Pharmacist

You would help people get the right medicines and drugs and use them safely to treat illnesses and disease.

You’d check prescriptions, dispense medicines and make sure that the laws to control medicines are met.

You could work as a community pharmacist, for example in a high street shop, or in a hospital pharmacy either in the NHS or in a private hospital.

As a community pharmacist you would:

• Give healthcare advice and help to customers
• Prepare medicines bought at the counter
• Give advice on how to use medicines correctly, including the amount to use (dosage) and any risks
• Sell a range of products
• Deliver medication to people who are unable to leave home
• Visit care homes to advise on the use and storage of medications
• Order and control stock

You would also run or help to run the business, including supervising and training staff.

In a hospital, you would:

• Advise on most suitable form of medicine, such as a tablet, inhaler or injection
• Advise on the dosage for medicines
• Produce medicines, for example, creating a treatment or solution when ready-made ones are not available
• Visit wards
• Advise colleagues about medicines and give them up-to-date information
• Buy, quality test and distribute medicines throughout the hospital
• Supervise trainees and junior pharmacists

Another option is to work as a pharmacist within a local NHS service.

You could:

• Advise GPs about prescribing
• Run a clinic at a GP practice
• Train local prescribers on issues related to managing and prescribing medicines.

You could also work in education or in industry, carrying out research into new medicines and running clinical trials.

You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the Pharmacist page on the NHSScotland Careers website.