Your tasks will depend on which area of pharmacy you work in. In this role you could:

• dispense medicines in a community pharmacy, hospital or a GP practice clinic
• give healthcare advice about prescription and over-the-counter medicines
• advise on drug dosages and risks, to the public, patients, GPs and nurses
• run screening programmes for diabetes, cholesterol or blood pressure
• visit care homes or hospital wards to advise on the use and storage of medications
• order and controlling stock
• run a business, including supervising and training staff
• produce medicines when ready-made ones aren't available, for example, cancer treatments
• buy, quality test and distribute medicines throughout a hospital
• supervise trainees and junior pharmacists

In education or industry, you could:

• do research into new medicines
• run clinical trials

You could work at a store, in an NHS or private hospital or at an adult care home.

There's a formal career structure in the NHS, so with experience you could progress to team manager or pharmacy consultant. You could also work in GPs' surgeries or health centres.

Promotion opportunities can be good if you're working for one of the larger pharmacy chains where you can apply for regional or national management positions.With experience, you could set up your own community pharmacy business.

After further training, you could go on to teach pharmacy students at university.

Another option is to move into related areas like scientific journalism or publishing.

To do research, you'll need a further postgraduate qualification in a subject like toxicology or pharmacology.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society offers professional support services.