prescriptions given by doctors, giving out the prescribed medicines, advising patients how to take the medicines.
Hospital Pharmacists –
As the name suggests, hospital pharmacists are employed by hospitals or clinics. Their primary responsibility is to make sure that the patients receive the right medicine and use those medicines in the appropriate way (i.e. taking the right amount at the right time). Hospital pharmacist works with a team of doctors and nurses. Hospital pharmacists are also involved in clinical trials of drugs. Pharm D candidates are preferred for hospital pharmacist roles; if you have 1-2 years of residency experience in a hospital, it would be an added advantage for you.
Industrial Pharmacists –
Close to a ~$2.5 billion pharma product export, Australia has a massive pharmaceutical industry. And this industry has a variety of roles to offer to pharma graduates. You can –
- Get into research & development!
- work in manufacturing of medicines.
- become a part of quality analysis and testing.
- join the team that interacts with community or government of different business.
There is a great diversity of roles if you plan to work in industry.
Research/Academics –
If you’re one of those brainiac who is interested in finding new medicines or publishing the next seminal research paper this is for you. You can always work with top universities and research centers.
Consultant Pharmacists –
Consultant pharmacists mostly work with hospital or community pharmacies. There primary responsibility is to provide the medication reviews for patients.
In addition to the above exciting career pathways, there are multiple other options also to explore – you can become a food inspector, you can work with NGOs, you can become an entrepreneur. The options are endless 🙂
If you’re also a pharmacist aspiring to move to Australia and build a global career there, fill out this form & our expert will get in touch with you to help you realise you dream! 🙂
