Diploma in Pharmacy or D.Pharma. is a 2-year full-time diploma course divided into 4 semesters. The course has been designed to prepare candidates to work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist in hospitals, community pharmacies, and other pharmaceutical related fields.
The basic eligibility criterion for pursuing the course is a 10+2 or equivalent qualification in any stream from a recognized educational board.
Typical Duties of a Technician:
- Preparing medication for dispensing and compounding pharmaceuticals
- Preparing aseptic products
- Performing inventory control
- Purchasing
- Merchandising
- Record-keeping
D.Pharma. Syllabus is designed in such a way that it includes both practical and theory subjects. The course prepares students to assist in narcotics control, third-party billing, drug distribution, pre-packing pharmaceuticals, computer processing and clerical and other duties as necessary.
Successful graduates of the course can expect anything around INR 2-5 Lakhs as average annual salary in the industry, increasing with experience and skill set. The prominent job roles offered are:
- Pharmacist
- Scientific Officer
- Production Executive
D.Pharma.: Course Highlights
Tabulated below are some of the major highlights of the course:
| Course Level | Diploma |
| D.Pharma. Full Form | Diploma in Pharmacy |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Examination Type | Semester System |
| Eligibility | 10+2 |
| Top recruiting organizations | Mankind, Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals Industry Ltd., INTAS Biopharmaceuticals, etc. |
| Top recruiting areas | Health centres, pharmaceuticals firms, chemist shops, research agencies, hospitals |
| Top job profiles | Pharmacist, Scientific Officer, Quality Analyst, Production Executive, Medical Transcriptionist |
| Average Starting Salary | INR 2-5 Lakhs |
D.Pharma.: What is it About?
D.Pharma. course is a career-oriented program in the medical field of pharmaceutical sciences, designed to familiarize candidates with the basic concepts of pharmaceutical science. The purpose of D.Pharma. Subjects is to prepare students with the necessary skills and academic knowledge required for entry-level positions in retail pharmacies as well as pharmaceutical companies.
Components of study within D.Pharma. Syllabus include:
- Pharmacy software practice
- Accurate and safe processing of prescriptions
- Compounding techniques
- Third-party billing
- Inventory control
- Adherence to relevant legislation
- Accurate and confidential record-keeping
- Effective verbal and written communication.
Pharmacy books prepare candidates to work as members of an interdependent health-care team. This course examines other ethical topics such as the distribution of scarce resources, the use of stem cells, the role of genetic testing, and issues of human cloning.
D.Pharma. course aims to prepare eligible candidates to:
- Fill orders under a pharmacist’s supervision.
- Enter client information.
- Identify prescriptions and process paperwork for orders.
- Understand and apply drug and medical terminology as well as basic pharmacology.
- Understand drug dosage calculations, commonly used computer systems, compounding, practices and procedures.
- Apply the ethics, legislation, and workplace safety regulations applicable to pharmacies.
D.Pharma.: Eligibility
Listed below are the minimum criteria which candidates interested in pursuing the course are required to fulfil in order to be eligible to apply for the course.
- Successful qualification of the 10+2 level of education in any stream from a recognized educational board.
- A minimum aggregate score of 50% (45% for SC/ST/OBC candidates) at the 10+2 level.
D.Pharma.: Course Syllabus
A year-wise breakup of the course’s syllabus is given below:
| Year I | Year II |
|---|---|
| Pharmaceutics I | Pharmaceutics II |
| Pharmaceutical chemistry I | Pharmaceutical chemistry II |
| Pharmacognosy | Pharmacology toxicology |
| Biochemistry clinical pathology | Pharmaceutical jurisprudence |
| Human anatomy physiology | Drug store business management |
| Health education community pharmacy | Hospital clinical pharmacy |
D.Pharma.: Career Prospects
D.Pharma.: Jobs
Apart from choosing higher education courses like B.Pharma., D.Pharma. course qualified students may start practising as pharmacists in India. Some of the areas recruiting them are:
- Government hospitals
- Clinics
- Private hospitals
- Community health centres
- Private drug stores
Other than working for hospitals or private drug stores, such professionals may even start their own private drug stores, with access to decent financial resources and entrepreneurship skills.
D Pharmacy college pass outs work in pharmaceutical companies at divisions like process control, manufacturing, quality control, and marketing. While in the marketing sector, they may work for firms involved in pharmaceutical products marketing. They may also work as:
- Medical representatives, medical transcriptionists, technical supervisors.
- Chemists, pharmacists, quality analysts, medical representatives.
- Production executives, scientific officers in private firms.