What Can You Do With a Pharmacy Degree

A pharmacy degree can unlock many opportunities for your future. There are exciting and endless avenues to explore, with a vast selection of career options and paths to take. Discover all of the possibilities here.

What Jobs Can You Get with a Pharmacy Degree?

Whether you desire a flexible, entry-level job or an ambitious leadership position, a pharmacy degree can carry you there. While many of these jobs specifically require pharmacy certification, there are others in which having a degree will be a useful tool to have.

• Pharmacy technician: a degree in pharmacy can land you an exciting position as a pharmacy technician: the face of the pharmacy.
• IV pharmacy technician: adding an IV certification to your degree can help you command a higher salary and provide valuable experience to move up in your career.
• Hospital pharmacist: working as a hospital pharmacist allows you to help patients and provide them the care they need directly.
• Pharmacy manager: a pharmacy degree can launch you into leadership positions such as pharmacy manager.
• Director of pharmacy: often the highest position in the entire pharmacy, a pharmacy director ensures the workplace’s operations are running optimally.
• Telepharmacist: as a telepharmacist, you can provide pharmacy services to customers remotely, leading to an exciting and flexible career.
• Teaching: with the extensive knowledge you gain as you obtain your pharmacy degree, teaching may be a viable option. Communicating clearly and effectively – traits of good teachers – can carry you far in this field.
• Researcher: pharmacology is a dynamic, ever-changing industry, and researchers are crucial players in expanding knowledge.
• Medical sales representative: a pharmacy degree can benefit those pursuing this career path, as they will learn much about regulatory and drug development laws involved.

Work Experience for Pharmacy Students

As pharmacy students work towards their degrees, they will find multiple opportunities for work experience. Potential employers like to see candidates with volunteer involvement in the field, and finding work experience options can help strengthen your resumé.

One option for work experience is summer placements. These placements are structured for optimal learning and are offered through schools and employers. There are other forms of internships available for pharmacy students, as well. Most are unpaid, but some programs provide wages to interns. All of these, however, provide critical training and hands-on learning chances to students. Students can also volunteer in pharmacy settings to gain experience and working knowledge.

Potential Employers for Pharmacists

As you complete your pharmacy degree, you will see how many different employers exist in the industry. You can choose whichever setting you like, including:

• Hospitals: this work environment is fast-paced and team-oriented. You will need to react quickly and precisely, helping patients achieve optimal health outcomes.
• Pharmacies: working in this setting, you will help fill prescriptions, work with customers and healthcare providers, and verify that information is accurate.
• Federal government: these pharmacists and technicians are employees of federal government agencies. Many are active military members or may work in VA hospitals, while others provide services for the FDA and other organizations.
• Retail: working in retail pharmacies, customer service is paramount as you will be interacting with customers regularly.

How to Write a Resumé for a Pharmacy Technician Job?

Many students who just got their pharmacy degree apply for pharmacy technician jobs. While everyone comes from different backgrounds, powerful resumés have specific things in common. You will want to highlight your soft skills, those general abilities that transfer well to pharmacy jobs, such as communication, organization, and teamwork. Also, your work experience that you hopefully undertook during pharmacy training is valuable. Even if it was general volunteer work, you can connect what you did and learned to your potential pharmacy technician job requirements.

What to do After Graduating Pharmacy School?

So, you just completed your pharmacy degree. Congratulations – but now what? Many recent graduates devote this time to finalizing their overall image. Take a moment to relax. Work on becoming licensed in your state. That way, you will be ready to be hired immediately, and you can focus on your new job from day one. 

Many graduates begin searching for jobs immediately after graduation, but the market can be challenging, depending on the area you pursue. Some graduates decide to enjoy the year after school, traveling and developing hobbies and interests. For those that are ready to jump right into employment, here’s how pharmacy jobs break down by percentage of employees in the industry: 

• Retail chain, independent, and long-term pharmacies: 8%
• Hospitals: 4%
• Supermarkets with pharmacies: 9%
• Mass merchants with pharmacies: 5.7%
• Outpatient care centers: 1%
• Physician offices: 0%
• Mail pharmacies: 8%
• Home healthcare services: 6% 

Whether you enter the retail, hospital, federal, or another pharmacy setting, your pharmacy degree will vault you to exciting places in your career!