India is well known for its largest supplier of medical drugs globally and hence enjoys a key position across the globe having potential researchers and scientists. Indian pharmaceutical sector is the provider of almost 50 percent of global demand for various vaccines and anaesthetics, around 40 per cent of generic demand in the US and 25 per cent in UK. In the current scenario, Medicine usage and demand for drug supply in India is projected to grow over 9-12 per cent for the next five years, thereby leading India to become one of the top 10 countries in terms of medicine consumption. In the view of rising health concerns and diseases and chronic therapies for cardiovascular diseases, diabetic complications, cancers, etc., a better growth in domestic sales would be solely dependent on the ability of companies to align their product services. The Indian government has taken various steps for reaching health to all the needy like bringing generics drug supply into the market, reducing life savings drugs, vaccines costs and bring down the healthcare expenses to aid the needy and also health care programmes and campaigns.

In India, Pharma Knowledge Centre (PKC) is contributing to the best training and guidance, fulfilling the wide knowledge gap between Academia and Industry in making upcoming younger generation/students “Industry Ready” for Pharmaceutical Companies, Bio-pharmaceutical and Clinical Research Organizations. This platform can serve the needs of many students who wanted to land best in their career.

Why only PKC:

PKC is providing customized services to the students with regards to career growth in terms of quality consulting, Job training, Regulatory Compliance (GMP & global regulatory guidelines) and quality management/assurance for Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical, Food industries, Medical device, Biotechnology and FMCG companies. PKC is unique in its training with the best provisions such as:

1. Learn and proper guidance from Industry Experienced Experts and certified trainers
2. Teaching Mode: Interactive Smart Classroom with German Technology
3. Classroom Sessions: Industry ready classrooms
4. Best Placement assistance
5. Around the corner Enquiry assistance
6. ISO Certified (ISO 9001)
7. Wide range of GMP Consultancy Customers
8. Trending and on demand training courses
9. Workshops on various fields
10. Advisory Council

India has established a strong domestic pharmaceutical industry with a network of almost 3000 drug companies and about 10,500 pharmaceutical manufacturing units, put of which 1,400 units are World Health Organization (WHO) good manufacturing practice (GMP) approved, 1,105 companies are with Europe’s certificate of suitability (CEPs), more than 950 match therapeutic goods administration (TGA) guidelines and 584 sites are approved by the regulatory agency US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). The pharmaceutical hubs offer wide investment opportunities in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or bulk drugs, biosimilars, vaccines, nutraceuticals and food products. Indian pharmaceutical companies produce around 80 percent of antiretroviral drugs worldwide to fight Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Good Manufacturing Practices:

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a qualitative system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled as per the required quality standards for health, safety and efficacy. GMP is specially brought into force and well designed to minimize the potential risks involved in any pharmaceutical production that intends to harm the patients, environment and cannot be eliminated through testing the final outcome. GMP is followed in every step from raw material to production of desired drugs. GMP in simple focuses on five key elements, which are often termed as the 5 P’s of GMP—people, premises, processes, products and procedures or paperwork. When all five elements are fulfilled, GMP is compliance is satisfactorily completed for the drug production. For Indian pharma, Schedule M describes the quality aspects like quality assurance, self-inspection, and quality control system requirements, listing the requirements for the premises, materials, plant and equipment.

GMPs are more essential into the manufacturing practices for achieving the high-quality products for satisfying the customers. There would be a varied requirement in terms of manufacturing processes for various products. Hence the good in GMPs within the context of the manufacturing multiple food and drug products need to be strictly followed. GMP provides all the exclusive and well-designed guidelines for the processes in the pharma industries.

A need for AMPs (Appropriate Manufacturing Practices), an equally more important and alternative to GMPs are required to be refined based on the clear-cut fulfilment of the desired product and its manufacturing processes. AMPs require justifying the essential process requirements as there would be multiple routes in product quality achievement. Building AMPs facilitates the opportunities for amending the sequence of process, people, facility and infrastructure practices that are used to achieve high product quality. AMPs are in compliance with that of GMP but can also initiate novel methodological approaches crucially important in solving the potential challenges into existence through advanced technologies with regard to the prospective optimization of various process, facility and infrastructure configurations.

Why do Pharma Industry need AMPs?

With the entry of AMPs would not only serve the higher product quality specifications, but also pharma industries would be in alignment with the regulatory bodies and most importantly FDA. There is a strong need for the industries to improvise their approach and methods in drug manufacturing. In view of the pharma industries and the systems followed critical quality attributes need to be driven with the more advanced and sophisticated developmental approaches for the quality performance and output.

Advanced tools and qualitative approaches like quality by design (QbD) and ICH Q8 Design Space are into force. For the higher rates of successful commercialization which in turn yields better quality products, Pharma sector needs a better emphasis on life cycle integration of information and knowledge from the medical or scientific research through commercial manufacturing for the development of AMPs.

Pharma industry must be furious to spotlight the effective modes of quality risk management and assessment and work on the development of QRM methods. Risk management is the crucial aspect in the pharma industry and currently, the approaches in ICH Q9 – QRM like failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and hazard analysis at critical control points (HACCP) details the methods for structuring risks, however there is no proper mechanism in assessing uncertainty of the risks, leading to the unintended use of the costly and inefficient precautionary principle (the most notable saying better safe than sorry), resulting in suboptimal risk management.

With the evolution of AMPs into Pharma, there would be a high chance for the opportunities in the modernization of manufacturing processes and facilities that are highly capacity-efficient which enables rapid access to flexible manufacturing assets and thus granting towards much faster cum more efficient product development. Advancement in strong quality management systems, establishing robust operating procedures through advanced facility designs can also expedite less regulatory approvals and supports quality continuous manufacturing.

 Major Industry’s Challenge

Pharmaceutical industry is highly facing major challenges in terms of drug development, product failures, clinical trial quality, quality issues and patent issues for long time. In view of the challenges, Indian pharma industry is losing potential ability to develop new products, but it strongly suggests that the pharma industry as a whole needs to alter the methodological approach towards developing new drugs, drug approvals, commercialization and manufacturing of new drug products. Indian pharma claims the challenges like: Pricing of patented drugs, control of drug pricing by government (To ensure that high-quality generic medicines reach needy patients at most affordable price), fake drug products, lack of skilled man force, and dependant on China for raw materials.

Pharma digitalization will bring about major difference in approach and industry will observe sustainable growth opportunities in next decade. The way forward, Pharma industry need to strive for the nation’s quality healthcare.  Also, regulatory policies need be improved, mainly in the area of patent and price control, to boost the pharma growth for the newer generation pharmaceutical market.

The FDA’s Challenge for Pharma Industry:

 FDA is one of major regulatory body inspecting pharma industries to be more focused on developing practices for its drug products and manufacturing processes complying with cGMP. The systematic approach would always force the drug industry to identify product requirement, developmental methods, and implementing practice-based control systems necessary to satisfy GMP requirements. Many of the Indian manufacturing facilities struggle to maintain proper documentation (data integrity) of testing and sample data. “The USFDA has also been increasingly issuing warning letters to the Indian companies, denying any GMP compliance. In the recent times, FDA announced carcinogenic impurities identified Ranitidine products.

Can Pharma manufacturers really afford to implement AMPs?

Many pharmaceutical manufacturers are already in line with cGMPs that implement comprehensive, modern quality systems and risk management approaches. Today’s pharma world is all moving around the fashionable motto of being patient-focused, as patient is the ultimate end user of life saving drug products. Manufacturing poor quality products does not serve the real essence of Pharma industry in saving lives and it’s just a money waste process. Poor quality drugs also disturb community health and leads to loss of credibility for everyone. Also, in the long run it would create a havoc and expensive deal in finding out the errors or root cause for eradicating recurrence. GMP is more prominently designed to ensure that no mistakes occur in drug manufacturing. Investing in GMP implementation adds value to the pharma industry and thereby produces good quality medicines. This will further aid in improving the health of the individual patient and the community, as well as commercially benefiting the pharmaceutical industry. AMPs would bring about a considerable change by reimagining the current regulatory approaches and making industry fully responsible for all the practices. Also, the industry will rise to the challenge and eliminate all the obvious and incompetent compliance errors mostly found in FDA inspections.

AMPs, just like GMPs would bring about greater and prospective resolutions to many of the complex issues faced by Pharma industries. However, AMPs implementation would pose an extra burden to the industry in its problem-solving approach. Aligning with the FDA is also a tougher job for the Pharma industries. For a shift or movement from the existing GMPs to AMPs will certainly require better approaches for interacting between the agency and industry. Also the novel transformation would require the regulatory body – FDA to collectively and aggressively join to work on par with pharma industry to learn and understand the appropriate practices defined/followed by the industry to achieve the production of high product quality with appropriate practice-based controls required. Both industry and FDA can work together using FDA’s Voluntary Consensus Standards (VCS) to analyse better approaches for efficiently managing product life cycles in high gear and rewardingly bring new therapies to serve the patient community in need.

References

1. https://www.pharmaguideline.com/2012/08/current-good-manufacturing-practice-cgmp.html
2. https://www.ibef.org/industry/pharmaceutical-india.aspx
3. https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-pharmaceuticals-industry-analysis-presentation
4. https://www.pwc.in/press-releases/india-pharmaceutical-industry-is-on-a-good-growth-path.html
5. http://www.pharmabiz.com/
6. https://pharmawiki.in/indian-pharmaceutical-industry-overview-analysis-2018-pdf-ppt/
7. https://www.pharmatimesnow.com/2018/10/overview-of-pharmaceutical-industry23.html
8. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-thinking-pharmaceutical-industry-today-adeel-ahmed
9. https://myassignmenthelp.co.uk/freesample/critical-thinking-for-pharmaceutical-industry
10. https://blog.experiencepoint.com/why-pharma-needs-design-thinking
11. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-8102-7_13
12. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/office-global-operations/india-office
13. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/pharmaceutical-quality-resources/facts-about-current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps
14. https://ispe.org/initiatives/regulatory-resources/gmp/what-is-gmp
15. https://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/doc/fda-s-top-drug-gmp-inspection-citations-in-fy-with-fda-analysis-0001
16. https://www.igmpiindia.org/IndianPharmacompaniesshouldfollowGMPregulationsstrictlyUSFDA.html
17. https://ispe.org/pharmaceutical-engineering/ispeak/facility-challenges-developing-continuous-process-based-biopharma-products
18. The future of pharmaceutical quality and the path to get there. https://europepmc.org/article/med/28619448

Pharma Knowledge Centre – “My Learning Life” (PKC) engaged Young Indian Youths to prepare this presentation/Blog and the same has been prepared by one of the associated youngsters in consultation with PKC.

All rights reserved. All copyright in this presentation and related works is solely and exclusively owned by PKC. The same may not be reproduced, wholly or in part in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this presentation), modified or in any manner communicated to any third party except with the written approval of PKC.

This presentation is for information purposes only. While due care has been taken during the compilation of this presentation to ensure that the information is accurate to the best of associate and PKC’s knowledge and belief, the content is not to be construed in any manner whatsoever as a substitute for professional advice.

Associate and PKC neither recommend nor endorse any specific products or services that may have been mentioned in this presentation and nor do they assume any liability or responsibility for the outcome of decisions taken as a result of any reliance placed on this presentation.

Neither any associate nor PKC shall be liable for any direct or indirect damages that may arise due to any act or omission on the part of the user due to any reliance placed or guidance is taken from any portion of this presentation.

The post An Overview of Current Indian Pharma Industry: A Quality Approach GMP Vs AMP appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

To List out few major issues faced of Pharmacists would be like:

1. Dispensing Controlled Substances to Addicts.
In Day to day activities of a pharmacist, they come across many patients on regular basis. But Pharmacists need to be alert in dealing with those who are drug addicts. This would be a tough task and need to be very alert in dispensing medicines to such drug addicts. Pharmacists are most importantly reminded of the importance of checking the prescription and identity of the doctor before making dispensing a prescription only medicine. Pharmacists are strongly advised to screen patients for possible signs of drug misuse.

2. Professional Responsibility by Pursuing a Higher Education, Training & Certification.
Higher Education is necessary in every field of today’s World. Pharmacy education provides training in medical field, deep understanding of drugs, and treatments for medical health issues, to serve patients with expert advice regarding medication. Pharmacy Education requires a longer period of study, number of clinical hours and pass series of examinations and above all lot of financial support.

As Pharmacists are expected to handle high end professional responsibilities, they need to be sound in knowledge and hence are required to pursue higher education through Pharmacy colleges. Pharmacists along with education need to have a legal licensed issued by Govt. body of the State.

3. Staying up-to Date in Pharmacy
Pharmacist need to be an all-rounder in terms of acquiring novel technologies and persistent changes in the pharmaceutical industry. Being into Pharmacy profession is not a one-time achievement it however requires lifelong commitment. It is very essential for a pharmacist to stay updated with the latest pharmacy practices, new drugs in market, pharmacy laws and trends followed in industry for better service to the patients.

4. Impact of Personal and Religious Differences.
Coming to the context of personal and religious beliefs, religious principles should not interfere with the health care. Pharmacist main motto need to ensure a patient-centred care without being altered while offering certain treatments like emergency hormonal or routine contraception (fertility medicines). Also, Pharmacists must be able to keep track of medicines that are not accepted by certain religious communities. For Instance, Patients from Jewish and Muslim communities are against using medicines derived from animal sources like pigs. So, Pharmacists also need to investigate such is issues to avoid unnecessary problems.

5. Change in Demographics.
According to the United Nations report, the world’s population is expected to increase by one billion people by the year 2025. Changing demographics demand new approach in healthcare systems. Pharmacists need to understand the change in demographics to adapt pharmacy products. With the increase in population, different complications arise and alterations in medicine usage may be outdated now. Medicine approach needs to be followed as per the age and different groups of population as different medicines affect people differently.

Need not worry for the issues, Come on look into the innovative insights or solutions into the Profession with simple knowledge. Combat the issues or challenges with ease. Pharmacists need to be considered as health care providers by the Public community and Pharmacists need to provide valued customer service to the community.
Follow simple insights in to the job for being treated as an accessible professional member who is integrated into the health care system.

• Pharmacists need to analyze the very basic difference between professionalism and commercialism to balance both gaining mutual benefits.
• Always staying updated with the current knowledge and latest technologies.
• Direct and effective customer interactions and improving engagements along with the proper follow up to increase benefit to the patients.
• Maintaining medication supply standards as per the law, customer service satisfaction and conduction of surveys.
• Following standard fee based on medication supply and on the cost of the service.

Conclusion
Pharmacists also go beyond the Pharmacy counter playing a vital role providing improving access to health care. Facts include that Pharmacists provide drug dispensing, medication supply an information, medication counseling, disease management education, vaccination services and connecting through electronic health care records. For any skill enhancement related to Pharmaceutical or Healthcare related skill gap, Pharma Knowledge Centre plays crucial role for both fresher’s and industry professional to achieve the skilling required as per current Industry standards.
Because in the coming future, the pharmacists need to be ready to respond in proactive way as real champions of the public health community. Pharmacists need to apply latest trends of medical technology into work flow, and would be partner in health for the community.

References

• Kehrer JP, Eberhart G, Wing M, Horon K. Pharmacy’s role in a modern health continuum. Can Pharm J (Ott). 146(6):321-324.
• The Pharmaceutical Journal, September 2000, online | URI: 20003038
• https://vaccine-safety-training.org/vaccine-preventable-diseases.html
•  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/index.html

Pharma Knowledge Centre – “My Learning Life” (PKC) engaged Young Indian Youths to prepare this presentation/Blog and the same has been prepared by one of the associated youngsters in consultation with PKC.

All rights reserved. All copyright in this presentation and related works is solely and exclusively owned by PKC.

The same may not be reproduced, wholly or in part in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this presentation), modified or in any manner communicated to any third party except with the written approval of PKC.

This presentation is for information purposes only. While due care has been taken during the compilation of this presentation to ensure that the information is accurate to the best of associate and PKC’s knowledge and belief, the content is not to be construed in any manner whatsoever as a substitute for professional advice.

Associate and PKC neither recommend nor endorse any specific products or services that may have been mentioned in this presentation and nor do they assume any liability or responsibility for the outcome of decisions taken as a result of any reliance placed on this presentation.

Neither any associate nor PKC shall be liable for any direct or indirect damages that may arise due to any act or omission on the part of the user due to any reliance placed or guidance is taken from any portion of this presentation.

The post Counsel Me: You’ll get some insights into issues you may face while working as a pharmacist. appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

Millennials, also known as Generation Y or the Net Generation, are the demographic cohort that directly follows Generation X. The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. This is the generation that grew up in an electronics-filled and increasingly online and socially-networked world. These are the generation that has received the most marketing attention. As the most ethnically diverse generation, Millennials tend to be tolerant of difference. Having been raised under the mantra “follow your dreams” and being told they were special; they tend to be confident.

Millennials grew in the computer age where technology has always been at their fingertips. From information to day-to-day activities like shopping or movies, they get it anything, anytime and anywhere using their smartphone devices. This makes them adapt to technologies and they tend to adjust readily to new programs, operating systems (OS) and devices and to perform computer-based tasks more quickly than older generations.

One reported result of Millennial optimism is entering into adulthood with unrealistic expectations, which sometimes leads to disillusionment. Many early Millennials went through post-secondary education only to find themselves employed in unrelated fields or under employed and job hopping more frequently than previous generations. Their expectations may have resulted from the very encouraging, involved and almost ever-present group of parents that became known as helicopter parents. To say that we live in a changing world understates the speed of both the pace and the scope of ongoing change. While we’re all born with an intense desire to learn, somewhere along the line many of us lose our passion for learning.

The Skills You Have and the Skills They Want

The pharmaceuticals industry has evolved greatly in terms of work management. Just like any other sector, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly creeping into most of the activities happening in the industry. This Change is inevitable because AI provides high efficiency with a high degree of reliability. Thus, it is most likely that all the repetitive tasks will soon become obsolete. Maybe the process which requires 100 to 150 employees to handle will be entirely operated with robots under the supervision of a single person.

In the modern age of technology, we cannot overlook the fact that most important skills that recruiters are looking for in a candidate today are the HR skills, also known as soft skills. To be able to communicate effectively is the basic and most necessary requirement for a healthy work culture, and a hiring manager will take all possible precautions to ensure that the person joining his company fulfils these criteria. Learning is a continuous process but it is important to have an attitude of learning. Of course, it’s not about acquiring knowledge for knowledge’s sake. We can all acquire copious amounts of knowledge just by sitting on Wikipedia all day.  Your smartphone alone gives you access to more information at your fingertips that you can process it in your entire lifetime, much less actually useful.

The Skills Companies Need Most in 2019

Strengthening a soft skill is one of the best investments you can make in your career, as they never go out of style. Plus, the rise of AI is only making soft skills increasingly important, as they are precisely the type of skills robots can’t automate.

That’s why 57% of senior leaders today say soft skills are more important than hard skills.

According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn, it turns out that professionals are keenly interested in learning new skills (which makes us deliriously happy). And learning tends to spike in January, as people start the year focused on building new habits. Here’s a list of top 5 skills that companies are looking for:

1. Creativity
2. Persuasion
3. Collaboration
4. Adaptability
5. Time Management

You may have noticed that the skills mentioned above are the ones that AI cannot perform voluntarily unless there is a highly complex algorithm applied but eventually will definitely require human intervention. A candidate with high level of emotional intelligence will be preferred over a high level of domain intelligence or hard skills.

LEARN, UNLEARN, RELEARN

It is not only the skills that we have acquired over the academics that matter, what is more important is the ability of the employee to adapt to change. Adult education experts estimate that up to 40% of what tertiary students are learning will be obsolete a decade from now when they will be working in jobs that have yet to be created. Indeed, the top 10 most in-demand jobs today didn’t even exist 10 years ago.  Today the learning needs of the industry is growing daily and there are increasing needs for innovative course developments. Inter-disciplinary studies are more preferred because only the ones with the widest skill set can survive in this highly volatile work environment. 

How to stay ahead of the curve?

Just like motivation, a positive learning attitude is difficult to develop and maintain. However, it is possible if you commit yourself to think and act positively. For example, maintaining a quality of openness would allow you to see things beyond your existing paradigms, inspire you to celebrate the joys of learning, and most important of all, empower you to take control of your learning.

The meaning you ascribe to education will serve as your driving force (motivator) in learning. Of course, from time to time depending on the situation, you may have other motives for learning. To find out more about what motivates you, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I study solely for the purpose of getting a degree to advance my job/career prospects?
• Do I study to prove my capability through academic grades?
• Do I study to satisfy my curiosity and learn new things?

Staying motivated in your studies requires a clear purpose and positive learning attitude. It is a conscious choice that you have to make. By spending time to reflect upon what have been discussed above, you can find a perspective to learning that would give you fulfilment and pleasure in your learning experiences. It is always better to be under the guidance of mentors who continuously support and update the freshers with new and latest information. Training programs from an industrial veteran will help a job aspiring candidate to learn a lot about the job scenario and give him the opportunity to apply himself in the best possible way,

One can always learn from the experts and join various training centers running at many places all over India that bridges the gap between the Industrial needs and candidate skills by conducting various training programs. One such well known training centre is Pharma Knowledge Centre at Ahmedabad which provides hands-on training courses and industrial exposure to young and budding pharmacists so they can get better exposure to industrial scenario and train them for the future industry needs.

References:

1. Beatrice, J.A. (1995). Learning to Study through Critical Thinking. Ch. 1: ‘College Learning’. Chicago: Irwin, pp. 3–25.
2. Carter, C.; Bishop, J.; & Kravits, S.L. (2002). Keys to Effective Learning (3rd ed.). Ch. 1: ‘Becoming a Lifelong Learner’. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 16–20.
3. http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/success/sl31.htm
4. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/millennials-millennial-generation
5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2014/02/03/learn-unlearn-and-relearn/#4e7e2bb8676f

Pharma Knowledge Centre – “My Learning Life” (PKC) engaged Young Indian Youths to prepare this presentation/Blog and the same has been prepared by one of the associated youngsters in consultation with PKC.

All rights reserved. All copyright in this presentation and related works is solely and exclusively owned by PKC. The same may not be reproduced, wholly or in part in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this presentation), modified or in any manner communicated to any third party except with the written approval of PKC.

This presentation is for information purposes only. While due care has been taken during the compilation of this presentation to ensure that the information is accurate to the best of associate and PKC’s knowledge and belief, the content is not to be construed in any manner whatsoever as a substitute for professional advice.

Associate and PKC neither recommend nor endorse any specific products or services that may have been mentioned in this presentation and nor do they assume any liability or responsibility for the outcome of decisions taken as a result of any reliance placed on this presentation.

Neither any associate nor PKC shall be liable for any direct or indirect damages that may arise due to any act or omission on the part of the user due to any reliance placed or guidance is taken from any portion of this presentation.

The post Meeting the learning needs of the industry appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

With more and more pharmacy schools opening up every single year, the number of new grad pharmacists continue to grow exponentially. Unfortunately, this number does not seem to be keeping up with the growth of new pharmacist jobs available.

This chart shows the PDI (Pharmacist Demand Indicator) for the last 10 years. If the value is above 3, it indicates that there is a demand for Pharmacy students. If the number equals to 3, it indicates the supply meets the demands. Late in the year of 2017 marked for the first time a drop in PDI below 3, which indicates that there is was a shortage of pharmacist jobs. Later the scenario stabilized for the year-end.

The above data shows how the demand for fresh graduates and experienced professionals may vary according to time and the demand has been consistently decreasing in the past couple of years.

This can be majorly attributed to the fact that there are increasing number of pharmacy institutions coming up in the country hence the number of Pharma graduates keep on increasing constantly. This leads to increase in the competition and there are not enough job opportunities to accommodate all.

On the other hand, heavy workloads and long hours make stress management a critical skill for pharmacists. A study of practicing pharmacists found that more that 68% experienced job stress and role overload. Almost half reported work– home conflicts. Respondents cited role ambiguity as a serious concern—they were often unable to provide ideal professional services because mundane tasks took priority. Among the functions they perceived got short shrift was not meeting their expectations, because they lacked either time or necessary skills.

What is Stress?

Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative influence on us. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach rashes, Insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we readjust our lives. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

Other studies identified interpersonal interactions, level of compensation and advancement, role stress, and career commitment as stress triggers. This research found that when management improves interpersonal interactions among staff members, they become more committed to the profession. Better interactions among staff reduces nonwork conflicts – and the work environment is more manageable.

A startling 15% of pharmacists are so stressed in their current job that they have considered finding a new job – a stressful process itself – although most wish to remain in the profession.

Among all pharmacy staff, uncertainty about continuing employment, heavy workload, short staffing, and inability to update and improve professional competence are significant stressors. Staff who report highest satisfaction, lowest stress, and plans to remain on their jobs cite supervisor support and managerial flexibility as key reasons. Recall the adage, “People don’t quit their jobs, they quit their supervisors.”

Sources of stress (stressors) in the undergraduate population include financial burdens, new and increased academic demands, increased independence, and adjustment to a new environment and culture. A limited number of studies have focused on the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and perceived stress among the pharmacy students and noted that pharmacy students experience higher levels of perceived stress and lower levels of HRQoL compared to the general population.

While both these factors are significant, it is equally important to understand the Quality of Life (QoL) of pharmacy students. There are notable differences between HRQoL and QoL as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). While HRQoL talks about the physical, mental, and social well-being, QoL is defined as the individual’s perception of his/her position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which he/she lives and in relation to his/her goals, expectations, standards, and concerns. The QoL adds other dimensions such as environment, spirituality, and life in general to physical, mental, and social well-being.

Key Contributing Factors of Stress Among Pharmaceutical Professionals

With a drastic increase in the number of Pharmacy colleges in almost every part of the country, the intake of pharmacy students has increased to leaps and bounds in the colleges. In aspiration of a good future, students have opted the pharmacy profession. But as their graduation comes to an end, they are now finding themselves in a state of dilemma about what they should do now because it is becoming increasingly difficult for a fresher to land a promising job in the Pharma Industry. And luckily if someone gets a job, he is bound to work in a very low salary for initial years which is even not sufficient to earn his livelihood. The other option left for the student is to go for higher education, for which again he has to pay a huge amount to the colleges.

A study conducted by Ammar Ihsan et al showed possible correlation between perceptions of stress and HRQOL among MPharm students. MPharm students reported relatively lower levels of perceived stress than non-pharmacy students; however, MPharm students reported relatively lower mental HRQOL than non-pharmacy students. In addition, higher levels of perceived stress were negatively correlated with mental and physical HRQOL.

The most common stress triggers reported by M.Pharm students were related to the curriculum (examinations, case presentations and clerkship reports).

Most students employed positive lifestyle strategies in order to alleviate stress. Strategies should be developed in order to alleviate perceived stress and to promote the mental and physical HRQOL of these students. Again, go for PhD, which has also become a money game by some of the universities offering PhD as just a degree. In this curriculum, the students doing their degrees from reputed institutes are also treated at par with the students doing degrees with such universities giving degrees just for money.

Stressors

According to a study conducted by Jennifer Beall et al, class assignments and completing electronic portfolios are the top stressors reported among student pharmacists. There was a higher percentage of female participants that selected the items in the survey as stressors compared to males in all surveyed stress trigger items but one. Males had a higher percentage of stress than females concerning completing survey(s) from faculty or administration. A majority of students perceived IPPEs as a major stressor. Tables below illustrate the stressors analyzed between genders and among age groups, respectively.

The PharmD Situation

The Pharm.D program in India can be a major support for the Indian health care system and can help to address many loop holes and issues persisting in India if utilized properly however a tough and bumpy road is ahead for the Pharm.D graduates. There are 233 colleges approved by the PCI to run Pharm.D programme in their premises so far they have produced overall 20,000 graduates and approximately 9000 are graduating each year. They are facing the challenge of getting placed after completion of their course. Though initially introduced and regulated by Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) but the programme is now being controlled by both All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).

The profession of PharmD is facing serious lack of recognition and underutilization, especially in India.

Only handful of private hospitals are now offering job as a clinical pharmacist on low pay grade. This forces them to work in non-conventional fields such as medical writing, medical coding instead of practicing their profession due lack of opportunities in government hospitals. The course of Pharm.D is of Six years duration and is considered as a postgraduate doctoral degree. Even the fees structure for a PharmD course is much higher compared to the B.Pharm course. Students get quite frustrated due to lack of opportunities even after they dedicate six years of their precious time into training themselves.

This happens majorly due to reasons like the PharmD graduates are still not legally allowed to prescribe in India although they possess better knowledge about drugs and the possible side reactions/adverse reactions that they might cause.

The state of Hyderabad has already scraped out the course due to scarcity in job prospects after completion of the course. “The role of a Pharm D graduate is not defined unlike that of a doctor, dentist, or an engineer. It is not clear he or she can open a clinic as a pharmacist”, said N Yadaiah, registrar, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. He said that the students have even moved the court asking why there are very few jobs for PharmD graduates.

Paradigm Shift

In the year 2017-2018, the Pharmacy Council of India made the semester system of education mandatory for B.Pharm and M.Pharm colleges. This move was taken in order to bring a dynamic change in the pharmaceutical educational system, since the syllabi needed revision with the latest and upcoming trends in the industry. These changes came with their own advantages and disadvantages.

On the bright side, the syllabus of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in pharmacy were updated to a great extent which became a crucial part of upgradation. One key problem that the Pharmacy Council failed to address initially was to implement Continual Pharmacy Education programs (CPEs) to train the professors and lecturers before the change took place. As a result, the efficiency of deliverance of knowledge from teachers to students became affected because of lack of preparation. This greatly affected the quality of education in the pharmacy colleges, especially in non-government colleges. Students are not being mentored up to the requirements which lead to a situation where the students are not competent enough to get good industrial jobs.

This is a very dangerous situation because if the student does not put sufficient effort from his side, he knows the reason behind the success in his professional career is the product of his efforts. But if the mentoring itself does not meet expectations, it leads to a huge amount of stress because they are under a false impression that they did their best in the training stage but when they come to the professional world reality hits like a train and their ambitions are crushed. Most students assume that they will never be competent enough and resort to switch their profession or chose to work at the most basic jobs available.

Peer Pressure

The most common source of stress among the pharmacy students was academic-related stress. The students also frequently reported personal life issues such as inadequate time for rest and recreational activities, lack of time for family and friends, interpersonal conflicts and environmental events as their sources of stress. This is not surprising as pharmacy training is a rigorous and strenuous endeavor which takes place in a competitive vocational environment.

After a student graduates from high school and moves away from home, he or she is often out of their comfort zone. Stress develops during this transition as the student tries to adjust to the new situations and adapt to a new college environment. Learning to cope properly with distress and eustress is important, as the behaviors established in college can continue for years or even a lifetime. If behaviors and habits resulting from stress management are maladaptive, they may have both psychologically and physiologically detrimental effects on the body and mind.

According to a study conducted by Sue Hui Sun to assess the stress among the undergraduate students of pharmacy, it was reported that the stress levels among the students varied with time. At the time of during the period where students needed to complete assignments, laboratory reports and also facing end of semester exams, stress levels were expected to be higher compared to that which was at the beginning of a semester. This suggests those students’ stress levels were not constant throughout the year but that students experienced higher stress at the time where assignments and examinations are near.

Vivek B. Waghachavare conducted a study of Stress among Students of Professional Colleges from an Urban area in India and found that gender was found to be one of the most important factors in the development of stress, with the results indicating a female predominance. The amount of stress in the students of pharmacy and medical profession was significantly high as compared to those of engineering students. This can be attributed to the fact that in India there has been a huge change of scenario in the past decade. In the earlier days, sending female children for education were not as widely encouraged as of today. This taboo still exists in certain communities of India which creates a mental stress on the female students because they are more likely to be a victim of criticism on failing to meet the expectations in terms of results.

Lack of Vision – The Career Killer

The major error that a pharmacy student makes in today’s world is that he lacks vision and that is where his professional life starts tumbling down the stairway. Most graduates begin their career in Pharmaceutical Industry with an idea of joining the company or post which gives them the best salary negotiation. Those who join a job role only for the money involved are not actually either qualified for the job or not interested in the role and thus they undergo huge amount of stress – as a result they burn-out more quickly than expected. This creates too much stress in the individual and also leads to the creation of a false notion in his mind about the Pharmacy Profession.

Let’s face it, the majority of pharmacy workplaces have developed a system of metrics in which a pharmacist’s performance is measured. Depending on the company, these metrics are created to determine the company’s success. Even if you as an individual disagree with these metrics, these are what the company values, and it’s up to you to identify and create a plan on how to execute without causing distress to yourself and sacrifice your passion or happiness. This plan will require you to audit yourself and your abilities and determine what will be needed in order to get the job done.

Although there are various other ways to becoming indispensable, by focusing on this key aspect, one can   grow their career beyond ways that they could imagine. It is going to be crucial for pharmacists to develop these skills moving forward. Their job security will depend on it.

Conclusion:

An optimal level of stress enhances learning, while excess of stress can cause health problems. This results in reduction of students’ self-esteem and affects their academic achievement. A high level of stress may have negative effect on cognitive functioning and learning of pharmacy students. The young student population is vulnerable to stress of higher professional education due to competitive environment.

Stressors can impact students either in a positive or negative manner. Majority of students display the effects of stress, as evidenced by their decreased academic performance and extra-curricular activities. The most predominant stressors were theory and practical examinations (both mid-sem and final), viva-voce and familial issues, among the others. While having a national and international leadership role we must also build on our local engagement. PCI and AICTE should also take some concrete decisions on ensuring that the students are gaining sufficient training in the educational institutes so that they become industry ready. With a basic knowledge of coping strategies, pharmacists can overcome stress to achieve their personal best.

One of the best ways to move forward would be to seek mentorship from experts or join an internship program which provides hands-on training in the actual industrial setup. This will help the students make better decisions for their future. There are few organizations in India that provide such training programs and internships. One such organization is Pharma Knowledge Centre® in Ahmedabad that focusses on bridging the gap between industry and the students by providing hands-on training, interactive sessions and internship programs – that makes the student confident for industry jobs which leads to a more sustainable workforce. This happens because such initiatives develop competence in the student, hence they perform better in their job roles.

References:

1. Votta RJ, Benau EM. Predictors of stress in doctor of pharmacy students : Results from a nationwide survey. Curr Pharm Teach Learn [Internet]. 2013;5(5):365–72. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2013.06.014
2. Sam AT, Muttusamy B, Yee SM, Ayapanaido T, Parasuraman S. Investigation of Stressors Affecting a sample of Pharmacy Students and the Coping Strategies Employed using Modified Academic Stressors Scale and Brief Cope Scale : a Prospective Study. 2016;8(2):122–7.
3. Awadh AI, Aziz NA, Yaseen SN, Abdulameer SA, Sahib MN, B OQ. A comparison study of perceived stress and quality of life among Master of Pharmacy and non- pharmacy master ’ s students. 2013;13(1):22–8.
4. Basak SC, Sathyanarayana D. Pharmacy Education in India. 2010;74(4).
5. Hirsch JD, Do H, Hollenbach KA, Manoguerra AS, Adler DS. Students ’ Health-Related Quality of Life Across the Preclinical Pharmacy Curriculum. 2009;73(8):1–6.
6. Review AS, Pharmacy ON, In E. of Biomedical AND Pharmaceutical sciences A STRATEGIC REVIEW ON PHARMACY EDUCATION IN INDIA WITH FUTURE. 2016;3(10):180–2.
7. Beall JW, Dehart RM, Riggs RM, Hensley J. Doctor of Pharmacy Students. 2015;344–54.
8. Behere SP, Yadav R, Behere PB. Original Article A Comparative Study of Stress Among Students of Medicine , Engineering , and Nursing. 2011;33(2).
9. Gallagher CT, Mehta AN V, Selvan R, Mirza IB, Radia P, Bharadia NS, et al. Perceived stress levels among undergraduate pharmacy students in the UK. Curr Pharm Teach Learn [Internet]. 2014;6(3):437–41. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2014.02.004
10. Sun SH, Zoriah A. Assessing Stress among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in University of Malaya. 2015;49(2):99–105.
11. Jishnu V, Rm G, Dn M. Pharmacy Education in India : Strategies for a Better Future. 1932;3(4):334–42.
12. Assaf AM. Stress-induced immune-related diseases and health outcomes of pharmacy students : A pilot study. Saudi Pharm J [Internet]. 2013;21(1):35–44. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2012.02.006
13. Deepak K, Gaur A. Current scenario of pharm.d program of india. 2018;(March).
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15. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2010/october2010/beatingjobstress-1010
16. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/with-job-scarcity-varsities-to-scrap-pharm-d-course/articleshow/65484088.cms
17. https://www.pharmatutor.org/articles/appearing-in-bpharmacy-examination-sessional-semester-end-year-end-final-examination-an-art-or-science%3F
18. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/alex-barker-pharmd/2015/06/common-pharmacy-technician-problems
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22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5335855/
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24. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2879119/

Pharma Knowledge Centre – “My Learning Life” (PKC) engaged Young Indian Youths to prepare this presentation/Blog and the same has been prepared by one of the associated youngsters in consultation with PKC.

All rights reserved. All copyright in this presentation and related works is solely and exclusively owned by PKC. The same may not be reproduced, wholly or in part in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this presentation), modified or in any manner communicated to any third party except with the written approval of PKC.

This presentation is for information purposes only. While due care has been taken during the compilation of this presentation to ensure that the information is accurate to the best of associate and PKC’s knowledge and belief, the content is not to be construed in any manner whatsoever as a substitute for professional advice.

Associate and PKC neither recommend nor endorse any specific products or services that may have been mentioned in this presentation and nor do they assume any liability or responsibility for the outcome of decisions taken as a result of any reliance placed on this presentation.

Neither any associate nor PKC shall be liable for any direct or indirect damages that may arise due to any act or omission on the part of the user due to any reliance placed or guidance is taken from any portion of this presentation.

The post Pharmacy Life: The frustrations and issues that go along with working in Pharmacy appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

Growth Aspects:

There is an interesting fact about making a career in this field!

Although there are no stringent educational requirements for Medical Coding and Billing, it must be noted that a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and a ‘Certified Medical Billing and Coding Specialist’ have a significantly higher PayScale than an average Medical Coder who learns the skill by experience and exposure.

We’ll let Numbers do the talking.

These charts will compare the salaries of a Medical Coder vs. a ‘Certified Medical Coder’ and help you better understand why is it important to train under a professional trainer and get certified.

From the above charts it can be clearly understood that the demand for certified Medical coders is much more than the non-certified counterpart. Hence it is highly recommended to invest in a certification training program which is usually a 3 to 4 months course and can be done on a part-time basis. This will give a further ‘push’ in your career and provide the confidence and opportunities that you really deserve in Medical Coding and Billing.

Professional Training Center near you:

 Pharma Knowledge Centre® is a professional training provider in Medical Coding and Billing. The focus is to serve as a training center to make candidates ‘Future Ready’ and Competent in professional Medical Coding and Billing.

What training does Pharma Knowledge Centre® provide?

1. Knowledge of CPT, HCPCS, ICD-9, ICD-10 coding protocols, Medical Coding and Billing.
2. Training in Medical Transcription.
3. Guidance under Highly qualified and Experienced subject experts.
4. Updates on current Legal Amendments, Regulatory changes, Local and National Trends in Coding.
5. Interactive Intelligent Smart Classrooms.
6. Professionally managed certification on completion of course.
7. Listening comprehension Proficiency.
8. Ability to work in Shortcuts for efficient Medical Transcription.
9. Soft Skills Development.

This industry has created abundant job opportunities, particularly for Life Science students. It will continue to see positive growth in terms of job opportunities. The industry is growing at over 18% year-on-year and it is currently the fastest in the IT or ITeS space. The demand and supply gap of certified medical coders is approximately 40% and has been increasing over the last two years. This will mean faster career growth for people who have the right skills.

The post Medical Coding and Billing – Opportunities in India appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

The idea behind this is quite simple. The top pharmaceutical companies – or even the upcoming ones for that matter – do not readily agree to invest their time and money in training the freshers after recruiting them. Hence the best option would be to hire the experienced ones. In case of demand or there is a new job/post in the company, they hire freshers as interns and then train them accordingly. After the training, ones who prove to be efficient are appointed for the job. The best way to stay out of this loop would be to acquire necessary training and experience from pre-pharmacy courses providers or join internship programs that provide certifications. These activities greatly improve the confidence of the fresher and develop his relevant skills for the job.

At ‘Pharma Knowledge Centre’ you get a chance to take part in various training programs like Clinical Research, Medical Coding and Pharmacovigilance that equip you with the necessary skills, make you Confident and Competent for the job you apply.
We also provide Pre-recruitment Training that will equip you with various skills like Interview training, e-mail etiquettes, C.V. developing and other Soft skills that will give you jumpstart in any career you choose to pursue.

Pharma Knowledge Centre – “My Learning Life” (PKC) engaged Young Indian Youths to prepare this presentation/Blog and the same has been prepared by one of the associated youngsters in consultation with PKC.

The post Recent Pharma jobs need much more than Just a Degree appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.

Recently an article was published in the Times of India- Education Excellence section, speaking about various career options after 10^th and 12^th which emphasized on the importance of Clinical Research as one of the evergreens and regression-free field to opt for.

“It is a form of research where the efficiency, effects, benefits, and risk of medical products are studied.”

• Times of India

India has been involved in clinical research for the past many years and is now on its way to becoming a major hub for it. Employment in this billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry is already witnessing high demand for qualified professionals. There is a massive need for clinical research professionals in this fast-growing field. Clinical research makes an interesting career option with a great scope for professional growth. One can be a CRA either on completion of a Pharmacy degree course, a Paramedical course or any other Life science degree.

According to a survey conducted by the Forbes where they shortlisted some of the world’s Best paying and Flexible jobs, a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) post was ranked as Number #1. Other jobs on the list were a senior sales manager and Marketing Consultant

A Clinical Research Associate (CRA) earns an average salary of Rs 300,662 per year. The main function of a clinical research associate is to monitor clinical trials. The CRA may work directly with the sponsor company of a clinical trial, as an independent freelancer or for a contract research organization (CRO).

The big pharmaceutical companies in India demand that the candidate applying for a career in CRA post must possess the necessary knowledge and skills required for the job. The best way to build a successful career in Clinical Research would be to get a Certification course in Clinical Research and get experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator, that will help the candidate to receive exposure to various aspects of the job and make him proficient for the post.

The post Clinical Research Ranked #1 in ‘Top 15 High Paying and Flexible Jobs’ according to Forbes appeared first on Pharma Knowledge Centre.