Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences. The professional practice is becoming more clinically oriented as most of the drugs are now manufactured by pharmaceutical industries. Based on the setting, pharmacy practice is either classified as community or institutional pharmacy. Providing direct patient care in the community of institutional pharmacies is considered clinical pharmacy.

ಔಷಧ ವೃತ್ತಿ ಯು ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಗಳನ್ನು ರಾಸಾಯನಿಕ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸುವ ಆರೋಗ್ಯಸಂಬಂಧಿ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಔಷಧೀಯ ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ಸುರಕ್ಷಿತ ಹಾಗೂ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನೀಯ ಬಳಕೆಯಾಗುವಂತೆ ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಹೊಂದಿದೆ.