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Pharmacy
How to become a pharmacist
To become a pharmacist, you must be professionally qualified and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
What is a pharmacist?
Pharmacists are key members of the healthcare team. They provide expert advice to patients and other healthcare professionals on the safe use and supply of medicines.
Pharmacists are also trained in managing common clinical conditions and provide services to help people live longer and healthier lives.
To work in the UK, pharmacists must be professionally qualified and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Starting your career as pharmacist
Choosing subjects at school
To get on a course that could lead to a career as a pharmacist, useful subjects include:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- English
- Maths
- Physics
- Administration and IT
- Business Management
Speak to your guidance teacher or careers adviser about subjects offered at your school.
Work placements and volunteering
You may find it helpful to get some healthcare experience by doing a work placement or volunteering. You’ll get training, increase your knowledge, and learn new skills. This could help you when applying to university, college or a new job with NHSScotland.
Education and training pathway
In Scotland, 2 universities offer the GPhC accredited Master of Pharmacy degrees (MPharm):
- Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen
- University of Strathclyde in Glasgow
The 4-year MPharm degree is followed by a paid Foundation Training year. At the end of the training year, you'll be set for the GPhC assessment to become a qualified pharmacist.
Widening access
Widening participation supports adult learners who want to go to university. If you’re an adult with few or no qualifications, you could get into higher education through the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP). Many universities also provide access programmes to help you get the degree entry qualifications you need.
Degree programme
Many universities also provide access programmes to help you get the degree entry qualifications you need.
If you're a registered pharmacy technician, you can apply to do the MPharm degree to become a pharmacist. You'll then need to complete a foundation training programme in your workplace and pass the GPhC’s registration assessment.
Get to know the role
As a pharmacist, you would use your expert knowledge of medicines and the effect they have on the body to help people manage their conditions.
The GPhC is changing the education and training process for future pharmacists. It means that by the summer of 2026, all pharmacists will be qualified independent prescribers at the point of registration. This will allow you to prescribe medicines and lead clinics in your place of work.
Community pharmacy
As a pharmacist working in a community pharmacy, you would help people with common clinical conditions, answer medication queries, and dispense prescriptions. You will also be responsible for supervising the sale of medications and for providing training for staff.
Hospital pharmacy
If you are working within a hospital pharmacy, you will be involved in every stage of a patient’s hospital journey. You might review patients in clinics or see them when they come into the hospital unwell.
Primary care
You would make sure that medicines are prescribed safely, cost-effective, and appropriate for the disease. You’ll also be the key link between hospital and community pharmacy teams.
Some of the typical tasks of a pharmacist include:
- confirming what medications patients are taking and making sure they are appropriate
- prescribing medications to allow patients to achieve their treatment goals
- training and supervising staff in a hospital setting
- making sure the supply and use of medicines is within the law, ethics, and local and national guidelines
- monitoring the effects of treatments to make sure they are safe and effective
- providing advice to others about the safe use of medicines
You’ll need these skills:
- compassion
- communicating with people
- working in a team
- decision-making
- leadership
- problem-solving
You could work with:
- pharmacy technicians
- pharmacy support staff
- doctors
- nurses
- other healthcare professionals
- administrative staff
You could work in:
- hospital
- community pharmacies
- GP practices
- pharmaceutical companies
- universities or colleges
Learning and development
You may choose to specialise in an area of pharmacy such as:
- mental health
- cancer care
- paediatrics
- addiction
- research and development
You could also progress to senior and specialist pharmacist roles. To help you develop into these roles, there are a number of training pathways.
Once you have the necessary experience, you may choose to undertake a senior managerial role. You could become the head of a pharmacy service. There are also teaching and research opportunities.
Professional bodies
The professional body for pharmacists in the UK is The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). You can become a member as soon as you start studying for a pharmacy degree.
The RPS provides courses, conferences, and seminars. They also offer post-registration training programmes for pharmacists at foundation, advanced, and consultant levels.
You will need to renew your registration every year. This includes providing evidence that you are continuing to develop your knowledge and skills.
Help with recruitment
We'll guide you through the recruitment process, from applying online to interview preparation.
Help with recruitment
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