By Yasirali Pirmohamed

It is quite amazing to see that recently the numbers of students who are pursuing or thinking of pursuing a career in pharmacy have dramatically increased. I am perplexed as to why they have made this choice but I think it is because of the attractions of the amount of potential earnings they think they can make.

Pharmacy is a good middle ground. It is not as intensive as medicine but provides you with enough knowledge about symptoms and diseases. As a pharmacist you are a specialist in drugs. You will know everything and anything to do with medicines; more so than a doctor himself.

As far as the requirements that are needed these days, universities have become more stringent, competitive and challenging to get in to. As an example Aston University require that you need 3 subjects at A-levels, which should include Chemistry plus one science subject from Biology, Maths or Physics. General Studies is not accepted as a third subject. A typical offer is ABB. They also stipulate that at GCSE level you need English Language at grade C or above and Mathematics required at grade B or above (Further information can be obtained from www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/ugcourses/pharmacy/).

However some students shouldn't loose hope if they don't meet the requirements because you can also sometimes get in via clearing. However, having said that it is relatively more difficult to get into universities such as Aston through clearing.

The other local university is Wolverhampton. This is not too far away but it is fairly new at teaching pharmacy. Their entry requirements are Chemistry passed at A-level grade B or equivalent, plus one subject from the physical, mathematical or biological sciences. Interview for the course is mandatory. You should also have GCSE English and Maths at Grade C or above, or an equivalent qualification (Further information can be obtained from http://www.wlv.ac.uk/default.aspx?page=7200).

It is probably a good idea to actually work in a pharmacy before you decide to pursue pharmacy as a career. This will enable you to explore what your future will be like and what kind of work you will be doing once you qualify. Also, as I am sure you all must be aware, that we have a lot of pharmacists in our community and you could speak to them and get their views on what being a pharmacist is like. You could also speak to pharmacy students and get their ideas on what to expect from the course.

Pharmacy is a four year degree course after which you do one year training on the job (known as pre-registration year). Your first year at university is a good review of A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths. This is why it is important to do these subjects at A-levels otherwise your first year will be intense. You will eventually have to do these subjects; thus my recomendation is to do them at A-level so that it is easier for you at university. These subjects are the basis of your degree and as you progress through the years you build on them. You typically have a 30 hour week that involves attending lectures, seminars and lab-based practicals and you should also allow for at least 10 hours a week of self study.

A lot of guidance will be given to you when applying for a pre-reg place at your university. In your pre-reg year, you are required to work full-time in a pharmacy. You undergo training as well as on the job experience. Finally, at the end of your year, you are required to give an external examination. On passing this you then become a fully qualified pharmacist.

You can either work in a community or a hospital setting. Applying for pre-reg places is competitive (especially in Birmingham), so the best advice is don't leave it too late and make sure you get some experience working in a pharmacy during your undergraduate years (e.g: summer holidays).

After qualifying, you then need to decide what you would like to do. You could either work for a multiple or an independent pharmacy and progress into a managerial role. A lot of newly qualified pharmacists start 'locuming', which means you work for yourself and get paid loads!

Our community is quite fortunate to have a nationally renowned organisation called Pharmaco which can give a lot of advice and direction to young pharmacists (Further information can be obtained from www.pharmaco.co.uk).

I studied at Aston University and did my pre-reg in hospital. After qualifying, I chose to work for a big multiple and have Alhamdulillah progressed into a managerial role. I also have the opportunity to train pre-regs as well as other pharmacists develop their learning.

The biggest advantage of being a pharmacist is that you can choose to work when you want and where you want. This is ideal for women who would like to only work part time.

Please do not hesitate to ask me (or my wife) any questions you have. The editorial board has all my details.