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Pharmacist
Hours
37.5 per week
Starting salary
£22,000 + per year
If you are interested in science and healthcare, this job could be just what you are looking for. Pharmacists provide expert advice on the use and supply of drugs and medicines. This could include checking prescriptions and making sure that laws controlling medicines are followed.
To do this job you will need a high level of scientific understanding and ability. You will also need to be good at problem solving. And you’ll need to be responsible and security-conscious.
Before you can work as a pharmacist, you need to complete a four-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree. After that you’ll need a one-year pre-registration training course in a pharmacy. Finally, you’ll need to pass a registration exam.
WorkDesc
The work
You would usually be based at a retail location (where you would be known as a community pharmacist) or at a hospital pharmacy.
As a community pharmacist in a retail location your work could include:
- giving healthcare advice and help to the public
- delivering medication to people who are unable to leave home
- visiting care homes to advise on the use and storage of medication
- preparing medicines bought at the counter
- giving advice on how to use medicines correctly, including the amount to use (dosage) and any risks
- selling a range of products
- ordering and controlling stock
- running or helping to run a business, including supervising and training staff.
In a hospital setting, your duties could include:
- giving advice on dosage and the most suitable form of medicine (such as a tablet, inhaler or injection)
- producing medicines (for example, creating a treatment or solution when ready made ones are not available)
- visiting wards, giving advice about medicines to colleagues and providing them with current information
- buying, quality testing and distributing medicines throughout the hospital
- supervising trainees and junior pharmacists.
Another option is to work as a pharmacist with a local primary care trust. This could involve giving advice to GPs on prescribing, running clinics at a GP practice and training local prescribers on issues related to managing and prescribing medicines.
You could also work in education or in industry, carrying out research into new medicines and running clinical trials.
HoursDesc
Hours
As a community pharmacist, you could work up to 48 hours a week full-time. Part-time work is often available.
In a hospital setting, you would usually work around 37.5 hours a week, including weekends and as part of an on-call rota.
IncomeDesc
Income
Pharmacists can earn between around £22,000 and £34,200 a year.
Pharmacy consultants or team managers can earn between £45,300 and £80,810 a year.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
Before you can work as a pharmacist, you need to complete:
- a four-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree
- a one-year pre-registration training course in a pharmacy
- a registration exam.
Your degree and training must be approved by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), the professional body for pharmacists. See the RPSGB's Careers in Pharmacy website pages for links to a list of approved degree courses.
To do a degree, you will usually need five GCSEs (A-C) including maths and English, plus three A levels, usually in chemistry and two other science-based subjects such as biology, maths or physics. Check with course providers for exact entry requirements as other qualifications may be accepted.
When you have finished your degree, you can apply for the one-year pre-registration programme. This includes spending at least six months in a community or hospital pharmacy, and leads to a final registration exam. For details of pre-registration training vacancies, check the NHS Hospital Pharmacy Pre-registration Training website.
Once you have completed all three stages of training you can apply for state registration and membership of the RPSGB.
Pharmacy regulation
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises. For more information, see the GPhC website.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
As a qualified pharmacist you will need to continue your professional development throughout your career. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) website has details of a range of courses and workshops that can help you keep your skills and knowledge up to date.
If you want to do research work, you will need to gain a postgraduate qualification, for example in toxicology or pharmacology. You are likely to need a first or upper second class honours degree in pharmacy or a related subject for this.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a pharmacist, you will need to have:
- good communication skills
- an interest in the health and wellbeing of people
- a high level of scientific understanding and ability
- a logical approach to problem solving
- good maths skills, with the ability to calculate and use scientific formulae
- accuracy and attention to detail
- the ability to organise and prioritise your work
- a responsible and security-conscious attitude
- the ability to train and supervise others
- good business skills (for running a community pharmacy).
MoreInformationDesc
More information
General Pharmaceutical Council 
129 Lambeth Rd
London
SE1 7BT
Tel: 020 3365 3400
www.pharmacyregulation.org
Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
73 University Street
Belfast
BT7 1HL
Tel: 028 9032 6927
http://www.psni.org.uk/
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
1 Lambeth High Street
London
SE1 7JN
Tel: 020 7735 9141
www.rpsgb.org.uk
NHS Careers
PO Box 2311
Bristol
BS2 2ZX
Tel: 0345 60 60 655
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Careers
12 Whitehall London
SW1A 2DY
Tel: 020 7930 3477
http://careers.abpi.org.uk
Health Learning and Skills Advice Line
Tel: 08000 150850
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You could work in the NHS, as well as in retail, education and industry. There is a formal career structure in the NHS, and with experience you could progress to team manager or pharmacy consultant. Promotion opportunities are also good with larger pharmacy chains, and you could progress to a regional or national management post. With financial backing, you may be able to set up your own community pharmacy business.
With further training you could go on to teach pharmacy students at university.
There are also opportunities to work overseas, or as a locum (filling temporary or holiday posts). You could move into related areas such as forensic science, the cosmetics industry or scientific journalism.
Jobs can be advertised in the local and national press, and industry journals such as the New Scientist, Chemist and Druggist and The Pharmaceutical Journal.
You may also find the following useful for vacancies and further reading (links open in new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
The health sector is represented by Skills for Health Sector Skills Council, which comprises three sub‐sectors:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Independent Healthcare Sector (such as private and charitable healthcare providers)
- Third Sector (healthcare) (such as small local community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises and co‐operatives)
The health sector is made up of hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, the ambulance service, nursing homes, residential care homes, complementary medicine and a huge range of other health related activities, from sight tests in opticians to research in medical laboratories. Most people in the health sector work in the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), which includes:
- primary care (organisations which the public goes to first) – Doctors/General Practitioners (GPs), NHS Walk in Centres, NHS Direct, Out of Hours Emergency Care
- secondary care (organisations which the public are referred onto) – Ambulance Trusts, NHS Trusts/hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts/hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, Care Trusts (provide joint health and social care activities)
NHS policy in England is directed from the centre by the Department of Health. Local organisations, known as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), are in charge of providing and commissioning services, controlling the majority of the budget. PCTs are overseen by 10 regional organisations called Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).
The independent sector includes companies and charities that offer hospital and specialist services usually after referral from a doctor. Operations and other work are carried out in private hospitals, independent treatment centres, mental health units and hospices.
Key facts:
- The health sector is the largest employer in the UK, representing 5.5% of the working age population of the UK and 7.3% of the working age population that are currently in employment.
- It is estimated that the sector employs over 2 million people, including:
- over 1.5 million people in the NHS (72%)
- over 0.5 million people in the Independent Healthcare sector (26%)
- almost 40,000 in the voluntary sector (2%)
- 56% of the workforce has a higher education qualification (or equivalent).
- The age profile for the sector shows an older than average workforce, which is due in part to the fact that it takes some professions a long time to train and can mean that people enter the sector later.
There is a varied list of jobs in the sector ranging from a diverse number of clinical roles, to support and infrastructure staff, for instance: Allied Health Professionals (AHPs); Ambulance Staff; Dental Staff; Doctors/Medical staff; Nursing staff; Midwifery Staff; Healthcare Scientists; Health Informatics Staff; Management; Wider Healthcare Team; Complementary Therapists.
National and regional data
High proportions of the health sector workforce are located in:
- London
- South East
- North West
East Midlands - The health sector employs 131,515 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East Midlands employs 8% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 29% of all employment across the sector or 41,200 employees.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
East of England - The health sector employs 164,720 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East of England employs 9.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 52,300 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 14% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 103,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
London - The health sector employs over 249,524 people, which accounts for 6% of all the employment in the region.
- London employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 33% of all employment across the sector or 78,500 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 146,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North East - The health sector employs 89,201 people, which accounts for 8.7% of all employment in the region.
- The North East employs 5.3 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 23,800 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be almost 46,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North West - The health sector employs 251,960 people, which accounts for 8% of all employment in the region.
- The North West employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South East - The health sector employs 264,071 people, which accounts for 7.1% of all employment in the region.
- The South East employs 15.7% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 164,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South West - The health sector employs 182,187 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- The South West employs 10.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 60,700 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 105,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
West Midlands - The health sector employs 168,746 people, which accounts for 7.2% of all employment in the region.
- The West Midlands employs 10% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 43,000 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 9% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 108,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Yorkshire and the Humber - The health sector employs 182,848 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- Yorkshire and the Humber employ 10.9 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 24% of the total health care workforce or 42,000 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 97,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Northern Ireland - The health sector employs 61,300 people.
- Northern Ireland employs 3% of the total health sector workforce.
- 81% of the workforce is female.
- 26% of the workforce is aged 35‐44 years.
- 96% of the workforce is white.
- 10% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 48% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Scotland - The health sector employs 201,500 people.
- Scotland employs 10% of the total health sector workforce.
- 78% of the workforce is female.
- 30% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 95% of the workforce is white.
- 14% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 39% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Wales - The health sector employs 114,900 people.
- Wales employs 6% of the total health sector workforce.
- 74% of the workforce is female.
- 34% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 94% of the workforce is white.
- 18% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 40% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 27% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2008‐2009, Annual Business Inquiry, 2007, and Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007]
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