Pharmacy opportunities

Press, 14 October 1976, Page 12

Pharmacy opportunities

For seventh formers who have studied chemistry and physics, biology or maths, pharmaceutical training opens up a broad spectrum of career possibilities. To qualify as registered pharmacists, New Zealand students have a choice of two courses: One is the Diploma in Pharmacy course, a full-time threeyear course conducted by the School of Pharmacy at the Cantral Institute of Technology in Heretaunga; the second is the four-year degree course at the University of Otago. The Pharmacy Department at Otago University accepts only 25 first-year students, while the Central Institute of Technology accepts 85 students each year. Competition is strong with many more applications than available places. The minimum requirement for admission to either course is university entrance, but both

prefer students who have studied chemistry and one or more of physics, biology and maths to seventh form level. For those contemplating the degree course, chemistry, physics and biology are preferred subjects. All university bursaries and allowances are applicable to pharmacy students at the C.I.T. Besides these allowances, the Pharmaceutical Society annually offers up to four scholarships for students in the Diploma course, each valued at $lOOO divided into three equal annual amounts. The Chemists’ Guild also provides 15 bursaries of $lOO each to assist third-year students. There are three professional stages for the Diploma in Pharmacy and each occupies an academic year of about "G At the end of the threeyear diploma course, students spend a year as interns under the direct supervision of a pharmacist, and then become entitled to register as phar-

macists with the Pharmaceutical Society. Their knowledge can then be applied in a variety of fields. Many become retail pharmacists, often ultimately owning their own business. By law, every retail pharmacy must be controlled and supervised by registered pharmacists. The work is varied and interesting. There are more than 1150 retail pharmacies throughout New Zealand. Other opportunities for graduates are found in hospitals. For those more inclined to academic work, there are good propspects in pharmaceutical education, The Government also offers opportunities. For girls leaving school with or without school certificate and university entrance, there are many openings in retail pharmacy as dispensary assistants (for those with school certificate who undertake a training course covering eighteen months) and as sales assistants.