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Are you considering a career in pharmacy? Curious about the unique challenges and rewards of the profession in Turkey? This article, written by pharmacist Hatice, provides an insider’s perspective on the educational journey, career paths, and societal impact of pharmacists in Turkey.
My name is Hatice and I have been working as a pharmacist in Turkey for the past years. In this article, I will share my personal experience and journey of becoming and working as a pharmacist here.
Pharmacy Education in Turkey
To become a pharmacist in Turkey, students must follow the following process:
The major pharmacy career paths in Turkey include:
This versatility allows pharmacists to develop diverse and rewarding careers according to their interests. Many pursue specializations or higher degrees to advance professionally.
Career Paths for Pharmacists in Turkey
One of the great things about this profession is the diversity of sectors pharmacists in Turkey can work in.
There are various settings and industries pharmacists can choose to build their career in.
The main difference in roles comes with specializations like phytotherapy and clinical pharmacy, which require passing specialist exams to practice in these advanced areas.
Working As A Pharmacist
With recent changes in laws, most new pharmacists in Turkey are now employees rather than pharmacy owners. There are a few key ways new graduates look for and find jobs.
- Job ads are posted on online platforms like LinkedIn and Kariyer.net.
- But the best place to look is the pharmacist association job listings, which are updated frequently with open positions.
- The main challenge is that existing pharmacies prefer to hire experienced pharmacists.
I advise all graduates to know their rights and negotiate proper salaries. And I urge more experienced pharmacists to protect and support younger colleagues during their early careers.
Establishing Your Own Pharmacy in Turkey
For a pharmacist looking to open their own pharmacy, there is a process that must be followed.
Financially, there are costs associated with starting a pharmacy too.
- Someone taking over an existing license via official transfer must first pay whatever fee the current owner asks for the license as there are no regulations on the price.
- Opening a brand new pharmacy requires significant capital for expenses like initial stock, equipment, renovations, licenses, and other fees.
Pharmacist Salary In Turkey
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Pharmacist Salaries in Turkey (2024)
Note: Salaries vary by city, institution type (private/public), and additional payments.
Pharmacist Responsibilities
Pharmacist Responsibilities
- Controlled SubstancesCounts the controlled use of narcotic, hypnotic, and psychotropic drugs on a weekly basis.
- Stock ManagementIt checks the stock and expiration dates of the drugs in the pharmacy on a regular basis.
- Storage ConditionsIt ensures that the medicines in the pharmacy are stored properly, taking into account their temperature values.
- Patient CounselingProvides counseling to patients or consumers regarding the use of medications, supplements and dermocosmetic products.
- Disposal ManagementEnsures that expired and spoiled medications are properly disposed of, as well as medication records, are removed.
- Stock CountsIt performs stock counts of medicines throughout the pharmacy based on the need.
- Alternative MedicationsIn cases where the drugs prescribed by the doctor are not available in the pharmacy and an existing equivalent drug can meet the request, the patient may offer to give this drug to the patient as his legal right.
- Drug InteractionsIn the doctor’s prescription, carefully considers drug interactions and drug interactions with food. It notifies the physician and warns the patient if the interaction occurs.
- Insurance ProcessingThe prescriptions are entered into the system in accordance with the law, and the system then informs the Social Security Institution about the prescriptions it has covered every month, and if there is no error, it can collect the fee from the Social Security Institution.
- System UpdatesThe pharmacist participates in entering medication information into the patient account, updates the pharmacy system medications in orders, invoices, transfers, and returns, entering records of medication entries and exits into the system regarding medication counting situations, and keeping stock.
Pharmacy Working Hours and Shifts
The standard working hours and shift systems for pharmacies vary across different cities and regions of Turkey based on local pharmacist association rules.
- In Istanbul, pharmacies are typically open from 9am to 7pm. But this may vary from city to city. For example, in Kutahya pharmacies are open from 8am to 6pm.
- Some associations mandate a 1 hour lunch break closure.
- Night, weekend and holiday shifts are covered through a rotation system negotiated by the local association.
- Shift schedules are usually updated twice a year.
- You can find out the most accurate answer about pharmacy working hours and duty by asking the pharmacy or from the website of the pharmacist chamber of that province or district. Here is the link of pharmacies in duty in Istanbul.
In terms of division of responsibilities between pharmacists working together, inventory management and acquisition of medicines not carried by the other pharmacist can be split based on individual strengths. But overall, the workload and accountability is quite high for each individual pharmacist.
Career Progression and Advancement
There are different potential paths for progression and advancement within pharmacy careers.
For pharmacists working in community pharmacies, development comes through acquiring expertise in specialized areas and obtaining certifications through continued training and education.
In the pharmaceutical industry, building experience and interest in different domains allows movement across departments and even working abroad in multinational companies.
For hospital pharmacists, the pinnacle role is often becoming chief pharmacist which involves overseeing all pharmacy operations and staff for that institution.
With the recent introduction of pharmacist specialization in Turkey, there are also growing opportunities in academia and positions within government bodies like the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency.
