How to Become a Pharmacist in Egypt

Not being able to become, nurse, or a physiotherapist shouldn’t make you to dismiss your dream of working in the medical field. Pharmacists work directly with patients too and play a crucial role in efficient healthcare delivery. They are important stakeholders in the health sector and work with other healthcare professionals. Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who focus on safe and effective use of medications. They are crucial in helping patients get well as quickly as possible by dispensing drugs, designing and developing new treatments, prescription and care management.

Pharmacy is a diverse and rewarding career and their work terrains span through several career settings. These professionals can work in hospitals, nursing homes, managed care organization, pharmaceutical industry, colleges and research institutions. Several of them also work in an independent or retail community pharmacy, and provides counsel to patients on the use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Who should consider pharmacy as a profession?

You should consider pharmacy as a profession if you:

1. like to work directly with patients
2. You want to have job stability, flexibility and mobility
3. You want to enjoy a wide variety of career opportunities.

Because of the nature of the profession, there are several qualities you possess that are pointers for you to think delving into this noble profession. The important qualities of a pharmacist include:

1. Good communication skill
2. Good interpersonal skill
3. Highly compassionate
4. You have a solid science and mathematics background
5. You can efficiently multitask
6. Meticulous and pay attention to details

Codes of ethics for pharmacists

Effective pharmacists are guided by some codes of ethics because of the nature of the profession. Some of them include:

1. Integrity
2. Confidentiality
3. Objectivity
4. Professional competence
5. Dignity
6. Privacy

Steps to becoming a Pharmacist in Egypt

1. Have a solid science background from high school

Pharmacy is a science based discipline. The first hurdle you will have to cross in your aspiration of becoming a pharmacist is to have very good grades in your Thanaweyyah Amma particularly in the sciences including biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Entry into pharmacy schools is highly competitive, hence, you will be expected to have excellent grades in these subjects.

2. Obtain an undergraduate degree

With your high grades in Thanaweyyah Amma particularly in the sciences including biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics or any other equivalent High School Degree (IGCSe, GSCE, Abitur, IB, French BACC, National High School Certificate from Arab Countries), apply for pharmacy undergraduate degree at any of the accredited university offering a pharmacy program to obtain a PharmD. PharmD is a bachelor professional doctorate degree in clinical pharmacy and is the minimum requirement to be licensed as a pharmacist in Egypt. Typically, it will take you a six years to obtain this degree- 5 years of pharmaceutical and clinical studies, followed by 1 year of clinical clerkships. More so, there is a postgraduate PharmD offered by many faculties of pharmacy for those with bachelor of pharmacy Bpharm degree. This is a two year program. The first year consists of many didactic courses while the second year consists of rotations, or clinical clerkship in different specialties.

3. Obtain License to Practice

After your pharmacy education, you will need to obtain a license from the relevant body before you can practice as a Pharmacist. Ministry of Health and Egyptian Syndicate of Pharmacists are responsible for the registration of newly trained pharmacists who have fulfilled the prescribed eligibility criteria and issuing of licensing permit to practice as a Pharmacist in Egypt.

Some Egyptian universities that offer pharmacy program:

• Cairo University
• Ain Shams University
• Alexandria University
• Beni-Suef University
• Al-Azhar University
• Assiut University
• Minia University.