Who are Pharmacists?
A pharmacist is a health professional whose main work is using, dispensing and administering regulated medicines and drugs. Pharmacists complement work done by doctors and physicians who prescribe different medications.Pharmacists should also give patients more information about the drug especially how they should be used, their side effects and other interactions that the medicines might have.
In addition, pharmacists should know the composition of medicines and laws that govern their manufacturing and sale. While ordering and storing medicines, they should ensure that they are kept safe and pure and they should record all the drugs they deal with as required by the law.
Where Do Pharmacists Work
Pharmacists can work in a number of places. Some of the common places where you will find pharmacists working include:- Drug stores
- Retail chemists
- Pharmaceutical research centers and laboratories
- Order mailing chemists
- Drug dispensing areas
- Hospitals, clinics and nursing homes
- Stores that sell health care supplies and others such as stationery and detergents
Duties and Responsibilities of Pharmacists
There are many variant duties and responsibilities that pharmacists are expected to perform. Some of the common duties they do include:- Distributing or selling drugs within the community retail chain as well as in a private pharmacy
- Issuing of drugs prescribed by doctors and physicians in hospitals, nursing home and clinics
- Administration of drugs to veterinarians
- Research and development of new drugs as well as testing them to see the possible interactions, side effects as well as any safety concerns
- Testing of drugs in agencies such as the US Food and Drugs Administration
- Patient counseling on various aspects such as their health, exercise, diet, managing stress and so on
- Informing doctors on the medical history of patients
- Monitoring patient’s treatment programs and drug therapy administration – this might involve ensuring you let patients know the right dosages and how they should take them
This pharmacist job description has just mentioned a few of the roles they do. Pharmacists perform many other duties and responsibilities and most of them are depended on their specific area of work. The work performed by pharmacist who are employed in hospitals and nursing homes will be different from those in drug stores.
Academic Qualification and Training Requirements
Being a medical field, there are stringent laws that govern certification and training requirements of the pharmacists. Some of the very essential requirements are as below:- Any pharmacist in the United States of America must have a pharmacy degree from a college or pharmacy school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Normally this program takes four years.
- Before admission to a pharmacy school, students are also required to complete two pre-university years studying chemistry, physics, biology, natural and social sciences.
- All the States in US will require pharmacists to pass the North America Pharmacists Licensing Exam while other states might require one to do the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination.
- Students are also expected to have a certain number of hours while in working practice as regulated by the different states.
Other Skills and Qualities Required by Pharmacists
Even with all the academic and training requirements mentioned above, pharmacists need to have some important traits to be very successful. The most important ones are:- Be keen to details and accurate
- Have good communication skills both verbal and non verbal
- Good organizational skills
- Have computer and cashiering skills especially those who will be working in retail pharmaceuticals
Salaries of Pharmacists
Pharmacists attract good salaries like most of the other medical professions and the salaries are expected to remain competitive all through to the year 2016 according to a survey conducted by the US BLS.On average, a licensed pharmacist will earn around $100,000 per year and those who are in retail sectors; commercial setups, clinics, and mail order earn around $112,000.
Pharmacy directors as well as those working in research facilities attract even a higher salary of around $125,000 or more.
If you are hoping to join or you are in this field, this pharmacy job description must have enlightened you more about this profession.