Career Possibilities Abound, Adjunct Professor Kishor Wasan Says

SASKATOON, SK, CANADA, March 10, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Canadians planning their future careers have bright prospects as pharmacists, says Adjunct Professor Kishor Wasan, formerly Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition of the University of Saskatchewan. Canada has increasing demand for pharmacists at the same time potential professional roles for pharmacists are expanding.

More Than One Opening For Each Applicant, Adjunct Professor Kishor Wasan Confirms

Adjunct Professor Kishor Wasan cites data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information showing a census of 43,744 pharmacists in Canada in 2019. The demand for pharmacists in Canada is increasing, and the Institute predicts that there will be a need for 56,000 Canadian pharmacists by 2029. 

Pharmacists are retiring or otherwise leaving the profession at a rate of about 1,000 per year. Canadian universities are graduating about 1,200 new PharmD's per year. With increasing demand for pharmacists, that means that Canada will need 8 to 10 thousand more pharmacists than it will have in its workforce by the end of the 2020s.

Holders of Doctor of Pharmacy degrees have good job prospects anywhere they choose to live in Canada. Salaries are only going up.

The Daily Work of a Pharmacist Isn't Just Dispensing Pills

We all know our pharmacists as the people who make sure we get the prescription medications we need. Pharmacists check prescriptions are in the proper dosage and calculate, measure, and mix drugs that have to be formulated on site. But modern pharmacists do much more than that.

Pharmacists maintain patient profiles so they can advise physicians of contraindications and drug interactions. They are responsible for making sure that vaccines, serums, biologicals, and pharmaceuticals are delivered and held in inventory under safe conditions. They advise customers on the selection and use of non-prescription medication, and renew prescriptions under limited circumstances.m They supervise pharmacy technicians and other staff.

Not all pharmacists, however, deal directly with the public.

Industrial Pharmacy Is a Growing Field in Canada

Some Canadian pharmacists use their scientific training to participate in drug development. They formulate the drugs used in research. They test new drugs for stability during storage and measure the rates at which they can be absorbed and metabolized in the human body. They coordinate clinical studies of investigational drugs.

Industrial pharmacists develop the informational materials that prescribers need for safe and effective administration of new drugs. They evaluate packaging, labeling, and advertising of drugs, and provide the information that supports drug sales.

JobBank Canada reports the median salary for pharmacists in Canada is $104,646 per year. The highest quintile earn $144,300 per year.

Adjunct Professor Kishor Wasan advises young people seeking to become pharmacists to immerse themselves in their profession. Pharmacists learn early on how to merge technical skills with leadership skills in internship positions.

Earning the Doctor of Pharmacy degree required to become a pharmacist in Canada requires several years of hard work, but the financial and professional rewards along with a sense of service to the community are well worth the sacrifice.

Caroline Hunter
Web Presence, LLC
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