Pharmacist

Amrita Agrawal is a Pharmacist which means she is an expert in medicines. As well as providing patients with medicines which have been prescribed by doctors, Amrita gives information and advice to patients on different health issues, such as on quitting smoking, travel health (e.g. advice on malaria and vaccinations), and diabetes screening. She also helps patients choose their medicines and advises them on how to take their medication.

Amrita works in the Community Sector, which means she works in high-street pharmacies and in pharmacies in GP surgeries. She specialised in this area because she enjoys having “face-to-face customer contact”. Pharmacists can also be found working in hospitals. Others work in industry or universities helping to develop new medicines.

Amrita says that her favourite part of her job is “talking to the customers, helping them make a difference to their lifestyles and seeing a satisfactory result”. To become a pharmacist Amrita took science A levels and a degree in Pharmacy. This was followed by practical training and exams to qualify as a pharmacist.

Her advice for anyone thinking of becoming a pharmacist is to “get some experience working either in the community or in hospitals and see if they enjoy the environment and the nature of the job”.