Pharmacy has been a growing industry for many years, an industry that attracts numerous students who are passionate about Chemistry and want to help people stay healthy.
But is it still worth it to become a pharmacist in 2023? Let's find out!
1. Work directly with people
Studying a Pharmacy degree is an excellent decision if you’re a people person. You get to interact with all kinds of people who share their problems in detail so that you can offer them the right advice and medicine.
Obviously, you need to be a good active listener and show empathy. But if human interaction is truly important to you, working as a pharmacist will fulfil your needs.
2. Help people stay healthy
While it’s pretty obvious, it’s also easy to overlook that pharmacists are an essential element of healthcare systems. Whether it’s prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, pharmacists provide people what they need to stay healthy. In some cases, pharmacists might even prepare medicine on the spot, using a small laboratory inside the pharmacy or drug store.
The responsibilities of a pharmacist can also vary. By working in a hospital with other doctors, you might decide the right dosage for certain prescriptions. If you become a pharmacist in a smaller community, you can fulfil additional roles like vaccinating people or keeping them informed about the latest medical issues.
Pharmacists also need to pay very close attention to the patients’ medical history and the drugs they are selling. Some people can have strong adverse reactions, which might put their life in danger. The same adverse effects can show up by combining different types of medicine.
3. Pharmacists are in high demand
Whether you live in a smaller city or the capital of your country, you’ve probably already noticed that pharmacies or drug stores are everywhere. You cannot walk for a while without stumbling upon one. This reveals the high demand for both pharmacists and medicine.
And you shouldn’t overlook the salaries either. In the US, for example, the median pay for a pharmacist was around 128,700 USD per year in 2020.
4. Flexible work schedules
Unlike other medical professionals, like doctors or nurses, pharmacists have an easier schedule. They don’t usually deal with emergencies and have the flexibility to:
- work in shifts
- work part-time
- work and continue their studies
There’s also not much stress involved. Sure, some patients can be more demanding, and some may even be a handful. But at the end of the day, you don’t have to perform major surgeries or make life-or-death decisions. Prescribing the right drugs and offering advice on how to safely use medicine is enough.
5. Find affordable Pharmacy degrees
In general, Pharmacy degrees are less expensive when compared to other Medical programmes. This doesn’t mean that all Pharmacy courses are cheap, but one can easily find Bachelors and Masters in Pharmacy for under 5,000 EUR per academic year.
If you want to study Pharmacy for free, check out degrees at public universities from:
- Denmark – free Pharmacy Masters for EU/EEA students
- Germany – free Pharmacy Masters for all international students
6. Online Pharmacy degrees make studying easier
Another great reason why you might want to study Pharmacy is the fact that you can do it from anywhere in the world. Online Pharmacy degrees remove the physical barrier between students and universities and allow people like you to earn an international diploma from the comfort of your home.
Online Masters in Pharmacy are especially popular among pharmacists who want to improve their knowledge and advance their careers. But there’s no reason to overlook online Bachelors in Pharmacy, especially during the current Coronavirus pandemic.
7. Plenty of Pharmacy specialisations to choose from
You are not limited to general Pharmacy degrees. You can choose from other specialisations for your studies and future career:
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Pharmacy Administration
- Research Pharmacy
- Community Pharmacy
- Addiction Pharmacy
Are you ready to dispense drugs, suggest the right medicine, and offer people all the medical advice they need?
If you don't know where to start, here are a few universities we recommend for Pharmacy studies:
- University of Bristol, the UK
- University of Nicosia, Cyprus
- The University of Western Australia, Australia