Hi Ayisha

Pharmacology is the science of how drugs act on biological systems and how the body responds to the drugs.

Do not confuse pharmacology with pharmacy. Pharmacy is a separate discipline in health sciences . Pharmacy uses the knowledge derived from pharmacology.A pharmacologist studies what a drug does to a body and a pharmacist deals with end products of a pharmaceutical industry.

A pharmacologist is a scientist who conducts research experiments and tests drugs to study their effects on Animals and Humans. they design these tests and experiments specifically to verify hypothesis regarding drugs.

They input information based on clinical results and record the outcomes, noting equipment needs , dosage, possible side effects, and other variables.

Now coming to second question, how to become a pharmacologist?

The educational requirement for pharmacologist is first B.Pharma and then M.Pharma degree in pharmacology.

Pharmacology coursework is similar to other Science/Medicine tracks in that it entails a great deal of Biology, Chemistry, Maths and other sciences.

Required skills are: 1. Designing experiments, devising and testing hypothesis, analysing and interpretating data, and laboratory and staff management.

2. They should have logical inquisitive mind; excellent written and oral communication skills and good team working abilities.

3. Ability to work without supervision and use your own initiative ; decision making skills; ability to manage time, knowledge of safety and teamwork.

4. Ability to design , plan, and conduct controlled experiment to improve understanding of a compounds activity.

There is also an M.D. and  MBBS route for becoming a pharmacologist.

Institutes offering courses for pharmacology are:

1. National Institute of pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali

2. Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and research ( DIPSR), Delhi

3. L.M. College Of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad

4. Jamia Hamdard, Delhi

5. All India institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi

6. Punjab University, Chandigarh

Scope of this field is immense as pharmacologist are important members of drug discovery teams in search of newer molecules in pharmaceutical industry.

1. Applicants can work on a university in teaching or research ; can work in labs, such as research lab or crime lab

2. Pharmacologist can work in dental and veterinary fields, in addition to the Medical field.

3. They have good scope in areas such as clinical trials, manufacturing, Regulatory affairs, patenting , sales and marketing, IT , finance and scientific writing.

If you want to make your carrier in pharmacology , then do some research work on it and feel free to ask related questions .

All the Best!!