Since the beginning of modern medicine, pharmacists have been a big part of changing the pharmaceutical industry and making our lives better.
The pharmaceutical market is one of the most successful in the world right now. According to Statista, the industry’s revenue has doubled from 2007 ($726.4 Billion) to 2021 ($1.42 Trillion).
A degree in pharmacy in the UK is great for people who are good at medicine and are interested in chemistry.
People who are interested in health, disease, and science would do well in the field of pharmacy. Pharmacy courses are in high demand because they are becoming more and more popular.
Four of the top 10 universities in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, are in the UK.
The average gross salary for a pharmacist in the UK is £46,540 per year. This will go up as the candidate gets more experience and knowledge.
Find out how to become a pharmacist in UK and answer some of the most common questions people have about this job.
What Does a Pharmacist Do?
Customers can get over-the-counter medicines or medicines prescribed by doctors from pharmacists. They also teach people how to safely take their medicine.
Pharmacists do important things for health care. Some of the most common things a pharmacist does are:
- Customers can get over-the-counter medicines or medicines prescribed by doctors from pharmacists. They also teach people how to safely take their medicine.
Pharmacists do important things for health care. Some of the most common things a pharmacist does are:
- Get prescriptions for medicines from doctors and fill them for customers.
When a pharmacist fills a prescription, they usually check to make sure the customer isn’t taking any other drugs that could interact badly with the prescribed drug.
- Tell the customer how to take the medicine and how often. They also give written instructions to customers. The pharmacist tells customers about the side effects of the medicine. When asked, they give flu shots and vaccinations to their customers.
- Process their customers’ insurance claims and fill out the paper or digital forms that medical insurance providers need to send the medication.
- Talk to customers about things like stress, diet, exercise, and other health and lifestyle issues.
- Work with other people in the medical field, like nurses and doctors, to make sure that the doctor prescribes the best medicine for each patient.
- Help people deal with long-term health problems, like high blood pressure.
- Teach and train the new pharmacists and other members of the healthcare team.
How to Become a Pharmacist in UK
Becoming a pharmacist can take up to five years. Check out these steps on how to become a pharmacist in UK:
1. Meet a University’s Entrance Requirements
- To work as a pharmacist, you need to go to college. To see if you meet the requirements to get into a university, you can check what the requirements of your school of choice are.
Here are some things that may help you meet the requirements of most universities:
- You can finish at least three A-levels or subjects that are the same, like math, chemistry, and a second science.
- In addition to A-levels, universities may also look at subjects from the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Most colleges that give degrees in pharmacy require at least five GCSEs, including English language, one science, and math.
- You can get vocational qualifications like the BTEC Level 3, the Access to Higher Education Diploma, or the National Extended Diploma in Applied Sciences.
2. Complete a Degree
At a university, you can get a degree in pharmacy in five years. The degree usually includes both classroom and hands-on training. You can get a Master’s degree in pharmacy after studying for four years (MPharm).
3. Complete the Required Foundation Training
After getting your master’s degree, you can do a one-year work placement to learn valuable skills. A foundation training year is a name for this time at work.
Your college or university can help you set up a work placement.
4. Register with the General Pharmaceutical Council
As soon as you finish your foundation training, you can sign up with the General Pharmaceutical Council to become a pharmacist UK (GPhC).
In order to work as a pharmacist, you have to register with the GPhC. As you get more specialized, you may also want to join other professional groups.
5. Find a Job and Gain Experience
After signing up with the GPhC, you can start looking for work. As a pharmacist, you can gain the experience and skills you need to do well. You could also work as a “locum” pharmacist and go to different places to work.
6. Join the Professional Body for Pharmacists
You can join the Royal Pharmaceutical Society if you are a licensed pharmacist (RPS). The RPS is the group of pharmacists who work in the field. They help pharmacists grow and learn by giving them chances to do so.
7. Keep Up-To-Date Through Learning
In order to stay registered with the GPhC, all pharmacists must complete at least nine Continuing Professional Development (CPD) entries each year. CPD training makes sure that pharmacists always have the latest information and skills.
8. Choose an Area of Specialization
Pharmacists can focus on different things. Some of these fields of expertise are:
Ambulatory Care Pharmacy
In places like clinics and doctor’s offices, these pharmacists provide integrated and easy-to-reach health care services for ambulatory patients.
Cardiology Pharmacy
This area of specialization is all about preventing and treating disease, including using medicine that is based on facts.
Compounded Sterile Preparations Pharmacy
These pharmacists make sure that patients get sterile preparations that meet their medical needs.
Pharmacotherapy
As part of multidisciplinary treatment teams in places like hospitals, pharmacists in this field make sure that medicines are used in a safe and cost-effective way.
Oncology Pharmacy
People with cancer get managed, patient-centered medication therapy and other kinds of care from these pharmacists.
Nuclear Pharmacy
These pharmacists work to improve public health by making sure that radioactive drugs used for therapy and diagnosis are safe and effective.
Pediatric Pharmacy
In this field, pharmacists work to make sure that drugs are used safely and effectively and that children under 18 get the most out of their medication therapy.
Pharmacist Salary UK
In London, United Kingdom Area, the total pay for a Pharmacist is estimated to be £46,339 per year, with an average salary of £44,609.
These numbers are the median, which is the middle point of the ranges from our Total Pay Estimate model and is based on the salaries that our users gave us.
The extra pay is estimated to be £1,730 per year. The extra money could come in the form of a cash bonus, a commission, tips, or a share of the profits. The “Most Likely Range” shows values that fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles of all pay data for this role.
Average Pharmacist Salary
The average salary for Pharmacist jobs is a useful number for both employees and employers. The salary information can help when posting jobs, looking for jobs, applying for jobs, and negotiating pay.
The average salary for Pharmacist jobs is a useful number for both employees and employers. The salary information can help when posting jobs, looking for jobs, applying for jobs, and negotiating pay.
Newly Qualified Pharmacist’s Basic Salary
Pharmacists who just got their license should expect to start their careers with a lower salary than the UK average for the job. To make the average UK salary as a Pharmacist can take a few years of work.
Your first-year salary may also be affected by where you live and work. For example, London usually pays more than other major cities. The average gross and net earnings for a job will also change depending on where you work: England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
Pharmacist Career Development
In the healthcare field, you might get a bonus based on how long you’ve worked for the company. But staying in the same department or company isn’t always the best way to get a promotion or make more money each year.
If you improve your skills and become an expert in a certain area, you should get a raise. Still, you might need to set up a job alert, do a job search, and move to a different company or department if you want to make more money or move up in your career.
Pharmacist Take Home Pay
In the United Kingdom, you shouldn’t make career choices based only on how much money you’ll bring home. Your average total pay might include benefits that are worth more than a paycheck.
For example, health insurance, a company car, part-time or full-time remote work, company share schemes, higher-paid annual vacation days, a short commute, and maternity and paternity leave are all benefits that can help your living standards, work-life balance, and job satisfaction.
Increase Your Annual Salary With a Pharmacist Pay Rise
Your annual income can go up if you get a raise, and you should compare it to the average salary raise in the healthcare industry.
If you compare your pay raise to things like inflation, you can figure out if you will be better off or worse off the next year. You should also compare your pay raise to the rise in the cost of living across the country.
If you want to negotiate a pay raise that is higher than the average UK salary, you will need facts, numbers, and percentages to show how much your raise will be.
Before you try to get better pay rates, you should get ready for the talk. Bring together all the evidence that supports your case for a higher salary, such as the average pharmacist salary, your qualifications, achievements, and recognition.
How to Become a Pharmacy Technician UK
We now know a little bit more about what pharmacy technicians do. Also, about what they have to do. So, you should find out how to become a pharmacy technician. So, pharmacy technicians work with a pharmacist’s supervision, guidance, or direction. They are a very important part of the pharmacy team.
But pharmacy technicians usually need to go to school after high school. But by then, they will have learned how to do their jobs by doing them.
They can also go to an accredited school and take a program in pharmacy technology. In the end, most states will have laws that make it possible for Pharmacy Technicians to pass an exam.
On the other hand, they can go through a standard training or education program. You can become a pharmacy technician in three different ways. These things:
- A college course
- An apprenticeship
- A trainee position
But to get a job as a pharmacy technician, you still need a certain level of education and other skills.
1. Obtain a High School Certificate or An Equivalent Qualification
Pharmacy Technicians who are good at their jobs usually know a lot about physics, chemistry, genetics, and physiology. Also, any student can choose to work as a volunteer at a hospital or health center. The goal is to get more experience in the field. Before that, you need a diploma from high school to be qualified.
Employers usually want to see that you have 4 or 5 GCSEs with grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or the equivalent. For an advanced apprenticeship as a pharmacy technician, the subject must also include English and math.
2. Completing Post-Secondary Education Programs In Pharmacy Technology
Most of the time, these courses are offered at technical schools or community colleges. Most programmes end after a year or so with a diploma, but some go on longer and lead to an associate’s degree.
Also, they talk about different things. For example, pharmacy math, how to keep records, how to give out drugs, and pharmacy law and ethics.
Also, the technicians often learn about doses and terms for medicines. In the same way, most programs offer clinical internships. Students can work in a real pharmacy as part of these programmes.
So, some Pharmacy Technicians join the field after getting college degrees in pharmacy science. Usually, this kind of education is given at technical schools or community colleges.
Most programs give out diplomas after a year or so. Some programs are shorter, while others take longer and lead to an associate’s degree.
They talk about many different things. Things like pharmacy math, keeping records, how to give out drugs, and pharmacy law and ethics.
3. Other Entry Requirements for Pharmacy Technician
You don’t have to go to college to become a pharmacy technician, either. You can do this by applying for a trainee pharmacy technician job and learning how to do the job.
As was said above, employers will see that you have a high school diploma. Your subject must include English, Math, and Science. You also need a Level 2 Diploma in Applied Science or something similar.
You will also have to sign up for training. Make sure your training also gets you ready for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.
To become a pharmacy technician, you will need to take a course that has been approved. You must also sign up with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). For an apprenticeship and to register with the GPhC, you will need to finish the Pharmacy Tech Diploma.
So, sign up for a program that is recognized by the government. It will help you get ready for the pharmacy technician certification test, which you will need to pass if you want to move up in your career.
How long does it take to become a pharmacist UK?
Most accredited pharmacy degrees take four years to finish. But a lot of students choose to take five-year courses that include a year of work. This way, they get both a theoretical and practical education.
How to Become a Pharmacist in UK From India
In short, the UK doesn’t accept Indian pharmacy degrees right away. You will need to take a one-year course at a university called OSPAP. After that, you will need to take the “pre-reg exam,” and then the GPhC will let you work.
Who works with a Pharmacist?
Pharmacists work with other health care workers to make sure that patients get the best care possible. They may also work with patients directly.
Most of the time, pharmacists work with pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff, like pharmacy assistants.