Career Guidance – Pharmacy Graduates (Pakistan)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

?Q1. What practice options are available for pharmacists in Pakistan?

Ans. Pharmacy is a diverse profession. After graduation you can choose one of the roles/fields below in Pakistan e.g.:

1.??????Hospital or Clinical pharmacist

2.??????Community/retail pharmacist

3.??????Industrial pharmacist (production, sales, marketing, medical affairs etc.)

4.??????Regulatory, Government, NGO side (DRAP, Drug Inspectors, Drug Testing Labs, policy making, forensic etc.)

5.??????Academia (teaching)

6.??????Research/clinical trial unit pharmacist

7.??????Military pharmacist ?

8.??????Medical journalism

9.??????Diabetes educator

10.??Entrepreneur: setup your own pharmacy services (retail/compounding/IV admixture/drug information service etc.) or start Tele-pharmacy service (online medication review, med reconciliation, counseling, adherence monitoring etc.)

11.??Pharmacy/Healthcare informatics (Develop/upgrade/Implement Healthcare & Pharmacy related IT solutions)

Q2. I am near to finishing my degree, but I am still not clear which path to choose?

Ans. This is normal for any undergraduate, so don’t get frustrated. The “which path to choose” enigma solves when you get exposure to some of the main paths. Here are some tips:

1.??????Your scheduled clerkships (in hospital, community or industry etc.) during the degree program, are a sneak-peek to your profession. Do keenly observe the working, challenges and role of pharmacist there. Ask questions and get the most out of that experience.?

2.??????Always use your semester/annual breaks wisely. Take out time to do observer-ships or even free volunteer work in your top 2-3 preferred areas (spend time in industry or community/hospital pharmacy, become teacher assistant etc.)

3.??????It is always great to identify a mentor in areas of your choice, who can give you an insight in to that field, the goods and not-too-goods about it and is able to guide and answer your questions. Link them through personal contact or via social media, follow them and seek guidance where needed.

4.??????During study, do keep an eye on the webinars, conferences, seminars offered from your preferred field experts. Attend them and try to engage with professionals, ask about their career path and struggles they did and seek their advice

5.??????Follow pharmacy related international organizations/sites and keep an eye on their news updates, webinars and guidelines released from time to time.?

o??International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which has several sections, and you may join the sections of your choice – also offers useful free webinars

o??American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) – offers useful free online courses

o??WHO – as it offers useful free online courses

o??NPS MedicineWise – as it offers useful free online courses

o??U.S. Pharmacist – articles and CEs

o??DrugBank Online – drug information

o??Medscape – articles, drug information and CEs

o??WebMD – drug information

o??RXList – drug information

o??Coursera – free courses (personal development / healthcare etc.)

(Note: this list is not exhaustive)

6.??????Get membership / or follow the working of professional pharmacist organizations in Pakistan such as The Pakistan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (PSHP), Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA), Giving Back to Pharmacy in Pakistan (GBTPP), Nurturing Community Pharmacy in Pakistan (NCPP), Mahir-e-Adviyat etc. (Note: this list is not exhaustive)

7.??????Follow Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) webpage and keep an eye on the product recalls, safety alerts, rules/SROs released and related guidelines published from time to time.

By the end of 5 years’ studies plus the above additional exposure, hopefully you will be in much better position to decide your aptitude and career aspirations.?

Q3. What things make my Curriculum Vitae (CV) strong and increase chances of getting hired soon?

Ans. Refer to the previous question. All the experience you gathered, your good knowledge about the profession, your engagement with the profession as evident from your know-how, your attachment / observer-ships / number of CE sessions or webinars attended, projects undertaken or assisted in, your extracurricular activities, your computer, social media and interpersonal skills etc. – all make your CV strong.?

Q4. How to prepare for the interview?

Here are some important tips:

1.??????Know the Details (the role, job type, city, timings, approx. salary/stipend etc.)

2.??????Understand the Role (what does this job demand, what does this role in the profession demand)

3.??????Research the company beyond their 'About Us' on the webpage

4.??????Research your interviewers (if possible) – their expertise and background, so that you can anticipate relevant questions related to their area of expertise

5.??????Practice the introduction part (e.g. greeting the interviewers and tell us about yourself or your family part)

6.??????Research questions and practice your answers (remember you have only few minutes to prove your worth so you cannot waste time on unimportant things)

7.??????Always let the interviewer complete the question (even if you know)

8.??????Give short, complete and to the point answers (interviewers don’t like talkative candidates!)

9.??????List your major accomplishments

10.??List your important extracurricular skills/activities

11.??Know your CV inside and out (be ready to defend whatever is there in your CV)

12.??Think of examples to quote (be ready to answer questions like ‘give an example how you handled a difficult situation or conversation’ or ‘when you encountered xyz patient or prescription’ or ‘a situation when you felt demotivated or frustrated’ etc.)

13.??Dress up nicely (formal but comfortable) and exercise confidence

14.??Be presentable, polite and pleasant – Smile!

15.??Keep your mobile on silent mode

16.??Bring your necessary documents with you (but don’t present until asked)

17.??Arrange your documents properly (as you don’t want to search them in front of the panel)

18.??Never be late for an interview

19.??Think of 1-2 questions ahead, if the panel allows you to ask any question (be specific and relevant. Don’t ask if you don’t need to)

20.??Practice the exit part (e.g. thanking the interviewers and leaving confidently)

Q5. I want to become a clinical pharmacist but hospitals don’t hire fresh graduates for this?

Ans. Clinical pharmacists are always developed with experience and added study/certification that is not available with fresh graduates usually.?The usual process to become a clinical pharmacist is:

1.????After graduation, join a good hospital pharmacy training program or 1-year residency program in any good hospital pharmacy setup. Seek your pharmacy council registration meanwhile.

2.????Masters in Clinical Pharmacy Practice is also now offered in Pakistan, so one can get enrolled there as well - https://stmu.edu.pk/academic/collegesdepartments/scps/m-phil-clinical-pharmacy-practice/

3.????Join a good hospital and spend at least 1-2 years. Consciously work to increase your drug related knowledge, solving and documenting the drug related problems (DRPs). If you also get a chance to do multidisciplinary clinical rounds in wards/clinics, it will be quite useful.

4.????Do attend pharmacy related seminars and conferences and continuing education (CE) webinars regularly, to upgrade your knowledge

5.????Meanwhile also explore or seek additional certification of your choice (depends in which specialty you want to become a clinical pharmacist) like:

6.????Antimicrobial Stewardship (Infectious Diseases - ID pharmacist), Critical Care,

7.????Specialty pharmacy like anticoagulation, diabetes management, pediatrics, emergency pharmacy, Total parenteral nutrition or oncology etc. (check sites: SIDP https://www.sidp.org/, ASHP https://www.ashp.org/professional-development/professional-certificates,?USI https://www.usi.edu/health/center-for-health-professions-lifelong-learning/certificate-programs, ISOPP https://www.isopp.org/isopp-education-resources etc. (the list is not exhaustive)

8.??????Now you are ready to seek clinical pharmacist job postings or promotions within your hospital as ‘clinical pharmacist’

9.??????Once you become clinical pharmacist, keep the goal of specialization in mind. Board of Pharmacy Certification can be a great tool and option for this (https://www.bpsweb.org/)

10.??Ensure life-long learning as a clinical pharmacist has always to be abreast of the latest developments and evidence based literature in the field.

Q6. I want to do pharmacy internship what are my options?

Several hospital and retail setups offer pharmacy internships. Identify the good hospitals near you and explore their internship program and process to apply. Some examples are;

1.??????Shifa International Hospitals Ltd. – Islamabad & Faisalabad

2.??????Ali Medical Center – Islamabad

3.??????Kulsoom International hospital - Islamabad

4.??????Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital – Rawalpindi

5.??????Aga Khan University Hospital - KHI

6.??????The Indus Hospital - KHI

7.??????Dow University of Health Sciences pharmacy - KHI

8.??????Tabba Heart Institute – KHI

9.??????SIUT - KHI

10.??Liaqat National Hospital - KHI

11.??Ehad pharmacy internship – KHI

12.??Al-Khidmat Pharmacy internship – KHI

13.??Dvago pharmacies – KHI

14.??Ziauddin Hospital - KHI

15.??Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer hospital – Lahore & Peshawar

16.??Ghurki Teaching Hospital – Lahore

17.??Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI) – Lahore

18.??Ever Care hospital – Lahore

19.??Mukhtar A Sheikh Hospital – Multan

20.??Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) – Peshawar

21.??Umar pharmacy – Peshawar

22.??North West General Hospital - Peshawar

?(the list is not exhaustive)

Q7. How do I make my internship more useful?

Ans. Start with a passion and take responsibility for your knowledge upgrade. The trainings and internships are not just formal degree or CV requirements, rather they are to build your knowledge, aptitude and engagement with the profession. Here are some tips;

·????????Read and explore the good practices about the field where you will be starting internship (e.g. if it’s a community pharmacy, read what is the role of a community pharmacist and some best practices associated)

·????????Make a list of 4-5 learning objectives that you want to glean out of this internship

·????????When join, meet your trainer or lead pharmacist who will be responsible for your internship. Discuss the learning objectives that you have jotted down. Make necessary changes as per the discussion and agree on the final goals

·????????Develop the understanding with the lead pharmacist that how these goals will be achieved over the defined period of internship (e.g. what areas to be visited, what types of activities to be performed, any lectures or case studies or any hands-on work to be performed etc.)

·????????Closely observe the working and ask questions where confusion arises. Take notes

·????????Meet the lead pharmacist at least weekly to reflect on your agreed learning objectives and share the progress

·????????Mutually discuss and adjust the activities if the progress is not up to the mark

·????????Try to complete all the learning objectives with defined activities (and not just theory) so that you continue to remember the gist of it.

Hope these answers help you!

These are only some frequently encountered questions from students and fresh graduates. But if you still have more questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.

Proud to be a Pharmacist!