Career: Pharmacist
A Day in the Life
Pharmacists dispense drugs and medicines prescribed by physicians and health practitioners. As such, a pharmacist must possess the medical knowledge necessary to inform her customers about the use, hazards, interactions, and side effects of any drug she dispenses. Understanding the use and assignment of drugs and medicines is only part of the job, though. Pharmacists also keep computerized and often detailed records of patient drug use and medical profiles to ensure that patients won’t have dangerous drug interactions and are following their doctors’ instructions as to use of the drug. It is an increasing part of the pharmacist’s job to be actively involved with patients, providing information on prescription drugs, referring patients to appropriate over-the-counter drugs, and advising physicians on the proper selection and use of medications. Pharmacists employed in community pharmacies, as nearly 60 percent are, may also take on the responsibilities of running the business, such as buying and selling nonpharmaceutical merchandise (think of what else you can get at Rite Aid), hiring and supervising personnel and pharmacy technicians, and overseeing much of the day-to-day operation of the pharmacy itself. Although pharmacists who have privately owned pharmacies certainly perform these tasks, even salaried employees of big-chain pharmacies can find themselves taking on some managerial responsibilities in addition to their pharmaceutical duties. Pharmacists who are employed by hospitals (25 percent of the profession), in clinics, and in HMOs dispense prescriptions and work as consultants to the medical team. They also make sterile solutions for use in the ER and in surgical procedures, purchase medical supplies, instruct interns, and perform administrative duties. Some in the hospital and medical field continue their education and conduct research into new medicines and areas of drug therapy, specializing in drug therapies for psychiatric disorders, for example, or the use of radiopharmaceuticals. Most pharmacists spend an average of forty-four hours per week at their jobs, but those who are self-employed tend to work longer. In any case, the work is not sedentary and pharmacists report spending a lot of their time on their feet.
Paying Your Dues
As with any profession relating to the medical field, dues are heavy. Undergraduate study should consist of mathematics and sciences such as biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as humanities and social sciences. Students on this track need to pay close attention to the curriculum recommended by the college of pharmacy they intend to apply to in order to fulfill admissions requirements. In addition to being knowledgeable, a pharmacist will need to have good people skills. Successful completion of the academic and clinical requirements of a graduate degree from an accredited program, passage of a state board examination, and a period internship under the guidance of a licensed pharmacist are all required in order to obtain a license to practice pharmacy.
Associated Careers
Education and training in the pharmaceutical sciences opens up more career choices than just the practice of pharmacy. Drug manufacturers and wholesalers hire pharmacists as sales and medical service representatives. Drug companies see the advantages of having informed salespeople pitching their products to retail pharmacies and hospitals, and pharmacists provide credible information on new drug products to prospective buyers. A qualified pharmacist can also teach in colleges of pharmacy, supervise the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, or get involved with the research and development of new medicines. With more academic work, pharmacists can move into pharmacology or become pharmaceutical chemists. The academically minded combine pharmaceutical and legal education to pursue jobs as patent lawyers or consultants on pharmaceutical and drug laws.
(P.S. This were the people who does this job, it's a girl thing yah know hehehe - Ruth, Bietha, Karen, Chona, Marilyn, Charlita, Mergie, Mia, Georgie)
posted by lemuel at
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
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