Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Degree from India

[Taspat]

Hi All,

This is my first post, hope you guyz can help me with my dilemma/questions!

I have done 4 year degree course 'Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences' from Mumai University, India.

After which I worked as a medical Representative for a year (India)
Then worked as a Regulatory Affairs Officer for more than a year (India)

Then came to UK after marriage, immediately secured permanant residency,

Then began working as Regulatory Submissions Assistant(UK) for a global Pharma company since 15 months now

My question is: how do I start to prepare to register myself as a Pharmacist with rpsgb. I dont want to do any 2 yr uni course (let alone be the 4 yr degree course), neither can I afford it, nor do I have the time and patience to spend 2 years attaining a Pharmacy degree from UK.

What is the alternate solution?
Where do I start from? How do I enrol for the Pharmacy Services S/NVQ level 2 or whatever else that can be considered as the first step to register myself here in UK? Do I need to take up a job in a local Pharmacy for this or......Please advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really want to hold atleast one UK based qualification, for the sake of my CV, (although I do have a good regulatory job at the moment).

Please can someone tell me, what is the shortest, easiest and economic way of starting to register myself as a Pharmacist here (UK)

Many thanx for reading my post, hope you guyz can point me in the right direction.

[shan]

IMHO there is no such short route to become a pharmacist in the UK. If you dont have time to study and clear IELTS and go to the uni for atleast 1 year to do a OSPAP and then 1 year of pre-reg, you better forget about registering as a Pharmacist in UK. I am not aware of any qualification that you can attain in UK without spending time and money on it. And specially if you already love your job then why you want to add just another qualification to your CV if it doesn't matter ??? you should first be clear what you want to do or which field you want to work in then decide which qualification to go for. But, be rest assured that you need to spend both time and money in this country if you need a qualification.

All the best.

Shan

[shan]

Then came to UK after marriage, immediately secured permanant residency,

Can you please elaborate what do you mean by immediate ??? I thought it is minimum 2 + years before you apply for ILR. (since I am on the same boat I am asking this question)

Shan

[SolomonQ]

lease can someone tell me, what is the shortest, easiest and economic way of starting to register myself as a Pharmacist here (UK)

before you can register as a pharmacist in UK, you need to be a pharmacist in your own country and from the looks of it you're not, so without a pharmacy degree from UK there's no other way.

p.s. there is a reason why mumbai university's 4 year course is only a bachelors

[shan]

before you can register as a pharmacist in UK, you need to be a pharmacist in your own country and from the looks of it you're not, so without a pharmacy degree from UK there's no other way.

p.s. there is a reason why mumbai university's 4 year course is only a bachelors

Hi SolomonQ,

Doesn't look like your IQ levels or should I say General Knowledge is that good. a bachelors degree or B. Pharm from India is in theory as good as an UK MPharm (both are 4 year courses) Only difference being it is not recognised in the UK to register as a Pharmacist (it is the same case for all non EU nations including USA) If you have read my earlier posts and done some basic GK search you would have come to know that all "foreign" pharmacists (whether bachelor or masters degree) have to take the IELTS, OSPAP & pre-reg route.

Please do not undervalue someone's qualification if you don't have enough knowledge of it.

Shan

p.s: do you really think there a reason behind the bachelor's degree

[Taspat]

Hi Shan,

Many thanks for your responses, much appreciated.

Re: your question so as to how I secured PR so quickly, I married & came to UK, but because my husband and I, both applied at the same time for Permanant residency, I was able to secure PR as soon as I came to UK. (dh had completed 5 years in UK then).
Hope this answers your question.

Now coming back to my question, yes I really do want to be registered as a pharmacist in the UK. Firstly it would look good on my CV. It could help me in my current job as well, Besides I do want to be able to work as a pharmacist at some time (I would be very interested to work in a hospital pharmacy).

As I understand with regards to the OSPAP, there are only a few universities that offer this course, is this correct, and none of which happen to be close to where I live (greater london) and thats a big problem.

Also, I had spoken to a casual friend of mine a couple of yrs ago, & she too had done her B.Pharm from India, and after she came to UK , she started working in Boots and gradually started making her way up. She had told me that she was studying for Pharmacy Services NVQs, one after the other (and that Boots was sponsoring her to carry on her NVQs), now thats what I want to enquire about. Is it possible to do these Pharmacy Services S/NVQs and become a registered pharmacist without having to do the 1 yr Uni course and 1 yr Pre-reg training? What is the best way of doing this?

Please advice what should be my first step towards becoming a registered here in the UK a a pharmacist.

Please advice.

[shan]

ok got you.

Well if you want to register in the UK as a Pharmacist, the only way is through OSPAP.

RE: you friend might have worked as a dispensing technician and then must have done the NVQ series, which is possible for anyone with a decent educational background. But it will not let you register as a Pharmacist in the UK at any point. The maximum level, as per my idea, is an accuracy checking technician you can be by this way.

Having said that, why would you join a pharmacy as a dispenser and do NVQs if you already have a good job. I feel the pay you are getting now must be more than what a dispenser gets.

There are only 4 unis providing the OSPAP course. I did mine from RGU Scotland. I too live in greater London but I had to go to scotland to finish my course first. It all depends on your priorities and circumstances. I was newly married and had to leave my wife in london to complete my studies. But at the end of it I am back and everything looks so bright. In acheiving some big goals you need to sacrifice sometimes.

Shan

[SolomonQ]

B. Pharm from India is in theory as good as an UK MPharm

and a pharmaceutical sciences degree from Salford university is as good as a pharmaceutical sciences degree from Oxford University,"in theory" atleast, or is it???

If you have read my earlier posts and done some basic GK search you would have come to know that all "foreign" pharmacists (whether bachelor or masters degree) have to take the IELTS, OSPAP & pre-reg route.

pity you didnt give this advice to the person asking the questionm would have saved yourself alot of time
:P

[shan]

Read the thread carefully, I have already explained to the person raising the question.

And if you ask me, I consider all the Pharmaceutical Sciences degrees are same when it comes the proposed curriculum. It all depends on the students how much they can absorb and continue updating their knowledge.

If studying in one perticular university made people geniuses then I dont think people like you and me who have not studied in those universities will ever have a place in this competitive world.

Theory is always theory meaning what you are supposed to do as against practice where what you have learnt and practiced counts irrespective of where you studied.

Think before you answer.

Shan

[SolomonQ]

Unfortunately, I don’t share your leftish thinking and nor do a great majority of people such as most employers or academic recruiters. Ofcourse the “Everyone is a winner” mentality is creeping into the British education system also, but in the real world such systems don’t function well. Exhibition 1: Soviet Russia (USSR)

If studying in one perticular university made people geniuses then I dont think people like you and me who have not studied in those universities will ever have a place in this competitive world.

Why not? the place in this world is not so small, depending on how you define place..every has a set place.

Theory is always theory meaning what you are supposed to do as against practice where what you have learnt and practiced counts irrespective of where you studied

Hmmm, if I understand what you’re saying, then why don’t people such as those recruiting for the best jobs in say finance think the same way. I’m in the same boat as you in this respect but my opinions aren’t formed to polish my own ego, they are formed from facts. on this occasion the facts arent in my favour, nor yours.