Pharmacy Practice in Portugal -  An Interview with Pedro Coelho By Alison Roberts, PharmD
Pedro Coelho

What options are available to pharmacy graduates in Portugal?
Portuguese pharmacy gradates have four main choices available: Community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, clinical analysis and the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry is the one that offers more positions. However if graduates look carefully they can find interesting alternatives. 

What has been your career/work experience since graduating?
I graduated in 1999 and my first job was in the Pharmaceutical Industry as a Research and Development junior scientist in the pharmaceutical development area. In 2000 I was offered a position as an assistant teacher in Escola Superior de Biotecnologia - Porto.

Currently I teach Pharmacokinetics and Pharmaceutical Development in the Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde - Universidade Fernando Pessoa - Porto. Besides this, I do research in the controlled release area.

 
What are some of the problems facing pharmacy practice in Portugal today?
Even though community pharmacists are well established in Portugal, hospital and clinical pharmacists still struggle to affirm their position in the National Health System. Additionally, and as an increasing number of new pharmacists graduate, we may start to face employment problems in the "classical" pharmaceutical areas.

 
How do you think this can be overcome?
This issue could be overcome by providing new hospital positions, investing in the patient care area, and increasing the role of the pharmacist in the Portuguese Health System. I strongly believe that the effort and the investment that the Portuguese pharmacists are currently making in their post-graduate education and training, and in the quality of the services they provide, will also be of most importance.