pharmacy and course overview

 

Pharmacy is the art, science and practice of the design, development and production of drugs and also the study of drug interactions, including formulation of drugs, compounding of drugs and dispensing while also offering health counseling, and medication advice plus drug therapy interventions.

 In common English language, pharmacy is a shop or a section/department of a hospital where medicinal drugs and other therapeutics are prepared and sold.

 Pharmacy is a professional science field integrating the medical sciences with chemistry and other fields of knowledge that finds applications in it.

  A pharmacist is qualified personnel by formal education, whom had obtained the required license to practice in the field of pharmacy and possess excellent knowledge of the pharmaceutical sciences and care.

 Pharmacists depending on area of interest, specialization and workplace discovers, designs, develops, market/distributes and dispenses medicinal drugs, offer advice and interventions on safe and effective use of medications, carry out immunization/vaccination and other administrative,management and clerical functions.

 Some pharmacists in some locations may prescribe some specific medications for specific ailments perform some common tests to check for vital signs and other healthcare services (including providing advice and education on safe use of medications, diets and lifestyle modification).

The primary and traditional roles of the pharmacist include; preparation, compounding, dispensing and merchandise of drugs in addition to educating the public on appropriate use of medication. Pharmacists are called ‘Drug Experts’ because of their sound knowledge and expertise on drugs, drug formulation, dosage and drug therapy. They also advice physicians and other healthcare practitioners on appropriate use of medicines, as they check errors in prescriptions.

 

  Scope

 Its scope includes the cultivation of medicinal plants, extraction synthesis and purification of medicinal compounds and analysis of medicinal agents. It applies the knowledge of chemistry, biology, physics, epidemiology, mathematics, statistics and chemical engineering in its scope. It also includes administration and management as well as the business of pharmacy i.e, manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, retailing, import and export of pharmaceuticals while adhering to laws and regulations guiding the practice and maintaining safety protocols.

 Graduate pharmacists can work in any of these fields;

 Clinical/hospital pharmacy: They work as important part of the health team with the following responsibilities; responsible for choosing the drugs to be stocked in the hospital dispensary. Receive prescription orders from physicians, dentists and nurses followed by checking, review and dispensing of the prescribed drugs. They may also go on ward rounds and also prepare and compound drugs for in-patients. They also give pharmaceutical advice and interventions.

Industrial pharmacy: Research and create new pharmaceuticals and develop existing ones. They also develop market strategies to merchandize drug products.

Pharmacy academia: They train pharmacy students, undergo further studies in the pharmaceutical sciences and carry out pharmaceutical research.

Regulatory agencies: They are employed to work in order to check and regulate the manufacture, importation, distribution of drugs and other pharmaceutical and related products in the country’s market before they reach the consumers. They test and ascertain the quality and safety of products.

  Other areas include pharmacoeconomics, legal sector and community pharmacy.

 

 The 4 main branches of the pharmaceutical science are given below

 

Pharmacology: the scientific study of the properties and effects of drugs on the body. It’s divided into pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical toxicology and pharmacogenomics(pharmacogenenetics).

Pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry: field of study at the intersection of chemistry, pharmacology and various biological sciences involving the discovery, synthesis, design, development, analysis and evaluation of pharmaceutical drugs.

Pharmaceutics: discipline concerned with the process of converting a new chemical entity into a medicine in a safe and effective form, ie dosage form design. It is the art and science of creating the dosage form of a therapeutic agent, thus, it encompasses drug formulation and manufacturing

pharmacognosy: Study of medicines derived from natural sources especially plants.

   Others are pharmaceutical biotechnology, cosmetology, pharmacoinformatics, pharmaceutical analysis etc.

 Major specialties of pharmacy

Ambulatory care pharmacy

Cardiology pharmacy

Geriatrics pharmacy

Compounded sterile preparations pharmacy

Nutrition support pharmacy

Nuclear pharmacy

Emergency medicine pharmacy

Infectious disease

Oncology pharmacy

Pharmacotherapy

Critical care pharmacy

Psychiatric pharmacy

Academic pharmacy etc

 

  Pharmacy education

To apply for pharmacy program in any of Nigerian universities, you are required to have a science background. You are expected to have taken classes in science subjects; physics, biology, chemistry, general mathematics. English language is compulsory. Other relevant subjects are economics, agric science, computer science etc. you are required to possess 5 credits and above in physics, biology, chemistry, general mathematics and English language.

Interested candidate would sit for the UTME exam which includes the 4 subjects; physics, chemistry, biology and use of English.

Direct Entry candidates may provide an Alevel certificate or a relevant Bachelors degree. A level certificate should be in physics, chemistry and biology/zoology/botany while degree holders in the field of anatomy, physiology, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry, nutrition, botany, biology, biotechnology, pharmacology, chemistry or other degrees as specified by the institution.

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