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Pharmacy

View the employability skills

A graduate in pharmacy typically will have:

  • mastery of a substantial body of knowledge, with practical and manipulative skills
  • the ability to apply scientific and technical rigour to the use of medicines
  • evidence-based decision-making skills and problem solving skills
  • independent learning skills, forming the basis for lifelong learning
  • a multidisciplinary and integrative approach to solving health care problems
  • an ethical attitude, characterised by assuming personal and professional responsibility for the proper discharge of their role in society
  • a thorough understanding of law and ethics relating to pharmacy
  • development of a high level of interpersonal skills, which are analytical, critically aware, evaluative, interpretative, empathic and reflective
  • numeracy and computational skills, including error analysis, order-of-magnitude estimations, correct use of units and modes of data presentation
  • time management and work organisational skills.

Pharmacy combines the pharmaceutical sciences with related aspects of health care. It is a professional discipline, concerned with the provision of evidence based advice to patients and the public on general health matters. Pharmacists are scientists in the health care community, bringing together physical, biological, clinical, social and behavioural sciences in relation to medicines and their usage. The practice of pharmacy can comprise managing medicines at a strategic and individual patient level, the management of repeat dispensing systems, supplementary prescribing, monitoring the effects of medicines, and specialisations such as independent prescribing, diagnostic testing. In the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists' roles include formulating new products, planning and optimisation of drug development strategies, advising on regulatory issues, marketing, and the management of scale-up and large scale production of medicines.

Pharmacy degrees are designed to produce graduates who think clearly and systematically but there is also a strong vocational element which prepares them for their pre-registration training. Education takes a minimum five years; four years at university and a year of practical training. Graduates have a strong academic science base, are competent pharmaceutical scientists and are well prepared for a health care role.

Currently, the majority of pharmacy graduates practise in community pharmacies or NHS hospitals, although a growing number work in general medical practitioner practices, NHS primary care organisations and strategic health authorities. Pharmacists also work in the pharmaceutical industry and universities. Small numbers work in other sectors, applying their knowledge of medicines to many issues.

To check the growing range of resources produced by the Subject Centre to support employability and the use of this profile (including the Skills and Attributes map) go to www.health.heacademy.ac.uk.

This profile, produced in 2004, is based on the QAA benchmark to be found at www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/honours/default.asp.


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