PHARMACY IS THE LIFE SAVING PROFESSION.

Pharmacy is an art and science of preparation of medications from natural and artificial sources from suitable and convenient materials for the treatment and prevention of diseases . It also embraces the knowledge of testification, selection, pharmacological action, analysis, sterilization, and standardization of drug and medicine. It also include the knowledge of proper and safe distribution and use, whether dispensed on the prescription of licensed physician ,dentist, or veterinarian. Word pharmacy is derived from the Greek word "PHARMAKON" which mean medicine or drug.

PHARMACIST:

A person who qualifies the degree of pharmacy is known as pharmacist. Pharmacists are highly-trained and skilled healthcare professionals who perform various roles to ensure optimal health outcomes for their patients. A pharmacist is the only expert on drug. It is his legally granted responsibility to handle drug. It is his professional responsibility to know all about  drugs and thus provide information's about drugs to the other health professionals. Pharmacists are represented internationally by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). They are represented at the national level by professional organizations such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA), and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

COURSES IN PHARMACY:

There are two types of courses are studied in pharmacy.

	Prerequisite courses.
	Professional courses.

Prerequisite courses:

Prerequisite courses are those courses which are other than professional courses, and these courses provide the background for professional pharmacy courses, these courses  are;

	Physical sciences.
	Mathematics/statistics.
	Biological sciences.

Professional courses:

Beside prerequisite courses, there are some professional courses in pharmacy, thus make pharmacy a professional education course. These courses include;

	Pharmaceutics.
	Pharmacognosy.
	Pharmacology.
	Pharmaceutical chemistry.
	pharmaceutical biochemistry.

Pharmaceutics:

The professional course which concern itself with physical, chemical, and biological factors which influence the formulation, manufacture, stability, and effectiveness of pharmaceutical dosage forms is called as pharmaceutics. It include following subjects;

	Industrial pharmacy.
	Calculations.
	Pharmaceutical preparations.
	Pharmaceutical techniques.
	Dispensing pharmacy.
	Physical pharmacy.
	Biopharmaceutics.
	Clinical pharmacy.
	Pharmacy administration.
	Principles and practice of business, and laws to the pharmacy practice.

Pharmacognosy:

Professional course which deal with the biology , biochemistry, and commerce of natural drugs is called as Pharmacognosy. Pharmacognosy concerns with the isolation technique, testing procedure, and medicinal uses of herbal and animal drugs.

Pharmacology:

The professional course which deal with the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and uses of drugs in living begins is called pharmacology. It consist of following branches;

	Pharmacokinetics.
	Pharmacodynamics.
	Pharmacotherapeutics.
	Toxicology.
	posology.

Pharmaceutical chemistry:

The professional course which deal with the application of basic organic and inorganic chemistry to pharmaceutics, and relation of these principles to drug use is called as pharmaceutical chemistry. It include following subjects;

	Organic chemistry
	Inorganic chemistry.
	Analytical chemistry.
	Physical chemistry.
	Medicinal chemistry.

Pharmaceutical biochemistry:

The study of chemistry of biological changes inside the body is called as pharmaceutical biochemistry. It provide a basic back knowledge of biochemical changes during drug use within the body.

Branches of pharmacy:

Pharmacy has various sub-branches on the basis of different areas where pharmacist can work, these are given below;

	Hospital pharmacy.
	Retail pharmacy.
	Clinical pharmacy.
	Industrial pharmacy.
	Forensic pharmacy.
	Internet pharmacy.

Hospital pharmacy:

It is the department or service in hospital which is under the supervision of professionally competent and highly qualified pharmacist and in which proper storage , manufacturing, and safe distribution of medicines occur. Hospital pharmacy is one of the several department in the hospital from which all the medications are supplied to the nursing unit as well as to the  indoor patients and  outdoor patients. The pharmacist which control the hospital pharmacy is known as hospital pharmacist. Hospital pharmacist is responsible for manufacturing, dispensing, maintenance, specification, stability, filling, labeling, of drugs within the hospital pharmacy.

Retail pharmacy:

Retail pharmacy is the sub-branch of pharmacy which deals with sales and distribution of medications and other related products to the consumers. The pharmacist concerned with retail pharmacy is known as retail pharmacist. The job of retail pharmacist is to advise the   patients not only about the proper use of prescribed medications but also about the use of non-prescribed medications or OTC (over the counter) drug products. Retail pharmacy can also sell food products and cosmetics. Retail pharmacy can be classified in to two types.

	Community pharmacy.
	Whole sale pharmacy.

Community pharmacy:

Community pharmacy is also called drug store or medical store. In community pharmacy pharmacist work on the basis of private owner ship or as manager. From business point of view following points should be taken in mind before opening the community pharmacy.

	Location.
	Buying
	Price
	Service.

Retail pharmacist must keep the family health record of the surrounding. This is attractive from business point of view as well as public health. Surrounding families will be attracted toward the pharmacy.

Whole sale pharmacy:

Whole sale pharmacy is also known as drug agency. Drugs are supplied in bulks from industry to the whole sale pharmacy or drug agency. From drug agency these are supplied to the community pharmacy. Whole sale pharmacy is the combination of two or three industries. whole sale pharmacy is supervised by the pharmacist is known as whole sale pharmacist. The owner of whole sale pharmacy is serve as middle man between manufacturer and community pharmacist.

Clinical pharmacy:

Practice of pharmacy in clinic is known as clinical pharmacy. Clinical pharmacy is deal with the patient care in particular emphasis on drug therapy. Clinical pharmacy is also called as patient oriented pharmacy. In practice it include not only dispensing or administration of required medication to the patient but also counseling the patient to the proper use of that medication. During consultation with patient pharmacist should provide him with different information's.

	How, when, and how long to take medicines.
	Proper storage of drugs.
	Side effects and contra-indications.
	Its interaction with other drug products and food material.

For this reason pharmacist is known as drug expert because he is the only person to handle  and dispensed drugs.

Industrial pharmacy:

Industrial pharmacy is the branch of pharmacy which deals with the designing, manufacturing, analysis, storage,  quality control of drugs in industry or pharmaceutical company. Pharmacist who is related to industrial pharmacy is known as industrial pharmacist. Industrial pharmacist have attractive position in industry like;

	Production manager.
	Factory manager.
	Sales manager.
	Quality control manager.
	Production pharmacist.

Forensic pharmacy:

Forensic pharmacy is the branch of pharmacy which deals with rules and regulations of manufacturing, sales, distribution, storage, and exhibitions of drugs OR it is the branch of pharmacy that concerned with the laws or acts related to the profession of pharmacy. The word Forensic is derived from the Latin word forum which mean pertaining or related to the laws of pharmacy. So in this way profession of pharmacy is controlled and protected by the pharmacy act, because it is dangerous to dispensed and handle the medications within the hands of unqualified and untrained persons. In Pakistan these rules and regulations are according to the drug act 1976.In forensic pharmacy the pharmacist is made aware of all these laws.

Internet pharmacy:

Since about the year 2000, a growing number of Internet pharmacies have been established worldwide. Many of these pharmacies are similar to community pharmacies, and in fact, many of them are actually operated by brick-and-mortar community pharmacies that serve consumers online and those that walk in their door. The primary difference is the method by which the medications are requested and received. Some customers consider this to be more convenient and private method rather than traveling to a community drugstore where another customer might overhear about the drugs that they take. Internet pharmacies (also known as Online Pharmacies) are also recommended to some patients by their physicians if they are homebound.

While most Internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs and require a valid prescription, some Internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs without requiring a prescription. Many customers order drugs from such pharmacies to avoid the "inconvenience" of visiting a doctor or to obtain medications which their doctors were unwilling to prescribe. However, this practice has been criticized as potentially dangerous, especially by those who feel that only doctors can reliably assess contraindications, risk/benefit ratios, and an individual's overall suitability for use of a medication. There also have been reports of such pharmacies dispensing substandard products. Of course as history has shown, substandard products can be dispensed by both Internet and Community pharmacies, so it is best that the buyer beware.

Canada is home to dozens of licensed Internet pharmacies, many which sell their lower-cost prescription drugs to U.S. consumers, who pay the world's highest drug prices. However, there are Internet pharmacies in many other countries including Israel, Fiji and the UK that serve customers worldwide.

Government services for pharmacist:

Government services for pharmacist are divided in to,

	Armed forced services
	Civil services.

Armed forced services:

In armed forces pharmacist is appointed as non commissioned officers and commissioned officers, these commissioned and non commissioned officers are in army, navy and air force.

Civil services:

In civil services pharmacist is appointed as ;

	Hospital pharmacist.
	Drug inspector
	Drug controller.
	Analysist.

Pharmacist in civil services has the responsibility to control the proper manufacturing and safe distribution of medicines. In government services pharmacist have high salary, best facilities available and have surety of job.

Future of pharmacy:

The coming decades, pharmacists are expected to become more integral within the health care system. Rather than simply dispensing medication, pharmacists expect to be paid for their cognitive skills.

This paradigm shift has already commenced in some countries; for instance, pharmacists in Australia receive remuneration from the Australian Government for conducting comprehensive Home Medicines Reviews. In the United Kingdom, pharmacists (and nurses) who undertake additional training are obtaining prescribing rights. In the United States, consultant pharmacists, who traditionally operated primarily in nursing homes are now expanding into direct consultation with patients, under the banner of "senior care pharmacy.

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