Career change how do i get into Pharmarcy, can you help/advise?

[jtors65]

Long story......got a degree in computing about 12 years ago, not been able to find a IT related job ended up getting office admin jobs for past 10 years, nothing related to my degree............i would very much like to work in a pharmarcy - can you advise what course that i need to do, i live in leedsm thanks jen

[Pharmguru]

mpharm degree

[jtors65]

i dont have any science background or any gcse or a levels in any science related subject, does this mean i would 1st have to take gsce in chemistry and biology and then alevels before going on a course?

what is the cost of a mpharm and do you have a final year project at the end?

I want to change careers and have always wanted to work in a pharmacy such as boots, local chemist or in the NHS its a career that i should have taken instead of doing my bsc hons in computing, which is useless

I am looking into starting at the bottom and working as a dispensing assistant or pharmacy technician but everywhere I look for these jobs say they need NVQ 2/3 in Pharmacy Services, But where I find somewhere to study these qualifications say I need to be in a work placement to do them, so its a bit of a catch 22, loose/loose situation.

Does anyone have any words of advice for me and how I can get into this? As after 12 years of working various small entry admin level jobs and not really knowing what I want to do, I've finally realised I would love to work in Pharmacy, but I seem to hit a brick wall everytime I think I'm getting close as they all need prior science related qualifications

I understand at the end goal is the mpharm, that will take 4 years i think and i will have to self fund that, what about working as a dispenser what qualification or course do i need for that, is it HCA or NVQ's to work as a dispenser as i think this may be the best route for me, btw i am not working at the moment and alot of the courses ask that you be employed by a pharmarcy, so this is a problem also

i live in leeds, so i would be looking at leeds or bradford for the course and maybe huddersfield

[Nik]

If you want to be a pharmacist, a pharmacy degree is the only way. In your case it may have to be a foundation degree course which is 5 years. The only uni's that have these courses to my knowledge are Keele, Nottingham, Kingston and Manchester.

[sparkybw]

You seem to have little or no chance of getting onto a MPharm at the moment and if that is your ultimate goal then you have no choice other than to visit UCAS and find out the specific entry requirements for that course at the institution/s of your choice and then get them and apply. The cost will depend on your choice of university but reckon on £9000 per year.

Your other alternative is this course at Kingston University which will give you the entry qualifications for Pharmacy. Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences FdSc - Entry 2012 course - London Undergraduate courses - Kingston University London but even there you would need an A level in Chemistry.

Your third option is to say that I don't have the qualifications to become a pharmacist and don't want to spend time gaining them, so my only other option to try for some other pharmacy work at a lower level than pharmacist. Doing this is NOT a way of becoming a pharmacist.

For Pharmacy Technician there are two-year NHS training schemes you can apply for. Set up an email at the NHS Jobs website to inform you when these training places are advertised. But they are very hard to get onto as there are so few places - only 13 at my training college. And you will still need to have GCSEs in Maths, English and Science at grade B or above to stand a good chance as there are thousands of applicants.

For dispenser, your best bet is the independents and multiples. In both cases having experience in retail is a huge advantage so if you don't have any then find either paid or voluntary work that will give you that experience.

Finally, before spending all that money doing GCSEs and A levels you need to find out what exactly it is that attracts to working in in a pharmacy.

[johnep]

Cannot be the money. Minimum wage is the norm.
johnep

[jtors65]

sparkybw, thanks for the advice very helpful - i dont want to waste time doing the gcses in chem and biology, i would prefer to go on the foundation year at manchester uni Pharmacy with a Foundation Year (5 years) (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences - University of Manchester), but they only have 20 places, what do you suggest i do, even if i can get a bottom end job in a pharmacy will be over the moon such as dispenser, what do you suggest i do?

i'm 39 want to get things rolling, is it worth contacting the local hospital or local chemists to ask if they have volunteer jobs, I am very interested in the Pharmacy Technician there are two-year NHS training schemes - can you apply for these even if your not working for the nhs?

[sparkybw]

You can apply for the NHS training scheme even if you have no previous pharmacy experience. You just need the required academic levels, without them they won't even consider your application.

But it is very, very competitive as they have reduced the number of training places. In my hospital this year they selected a current member of staff for the program, so no outsiders stood a chance of getting on there. If other hospitals do similar stuff, and that is quite likely as they are wanting to reduce the number of staff rather than increase it, then it will become even more difficult to get your foot in the door.

the only real alternative outside the nhs is to get work in retail premises attached to a pharmacy. I moved from Asda George to Asda Pharmacy when my store opened their new pharmacy, so I guess that I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

you can't work in ANY pharmacy unless you have the MCA qualification or are working towards it. So you can't just walk in off the street and volunteer in a pharmacy. You can volunteer in other retail premises and that will be very good experience for working in the pharmacy. You would be using the till, taking money, dealing with customers and their enquiries etc. Its all good experience whichever way you go, either as a dispenser or as a pharmacist.

[jtors65]

what is a MCA qualification and how do i start that?

[sparkybw]

Medicine Counter Assistant. The most usual way of doing it is to get a job and then work for the qualification.

In your situation I would be looking at this combination in order to gain the qualifications for either a Pharmacy degree or the Pharmacy Technician course. You said that you are in Leeds so that's where I started looking.

Access to Higher Education | Leeds City College gives a general introduction to Access courses.

Access – Science and Health - Diploma (Level 3) | Leeds City College Courses the specific course that I would do.

You can see that in the links it states that you can study for GCSEs alongside the main course. By doing that you would be able to pick up the Science GCSE that you are lacking and improve grades in Maths and English to a minimum of grade B if you don't already have them which would give you the entry qualifications to become a pharm tech.

So within a year you would be in a much better position to move on than you are currently. And in the meantime while you wait for next September you could try getting retail experience in a pharmacy even as a retail assistant if not working in the dispensary. As a dispenser in either the community or in a hospital outpatients at least 50% of what you do is identical to what you do in any retail environment. You just deal with different goods.