Many of the students of D. Pharmacy feel directionless after pursuing their degree. If you’re planning to get into wholesale or retail medical business, then Diploma in Pharmacy is the course for you. Now you must be thinking that the students of B. Pharma have the upper hand in establishing a business. The answer is Yes. After completing a graduation course, they get employed in well-established companies.
Consequently, their growth and income are higher than those in D. Pharm. D. Pharmacy, on the other hand, is a two-year diploma course that enables the students to get into the field of business and provides steady and slow growth. Let us now see the various courses that a student can pursue after completing a diploma in Pharmacy. You should also note that it is essential to take up courses after D. Pharmacy for a job; instead, further studies only enhances your knowledge and skills.
Course Details-:
D. Pharmacy is a 2- year diploma course pursued after passing out 12th Standard. After two years of diploma, there is an additional six months internship for the experience. Most of the colleges in India provide admission on a merit basis. In contrast, a few others hold entrance exams for the course. D. Pharma is a career-oriented and practical course that teaches all the basic pharmaceuticals concepts. Such as -:
- • Accurate and safe processing of the prescriptions.
- • Organisation and distribution of medicines.
- • Record keeping as per under the rules by Food and Drug Act
- • Procedure of drug approval
- • Computer Processing
Courses After D. Pharmacy
Bachelors Courses
1. B. Pharma
After pursuing D. Pharma, you can get into a B. Pharma through lateral admission. Lateral admission reduces the 4-year course to only three years. Therefore, getting into B. Pharma after the completion of D. Pharma has an advantage over those who opt for B pharma after 12th Standard. The diploma course provides the prerequisite knowledge to the B. Pharma aspirants.
Best Colleges for B. Pharma in India-:
- Jamia Hamdard University
- Punjab University
- Chandigarh University
- Institute of Chemical Technology
- Birla Institute of Technology and Science
- Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
2. B. A/ B.Sc / B.com
A D. Pharma student can opt for graduation courses such as B. A / B.Sc / B.com of you have found what your passion is. The graduate degree can do this in two ways. The first and most availed way is to pursue a regular D. Pharmacy course and simultaneously get admission in any other graduation courses. But the graduation course must be from an open university or a non-attending college because D. Pharmacy is a regular course. The second option is to pursue a graduate degree after completing D. Pharma.
Master’s Courses
After completing B pharma, if you wish to pursue a master’s, you will have a specialized degree in Pharmacy. This course enhances the prospects of job opportunities for a student. Master in Pharmacy is similar to a master’s in any other subject as it is also a 2- years course.
M. Pharma
M. Pharma stands for masters of Pharmacy. This course is a 2-year postgraduate course divided into four semesters. After pursuing the course, you can quickly develop your career in medical Research and Development.
Eligibility: B. Pharma with 50 % aggregate from any recognized University.
Selection Process: The selection is merit-based or entrance as well in most places. You will have to take an entrance exam called Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (G.P.A.T.). Admission is then provided in the universities based on the marks scored on G.P.A.T.
Pharm D
Pharm D is, in total, a six-year course that involves five years of study and 12 months of internship. Pharm D’s unique system was launched in India in the year 2008 with a vision that it would play an essential role in the health care system’s fundamental aspects. Therefore the aim was to improve the health care system of patients. The course and syllabus were designed intricately so that it imbibes all the knowledge required for a student in medicine.
Eligibility: A person with a degree of 10+ 2 is eligible for this course.
PhD in Pharmacy
PhD in any field of study provides specialism in a course. Many of the students of Pharmacy opt for master’s courses for specialization in their area. But many of them do not wish to pursue a PhD further as it takes up a lot of time from their career. Most unaware is that though the PhD course is time-consuming, it also adds up a few advantages for you in your study. It is the highest course of research in the field of Pharmacy.
A Pharm D graduate cannot open up a health clinic.
Eligibility: Master’s degree with 60% aggregate from a recognized University.
If you aspire to qualify for junior fellowship exams, you must prepare for specific examinations such as C.S.I.R., UGC NET, and GRE. This enables you to earn a fellowship as well as a reasonable stipend.
Job opportunities after D pharmacy
You can get a job at private or government hospitals. You can also work in community health centres and N.G.O.s. Here are a few more jobs suitable for a D Pharma pass out-:
Hospital Pharmacist
Hospitals can be of various types such as private hospitals, government hospitals situated at remote places, super-speciality, multi-speciality, etc. Therefore, every hospital needs a pharmacist who can handle all the required works in a pharmacy. The duties involved in the job of a hospital pharmacist are taught during D. Pharmacy. Course. Hospital pharmacists also work in nursing homes, health care centres, care facilities, and G.P.G.P. Surgeries.
Roles a hospital pharmacist-:
- The first and foremost responsibility of a pharmacist is to keep in check the status and billing of the incoming medicines.
- Classification and Distribution of medicines according to different departments of the hospital such as Cardio, Neuro, Ortho, Paediatrics, etc. A pharmacist can only carry out this process.
- Proper storage of medicines.
- Checking and elimination of expired medicines.
Other responsibilities involve work with medical personnel to give advice and treatments to patients. The working hours are pretty reasonable for hospital pharmacists, and there is no travelling involved as the work is limited to a confined space.
The annual salary of a hospital pharmacist ranges from Rs. 80,000- 4 lakhs. The salary fluctuation is because of the status of different hospitals. You might expect better pay in a super speciality hospital than a private hospital. Other factors such as the nature of the work, the pharmacist’s experience, and the location of the hospitals also play a major role in the payout of a hospital pharmacist. Freshers should note that they can get up to 15,000-20,000 initially.
Lab Associate/ Lab Incharge/ Lab Officer
The Central Council for Research In Ayurvedic Sciences C.C.R.A.S.S). C.C.R.A.S.S is an autonomous body that runs under the Ministry of Ayush. With more than 50 centres all across India. The focus of the Council is entirely on the development of Ayurvedic medicines in India. Therefore, every year the Council seeks mew employees. It gives the students of D. Pharmacy a fair chance to apply for jobs of Lab Associate, Lab in charge, or Lab Officer. If you’re wondering that what do the Ayurvedic branch need out of a D Pharma student? The answer is that during D pharmacy, students are taught units like D. Pharmacogenocy that makes them familiar with techniques inside the laboratory.
The salary of a Lab associate in C.C.R.A.S.S ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 per month.
Super Specialty Medical Stores
Brands such as Apollo, MedPlus, and Sanjeevani have maintained a reputation over the last ten years. They have a multi chained stores and need a potential candidate for a chemist. D. Pharmacy is one of the most accurate courses for the job of a chemist in such stores.
Medical coder
The job medical coder is to transform the verbal diagnosis of an M.B.B.S.S doctor, physiotherapist, radiologist, etc. Into code form. I would suggest you watch a web series called Asur to know more about a medical coder’s job. In this series, the leading actor Arshad Warsi as a doctor makes the diagnosis, and a person nearby records his statement only to translate it in textual form. A medical coding company carries out this procedure. Keep a check on medical companies to grab an opportunity. The demand for medical coding is increasing day by day in India.
The standardized system of codes are as follows-:
- International Classification of Diseases I.C.D.D)- This code was established by the World Health Organisation in 1942.I.C.D.D describes causes of injury, illness, and death.
- Current Procedure Terminology C.P.T.T)- The American Medical Association initially established the code.
- H.C.P.C.S.S- The outpatient department’s services are collected and then transferred to the coding department.
Responsibilities
- Analyzing several clinical statements and assign standard codes by usingI.C.D.D, H.C.P.C.S.S, etc.
- To keep eyes on a particular patient’s record, such as doctor’s prescription, diagnostic tests, etc.
- Connecting link between policy company and hospital.
Growth aspects in Medical Coding-:
Once a student has pursued Certification in medical coding, he/she can get a job as a medical coder in any pharmaceutical company. The initial salary of a medical coder varies from Rs. 18,000- 20,000 per month. As you gain even a year, your salary is assumed to get doubled by the end of the year. You can also experience a 25% hike every year.
Medical shop/ retail store
If you want to own a business of yours with the least investment, a medical shop/ retail store is the option for you. The investment that is involved in setting up the business ranges from Rs. 5- 6 lakhs. Whereas the salary ranges from Rs. 30,000- 35,000.
You can also open a wholesale medical shop. Both the wholesale and retail shops have their share of benefits.
Process for opening a retail and wholesale medical shop
- Select a suitable place for a retail medical shop, whereas wholesale medical shops locations do not matter much.
- If the retail shop works for a particular doctor, the income would be good. Whereas in wholesale shops, the supply chain needs to be strong.
- You can open a retail shop with a meagre investment. However, for wholesale shops, there has to be a significant investment. But the profit is vice versa. If a retail shop owner earns a 20% margin, but a wholesale shop owner on average is likely to make a 3-4% margin.
Other Opportunities:
- You can go for railway pharmacist exams after pursuing D. Pharma. Railway pharmacists work in Railway hospitals situated at Railway junctions. Therefore, the job of a Railway is a centralized job that provides easy work hours and salary. The railway pharmacists come under the umbrella term of paramedical staff. The paramedical staff is those who work under the doctors. These staffs include nurses, compounder, pharmacists, lab technicians, radiologists, etc. The Railway pharmacist exam is conducted generally for all the paramedical staff.
- The other most feasible option is to start a job as a medical business representative. ( MR)
- You can also create a job in a private company or pharmacist in a drug store.
- You can also continue your education in B. Pharma or any other graduation degree according to your convenience.
In developed countries such as The United States, U.K., etc. The role pharmacist is equal to that of a doctor. Because in those countries, the doctor’s role is to diagnose the disease, whereas the role of pharmacist involves prescription of medicines. However, the same system is not followed in countries like India. Hence, pharmacists aren’t given equal status as that of a doctor.
