Academic Pharmacy
Whether it’s teaching, researching, practising or a mix of all three,
Academic pharmacists enjoy exciting careers in universities,
research institutes and other organisations throughout the world.
Academic pharmacists educate, train, assess
and develop pharmacy students, pre-registration
trainees, pharmacists and other healthcare
professionals. You will use and apply your
pharmacy knowledge and expertise to teach
the next generation of pharmacists through a
variety of teaching methods. Working alongside
the wider educational team, you will update
the degree programme and develop learning
material to reflect changes in education and
practice. Academics also offer general support
to students and are often viewed as role models
and mentors.
Teacher practitioners have a split role, spending
on average around 60% of their time working in
hospital, community or industrial pharmacy and
40% of the time as a lecturer.
Academic pharmacists are also thought of as
researchers, as the role usually involves conducting
some form of research, e.g. in a science based area
of practice, drug design or pharmacy services. You
will collect evidence, analyse it and use this data
to make improvements to medicines and patient’s
health. You will be thought of as an expert.
Clinical Academic Roles
Clinical academic pharmacy combines a clinical role with a research role, bringing together the advantages of both roles.
You will work in a traditional clinical setting, e.g. hospital or community pharmacy, developing your clinical skills, and will be undertaking research at the same time. Your research will usually contribute to your day to day practice and will have an impact on patient care.
There are many paths that can be taken to establishing a clinical academic career, one of which is the HEE/NIHR Clinical Academic Programme for non-medical professionals (ICAP) which has recently become available in England. There is not currently an equivalent scheme in Scotland or Wales.
Funding awards will usually cover your salary, fees and expenses incurred whilst you are training and conducting your research.