A career in pharmacy offers you:
The pharmacist is an expert in medicines. A pharmacist can be involved in any aspect of the preparation and use of medicines, from the discovery of their active ingredients to their use by patients. Pharmacists also monitor the effects of medicines, both for patient care and for research purposes.
The Society has a website area dedicated to providing you with information about a career in pharmacy. This is a useful resource for students interested in studying pharmacy as it explains the qualifications that are needed to become a pharmacist in the UK and contains web links to all the Schools of Pharmacy across the UK. The website area also contains information for those who may be interested in a career change into the pharmacy profession or pharmacists seeking to return to the profession following a career break. For more information, please click here.
To read an article on careers in pharmacy, published in The Independent newspaper, click here.
A career in pharmacy support
The Society has produced a leaflet entitled Career as a pharmacy technician? providing information about entry and training requirements and career prospects for technicians. For further information about a career in pharmacy support, please contact the Society at supportstaff@rpsgb.org.
For the leaflet, Career as a Pharmacy Technician, click here
Careers materials
The RPSGB has produced a PowerPoint presentation for use in schools to highlight the benefits of a career in pharmacy. If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on CD or any further materials, please contact the Society at enquiries@rpsgb.org.
For the presentation click here
For the presentation speaker notes click here
The RPSGB has also produced a leaflet entitled Interested in pharmacy? which is designed to provide initial information to students interested in a career in pharmacy. To order copies of this leaflet, please contact the Society at enquiries@rpsgb.org.
For the leaflet Interested in Pharmacy? click here
For the Welsh language version of the leaflet click here
Frequently asked questions
Question: What qualifications do I need to become a pharmacist?
Answer: To become a pharmacist in the UK, you will need to complete a 4 year MPharm degree from one of the Schools of Pharmacy listed on our website, click here. You will then need to complete a year of preregistration training and then pass an entrance exam set by the Society.
Question: What GCSE’s and A levels do I need?
Answer: To have a good chance of getting the correct A levels to study Pharmacy you will require at least 5 A-C, G.C.S.E’s which should include English, Maths and Double Science. To gain a place on an MPharm course you will require Chemistry plus two of either Biology, Physics or Maths. You may be able to get a place with two other subjects but you will need to discuss your situation with the School of Pharmacy that you wish to study at.
Question: I am a mature student and do not have the required A levels to become a pharmacist. Is there any other route?
Answer: As a mature student, a better route for you may be an access course. Mature students can enrol on an Access course such as ‘Access to Science’ however acceptance into the MPharm course is at the discretion of the School of Pharmacy that you wish to study at. Accordingly, it is best to discuss your situation with the university’s admission department.
Question: Are there any conversion courses to pharmacy and can I study part-time?
Answer: Previous studies may exempt some people from parts of the course that their subject covers under APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning). This means that the university will look at the syllabus of course completed and decide if it is sufficient to exempt the student from part of the MPharm course. This decision is at the discretion of the School of Pharmacy and thus should be discussed with the admissions tutor. Unfortunately there is no opportunity to study part-time as the course is intensive and requires full time learning.