The Student Room Group

Need some advice

Hi all I want to start studying a course in pharmacology, what sort of career avenues does a qualification and good understanding in this field provide.. is there a demand for pharmacologists or is Pharmacy the one to do in terms of employability, salary etc.

However my main question is one for all the students currently studying it, what do you think the key foundations are with pharmacology that you would say are essential to have a good understanding of when it comes to understanding this field?

Thanks all!
Reply 1
Depends if you want something lab based. For pharmacology you can go on to have a career in a lab as a research technician, but if you want a career where you run your own research programme in an academic, research or industrial setting its PhD time....
A pharmacology degree will still give you the option of non research jobs though such as finance, management, recruitment etc.

Pharmacy, of course you get the job guarantees and the immediate repectable salary, as well as indistrial jobs such as regulatory affairs (the paperwork for new drugs), clinical trials manufacturing etc, but if you want to do research its as above, and you do a PhD. However, if you do a PhD afterwards and you are a pharmacist, you can make extra money locuming, which is what I did before I got pissed off with the lot and decided to become a vet.

So I suppose its all down to whether or not you want a career running your own research unit...


For understanding, pharmacology iteself is quite biochemical, you need to be able to grasp receptors and enzymes as drug targets, and how their shape influences this. Depending on the course and the uni, you might be expected to do modules such as physiology, medicinal chemistry and drug design. biochemistry and other life sciences that complement the pharmacology bit.
Reply 2
Ok, from what I have read about a degree in Pharmacology I will end up being a lab assistant who aids with setting up the lab and doing mundane tasks for an aevrage pay of about 30k a year. Unless I do a PhD..... *sigh*
Reply 3
30K? Hmmm, not straight away...
Research techs are not the same as lab techs like at school. They actually do the experiments and get on papers, work in biological facilities e.g. histology, microarray, microscopy etc. Sometimes you can get a job as a research tech and they will register you for a part time MSC/PhD at the same time. I knew a couple of people who did this and one of them is now an academic at a university in New Zealand. You should do work exp at a research institute, where do you live?
Reply 4
pharmgirl
30K? Hmmm, not straight away...
Research techs are not the same as lab techs like at school. They actually do the experiments and get on papers, work in biological facilities e.g. histology, microarray, microscopy etc. Sometimes you can get a job as a research tech and they will register you for a part time MSC/PhD at the same time. I knew a couple of people who did this and one of them is now an academic at a university in New Zealand. You should do work exp at a research institute, where do you live?


Thanks for your help so far. (I added you to MSN but you're offline)

I live in London, UK. I am not studying anything at the moment but pharmacology is a subject area that does interest me a lot as does neuroscience, I am 20 years old and in a job which pays me 21k (with no qualification being trained as I go) but am not really interested in the industry I am in.

So making a move to quit work and study is a big decision, I want to make sure that pharmacology degree would open up the right avenues. Anything under 30k seems quite low paid for such a skilled area of knowledge though?
Reply 5
Why not go and spend some time at Cancer Research UK located at Lincolns Inn Fields, or the Institute of Cancer Research at Sutton. This will give you a really good idea of all the different roles you can have in pharmacology research from drug design to basic biology research. Also go on the website. Also go on the Pharmaceutical Journal website and check the industrial jobs section. My honest opinion, if you are giving up a job to do this you are better off doing pharmacy, then you will never have to worry about the financial investment that this will entail. I got rid of my MSN because it was slowing down my computer and driving me insane! But feel free to PM me.
Reply 6
pharmgirl
Why not go and spend some time at Cancer Research UK located at Lincolns Inn Fields, or the Institute of Cancer Research at Sutton. This will give you a really good idea of all the different roles you can have in pharmacology research from drug design to basic biology research. Also go on the website. Also go on the Pharmaceutical Journal website and check the industrial jobs section. My honest opinion, if you are giving up a job to do this you are better off doing pharmacy, then you will never have to worry about the financial investment that this will entail. I got rid of my MSN because it was slowing down my computer and driving me insane! But feel free to PM me.



Thanks for the advice pharmgirl. I don't think I am going to be able to spend time at these places as a work experience type thing while I am working unless you mean you can go there and see them in action for a day or something?

Pharmacy is a 4 year degree isn't it, and I heard that the pay is only around 30k ? I don't really want to be someone who dispenses drugs, more someone who researches development of new drugs.

I got a long way to go yet anyway I don't even have A Levels though I can do an Access course I still have a lot to learn when it comes to the basics of chemistry, and the math used in it. Do you have a degree in either subjects?
Reply 7
Yes I am a pharmacist but have a PhD in pharmacology and taught it for a few years. I suppose what I'm saying is that to get the big bucks in pharmacology research, you have to do a PhD, and if you do this you mayaswell do pharmacy as you can locum your way through it. Anything you can do with a pharmacology degree you can do with a pharmacy degree its just that pharmacy is more financially stable. You can actually start on 50K or get up to 60K as a full time locum. Hospital rates are generally lower but end up higher. As a newly qualified pharmacist if you get a job in an independent company, I would be surprised if you can find anything that guarantees you employment plus at that starting salary level with a straight pharmacology degree. The issue is the extra 2 years (one extra degree year plus pre-reg) but it goes mighty quick...
Good idea if you can get to visit a research institute, work exp not really necessary but being shown round mught give you an idea about what people do there. When I worked at CRUK they sometimes did open days for people who want to donate, perhaps they do these in London. Loads of luck anyway!

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