Pharmacy Profession Overview

Pharmacist Job Description

• Pharmacists counsel patients, plan drug therapies, and have direct patient contact in clinical and retail settings.
• Earnings are high, but some pharmacists work nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Licensing requires accredited pharmacy college and exam passing.

Pharmacist Duties (Community/Retail)

• Counsel patients on prescription drugs (side effects, interactions).
• Provide info on over-the-counter drugs and recommendations.
• Advise on durable medical equipment and home healthcare.
• Coordinate with insurance companies for medication costs.
• May sell non-health merchandise, manage staff, and oversee operations (pharmacy owners/managers).
• Provide patient care activities (immunizations, simple tests, therapy management).

Pharmacist Duties (Hospital/Clinic)

• Dispense medications, advise medical staff on drug selection and side effects.
• Make sterile solutions, purchase supplies, teach students, and perform administrative tasks.
• Involved in patient education, drug regimen monitoring, and drug use evaluations.
• Consult with medical teams on drug therapy and patient care.
• May conduct hospital rounds to monitor pharmaceutical use.
• Home health care pharmacists monitor drug therapy and prepare home medications/infusions.

Federal/State Pharmacist Roles

• Hold staff and supervisory positions in US Public Health Service, VA, FDA, and armed forces (some commission officer, others civil service).
• State & federal boards employ pharmacists as executive officers and inspectors to regulate and protect public health.
• Pharmacists often purchase medical/pharmaceutical supplies on a large scale.
• Active pharmaceutical associations employ full-time executive officers.

Specialized Pharmacist Roles

• Advertising, packaging, technical writing, magazine editing, science reporting.
• Patent lawyers and pharmaceutical law experts.
• Space laboratories, ships (e.g., S.S. Hope), and large manufacturing firms.

Pharmacist Expertise (Side Effects/Compounding)

• Advise on proper drug selection and use, addressing drug complexity and potential side effects.
• Dispense drugs/medicines prescribed by doctors, dentists, etc.
• Understand drug composition, effects, and testing for purity.
• Continue education due to new medications and complexities.
• Compounding (mixing ingredients) now a smaller part, mostly already produced.

Medication Profile & Pharmacotherapists

• Medication profiles (computerized records of drug therapy) help track interactions & patient compliance.

Other Specialized Pharmacists

• Pharmacotherapists specialize in drug therapy and work closely with physicians.
• Nutrition support pharmacists determine/prepare nutritional drugs.
• Radiopharmacists/nuclear pharmacists prepare/dispense radioactive pharmaceuticals (diagnosis/therapy).
• Pharmaceutical industry pharmacists work in sales, R&D, or marketing.

Work Environment

• Clean, well-lit, well-ventilated areas resembling small labs.
• Shelves with many drug products (some refrigerated).
• Narcotics, depressants, and stimulants kept under lock and key.
• Often work standing.
• Safety precautions (gloves, masks, protective equipment) required.
• Many pharmacies open around-the-clock (nights, weekends, holidays).

Employment Opportunities & Trends

• ~321,700 pharmacists in 2019; 42% in retail, 26% in hospitals.
• Other locations: mail order, Internet pharmacies, wholesalers, physician offices, federal government.
• Overall employment expected to decrease through 2029.

Educational/Legal Requirements

• PharmD degree from accredited college/school required.
• Required to pass series of examinations (NAPLEX, MPJE).
• Continuing education is typically required.

Education/Training Details

• PharmD degree replaced Bachelor of Pharmacy.
• Admission requires professional study (math, sciences, humanities/social sciences).
• Most complete 3+ years prior college.
• PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test).
• PharmD programs take about 4 years.
• Courses teach drug therapy, patient communication, ethics, and public health.
• Practice settings under licensed pharmacist supervision (1/4 of time).
• Master's/PhD options (e.g., pharmaceutics, pharmacology).
• Residency/fellowship options for additional training.

Licensure Details

• All states/territories/DC require a license.
• Accreditation by ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education) is necessary.
• NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam) and MPJE (Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam) are typically required.
• Some states require additional exams.

Other Qualifications

• Scientific aptitude, good interpersonal skills, desire to help others, conscientiousness, attention to detail.

Advancement Opportunities

• Community pharmacies: staff to supervisors/managers (store, district, regional, executive).
• Hospital pharmacies: supervisory/administrative roles.
• Ownership of independent pharmacies.
• Pharmaceutical industry: marketing, sales, research, quality control, and production.

Employment Trends (Continued)

• Decreasing employment of pharmacists between 2019 and 2029.
• Factors driving increase/decrease for different settings (retail vs. hospitals).
• Population aging & increasing prescription drug use will increase need for pharmacists.

Earnings

• Median annual wage/salary of pharmacists in May 2020 was $128,710.

Related Occupations

• Pharmacy technicians/aides.
• Biological, medical scientists, chemists, materials scientists.
• Physicians/surgeons.

Explore the multifaceted role of pharmacists in both community and hospital settings. This quiz covers essential duties, patient counseling, earnings, and licensing requirements for aspiring pharmacists. Test your understanding of how pharmacists contribute to healthcare.